Live, Travel, Teach

#Glaciers permeated mountains hidden behind the fog as katabatic winds cooled the air around the Dreamcatcher, our vessel for the week. Read about my incredible start to an #Alaskan summer!

Essential Preparations for Epic Camping Trips

Essential Preparations for Epic Camping Trips Who doesn’t love waking up to the sounds of birdsong and animal life? Opening your tent to look out at nature on your doorstep. Stepping outside into untamed beauty, super-fresh air, and water trickling and gargling nearby. This is what every morning of an epic camping trip feels like. However, many sorely anticipated camping holidays are cut short by…

4 Things Every Digital Nomad Needs in 2023

Digital nomadism is no longer just a phase. A report by Yahoo! on digital nomadism reveals that over 16.9 million American workers are already adopting this technology-enabled lifestyle. Additionally, the number of digital nomads compared to those working traditional corporate jobs increased by 9% in 2022, growing from 10.2 million to 11.1 million this past year alone. This shows that more…

The French Alps are a perfect honeymoon destination! Our trek around Mont Blanc began on a beautiful, bluebird day after an alpenglow sunset the night before.

The Alps are known around the world for their mountain majesty, famously home to year-round adventures at ski resorts on well-maintained trails.  When Elizabeth and I pieced together an itinerary for our summer 2022 European trip, we thought it would be fun to explore the Alps but didn’t know where to begin.  It wasn’t until our friends Cody & Mariah mentioned their self-guided Tour du Mont Blanc…

Last summer, Elizabeth and I won a two-night stay at the Kennicott River Lodge with a private kayak tour of a glacial lake in McCarthy, Alaska! You may have seen last week’s post about our stunning hike up to the Bonanza Mine and I wanted to follow up with the Erie Mine Trail, an easier hike that is an offshoot of the Root Glacier Trail. Erie Mine is high above but the trail stays low for and is…

The Bonanza Mine Trail reaches the mountaintops above historic Kennecott in Wrangell St. Elias National Park.  Abandoned mining structures can be seen along this route as you ascend nearly 4,000 feet on a strenuous hike.  Elizabeth and I won two nights at one of Kennicott River Lodge’s cabins in neighboring McCarthy, Alaska, and eagerly embarked on the hike to Bonanza Mine for our last of 3 days…

Photographing Northern Lights in Anchorage Alaska

Chasing the northern lights has been a passion of mine ever since I moved to Alaska in 2017.  I have captured some incredible night skies over the past four years and began dabbling in aurora videos too.  I’m writing this post to help you chase the aurora yourself and also to share what I’ve learned while photographing the northern lights in Alaska. Photos make the aurora look more dazzling and…

Backpacking the Kesugi Ridge Trail across #Denali State Park is one of #Alaska's best adventures!

Summer brings unique Alaskan adventures like putting all your food into bear-safe containers and hiking 30 miles on a ridgeline with a view of Denali.  Some might consider a trip like this to be crazy, but for most Alaskans, it’s simply what you do in the summer.  Elizabeth and I have been looking forward to backpacking the Kesugi Ridge trail for almost as long as we’ve been known each other. …

Day Trips from Anchorage

At the end of the month, Elizabeth and I are getting married!  If this post is how you found out about our wedding then I’m sorry you weren’t invited. Rather than dwelling on this awkward moment, we thought we’d put together a little guide with some of our favorite day trips from Anchorage.  Things to do in Anchorage From Anchorage, there are really only two directions you can go: south towards…

Hiking in Haleakala National Park – Sliding Sands Trail

Haleakala National Park should be on your radar if you’re visiting Maui.  The park is home to lush rainforests and dynamic cinder cones coming out of the volcano that created the island of Maui, Hawaii.  You have a few hiking options on the eastern shore of Maui near Hana if you want to see the volcano part of this incredible valley isle.   We enjoyed hiking in Haleakala along the sliding sands…

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Springtime is finally here in Alaska with snow and ice almost completely melted in Anchorage.  Trees and bushes are beginning to bud as greenery slowly takes its hold, but the mountains are still snow-capped and freezing nights create the perfect conditions for crust skiing at higher elevations.   Elizabeth took a few days off in late April hoping the weather would be perfect for crust skiing in…

Best of Brazilian Biking: 7 Sights to See While Cycling

Source: Shutterstock If you’re on an adventure and looking to cycle around the world on your bike, Brazil is one place that you do not want to miss out on. The result of hundreds of years of migration, colonization by European nations, and Brazil’s very own indigenous people have turned the country into a melting pot that is rich in history, culture, sights and sounds. In today’s article, we…

2020: Incredible Moments in Alaska

I will choose to remember 2020 for my wonderful adventures with Elizabeth in Alaska and not to dwell on the negativity from 2020.  Looking forward to 2021 and continuing a tradition that I started in 2013  of sharing my favorite photos.  At some point in the last few years, I stopped calling them “travel” photos; that lack of travel has been especially clear with the pandemic of 2020 keeping me…

What I learned after teaching with Zoom and Canvas for almost a year

The vast majority of students learn better with in-person teaching, that isn’t up for debate but sometimes, circumstances force us to do what is second best.  Teaching online using Zoom, Canvas or other distance learning programs is second best, but it does work.

The truth that everyone needs to realize for distance learning to be effective is that learning DOES occur in the digital classroom. …

Watching Beloit #Glacier Calve was one of the most incredible #Alaskan experiences I've ever had, plus I captured it with my #drone!

Glaciers have fascinated me ever since I learned about them as a kid.  A fascination that I’m sure played a subconscious role in moving to Alaska.  They are a pinnacle of nature’s beauty, reminding us how massive a force nature can be and visiting one should be on everyone’s bucketlist!  In early July, Elizabeth’s sister Christina married this amazing gentleman named Kevin and I was lucky enough…

Pepper Peak – One of Eklutna Lake’s best trails

Standing a mile in the air is a thrill that Pepper Peak provides, made even more breathtaking with Ekltuna Lake down below.  I’m dubbing this my most rewarding, yet grueling hike in Alaska, because climbing 4,500 feet in about 4.5 miles is a feat that shouldn’t be taken lightly.  The trail to Pepper Peak starts at Eklutna Lake Campground and then follows the Twin Peaks trail past the benches and…