Travel Talk - 4XPEDITION Team 4X Community Forum

Finally found some Mermaids! I think? Mahahual Scuba Diving July 2023

John Twarog — Fri, 21 Jul 2023 21:33:00 +0000

Hi All,

Been super busy with work, and prepping for this trip as well, so have been pretty absent.

Here are some photos, and a YouTube video link to a fantastic scuba dive trip to Mahahual, Quintana Roo, Mexico. Its is a 4 drive south, from Cancun, which most are familiar with. It is almost to the border of Belize, on the eastern coast of Mexico carrabean side!

This is the YouTube link. https://youtu.be/MaHLXsbCHTI

If you've never gone Scuba diving, this will give you a nice ride along, maybe it will stir an interest to try it out, or at least go snorkeling, or Free diving as I had done for many years before getting Scuba Certified. This trip I completed some Advanced Diver Training Courses as well, and have now completed over 20 dives, in the past year.

Here are some photos of the area, some dives, and the Mermaids that where our Dive Masters, just amazing and hard working ladies!!

Actually got some great video of Green Sea Turtles, and a Spotted Eagle Ray!

Hope all are well and having Great Adventures!!

JPT 😎 👍

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Spring.. ish

Shovel — Wed, 05 Apr 2023 18:58:33 +0000

We've still had snow as recently as Sunday, and hail Monday so it's not exactly warm yet but spring is undeniably happening - and that means I can start work on the outdoor video projects I've been dreaming about all winter.

It means camping season is almost here too!    I don't know if we'll have the funds to visit "distant" Canadian destinations again this summer but there's a lot to explore within a 2-day weekend.

I'm hoping to wrap up my video series on restoring a very unloved, "Wrong Engine" Mustang and then have to make the decision on keeping it or selling it.   I'm building it as if I want to keep it.. but that's how I do all my projects and if I need to offer it to someone else they'll get something built with care and I think a little bit special.

For the video series at this point I want to develop my presentation and production skill.. taking the path of greatest resistance as always.

What does springtime bring for you?

Merry Christmas! Anyone traveling during the holidays?

Shovel — Thu, 22 Dec 2022 23:20:12 +0000

This year I don't have the budget for any big plans, but we're going to do some close to home adventures, snow sledding in the forest just outside of town.

Ho-hum but not humbug!

I hope you have a warm and memorable Christmas, or any other way you mark the season!

Forgotten Graves

Shovel — Sun, 27 Nov 2022 21:03:24 +0000

I took a short tour around the Davenport, WA area just for fresh air and found this graveyard all but completely consumed by time:

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That's the graveyard to the right, in that 2nd photo.

Just little ones:

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This one here is the most recent stone I could find, though her husband's is supposedly there too and two years more recent. I am guessing it would be beside hers but the migrating silt appears to have consumed it.

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She died at just 26, two days after the birth of her third child. Details unknown.

I was able to find this photo which claims to be her and her husband

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There is nothing globally noteworthy about these folks, just settlers during a part of history when life was hard and not everyone was destined to grow old.

Priest Lake, Idaho

Shovel — Mon, 21 Nov 2022 01:32:20 +0000

We took a little mid day drive up to Priest Lake today since the weather was nice - here's some photos. The part the photos can't capture is the absolute silence on the lake, nobody was around, no cars, no wind, no waves lapping at the shore, no animals. Just our own heartbeat in our ears if we stood still.

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Crystal clear water

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Raft ramp, at the river

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A small sign suggesting one should not try to ride down it.

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Well, They weren't Mermaids, but still pretty cute!

John Twarog — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 01:35:51 +0000

Swimming with the Sea Lions at Isla San Pedro!

Last year I celebrated my 60th birthday up high! With an impromtu hike up to 12,000 ft. Humphreys Peak, in Flagstaff, Az.

This year I went low and spent my 61st birthday Scuba diving with the Sea Lions at Isla San Pedro, of the coast of San Carlos, Nuevo Guaymas, Sonora , Mexico. Its on the west coast of mainland Mexico, across from roughly the halfway down point of Baja California.

I was actually just logging on the the last zoom camp meeting, when I got birthday ambushed at the restaurant that we were eating at! (See Photo).

Did two days of diving, and it was just amazing being 40 ft under water watching the Sea Lions ballet show!!

When you have some sit down time, you can watch my (Feature Length Film, LOL!) here: https://youtu.be/UKQFRORxkvY

Had so much impromtu footage, I had trouble cutting it down, LOL! But put the FF button to use. Turn up the volume, enjoy the ride and adventure. I'm stiil learnig to stitch all the different media together. Cell phone pics and vids, along with my first time filming under water and with my new GoPro9. Trying to maintain your buoyancy, while fighting currents pushing you around was a learning curve!

Tell me how you liked it? I like to keep it somewhat Raw and had fun putting it together!

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Theme Travel - Following Famous Authors Footsteps

Scott Leuthold — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 17:56:01 +0000

I have always been connected to the writings of Thoreau, Emerson, Muir, and Leopold. And, in fact, I have found myself on more than one occassion in locales that these inspiring and influential gents have infused themselves. I was well aware that Leopold made a significant impact here in New Mexico as well as in my birth state, Wisconsin. After all, he played an instrumental role in preserving the world's first wilderness area here in New Mexico. The Gila.

Later in life he wrote an influential book that even today is considered a bible of sorts on conserving land. The book many of you may know is called "A Sand County Almanac". If you haven't read, it, here is a link: https://amzn.to/3r6LTfg

Anyway, I have always wanted to visit his farm in Wisconsin where he wrote that book. A few years ago, I found myself in the Gila and explored much of the area (and shared it in an episode here: https://youtu.be/0KjUdEatMX8). Aldo Leopold's essence can be found all of that area of New Mexico.

Well, the other day, Heather and I were exploring on the western mesa of the Rio Grand Gorge. We stopped in a small cross road town called Tres Piedras, New Mexico. There we noticed a tiny brown sign on the side of the road that said "Aldo Leopold House". I was astonished to discover that Leopold, after spending time in the Gila, was hired as a Assistant Super Intendant for the Carson National Forest (that surrounds our cabin). He established the Administrative facilities at Tres Piedras. Here he had intended to live with his wife but ended up only living there for a short time. It is a very interesting read: https://www.aldoleopold.org/post/love-stories-tres-piedras/.

The cabin is not open to the public though there are signs in front of it for visitors to read. They have reserved access to the cabin for writers that are a part of the Aldo Leopold Foundation. After visiting, I reached out to one of the writers that had an opportunity to stay in the cabin and we chatted via email a bit. Was really cool.

Anyway, here are a few photos of that visit.

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Filming on National Parks is again unlawful without a permit.

Shovel — Sun, 11 Sep 2022 18:40:55 +0000

Saw this, this morning - the prior ruling which allowed it was overturned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THatbuKRwzg

https://nppa.org/news/price-v-barr-reversed-%E2%80%94-national-park-permit-scheme-commercial-filming-reinstated

An important point of this is clarified by the youtube channel linked above: If filming is done spontaneously (example, an unexpected event of noteworthy nature occurs... like an earthquake or a meteor or something) it would still be criminal to later post it on a for-profit platform like youtube even though it would have been impossible to obtain a permit in advance.

Summer Adventure Plans!

Scott Leuthold — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 23:08:23 +0000

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I would love to hear a few of your ideas and plans for Summer Adventure! This is a comment follow up to the May 2022 Feature Article.

Canada (and crossing the border from USA)

Shovel — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 16:06:54 +0000

Starting Friday April 1 the requirement to have a clinically monitored/administered negative Covid test drops for visitors entering Canada from the USA - exciting! Not that it was impossible to cross of course, but it added a layer of hassle to the journey and few things are more unwelcome than hassles.

ArriveCAN is still requiring registration of a quarantine plan, which is a little weird for those of us who live close to the border. Common sense would indicate "Uh.. buddy I could just drive 80 miles back to my house and quarantine there... " but the one size fits all legislation doesn't fit all very well :)

Now that the snow is melting and spring is in gear we're looking forward to visiting our Canadian friends we haven't seen in years, and continuing to plan a big Western Canada loop up to Edmonton and beyond as time and money allow.

Anyone got Canada plans?