Plants and Flowers

Why We Love Florida

Moving to Florida (we bought a beachside business on the Gulf) has been absolutely fantastic. Besides having a great starting location for our travels with easy access to the Caribbean, Mexico, Cuba and Central America, it’s warm even in the winter, we get an abundance of Vitamin D, there are palm trees and grapefruit trees in our back yard and the wildlife is awesome. We’re both from the midwest (Michigan and Pennsylvania), so the tropical flora and fauna are very exotic to us. (How often can you just pull off at a roadside park and see live gators!?). If you have never been to Florida or are looking for great location for a getaway, we highly recommend the Sunshine State. Oh, and stop by our shop – Beach Snoballs - on Treasure Island – we’d love to meet you!

This is a picture I took while we were moving into our new house – I found this little guy crawling on our mailbox!

Categories: Adventure, Animals, Backpacking, Beach, Beach Snoballs, Explore, Family, Florida, Food, Landscape Photograph, Nature, Ocean, Outdoors, Photography, Planning vacation, Plants and Flowers, Top Knotch Gear, Tourist Site, Travel, Travel Photography, Travel Tips, United States, Water, Wild, World Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Life’s a Beach

Check out this treasury on Etsy called Life’s a Beach! It’s all beach-related art by artists from all over the world! Excited for summer yet??

Categories: Adventure, Art, Beach, Black and Blue, Bracelet, Etsy, Explore, Family, Gear, Jewelry, Landscape Photograph, Ocean, Outdoors, Photography, Pinterest, Plants and Flowers, SCUBA Diving, Top Knotch Gear, Travel, Travel Photography, Water, white and blue, World Travel | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Islands for Everyone!

As cabin fever sets in and winter blues hover in the air (unless you live in Florida, no winter blues here), why not take yourself on a tropical getaway? Say, to an island that’s perfect for your personality?! CNN Go has put together a list of islands that are perfect for all kinds of people – nudists, families, loners, lovers…. you name it. Here are some of the findings:

World’s Best Islands For…

Naughty Nudists
Rab, Croatia – The birthplace of skinny dipping where clothing is optional. There are 3 different nude beaches where all of your parts can get some Vitamin D.

Nature Nuts
Sark, Channel Islands – It’s here, off the French coast of Normandy, that you can see the Milky Way nearly every night. There are no street lights or headlights because cars and bright lights are outlawed – perfect for stargazing space freaks (like me)!

Family Frenzies
Oahu, Hawaii – I’ll admit, the thought of visiting an island where are bunch of kids are running around is a turnoff to me. But Oahu is a great destination for families because of all the activities to keep young ones entertained – things like surfing school, giant mazes and water slides.

Lusty Lovebirds
Lizard Island, Australia – Between the 24 private beaches, the torch-lit dinners at the resorts and the Great Barrier Reef, this island is sure to make sparks fly. I know it’s going on our itinerary…

Laid Back Loners
Ogasawara Island, Japan – Traveling solo isn’t a bad thing, especially if you enjoy the quiet of being one with nature. South of Tokyo, this island has few inhabitants and a ferry is the only means of connecting the island to the “real world”… otherwise, you’re on your own! (Bring your survival bracelet!)

Party Peeps
Ibiza, Spain – Yes, the same Ibiza that J-Lo sings about. Known for its sweaty summer raves, there are tons of clubs with head-throbbing trance music if you’re looking for a party scene-getaway.

Movie Star Madness
St. Barts, French West Indies – Pretty, posh and full of paparazzi, this is THE island for celeb sightings. It’s also a gorgeous place with white sand beaches, just like in the Hollywood movies.

To read about the other island recommended, check out CNN Go’s article.

Happy island-hopping!

Categories: Adventure, Around the World, Backpacking, Celebrities, Explore, Family, Globetrotting, Landscape Photograph, Love, Naked Hiking, Naturalist, Nature, News, Nude Beach, Nude Hiking, Ocean, Outdoors, Photography, Planning vacation, Plants and Flowers, RTW, SCUBA Diving, Summer, Top Knotch Gear, Tourist Site, Transportation, Travel, Travel Photography, Travel Tips, Trip planning | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

GO EXPLORING

Categories: Accessories, Adventure, Africa, Asia, Australia, Backpacking, Beach, Camping, Canada, Caves, Chile, China, Circumnavigation, Europe, Explore, Globetrotting, Latin America, Mountains, National Parks, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Plants and Flowers, Rock Climbing, South America, Top Knotch Gear, Tourist Site, Trails, Travel, Trek, Wild | Leave a comment

Insight to Hiking Naked: An Article Written by a Nude Hiker Himself

We’ve seen a ton of hits over the past couple of days from our post about nude hiking in Germany and the Supreme Court debate about nude hiking in Switzerland. (We had no idea the Time Magazine article would be so popular among some our viewers!). For those of you interested in hiking naked in the United States, here is a link to an article written by a man in the Yukon who hikes nude (warning, there are some photos but no “inappropriate” body parts can be seen.) It’s an interesting perspective if you have an open mind.

Read the article here: http://www.yukonalaska.com/nudehiking/ 

Also, if you’re looking for a survival bracelet to match the color of your birthday suit, we have some colors of paracord that may blend in quite nicely with flesh tones! Stop by our online store to see the survival bracelets and get yours today!

Categories: Adventure, Backpacking, Debate, Europe, Explore, Family, Germany, Globetrotting, Hiking, Mountains, Naked Hiking, Naturalist, Nude Hiking, Outdoors, Photography, Plants and Flowers, Random, Stumble Upon, Summer, Supreme Court, Switzerland, Top Knotch Gear, Tourist Site, Trails, Travel, Trip planning, United States | 2 Comments

AWESOME Travel Photography by Kenneth Parker

We stumbled on Kenneth Parker’s photography site yesterday. His photographs are AMAZING. If you enjoy travel, nature and landscape photography, you’ll definitely want to check out his site: www.kennethparker.com! As a [much less experienced] travel photographer myself, I am truly inspired by his work and what he’s able to capture. It’s just awesome!

Burmese Temples - Photo by Kenneth Parker

Ruins and Roots in Cambodia - Photo by Kenneth Parker

Categories: Adventure, Africa, Asia, Backpacking, Cambodia, Circumnavigation, Explore, Globetrotting, Hiking, Landscape Photograph, Mountains, Myanmar, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Plants and Flowers, Random, Red, South America, Stumble Upon, Summer, Top Knotch Gear, Tourist Site, Trails, Transportation, Travel, Travel Photography, Water | 2 Comments

Norway

We found this picture on StumbleUpon and wanted to share it. It’s a photograph of Norway.

Categories: Adventure, Backpacking, Circumnavigation, Europe, Explore, Globetrotting, Hiking, Landscape Photograph, Mountains, Nature, Norway, Outdoors, Photography, Plants and Flowers, Stumble Upon, Top Knotch Gear, Tourist Site, Trails, Travel, Travel Photography, Water, white and blue | Leave a comment

GIANT Piece of Driftwood

Check out this GIANT piece of drift wood on the beach of La Push, Washington!

Photo courtesy of Phillip Lachman

Just one more reason to always have your camera handy when exploring!

Categories: Adventure, Backpacking, Explore, Hiking, Landscaping, Outdoors, Photography, Plants and Flowers, Tourist Site, Trails, Travel, Uncategorized, Water, World's Largest | 2 Comments

Our Travel Bucket List!

  1. Visit the wonders of the world.
  2. Cross every longitudinal line and every major meridian.
  3. Step foot on all 7 continents.
  4. Hike some of the Annapurna circuit.
  5. See Mount Everest (bonus points for climbing to base camp).
  6. Hike some of Kilimanjaro.
  7. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
  8. Kayak through the mangroves in Everglades National Park.
  9. Visit the Grand Canyon.
  10. Visit all National Parks in the United States.
  11. Become fluent in French and Spanish. (Bonus points for using it abroad).
  12. Become certified SCUBA divers.
  13. Teach English abroad.
  14. Volunteer with a children’s organization abroad.
  15. Install water filters in a 3rd world country.
  16. Experience a sunrise in the Serengheti.
  17. Party on top of a skyscraper in Hong Kong.
  18. Climb a mountain (the entire thing – height doesn’t matter).
  19. Star gaze in South America.
  20. Take a National Geographic Linblad tour.
  21. Spend an extended time at a Buddhist monastery.
  22. Take tango lessons in Argentina.
  23. Visit the Amazon rainforest.
  24. Hug a koala.
  25. See the fjords in Norway.
  26. Celebrate Oktoberfest in Germany.
  27. Learn wine appreciation – and become connoisseur.
  28. Visit a medicine man and/or a shaman.
  29. Get our fortunes read overseas.
  30. Sleep in a hammock on a beach.
  31. Take a roadtrip across the U.S.A.
  32. Hike the Appalachian Trail – the entire thing!
  33. Swim with dolphins.
  34. See a whale in the wild.
  35. Swim/slide off of a natural waterfall.
  36. Hike the trail to the Po Lin Monastery in Hong Kong.
  37. Go on a mediation retreat.
  38. Take a helicopter ride over a volcano.
  39. Hike a volcano.
  40. See the cherry blossoms in bloom in Japan.
  41. Visit the family castle in Scotland.
  42. Eat authentic Italian food – in Italy.
  43. See the Olympics in person.
  44. Have a romantic dinner in Paris.
  45. Visit the Holocost concentration camps & memorials.
  46. Celebrate New Years in different countries (specifically Sydney and Hong Kong)
  47. Visit Iceland.
  48. Experience the Iditarod in Alaska.
  49. Experience Holi Day (Festival of Colours) in India.
  50. See the dragon boat festival in China.
  51. Carnival in Rio.
  52. Visit the Mount Gay Rum distillery in Barbados.
  53. See the Tour de France.
  54. Smoke a real Cuban cigar – in Cuba. Whilst drinking Cuban daiquiris.
  55. See the Northern Lights. (Bonus points for getting crystal clear pictures of them.)
  56. Go on a bike tour of Vietnam.
  57. Take cooking classes in India and Thailand – learn to make authentic coconut curry!
  58. Eat fresh seafood (this is a big deal for us because we’re both long-term vegetarians)
  59. Rock climb at Joshua Tree and Red Rocks
  60. Photograph penguins in their natural habitats.
  61. Visit the Jane Goodall Sanctuary in South Africa.
  62. Witness a tea ceremony in Japan.
  63. Live out of a pack for an extended period of time (which we’re planning to do anyway!)
  64. Celebrate the Festival of the Dead in Oaxaca, Mexico
  65. Experience the Full Moon Party in Thailand.
Categories: Adventure, Africa, Airplanes, Alcohol, Animals, Asia, Asian Food, Australia, Backpacking, Beijing, Caves, Caving, China, Circumnavigation, Communication, Cuba, Disaster Relief, Donation, Drink, Explore, Family, Food, Fresh Food, Global Aid, Globetrotting, Hiking, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Latin America, Love, Mountains, National Geographic, Nature, Night Market, Outdoors, Parachute Cord, Paracord, Photography, Plants and Flowers, Random, Rock Climbing, Science, Seafood, Snorkeling, South America, Summer, Survival gear, Thailand, Tourist Site, Trails, Transportation, Travel, Uncategorized, Vietnam, Volunteer, Water | 2 Comments

The World’s Biggest Cave

Under the ground in Vietnam is a natural wonder that is absolutely stunning. Son Doong is the world’s largest cave. In fact, it’s so big that you could fit a half-block’s worth of 40-story buildings inside it! It stretches for over 3 miles and in parts of the cave, there are stalagmites 230 feet (70m) high! The cave even has it’s own weather! Sitting under a 985-foot (300m) skylight is a lush rainforest home to critters that have yet to be discovered by science. We’re not sure if the cave is open to backpackers like us (or if you have to be a National Geographic genius to get in) but we’re crossing our fingers we can explore some of it when we visitVietnam on our trip around the world!

Fore more information and other pictures, check out this National Geographic Article:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090724-biggest-cave-vietnam/

The huge river that runs through the cave.

Son Doong Cave in Vietnam

The cave is the size of a city!

After you figure out how to navigate the slippery rocks, you'll get to the rainforest inside the cave.

Rainforest INSIDE the cave

Inside the cave are plants and animals that have yet to be discovered. Amazing!

Categories: Adventure, Animals, Asia, Backpacking, Caves, Caving, Circumnavigation, Explore, Globetrotting, Hiking, National Geographic, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Plants and Flowers, Random, Science, Stalagmites, Tourist Site, Trails, Travel, Uncategorized, Vietnam, Water, World's Largest | Leave a comment

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