The Banana Republic of Cairns

I’ve finally arrived in Cairns. Total damage done: nine days, four World Heritage Sites, and 3,030 km (1,882 miles). I’m staying in Cairns for five days to catch up on my photos and get my things together for Papua New Guinea. I’ll also be able to spend ANZAC Day in Australia, which should be interesting. …

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Magnificent Desolation

Buzz Aldrin described the surface of the moon by saying it was “Magnificent Desolation”. That phrase could probably be used to describe the part of Western Australia I’ve been driving through the last three days. Since I’ve left Darwin, by my trip odometer, I’ve put on about 2,200km (about 1,400 miles). Western Australia is EMPTY. …

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Diving the Lighthouse of Alexandria

Today was a pretty good day. I went diving in the ruins of the Lighthouse of Alexandria, one of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was the most unique dive I’ve ever done on many different levels: it was the coldest dive I’ve ever done at 15C (59F), the shallowest dive I’ve …

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The Quick and Dirty Guide to American National Parks

This guide is for both Americans who are looking to explore their own country, and for those from outside of the US who are looking to make a trip to America. It is by no means an exhaustive treatment of the subject, but it should answer some of the obvious questions and give you a …

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Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota

Voyageurs National Park shares several things in common with Isle Royale National Park. Both share a similar Northwoods ecosystem. Both have water as a major component of the park. Both are the closest national park to each other. Whereas Isle Royale is mostly wilderness, Voyageurs is very much recreational park which allows motorboats and fishing. …

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Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas

Guadalupe Mountains is adjacent to, and just over the New Mexico border, from Carlsbad Caverns National Park. It is one of the lesser known and visited parks in the National Parks System. Even though it is adjacent to Carlsbad Caverns National Park, it gets less than half the visitors. Guadalupe Mountains is the remains of …

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Biscayne National Park, Florida

Biscayne National Park consists of 95% water. The 5% which is dry land is mostly on islands which are inaccessible by car (they actually are the northernmost of the Florida Keys). There is a small sliver of the park which is on the mainland, which is the only place you can actually visit the park …

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Gary’s Big German World Heritage Adventure

Starting Monday, March 11 I will spend 2-weeks driving around Germany with the goal of exploring 28 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Germany, 27 of which I have not previously visited.* I am excited to be doing this trip for several reasons. I love road trips because there is a freedom you have when driving …

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Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan

Grasslands is an extremely overlooked park. It is not near any major population center, as the nearest major city, Regina, being a four hour drive away. It has no mountains, canyons, waterfalls, lakes and not even many trees. Nonetheless, Grasslands is a great park and one which everyone should try to visit if you are …

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