Ventura Highway in the Sunshine

We had two goals in visiting Ventura: seeing Channel Islands National Park, and getting a hearty dose of the ocean to carry us through the months ahead, which will be spent in the desert southwest. We succeeded spectacularly on both counts. Channel Islands National Park Channel Islands National Park is probably the closest U.S. analogue … Read more

More Historic Structures at Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park

We keep returning to the theme of Miami history as an area of personal interest — it helps to have ancestors who were pioneers in the area — and also because we are contrarians and history seems to be a quirky interest in Miami, a city devoted to all things shiny and new. Unlike many … Read more

Visiting Our Temporary Neighbor Tara

I was interested to see that a science research vessel was parked alongside several superyachts at the nearby Epic Marina, so when I learned the boat was offering tours over the weekend I had to check it out. Tara is a very tough dual-masted schooner designed for oceanic research. Her original mission was polar expeditions, … Read more