Strait of Magellan – Chile 1

Here we are!
500 years ago Ferdinand Magellan was first European to “discover” it, and the Spanish King named it for the explorer.
Noa Victoria was his ship – a replica is here, near Punta Arenas, that we can tour.
This is a map of Magellan’s expedition that was the first documented to circumnavigate the world.
Prince Henry, the navigator, started the age of exploration.
The navigator on the Noa Victoria
What other famous explores have come this way? Captain James T Cook passed this way on two of his three circumnavigation voyages in the later 1700’s.
Charles Darwin sailed in the HMS Beagle through this channel, and wrote a world changing book about evolution of plants and animals from his observations.
Then there was Sir Ernest Shackleton who sailed the Endurance through this strait in the process of successfully saving his men stranded on Antarctica’s Elephant Island.
Very important locally, is the Golet Ancud and crew who claimed these waters on May 23, 1843 for Chile.
Who else will explore these waters?

Arizona – February 2024

We made a stop on route 66 to celebrate a 66th birthday…
Beautiful day to drive to Arizona
We did it for the Fries! The Zinburger in Tucson where we previously celebrated my 60th birthday.
We have Mom with us to share some of our sites, like hanging out at the Loews Ventana Canyon, very close to the condo we rented.
In Sabino Canyon, we showed her the Smokey Bear sign we renovated 6-years ago.
Mom really enjoyed her walks and the scenery here in Sabino Canyon.
The picnic area near Bear Creek on a beautiful day.
Enjoying bear creek in Sabino canyon as it spills over the road.
Seeing some of the wildlife too with this friendly roadrunner.
Sabino Canyon – we took the electric tram to the end of the road. We planted the barrel cactus here on Jan 18, 2018 from another location.
We also went to U of A campus to see some wildcats. Went to Tree Ring lab and AZ State museum.
We saw these futuristic wildcat robots delivering food.
We met up with my aunt and uncle at the Biltmore in Phoenix for a great lunch.
And a celebration! Mom will have another fun week with her brother.

Family Fun

Happy to be Traveling!
Family meet up for a morning at the airfield.
Fun day trips.
Enjoying some iconic architecture.
Walks in the woods
Mother and Daughter time.
The beautiful house across the river.
That was some fun basketball in the drive.
Roasting yummy hotdogs
S’more good times.
Autumn Joy.
Walks and Talks in the Mall.
Ping Pong Ace…
Wicked back hand…
Carefully analyzing the techniques.
Very happy times!

Oslo – Norway 26/26

We are finishing our trip with 4 nights in Oslo without the car. The Opera House lit up at night shows off it’s structure.
We are staying in an apartment in one of the new BarCode buildings. The city commissioned 12 architects to design 12 buildings that are all thin with space between so together resemble a barcode. A vibrant area with courtyards, balconies, restaurants, retail, offices, and apartments.
From the nearby Munch Museum we got this view of the Opera House in the late afternoon. We enjoyed the wood cut exhibit of Edvard Munch’s and seeing  that version of “The Scream”. We saw the famous oil version at the National Museum.
It is very tactile to walk the roof of the Opera House! A fun experience. We did not kayak to it but enjoyed all the harbor activity.
Please Wait For The Saunamaster….a title we never knew existed. Such great weather: people are using the sauna and then swimming in the fjord to cool off.
From the castle on the hill you can see the entire harbor which we will explore. Watch out for the gulls! They are opportunists looking for your tasty treats.
We stormed the gates of the Akershus Fortress, nicely protecting the harbor for many centuries.
The great hall inside has a gorgeous ceiling and stained glass.
This is designed by Emanual Vigeland who also did the stained glass in the cathedral. We saw a contemporary exhibit of a white unicorn in a blue room that seemed to be a play off of this classic piece.
We walked to Astrup Fearnley Modern Art Museum, designed by Renzo Piano in 2012.
I had never seen braided trees before! Interesting live sculpture.
We took the ferry to Bygdoy, a peninsula across the harbor.
To visit the Fram Ship Museum and also saw Roald Amundsen’s Gjoa, in which he used to complete the 1st transect of the Northwest Passage .
Next we went to the Maritime Museum and saw a Viking Ship from the Gokstad discovery built around AD-890. This is possibly the one being recreated in Sandefjord as it was found near there.
Bygdoy was a perfect Lunch Spot!  What a great warm sunny dry day to enjoy Oslo Fjord.
Near the Royal Palace we were excited to see Norway’s King and Queen – in a 1960’s Lincoln Continental. King Harald V, who has reigned since 17 January 1991 with Queen Sonja – and Crown Prince Haakon was in a car in front of them.
A lovely day to enjoy the Vigeland Sculpture Park. The quantity of the sculptures adds to the quality of the bronze and marble. As well as the entertaining real people watching.
Gustav Vigeland not only was the artist but also designed the park as well. Additionally he designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal.
He studied in Paris and was influenced by Rodin. His knowledge of anatomy and the interest in all ages of human body is extraordinary.
The nearby Vigeland Museum has the plaster works and studies done to create the bronze and marble sculptures.
Really fun to experience both.
Love the details.
The sun has sets on our time in Norway as we enjoy the harbor lights. A great trip!

Ostfold – East Oslo Fjord – Norway 25/26

After a ferry crossing of the Fjord, we spent a couple nights near Moss, which is only an hour or so south of Oslo but a world away.
Fredrikstad is a wonderfully preserved medieval town. It is protected by sea and by a moat – luckily the draw bridge is down!
There are several gates to the old town of Fredrikstad
We enjoyed coffee and pastries while wandering the old town. This sign reminded us of Pipo’s love of traveling!
We followed the Oldtidsveien, Highway of the Ancients. Pre Roman Iron Age Circles of standing stones.
Nine concentric circles – quite an achievement to contemplate how these were put in place.  There are burial mounds near by and these were perhaps part of the ritual.
There are many petroglyph sites also on the Oldtidsveien. Ships of the Sun: the legend is  believed to be the twin warriors helping their sister the Sun, move her around the world through the darkness and through the day.
This rock has 22 amazing carved ships. It is thought that the sea would have been closer to this panel, and that sunset could have been seen from here as a ritual to honor the sun, so that it will return. Or perhaps it is about ….

Vestfold – West Oslo Fjord – Norway 24/26

Heading  south we went to Verens Ende at Faerder National Park. This is a picturesque old lighthouse on the west coast of the Oslo Fjord.
Most of the Faerder NP is protected sea but we could walk along the shore. Gorgeous weather today made this a perfect outing.
We even watched this jellyfish pulsate around the coast.
This beach and marina looked like The Perfect Lunch Spot!
The Vestfold County Museum in Tonsberg had an amazing recovered Viking ship as well as a replica seen through the window. It also told of the whaling history of this area.
This is a Blue Whale – the largest animal ever known to live on earth. Massive!
Tonsberg is Norway’s oldest town and we visited the remains of the Castle. This structure seems typically Norwegian – we have seen many similar ones in the countryside.
A replica of the Viking Gokstad Ship is underway in downtown Sandefjord. It all begins with the perfect tree, aged to perfection before it is split to size with the same tools the Vikings would have used.
You can see some planks slit in the foreground and the size of this operation to reconstruct a replica of the Gokstad Ship. Four Viking Ships have been found in this area of the West Olso Fjord (Vestfold) and they are proud of this sea heritage.
Borre NP preserves Viking Burial Mounds and is overseen by this Rune Stone. The carvings have been painted to make them more visible.
Midgard Viking Center is next to Borre NP. Besides an interesting museum they have recreated a Viking Long House area through these gates.
This long house is  based on archeology finds to similar dimensions and what is known about the construction.
The details similar to the Stave churches which were built later.
A staff person dressed as a Viking told us some history and kept the long house warm with an expertly built fire. The more important you were the closer to the fire you sat. A long house was for community, government, and religious activities.
The columns all tell different stories. The Vikings as warriors with their shields that went on long voyages and conquests.
And they all reported to The Red Maiden…

Hardanger Bridge – Norway 23/26

The Hardanger suspension bridge is the longest tunnel to bridge to tunnel in the world. It is the longest suspension bridge in Norway and one of the longest in the world.
There is a viewing area so you can see the bridge disappear into a tunnel. This bridge is longer than the Golden Gate Bridge. Impressive.
There is a pedestrian/bike tunnel as well to access going across the bridge.
Blue sky. A fun bridge to experience. These supports are both on land, not in the fjord.
Nicely designed cable supports. That is all that is holding up this roadway?
How lucky we were to see this beautiful rainbow cross the bridge as well.
This is the Hardanger Tunnel Roundabout. There is a roundabout in the tunnel. Really – there is a roundabout in the tunnel. This looks like a movie set out of Mission Impossible!
Heading towards Bergen we stopped in the town of Kinsarvik and saw this double rainbow.
Back at Saebo cabin we saw yet another rainbow, now over Eidfjordvatnet. A magical day.

Hardangervidda NP – Norway 22/26

Saebo Camping on Eidfjordvotnet is a perfect spot to watch the world go by!
Our Saebo Camping Cabin is the larger one in the center.
It is very close to Hardangervidda National Park.
The trail we took is well marked with red ‘T’. There were some cabins here – how fun that would be to hike to this spot for the night.
Getting us located on Locus Maps. This app has been so helpful in all our navigation. We loaded all of Norway for free.
Great views!
Great fall colors!
Detail of those wonderful colors and textures.
Amazing variety of lichens and moss.
Even a comfy rock for a picnic lunch!
And back to Saebo Camp to enjoy the fjord lake: Deep breath. Exhale. All is well.