Not that anyone should be traveling during the coronavirus outbreak. We should all be staying home, staying safe, and flattening the curve. That’s what my wife and I have been doing for a few weeks now.
We’ve done well with it, too. She (thankfully) works remotely, so is used to staying home. And I’m able to do library work at home.
In my free time here – which isn’t near as much as one would think, since I’ve been keeping a good schedule for writing, working, and other projects – I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the wonderful world of travel, and how I’m honestly not feeling the pinch of quarantine seeing as I’m rather an introvert.
Which brings me to a book nerd tangent and this fun Chronicles of Narnia gif:
Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to be out traveling the world right now. I think it’s safe to say everyone would like to be back to what normal used to be, and not what a new normal might end up being here in the future.
Despite feeling good about staying home, I’ve been reminiscing a little about my travels of old. The reason why, in short, is that my wife and I enjoying doing puzzles, and I was pulling a bunch of images to make some on Zazzle. You can check them out there, and even buy some if you like. As a result of the stay home orders, I presume, they have a sale going on right now for up to half off things.
For a brief getaway in the here and now – seeing as none of us are or should be going anywhere – these are some of the photos I used and a quick line or story about each…
A rainbow kisses a humpback whale off the shores of Molokai, Hawaii
This is perhaps my favorite photo ever, as I got the rainbow touching the humpback whale’s dorsal fin in just the right spot while managing not to fall off the tiny boat we were in off the coast of Molokai, Hawaii. The waves were rocking us quite a bit, and I about fell off into the ocean. Thankfully I was grabbed in time, and lived to get another favorite shot from the same trip:
On that same trip to Molokai, I had the opportunity to hike to the Kalaupapa National Historic Site. On the far side of the settlement is one of the most stunning views I’ve ever seen: the tallest sea cliffs. The hike was hard, but well worth it on so many levels.
Amusingly enough, on that same trip, I had a sandwich named after me.
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
The changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace is not quite as interesting as the wait is long to watch it, especially since you’ve got to get there early to get a good vantage.
Yellowstone is a favorite destination of mine, and I’ve been fortunate to get a few shots I really like from there over the years. One was a moose that was all of five feet from my car on an extreme back road I drove at least twenty times one morning in search of a bear. Another favorite is a deer I stumbled upon in just the right spot after crossing the road on the park’s southern loop.
New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguins are quite the sight to see as you never really expect a penguin to be yellow, and to see one that is yellow seems to go against everything you’ve ever known. But it was a great trek on the south island to see them. The trip was memorable for so many other reasons – like The Lord of the Rings tours I did – and all the fun I had also visiting Australia.
Yellow-eyed Penguins on the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin
John Muir National Monument is the first time I ever saw the redwoods. And the first times you ever see anything so majestic is a time you won’t forget. A photo hardly does it justice, but it’s still one of my favorites.
And speaking of things I won’t forget, visiting Notre Dame in Paris years before the fire is one of those things. It was amazing, not only to go through it but also to the top. It’s one of those things I’d jump at the chance to do again, should it ever be restored. The stained glass in there – among so many other things – is just jaw-dropping.
Another one of my favorite buildings is the Library of Congress, and not just because it’s a library. The inside is absolutely stunning. Like the Muir woods, photos don’t really do it justice. But it’s one of those things that can leave you quite speechless – which is, honestly, probably good seeing as you are in a library.
The ceiling above the Minerva mosaic
To circle back around to wildlife, what I love photographing the most, I come to my final photo, a gorilla I photographed while hiking through the Virungas in Rwanda. Such an amazing trip. A crazy trip, but amazing, with a safari I could never quite believe I was on even while I was doing it – slipping and sliding through the jungle.
Meet Munyinya the Silverback
Jason's Travels 
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