On a recent flight, I was sitting there thinking about what some of my most amazing life expriences were. It was actually harder than you might think. I started jotting them down in my phone as they came to mind. Two weeks later, I was still thinking of new things. I decided to put them all in one place with some notes along with image or video, so as to never forget...and here they are, in no particular order:
Antarctica
Set foot on Antarctica
For many, it is a continent they will never set foot on. An epic 3 week expedition on the Russian icebreaker 'Professor Multinovsky' took us from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Falkland Islands, the South Georgia Islands and finally the continent of Antarctica. Plug the coordinates I'm holding up into Google Earth to see the exact location I was at.
The Great Wall of China
Climbed the Great Wall of China
This photo really doesn't do it justice nor can you fathom how far it took us to hike to the highest tower of the Badaling portion of the wall. It was a frigid January day, temperatures in the 20s and winds over 30 mph but it made for a relatively clear and non-smoggy day that usually engulfs all of China.
Stonehenge
Salisbury, England
A few holidays ago we took a roadtrip from London to Edinburgh, Scotland. Along the way we visited Stonehenge, Wales, Cotswolds, Manchester, Northumberlands, Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands. One of the coolest experiences was visiting the legendary Stonehenge which is still shrouded in mystery as to how they were constructed by man some 5,000 years ago.
Antarctica Pt. 2
A curious Adelie Penguin
Penguin Highway
It's no joke that most penguins in Antarctica have never seen a human being before. They were inquisitive little guys and a few of the brave ones would venture close to see what us giant bipedal creatures were all about - this one even gave me a high five.
Sacred Navajo Land
Yei Bi Chei - Totem Pole
Nothing quite compares to the sunrise over Monument Valley in Utah. I hired a Navajo guide to take me to remote areas that you wouldn't otherwise be able to travel to unless you were Navajo.
Galapagos, Ecuador
Me in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos
Swimming with Penguins
From swimming with penguins to swimming with sea lions, the Galapagos Islands was an epic adventure that I will never forget. I must add that penguins may look clumsy on land but once they're in the water they are unbelievably quick and agile. They were like bullets shooting all around us in the water.
Hogmanay Festival in Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland
Ever since hearing stories about the Hogmanay festivals in Scotland, I always wanted to be there for it. It's an epic 2-3 day event that started in the 1500/1600s and rings in the New Year in true Scottish style. We started NYE by carrying torches along with hundreds of other Scotsmen from Old Edinburgh up to the Edinburgh Castle. The festivities concluded with the most amazing firework display I've ever witnessed in my life, an absolutely stunning 30 minute firework display over Edinburgh Castle.
Starred in a Commercial
A Million Ways to Die in the West
Ok, well I wasn't really the star per se - but this shot was the opening sequence of the commercial and I can be seen throughout! It was a double promo shoot for Seth McFarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West and TruTV's Lizard Lick Towing. No I never dreamed of becoming an actor - it's just one of those things I can now cross off my bucket list.
Fishing off Cabo
120lbs Sailfish!
Been to Cabo before but had never gone fishing. It was something I always wanted to do and finally had an opportunity to this past visit. My friend arranged everything with one of the cheapest guys he found on TripAdvisor. I think it came to $50 each for half a day and all fishing equipment and supplies. We were supposed to be catching Dorado (which I caught 4) - but never in a million years did I think I'd also reel in a 120lbs Pacific Sailfish. We dropped it off at one of the taquerias at port and they prepared a huge feast for all of us.
JetBlue
All You Can Jet
One of the coolest things we've done was buying the JetBlue "AYCJ" pass for $599, which allowed us to fly unlimited flights and miles anywhere JetBlue flew. Within a month we logged over 15 flights and 30,000 miles flown around the US and Caribbean. If work obligations didn't take precendence, we would have logged much more than that. The chances of JetBlue or another airline doing this again are slim to none.
Bahamas
Flying over Bahamas
Getting my pilots license is still high up on my bucket list. On a recent trip to Nassau, I flew with a friend over to Andros Island. On the way back, the pilot asked if I wanted to fly shotgun in his Piper. The ocean views from above the Bahamas was nothing short of breathtaking.
Bangkok, Thailand
Driving in Bangkok
Not my photo but this should give you a good sense of what traffic is like in Bangkok. During our two weeks there, we had a lifted pick-up truck with a double story camper shell on the back. It was an exhilarating experience driving it on the narrow streets of Thailand with thousands of scooters zipping around you. Eventually the traffic just got downright irritating and no one in America should complain about traffic until visiting Bangkok! Incidentally, this was also the first time I had ever driven a right-hand drive vehicle with a manual transmission. Didn't take too long to get used to shifting with my left hand though.
Pak Thale, Thailand
Spoon-billed Sandpiper
I've always dreamed of seeing and photographing a Spoon-billed Sandpiper. This bird is very close to extinction with some estimates claiming there are less than 500 left in the wild (mostly due to urbanization and habitat loss). When the guide I had hired dipped on us in Thailand, I was determined to find the bird on my own. After searching all day in vain, I finally found one just minutes before the sun set on the horizon.
Horseshoe Bend
Southwestern America
The Southwest has some of the most amazing scenery of the country. I've visited just about all the National Parks in CA, UT, NV, AZ, NM, CO, WY and ID but I don't think anything compares to taking a selfie on the edge of a 1,000 foot drop-off at Horseshoe Bend and the Colorado River.
Met Art Wolfe
Art Wolfe
Art Wolfe has always been the most inspirational photographer to me. His artistic eye and focus on photographing birds, wildlife and nature in general made his work extremely appealing to me. I was fortunate to meet him during one of his gallery exhibitions at G2 Gallery in Venice, California and he was truly a genuine and gracious guy.
Mount Fuji, Japan
Lake Hakone, Mount Fuji, Torii Gate
Sometimes it can be difficult to see Mount Fuji unobstructed by cloud cover but this day we were very fortunate. I took this photo on a cruise across Ashinoko Lake in Hakone of the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan.
Brown Bear Encounter
Mama Bear Protecting Cubs
Many times I've been in very remote areas of the wilderness and fortunately without incident. However, one of the most terrifying experiences was when this sow Alaska Brown Bear became separated from her two cubs. My wife was walking 30 yards behind me on a trail when she yelled to me that there was a bear behind her. I turned around and saw this bear 30 feet behind her. Fortunately she kept calm and we continued talking loudly to one another and the bear took off running in the opposite direction.
Barrow, Alaska
Spectacled Eider
Just about the only place you can photograph this bird is in the northern-most village of America: Barrow, Alaska. After spending three days camped out in a rental truck, patiently waiting at various ponds that finally thawed out, a pair of Spectacled Eiders flew in. I was able to get stunningly close photos of them before the sound of my camera shutter spooked them and caused them to swim out of view and eventually fly away.