R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 85
September 7, 2020
Circumnavigating New Zealand — Fiordland 2019; Mountains and Islands
Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
This week I’ll continue with our 2019 Majestic Princess cruise through New Zealand’s Fiordland National park. But today we’re going to concentrate on the surrounding mountains and the myriad islands that dot the waters.
Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
Here in Fiordland there are some fifteen glacially carved deep fiords. The two we’re exploring in this series are Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, which I’ll explain in more depth starting next week during...
September 4, 2020
Fun Photo Friday — Circumnavigating New Zealand; Fiordland Part 1
Princess of the Pool
Usually, for Fun Photo Friday, I just post a few photos with very little commentary. Not so today, as I have a few things to say about some of today’s images, beginning with something seldom seen in the skies over the U.S. No contrails!
No Contrails!
I’m a sucker for images of rusty machinery, from old pickups sitting in a farmer’s field to fishing boats heading toward the catch of the day:
Rusty Fishing
I also really enjoy pictures of clouds hugging mountains:
Foggy Ridge
I...
September 2, 2020
Circumnavigating New Zealand — Fiordland 2019; Rocks and Waterfalls
Fiordland National Park; from Majestic Princess
March 2019, and the weather was truly our friend as our ship Majestic Princess traversed deep into first Milford Sound, and later Doubtful Sound. I’ll go into more detail on these two areas when we view the return trip photos taken a year later. That series will start in twelve days, on 14 September. As it was, our time in Milford Sound this day started out cloudy:
Milford Sound, Fiordland National Park
But things brightened up considerably as the ...
August 31, 2020
Circumnavigating New Zealand — Fiordland 2019
Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
You may recall that I recently finished up a three-month series of articles on circumnavigating Australia by cruise (beginning with: Circumnavigating Australia — Starting in Sydney). That series of photos were taken over the course of two voyages spaced one year apart. Over the coming months I’ll be presenting a similar series on circumnavigating New Zealand. And, as with the Australia series, this one will feature images taken a year apart on two separate vo...
August 28, 2020
Fun Photo Friday — Desert Flowers and Sunset Favorites
Ocotillo
Prickly Yellow
Seeing Red
Prickly Blooms
Iridescence
Desert Ring of Fire
And from just this past Wednesday yet another spectacular sunset (drop a comment and let me know which you like better):
Ball of Fire 1
Ball of Fire 2
August 26, 2020
El Paso Desert Flowers and Sunset 2
Cactus Flower
El Paso Sunset
Cactus Flower
Cactus Flower
Cactus Flower
Cactus Flower
Spikes and Flowers
Cactus Flower
August 24, 2020
El Paso Desert Flowers and Sunset 1
El Paso Sunset
Cactus Flower
Blooming Sequence
Cactus Flower
Ocotillo in Bloom
Cactus Flower
Cactus Flower
Cactus Flower
August 21, 2020
Fun Photo Friday — Circumnavigating Australia; Puffing Billy and Yarra Valley 2
Yarra Valley Panoramic 1
Time for one last look at our circumnavigation of Australia. Next week is dedicated to the beauty of El Paso desert flowers and a spectacular sunset as seen from our backyard. Two weeks hence begins a series circumnavigating New Zealand — another series two years in the making. Until then, here are today’s Fun Photo Friday grand finale of Yarra Valley favorites:
Yarra Valley Panoramic 2
Yarra Valley Panoramic 3
Conductor Taking a Break
Crossing a Trestle
August 19, 2020
Circumnavigating Australia — Yarra Valley; Yering Farm Wines
Yering Farm Wines
We were in for a very long haul for our next tour stop. The ride from Yarra Valley Dairy to Yering Farm Wines took place over a nap-inhibiting 1.6 kilometers, which took nearly three long minutes to transverse.
Yering Farm Wines vineyard
This Yering Farm stop was a fun one. The views were nice, the wines tasty, and the staff friendly.
Yering Farm Wines — Our knowledgeable server with Duck Down Under Cabernet Rose
One of the first things that strike you as you approach the tasti...
August 17, 2020
Circumnavigating Australia — Yarra Valley; Yarra Valley Dairy
Yarra Valley Dairy
You’ll recall from last Wednesday’s article that our previous stop on this tour of Yarra Valley was the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery. A little over ten minutes later we arrived at our next generation, Yarra Valley Dairy.
Yarra Valley Dairy
The shop here is a marvel in cheese selections — marinated cheeses (loved their “Fiery”), fresh cheeses (try their Chevre & Dill), and matured cheeses (try everything!). Check out their recipe page for some really fun ideas as we...
