My mother and I had planned our trip around the migrations of gray whales, which led us to arrive in San Jose del Cabo in the middle of Spring Break season. Hostel staying backpackers at heart, we took the local bus into Cabo San Lucas and gained a more authentic view of the ‘tourist corridor’ and the locals which call the peninsula …

If you've ever taken a cruise before (and if you haven't, you really should), you probably already know that you should expect a certain level of pampering on board. Your meals are prepared for you. Your pajamas are folded, your covers drawn, your room tidied. This being my fourth cruise, I was expecting more of the same, but the crew of …

On the whole, I cannot complain about living in Montana. Our mountains are jagged. Our lakes and rivers are pristine. Our sales tax is non-existent.

I have always found the state’s biggest fault to be its lack of oceans. For someone who desperately loves the sea, living in a land-locked state is a bit of a downer. We have bears, mountain …

Once sailed by pirates and explored by Spanish and English conquistadors, the Sea of Cortez offers a rich and fascinating history. Regarded and debated by some as the youngest sea in the world, the Sea of Cortez is arguably one of the world’s richest natural aquariums. Filled with marine life, rock and coral reefs, and sunken treasure ships, …

Returning from Baja, I’ve been asked multiple times what the highlight of my trip was. While my instinctual answer is “WHALES!” there were several other memorable moments which are also worth mentioning. Rather than blog in great lengthy detail, I have decided to describe some of these moments in a lyrical fashion. While on board …

In the early hours of our cruise, we learned that the ‘scheduled itinerary’ of the ship was actually ‘the plan from which to deviate.’ This mindset suited me well, as,in my opinion, true adventure doesn’t come without surprise. Cruising one morning on our way to our next destination, our captain and crew took the …

My first experience with swimming occurred when I was just 6 weeks old, and it has been difficult to pry me from the water ever since. Unnaturally comfortable holding my breath, I could spend hours snorkeling along the reefs, hovering just above it in a canoe or kayak, or splashing around in the surf. After one particularly bountiful snorkel off …

At first, the fact that I was a young, married woman traveling to Mexico with my mother instead of my husband seemed to stump our fellow shipmates. They were surprised, first of all, that I was 26 rather than 21 years old, secondly that I was married, and thirdly, that my mother would consider traveling with her married daughter. We quickly put …