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Équinoxe by Jean-Michel Jarre
Music Reviews Video
Jean-Michel Jarre (1978)

IMO Équinoxe is one of the best original synthesized orchestral pieces out there. His preceding album Oxygène (produced and recorded at home!) is also good, similar in form—but Équinoxe remains my favorite.
Everglades Trip 2013 (Sailing Kayaks)
Birds Camping Everglades Galleries Hdr Travel Video 2013

Just back from the Everglades with highlights too numerous to relate them all here. For a start I think we’ve hit on the perfect mode of transportation—pedal kayaks with sails! The only downside compared with a canoe is getting on/off the chickees. In every other respect they were superior to canoes and even other types of kayaks. We especially noticed how wind and waves were much less of the threat, and the wind could often be put to good use! Unlike the sail canoe rig I’ve used in the past, the kayaks are much safer if they capsize.
Everglades Trip 2015 (Solo)
Birds Camping Everglades Galleries Travel Video 2015

This was my Eighteenth Everglades Journey and a collection of firsts for me: first Solo Trip, first en-route rendezvous, first exploration of the River of Grass, first time around Cape Sable, first time sailing beyond the horizon, first time camping in Florida Bay, and first major equipment failure (rudder). This was probably my penultimate trip! With the exception of bug problems at one site, it pretty much came off without a hitch. 🙂
Galápagos Islands
Birds Galleries History Nature Travel Video 2013

We arrived about noon and proceeded to nearby Black Turtle Bay where we saw Sea Turtles, Sharks, and Golden Rays amongst the mangroves. If you have enough bandwidth you should also view the 12 Minute Video I’ve prepared to see them in motion!
Everglades Talk — Where the Birds Are!
Everglades Galleries Travel Video 2025

My Presentation to the Sante Fe Audubon Society on Jan 14 2025, including photos and personal stories from 28 wilderness trips over 25 years! I've canoed, kayaked, and sailed most of the navigable areas. In the talk I briefly cover the geology, hydrology, flora, fauna, and history of this unique national treasure.
Sandhill Cranes in the Neighborhood
Birds Nature Video 2023

We’ve had a family of four Sandhill Cranes lounging around our neighborhood for the past few weeks. These birds are endemic to Florida and do not migrate. Apparently there are two other non-migratory subspecies found in Mississippi and Cuba.
Keep It Simple Text (KIST) - Users Guide
Audio Galleries Kist Projects Video 2026

KIST combines the best elements of various markup formats I've worked with over the past forty years. The original purpose of these tools was to generate valid HTML without special editors or technical knowledge. The plain text source files are nearly universal, portable, and reusable!
No Kings 1 Anti-Trump Protest
Commentary Galleries Protest Video 2025

Visiting family and friends in Sacramento California for my third protest against Trump. We had a nationwide No Kings! event to counter Trump's birthday parade in DC. The final estimates were 4-6 million of us spread over 2000 events. Compared with The Orange Man's quarter mil.
Okefenokee Canoe Trip 2024
Camping Galleries Hammocks History Okefenokee Travel Video 2024

After doing the Green Trail to Bluff Lake and Round Top three years ago—this year we set out to retrace My First Trip in 2004 on the Red Trail and cut back via Floyds Island. My old friend Peter from Minnesota and youngest brother Bruce from Wisconsin joined me.
Picket Wire Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite
Critters History Travel Video 2019

On my trip west this year I made sure I had time to visit this unique area. The Dinosaur Tracks are located within and along side the Purgatoire River within the COmanche National Grassland. It is located 35 miles south of La Junta, CO off the lightly maintained County Road 25 (upper left in the map above). The last few miles are on a primitive forest service road that ends at the Withers Canyon Trailhead and Campground (four sites with fire grates and a pit toilet).
No Kings 3 Anti-Trump Protest
Commentary Protest Video 2026

Joined my community to protest the Trump administration. Larger crowd than No Kings 2 back in October. Amazing how much has changed since then: the Demolition of the East Wing of the Whitehouse, the invasion of Minneapolis/St. Paul, the public execution of Renee Good & Alex Pretti, the Kidnapping of the President of Venezuela, the Epstein cover-up, starting an Illegal, Senseless War with Iran. Airlines are shutting down because TSA workers have been unpaid for a month. Gas is headed for $5 a gallon. And those are just some of the highlights.
Florida Manatees
Birds Critters Galleries Nature Video 2024

A recent cold snap in the Tampa Bay area forced hundreds of manatees inland in search of warmer water. One ready source is the outflow from the TECO powerplant. To their credit, the company provides a dedicated viewing dock and surrounding wildlife preserve for birds and other critters.
Garden of the Gods (Illinois)
Birds Galleries Hdr Travel Video 2017

I had the opportunity to travel through Southern Illinois on my way back from Iowa in June. I large part of this hilly country is contained within the Shawnee National Forest There are miles of trails, several wilderness areas, and many points of interest. I stopped for the night at The Garden of the Gods (not to be confused with the area in Colorado by the same name!).
Deception, Obfuscation & Misdirection
Commentary Video 2016

Most are familiar with the concept of FUD—short for Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt. It summarizes a strategy often used in marketing and political propaganda. Its effects are pernicious, divisive and lead to exploitation. Examples abound. Fear is a strong motivator! To resist FUD one must understand how it is practiced using the principles of Deception, Obfuscation and Misdirection.
Fire Ecology Simulator
Projects Video 2022

Fire is a necessary feature of many ecosystems. It helps clear out old growth and often prevents dominance by one or more climax species. Some plants even specialize to exploit the ecological opportunities created by fire. This simulator attempts to capture some of these dynamics.
Everglades Kayak Trip 2022
Everglades Galleries Hammocks Travel Video 2022

The plan for this year was a clockwise tour around Whitewater Bay, with options to go out to the Gulf of Mexico and explore the Watson River. My cousin David Rathe and nephew Theron Pray decided to join me.
Everglades Kayak Trip 2021 (Dec 2020)
Camping Everglades Travel Video 2021

It started out so well… then the wind and waves shut us down—again. I haven't had a normal Everglades trip since 2017! I decided to try December to see if conditions would be better than the usual time in January. It did not make any difference in the end. On the plus side there were no bugs!
Lake Superior Sea Caves
Apostle_Islands Galleries Hdr History Panoramas Photography Travel Video 2022

Over the past eight years I’ve walked along the Lakeshore Trail to admire the Cliffs and Sea Caves from above.
Chaco Canyon 2023
Galleries Hdr History Panoramas Travel Video 2023

After braving the nearly washed out road from the north I arrived around 9am. I had to walk my Prius diagonally over piles of gravel and exposed rock faces. This was my third attempt over twenty years to visit this important site. (The first two failed because the roads were completely washed out!)
Everglades Kayak Trip 2025
Everglades Galleries Photography Travel Video 2025

Just back from my 29th (!) wilderness trip in the Everglades! This year I went with my younger brother who is a veteran of a similar canoe trip in 2009. We made a tour of the four single chickees in the southern part of the park with an option to boomerang out to the Gulf of Mexico on the tides. The trip pretty much came off without a hitch. Only downside was the nightime temps were in the upper 60s with little or no wind… so we had bugs!
The Motor Mill
Galleries History Technology Video 1870

The Town of Motor with a large gristmill took shape in the 1870s along the Turkey River in Clayton County Iowa. Nothing remains of the town itself, but the mill and associated buildings survive. The Mill is situated at a narrow bend in the river. It was built of limestone quarried from the nearby cliff top, and oak from the surrounding forest.
Spacejunk Falling Across the Sky
Nature Video 2025

I was out walking at dawn today and saw this slow motion display. I could not tell if it was a plane with lights shining forward or something else. It turns out to be rocket or satellite debris falling back to Earth (aka Spacejunk).
White Rim Trail 2018
Camping Canyonlands Galleries Hdr History Travel Video 2018

I recently returned from a backcountry bike trip on the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park near Moab Utah. We were a mixed group of twelve riders with three high ground clearance support vehicles coming after us. We started near the Island in the Sky Visitor Center and camped four nights along the trail.
BWCA Canoe Trip 2022
Bwca Galleries Travel Video 2025

This was a return to a familiar area with lots of options. Gaskin and Winchell are particularly nice lakes accessible from the Gunflint Trail. This area has also been burned by forest fires more than once in recent times.
BWCA Canoing & Hiking 2023
Birds Bwca Camping Travel Video 2023

This year's trip was a return to a familiar locale. Our goal was to establish a basecamp and take day trips from there. We started at Bearskin Lake and paddled across to the Duncan Lake portage. After exploring options on the north shore of Duncan we decided to stay on the campsite closest to the portage on the south shore (conveniently vacated by the prior group as we waited).
The Wave & Coyote Buttes North
Galleries Photography Southwest_2024 Travel Video 2024

The entrance to The Wave is a long curved corridor of twisted stone stripes with no real floor. The stripes vary in both color and indentation. It’s a remarkable visual/tactile surface! The actual Wave is tulip-shaped, looking a bit like a skateboard park designed by Dr. Seuss. There was an ephemeral pool at the lowest point.
Everglades Kayak Trip 2024
Everglades Galleries Photography Travel Video 2024

This year we planned an aggressive trip—going down the Gulf Coast to access the narrow Wood River, revisit Camp Lonesome, stay at Willy Willy, and then loop back through the various inland bays on our return. Yet again we were thwarted by adverse winds.
Everglades Kayak Trip 2023
Everglades Galleries Hammocks Travel Video 2023

This year we returned to the northern part of the park. The original plan had been a grand tour loop with two beach sites and two chickees. However, the forecast was calling for high winds on the last two days where we would be exposed out on the Gulf of Mexico. On the drive down I called and amended our permit to camp at Lopez River on the last night.
Okefenokee Canoe Trip 2021
Camping Galleries Hammocks Okefenokee Travel Video 2021

I last traveled to the Okefenokee in 2004, and I had been hoping to return sooner. My return was delayed in part by a multi-year drought and Major Fires in 2011. This year the water was high thanks to record rainfall in the late summer.
Lake Powell 2020
Birds Flowers Galleries History Panoramas Travel Video 2020

It had been ten years since I last visited Lake Powell. This year I went with my college friend Al and his partner Marian. Not having our own boat, we decided to rent a houseboat from the Bullfrog Marina. This turned out to be a great idea! With a few exceptions it was clean and well maintained (certain lights and the gas grill did not work).
BWCA Canoe Trip 2019
Birds Bwca Camping Galleries Hammocks Travel Video 2019

This year we returned to the Gunflint Trail. Our party of four became just two due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control. This was exacerbated by horrendous wind and cold rain on the drive up. Fortunately we had a place to stay (a family cabin) and waited an extra day for the weather to improve. Ross and I took off on a cold, windy morning from the entry point on Poplar Lake. Crossing Poplar turned out to be the hardest part of the trip. We started with a cold headwind and couldn’t find the portage at first.
Wrens Singing a Duet
Birds Nature Science Video 2011

Plain-tailed wrens (Pheugopedius euophrys) cooperate to produce a duet song in which males and females rapidly alternate singing syllables. From Neural Mechanisms for the Coordination of Duet Singing in Wrens by Fortune, Rodríguez, et al in Science 4 Nov 2011.
BWCA Fire & Canoe Trip 2011
Birds Bwca Galleries History Travel Video 2011

Just back from a challenging trip to the BWCA with my friend Ross. We had intended to start on the Sawbill Trail, but were told to evacuate just as we got to the entry point due to the rapidly expanding Pagami Creek Fire. (Satellite photos show this plume forming in less than two hours!)
History of 200 Countries Over 200 Years
History Science Video
Hans Rosling (2010)

This spectacular section of 'The Joy of Stats' tells the story of the world in 200 countries over 200 years using 120,000 numbers - in just four minutes. Plotting life expectancy against income for every country since 1810, Hans shows how the world we live in is radically different from the world most of us imagine. [source:youtube]
Everglades Trip 2007
Camping Everglades Galleries Travel Video 2007

This is a quick-and-dirty gallery of my Everglades photographs. Only a placeholder for now while I work on converting my older sites. See my Everglades Wilderness Guide for more trips, maps, & photographs.

This is a slide!