16. January 2018
West Coast, wild coast
Five years in California. The tallest trees, the steepest mountains, a big fat photo book.
In the Freetown Christiania in Copenhagen a graffiti once caught my attention: “We seek a lower standard of living for a higher quality of life.” Sounds intriguing, I thought, but impossible. At least when travelling…
“Into the Green” tries to prove the opposite. This blog is about a way of travel that leaves more impact on the mind than the environment. About trips that let us find the extraordinary in the simple, the thrill in slowmotion and the adventure pretty far out – but not necessarily far away. I seriously believe that a bike tour through Eastern Germany or the visit in an isolated Roma village can be more exciting than a short trip to the Maldives, and less harmful anyway. This is a space for travelogues and tips for journeys that cannot be found in any catalog – mostly off the roads and out of season. Comments, discussions – and guest bloggers – welcome!
Please also have a look at my travel blog posts in German >>
Five years in California. The tallest trees, the steepest mountains, a big fat photo book.
published on Life in the Bay, July 12, 2016 (blog went offline, unfortunately)
You could wait a few years for a permit to kayak the Grand Canyon – or you start further upstream right away, in the Labyrinth Canyon. Be prepared: This surreal place with its towering walls and unmusical birds will cast its spell on you.
published on the expat blog Life in the Bay, April 21 2016 >> and (in German) on the tapir travel blog, October 5, 2015 >>
If Malibu Beach comes to your mind first when you think about beach vacations in California, you should probably not venture out to the Lost Coast. But if you prefer Alaska to ‘Baywatch’, this is your spot. Even the road builders of the Wild West steered clear of this coast, steep and rugged as it is. All the better for us, as well as for sea lions, black bears and marijuana farmers who peacefully cohabit in this wilderness.
published on the expat blog Life in the Bay, April 7, 2016 >>
If you love skiing or could at least imagine to do so, this El Niño winter is your chance. There hasn’t been more snow in the Sierra Nevada and the Cascade Range for a long time. Mount Shasta and Lassen Peak can even help you extend the season, as these outstanding northern mountains are often covered in snow until late May.
published by Life in the Bay, February 4th, 2016 >>
Leaving into the unknown in Death Valley? Outsmarting nature by carrying gallons of water on our backs? The idea sounded outlandish, excitingly so. At least until the second evening, when we realized that our hike had led us towards an impasse in the middle of a desert canyon.
published on YouTube >>
The squirrels on our garden fence rock. I filmed them for several weeks with a GoPro camera, while they were gathering food for the winter. Watch this 3 minutes best of and you will love them just as we do.
published on the expat blog Life in the Bay, 17. December 2015 >>
Any resolutions for 2016? What about exploring California’s fantastic outdoors? Here are some suggestions, one per month. While the times proposed here might be ideal for enjoyable weather and activities, this is of course flexible – and many destinations can even be combined in one great road trip. I will soon present some of the destinations in greater detail on this blog.
compiled for a photo class at Stanford Continuing Studies, March 2015
“Tourists don’t know where they have been, travelers don’t know where they are going”, the US American author Paul Theroux wrote. This book is for all travelers, who trust the unknown and for all hosts, who prove them right. One decade of photography in surprising combinations.
How to reduce ecological and social impacts when traveling – and still get the most out of your voyages? This travel menifesto, hence incomplete and not always fulfilled, tries to give an answer. From A like airplane to Z like zig zag.