By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate On my visit to South Africa in 2015, I was surprised to learn that there are too many elephants! With so many environmental groups fighting to prevent the poaching of these emblematic creatures for their ivory tusks, it was ironic to learn that as early as five years ago, the African parks were actually dealing with elephant over-population. Then, an estimated 120,000 elephants roamed the vast, unfenced preserves of Botswana under the protection of armed, patrolling rangers. Today there are 130,000. But that’s just the Botswana elephant... Read More

By Linda Ballou, NABBW’s Adventure Travel Associate From the extreme arid red center of Australia, our Overseas Adventure Travel group flew to North Queensland during the onset of the “wet season” from January to April. This region receives on average 10-feet of rain each year. Our gracious accommodations at the Beach House in Palm Cove overlooked a stunning white sand beach. The tropical waters looked inviting, but informed tourists kept to the shore. Saltwater crocodiles lurk in these waters along with box and stinger jellyfish in the summer. A massive swimming pool replicating a sandy... Read More

The ultimate Australian experience with Overseas Adventure Travel is a journey through a maze of micro-climates, multi-cultures and natural wonders. It begins in Melbourne and ends in Sydney; on the way taking in Alice Springs, Uluru, the Daintree forest (the oldest tropical forest on earth), and the threatened Great Barrier Reef. Melbourne is a vibrant city full of life proud of its rich heritage. A liberal sprinkling of tree-tunnels, gardens, and other green spaces throughout the city make it an exciting, yet soothing place to be on foot. Gleaming, ultra-modern skyscrapers are juxtaposed against... Read More

There are definitely easier ways to die. Unconscious asphyxiation, firing squad, car crash…really, anything that takes less than three to six hours to complete would probably rank as “easier” than running a marathon. I mean, I didn’t actually *die* while running the Nineteenth Annual Lost Dutchman Marathon this weekend. I’m writing this, after all. But there were definitely moments on the course when I thought that death might be preferable. At rough guess, I’d say that those moments covered 21.4 miles of the 26.2-mile distance. The first few miles were downhill. My parents are... Read More

Skirt the crowds and beat the summer heat in Yosemite with a stay at Tenaya Lodge, an all-inclusive resort with hot and cold pools and a complete spa center. Located just outside the south entrance of Yosemite (1-hour drive from Yosemite Valley) it makes a perfect home base for explorations in the famed 1,169 square mile National Park. John Muir waxed poetic about billowing clouds mushrooming into tender blue skies forming magnificent cloudscapes. He lovingly described lacy white curtains of water fanning over granite ramparts and the unending beauty of the Sierra Mountains. Muir had Yosemite... Read More

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods aren’t slowing down. The duo, who grew up making indie films since their teen years in Bettendorf, Iowa, and currently reside in Los Angeles, shot to prominence with “A Quiet Place” last year, after over a decade of under-the-radar ups-and-downs in Hollywood. Currently, Beck and Woods are in Canada in pre-production on a new project they’re “not allowed to talk about yet,” that they’re writing and directing. “It should be a fun one,” Wood said. “I wish we could other than we’re still following our heart down the horror genre that path and we think... Read More

While I was working on my list of comics to order from Previews last month I noticed a surprising change to two Marvel series I was ordering. I was looking over the Marvel catalog section of Previews when I noticed that two of the series I was ordering from Marvel had made a change to the pricing of their War of the Realms mini series and the Avengers tie in issue to the same event. The average comic book is thirty two pages long and averages four dollars per page. For some reason Marvel listed War of the Realms issues three and four where listed in Previews for thirty two pages for five dollars. Normally... Read More