ontheroadwithdec

Norway; getting there & Oslo

The ride across the strait from Denmark into the Oslo Fjord was on a ferry-boat – sort a cruise ship ferry boat. Great food in several restaurants, good rooms, clean and quiet over all with a huge shop (but everyone has a huge shop). It really seemed more like a cruise ship. Anyway, we ateContinue reading “Norway; getting there & Oslo”

Trees; and tree management

Over the centuries the land has provided. For the first several hundred years of European life the land was the basis of life itself. It was the landowner that ran the show; along with the developing royalty and powerful religious leaders. But the serf, the farmer, and the landlord were the base of the economyContinue reading “Trees; and tree management”

Denmark; past and present

Denmark is small. If you visit only the Copenhagen area it will seem a mix of urban and rather dense suburban; green for sure, but easily seen to be (or have been) under the hand of old time agriculture and modern economy. It has a very nice vibe however; a smallish city, historic sites allContinue reading “Denmark; past and present”

Good Bird in Zambia!

When I visit Zambia I am usually up along the Zambezi River staying in the Royal Zambezi Lodge which is just outside the Lower Zambezi National Park. It is a place you fly in to in a nice-sized small jet. There is a (track) road but it takes hours and hours longer. The lodge isContinue reading “Good Bird in Zambia!”

Our New Neighbor; Eastern Screech Owl

We have had an owl-box on a pine tree at the edge of the yard for several years. Off and on an Eastern Screech owl Owl pair uses it for nesting. Usually we don’t realize that they are in residence until the babies crowd the mother (we assume it is the mother) into the openingContinue reading “Our New Neighbor; Eastern Screech Owl”

Denmark, Copenhagen

A visit to Denmark (3 days) and Norway (11 days) was surprisingly sunny and hot. The weather was nice as were the people and the food. Copenhagen is a very flat city – perhaps not the first thing everyone notices until you realize that the hundreds and hundreds of commuters on bicycles really aren’t workingContinue reading “Denmark, Copenhagen”

Simpsons Gap – Black-footed Rock-Wallaby

The ancient bed of the Peterman Range and the more recent Alice Springs Orogeny have had well over 350,000,000 years to wear away; and they pretty much have. The old sedimentary layers occasionally show above the red sands and the very hard quartzite will be around for many millions of years. In one spot, atContinue reading “Simpsons Gap – Black-footed Rock-Wallaby”

Shrek was a sheep

There are two kinds of sheep dogs in New Zealand; huntaways and border collies. The huntaways are a rather new breed (late 1800s) of working dog; solid, rugged, strong, and deep voiced (noisy actually). The border collies are usually black and white and love to run. When sheep are scattered over high mountains covered with matagourieContinue reading “Shrek was a sheep”

Greywacke – NZ’s foundation

Greywacke is the base rock of New Zealand’s South Island. Along the west coast of South Island the Australian Plate is being forced under the Pacific Plate resulting in the mountains known as the Southern Alps, as materials are accumulated and forced upward. This is a mountain range that is growing at about 3 inchesContinue reading “Greywacke – NZ’s foundation”