by Naturalist Richard White aboard National Geographic Explorer

In this modern world the speed of travel by jet airplane has compressed the distance between continents into a matter of hours. On board the National Geographic Explorer are approach is radically different. We are travelling at about 16 miles per hour instead of hundreds of miles per hour and gaining a real appreciation of the scale of our journey. There is also great pleasure in having the luxury of time to make the transition at a less hurried pace, although we are grateful for our engines pushing us steadily along rather than relying on sails and winds as many who made this journey before us would have done...

Thirteen year-old Eric Yang is the man when it comes to geography. He’s the 2009 winner of National Geographic’s “Geo Bee.” Eric has been studying maps since he was young, and curiosity appears to have been his main motivator -- "I just wanted to figure out why did they build those roads and how did these places get here." he commented after winning the championship. We are proud to have Eric with us in the Galápagos Islands this week. Click here for a 1’22” video in which he describes his (ongoing) Galápagos experience.  And, click here to see Eric’s winning moment at the National Geographic Geo Bee, hosted by Alex Trebeck.  Congratulations, Eric Yang.

Photo: Eric on board National Geographic Endeavour in Galápagos.

On October 12, this remarkable photo (and text) came in from National Geographic Sea Lion, which is now traveling in the Pacific Northwest.  I love the image and I hope you do as well.

Hood River, Oregon

The National Geographic Sea Lion sailed upstream on the Columbia River in the wee morning hours. Despite darkness and a chill wind on the foredeck, guests and staff peered towards the Oregon (south) shore to see Multnomah Falls, Oregon’s most famous outdoor attraction. Rock formations were everywhere, including the commanding double wall of Cape Horn on the Washington (north) shore.

After transit through the 65’ foot high Bonneville Dam lock, the ship slipped under the silvery Bridge of the Gods. Within minutes Sea Lion tied up at the stone walls of Cascade Locks. Motor coaches took guests downriver for a close, misty look at 650-foot high Multnomah Falls. After that, guests enjoyed another scenic treat: a brief stop at the high basalt overlook called Rowena Crest. The view east at this point included the river, hairpin turns of the old Columbia River Historic highway, the tip of Mt. Adams in Washington State, snow-mantled Mt. Hood in Oregon, river islands once known by Natives as Memaloose, or place of the dead, and the quaint Washington state village of Lyle.

Click here to read the entire report.

Photo by Susan Seubert, National Geographic Photographer Text by Junius Rochester, Lindblad  Historian.

By Mat Lachesnez-Heude, Environmental Manager

My Grandfather was a pilot and I remember him taking me up in his glider over eastern Pennsylvania when I was a kid. It was such a peaceful way to experience the world. For me, kayaking is the equivalent of water gliding. It is a signature activity for us that enable those taking an expedition an additional means of experiencing a place and connecting with nature. Like snorkeling, there are those who might have reservations about kayaking if they’ve never done it before. Don’t worry, it’s actually quite simple and the two types of kayaks that we have in the fleet are readily accessible to beginner and veteran alike. They’re extremely stable so it would take a concerted effort to tip them. Often, it is the decision about where to go with your partner that is the greatest challenge.

By Beau Sylte, Video Chronicler

Recently while working onboard the National Geographic Sea Bird in South East Alaska I came across a daily expedition report on our website that came in from Sea Bird’s sister ship, the National Geographic Sea Lion, and I was immediately jealous. The title of the report was "Top 10 day in Alaska."  (Sept 2, 2009)

As a video chronicler, I strive to provide the best video for the guests on their trips. Every trip with Lindblad is different, with unique experience, and that’s what makes an expedition. Putting together a great video is dependent on many variables, including animal encounters, and I was hoping we would come across some ourselves.

The report from the Sea Lion talked about all the amazing animal sightings they had that day; many humpback whales, and kayaking with multiple bears. I brought this up with the other staff members on our ship and we knew we had to try and top their day.

We did.

On the last day of our expedition, not only did we spot humpback whales cooperatively bubble net feeding, we came across a group of orcas at the same time! Our good luck was almost comical as we tried to decide which group to observe first. We had amazing views of both species, very close to the ship. It was some of the closest marine mammal encounters we had seen all season. I quickly went through a whole tape filming the whales and our guests having a great time. (Click here for the video).

Laura Fraser is a long-time freelance writer, traveler, writing teacher, and literature junkie. Her last book, the travel memoir An Italian Affair, was a New York Times bestseller and translated into seven languages.  Laura is holding a writers’ workshop aboard National Geographic Explorer this week, while sailing on our Baltic expedition. On September 22, she sent in a report from the ship. Thanks, Laura!

Stockholm, Sweden
This morning we awoke to somewhat choppy seas, which made it all the better, during a morning lecture, to imagine ourselves aboard a Viking dragon ship, raiding Baltic river towns and pillaging for gold and silver. Anthropologist/historian Olga Stavrakis described the savage history of Sweden, focusing on the Norse — marauding pagans who, from 800-1100 AD, periodically looted their undefended neighbors, particularly the British Isles, which had to pay them tributes in silver and gold to save their hides — 48,000 pounds in 1009 alone.

Fierce as the Vikings were, historian David Barnes told us later on in the morning, their helmets did not actually have horns (as do the souvenir versions you find everywhere in Copenhagen). Nor, he explained, were the Vikings merely thugs, but also traders, explorers, seafarers, and farmers. Eventually, tired of attacking and having plundered everything of value anyway, they began to domesticate themselves in the areas they’d been raiding, blending in to the native stock, disappearing from history altogether.

This report was written by author, journalist and National Geographic Expert Michael Dobbs, who is sharing his life-long interest in the history, politics, and culture of the Balkans and the Dalmatian coast with guests traveling aboard Panorama.

"As we sailed northwards into the Adriatic Sea, we moved from the ancient Greco-Illyrian world into the Slavic world. We woke up in the beautiful Bay of Kotor, a deep fjord that provides a dramatic entrance into the republic of Montenegro. Two decades ago, Montenegro was one of six Yugoslav republics, closely linked to its sister nation, Serbia. Today, this nation of 600,000 people is the newest country in Europe.

We spent the morning in Perast, a small town nestled in the shadow of the 5,000-foot mountains that rise up from the Bay of Kotor. A small boat ferried us across the 200-yard stretch of water to an island-church known as Our Lady of the Rock. The church stands on an artificial island created over the centuries by local residents and fishermen throwing stones into the water, as a way of invoking the protection of the Virgin Mary against maritime tragedy.

Our guide was Rade, an ebullient Montenegrin with a fluent, if idiosyncratic, command of English.
“Montenegro is famous like a country with the plenty of the kamikaze drivers,” Rade warned us, as we stepped back on dry land following our visit to the Lady of the Rock. Thanks to Rade, we learned about the cultural treasures of the town of Kotor, rebuilt after a devastating earthquake in 1979, and the luxurious waterfront homes now belonging to Russian oligarchs…

The daily expedition report sent in September 8 from Naturalist Linda Burback while sailing the Greek Isles aboard the sailing yacht Panorama includes this photo (I love the photo) with a brief rundown on the use of these interestingly shaped clay pots.

“High in the hills of Naxos we could see the brilliant white marble quarries shimmering in the sunlight. These quarries are a source of excellent quality marble, which has been transported all over the Cyclades since ancient times. We stopped in the small village of Dalmalus. Elli told us of the process of coaxing the delicious oil from the reluctant olive and we viewed a traditional community olive press as well.

We walked to a small pottery factory. A demonstration of throwing pottery on a wheel was given. Afterwards our host, Manolis Libertas, showed us a number of functional but ancient designs of pottery. Two of the favorites were the vessel created for holding the milk while you milked your goat and a pot made to hold the calming smoky fire you wafted upon your beehives before robbing them of their golden horde of honey.”