During this 12-day boat tour up to a dozen different species of whales and dolphins, four species of pinnipeds, and scores of sea and shorebirds are possible. After leaving San Diego aboard The Searcher, we stop at Islas San Benitos off the west coast of Baja and hike through a remarkable wildflower display, witness a major elephant seal breeding colony, and see the rare Guadalupe fur seals. Then it is south to San Ignacio Lagoon, home of the famous friendly gray whales. We hop on small skiffs in the protected waters and venture out into hundreds of gray whales. The cow/calf pairs often come right up to the skiff and we have the privilege to touch these magnificent wild animals.

This is often a life-changing highlight. Rounding the Cape, we enter the calm southern Sea of Cortez where blue, humpback, fin, and sperm whales are found. We snorkel with tropical reef fishes, invertebrates, and sea lions at a variety of island and peninsula locations in the Sea of Cortez. The trip ends in Cabo San Lucas where you may fly home or stay and relax in that well-known resort town. Slideshow of Petting Grey Whales

DATE: Friday, March 24 to Tuesday, April 4, 2023

COST: $7500. Nearly full.

In a remote corner of western Sonoma County lies The Cedars, one of the most remarkable landscapes on the planet. This unique area is stunningly raw with a wild, otherworldly topography, including unusual geologic formations. Ancient forests of Sargent cypress trees, chaparral, seepage thickets, perennial creeks, waterfalls and pools are coupled and bound to massive talus slopes and barrens.

The Cedars is composed of 9,500 acres of terrain composed of ultramafic or serpentine rock. Over the past 200 million years, this specialized rock has been transported from deep below the Earth’s crust to the continental margin where it now sits above sea level. The bare cliffs and scree slopes that rise abruptly out of the Main Canyon are the result of this giant upswelling and are one of the best examples of such metamorphic reshaping.

Given the unusual composition of the serpentine derived soils, a unique group of plant communities has adapted to the conditions. The Cedars has numerous rare or unusual plants, including five species of orchid and seven endemic plants that occur nowhere else in the world. Perhaps the most unexpected feature within The Cedars are the hyperalkaline springs, where water emerges from cracks and is supersaturated with calcium bicarbonate, creating large crystalline formations that form spectacular patterns along the pools.

Land stewards David McCrory and Roger Raiche of Planet Horticulture and The Cedars Friends are facilitating access through their private lands in the Main Canyon. This is a CAMPING trip. The base camp makes an ideal place from which to explore and experience the magic this place offers. We are blessed with special permission to experience this limited access area all to ourselves. Moving beyond the “usual” Footloose Forays experience, we will stretch ourselves by discovering the wonders of such an alive and ever-changing outer landscape while simultaneously exploring our ever-evolving inner landscape. The invitation is to reconnect with our inherent nature as we come to understand the ecology of The Cedars.

By immersing ourselves in the botanic and geologic wonder of The Cedars, a land that continues to expand and evolve before our eyes, we naturally begin to resonate with our intrinsic rhythm. As we engage with the stillness and barrenness of the land, we drop into our senses, discovering what it is to unfold in tandem with the rest of Life. In this way, we may recognize somatically that we are an inseparable part of the miracle of 14.5 billion years of existence. Mind-blowing but true.

DATE: April 26-28, 2023

May 17-19, 2023

COST: $400

During this 15-day adventure in central Brazil we visit three of the richest biological regions on the planet - the Amazon, the Pantanal and the Cerrado. We fly to Sao Paulo and then on to Cuiaba, the vibrant capital of the state of Mato Grosso. One hour's drive northwest is the charming town of Chapada and our very comfortable and intimate lodge. The little-known Cerrado is the most diverse tropical savannah in the world. It has over 10,000 species of plants, of which 45% are endemic to the region. There are over 400 species of birds and a diverse assemblage of mammals including the maned wolf, the giant anteater, crab-eating foxes, and tapirs. The beautiful landscape is reminiscent of the American southwest except for those brilliant macaws and parrots flying overhead. The Cerrado feeds three of the major water basins in South America: The Amazon, Paraguay and São Francisco Rivers. And is an intersection of three biomes – Amazon Forest, Atlantic Rain Forest. We are in the exact geographic center of South America- a true power spot. We hike, bird and botanize in this wonderland 15 degrees south of the Equator.

Next, we drive south to one of the world’s most extraordinary natural areas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Pantanal. It is an enormous wetland the size of Georgia. It is by far the best place to view wildlife in the New World. A mosaic of different vegetation types, this region teems with many of South America’s largest mammals—tapirs, jaguars, capybaras, marsh deer, giant otter, and giant anteaters. And so many birds! Even non-birders can easily see 100 species in a single day. The flora and fauna of the Amazon and Atlantic forests to the north, the Chaco grasslands to the east and west, and the pampas to the south intersect in the Pantanal to create one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. We stay in comfortable lodges. We explore by vehicle, on foot, and by boat. In 2019 we saw eight different jaguars, giant and southern anteaters, tapirs, ocelots, jaguarundi, armadillos, hyacinth macaws, capybaras, yellow anaconda, thousands of caimans and so much more.

Then it’s a short flight north into the Amazon Basin ecosystem. The remote and very comfortable Cristalino Jungle Lodge Reserve is a true rainforest sanctuary. This rich region of the Amazon has eight different species of monkeys, three kinds of sloths, frogs galore, toucans, macaws, screaming pihas, and more. Two amazing 164’ observation towers give us an extraordinary perspective of the canopy rarely glimpsed. It is the perfect ending to an amazing trip.

DATE: June 17 to July 2, 2023. Dates include long travel time. Filling fast but I may add a second trip.

COST: $9000 land costs.

The eastern Sierra Nevada is glorious in the fall, the air is crisp, the sky so blue. The aspen groves will be shimmering in brilliant shades of burnished gold and orange as we explore the wonders of Mono Lake and environs. This body of water is over 1 million years old - a remnant of a much larger inland lake. Its wildlife, unearthly scenery, and life-sustaining streams were released from hostage to the water needs of Los Angeles. Bizarre tufa towers, fantastic cinder cones, spooky lava caves, gurgling hot springs, and dramatic mountain canyons are its backdrop. We will get intimate views of California gulls, coyotes and the nearly one million eared grebes that stop here in the fall. American Avocets, Western and Least Sandpipers, Snowy Plovers, White-faced Ibises, and Dowitchers are stopping to feed on their journey south. While this is not an official photography seminar, bring your camera because the photo opportunities are incomparable.

DATES: October 3-5, 2023

October 6-8, 2023

COST: $400

The return of the waterfowl to California's Great Central Valley has been described as one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth, and it happens every winter. We'll visit the famous Gray Lodge Refuge to see thousands of Snow Geese joining Canada and White-fronted Geese. Around the defunct volcanic Sutter Buttes, we'll see aerial displays of the sandhill cranes and tundra swans.

We'll hike around the Colusa Wildlife Refuge and then to the Sacramento Refuge for more avian delights - ruddy ducks, pintails, shovelers, bitterns, night herons, mallards, harriers, rough-legged hawks, gallinules et al. Not only will we learn how to identify these birds, but also, we'll learn about their evolution, behavior and physiology. Discover why so many people make this an annual trip. It's a fun-filled two days

This played on KQED, NPR. I’ve been doing these Perspectives since 1989! Yes, I am a birding nerd and proud of it.

Amazing video of murmurations!

DATES: December 5-6, December 7-8 or December 9-10, 2023

COST: $375