GERMANY: TORGAU

 May 17, 2025

Torgau is a smallish town in eastern Germany on the Elbe River that today has a population of about 20,000 people. Probably its biggest claim to fame is that it is the place where the US and Soviet armies first met at the end of World War II on April 25, 1945. Eventually, Torgau became part of the region controlled by the Soviet Union and known in the United States as East Germany.

But that was not our interest in the city. We had planned a few days in this area of Germany--Saxony--to become better acquainted with the religious reformer Martin Luther, who established Torgau as a key center for the Protestant Reformation. Luther traveled here more than 60 times from his home in nearby Wittenburg to consult with princes and theologians, and Torgau was where he consecrated the first church intentionally built as a Protestant church.

Our first stop was at the Hartenfels Castle, which was built in the 15th century, making it the largest completely preserved early Renaissance castle in all of Germany. 

One of the most interesting things about the castle is that is has a moat surrounding it that is full of greenery and logs rather than water.

That is because the moat is home to two brown bears. This tradition dates back to the castle's origins. After a pause beginning in the 19th century, the bears were reinstanted in the 1950s with a gift from the Leipzig Zoo. Benno and Bea, who are brother and sister, are the latest residents, having lived here since 2013. We only saw one of them, but I can't tell you which one.

CALIFORNIA: SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK, TOKOPAH FALLS TRAIL

 August 11, 2020

After lunch on the last day of our Great Tree Adventure Trip, we headed to Tokopah Falls, a 3.4 mile roundtrip hike next to the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. The trail ends at the head of a valley where snow melt from the High Sierras cascades (although it was barely a trickle when we were there at the end of summer) over granite rocks.

The stunning variety of life is impossible to ignore on these wilderness hikes.

ALASKA! BEAR WATCHING AT THE ANAN WILDLIFE OBSERVATORY

Our cruise ship docked at Ketchikan, our final Alaskan port and our last chance for another Alaskan Adventure. Of course, Bob couldn't just ride on a scenic train or take a tour of some ordinary place, not when there were more BEARS to be seen! And so we boarded a tiny four-seater float plane:

Up, up and away!

ALASKA! GRIZZLY BEAR WATCHING ON CHICHAGOF ISLAND AND A CRAB LEG FEAST IN JUNEAU

Because of bad weather, we had missed a planned trip to fly out of Homer to Katmai National Park to do some grizzly bear watching. A few days later when our ship docked in Juneau, we booked two seats on a similar trip Princess Cruises offered to Chichagof Island.

The cruise people drove us to Bear Creek Outfitters, where we were fitted with stylish rubber boots and loaded on a float plane--a first for us.

Our Bobcat plane had six seats. We were joined by a second plane, also carrying six people.

We were in the air for about half an hour, and the scenery from our eagle's eye viewpoint could have been footage for a Hollywood movie:

ALASKA! DENALI NATIONAL PARK

What is the first color that pops into your head when you see the word "Alaska"? Be honest now.

It's "white," isn't it? Yeah, me too.

We did see plenty of white, but even the white was a more colorful white---but more on that in another post. I think what really surprised me the most about Alaska was the crazy, brilliant, ostentatious COLOR. This was especially true in Denali National Park.

But first, some background information. The entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve lies about 265 miles north of Anchorage, or a 4-5 hour drive. From Talkeetna, where we had spent the day ziplining, it is only 60 miles. It is a HUMONGOUS park--more than six million acres. There is only one road that is available to tourists, and in most cases that road is accessible only by park bus, but it does go to the heart of the park.

We spent the night in one of the Denali Backcountry Cabins, which were quaint and wonderfully located, but not luxury accommodations, which I wouldn't have guessed based on the price. I suppose when there is little competition, you can charge what you want.

Important facts about Alaska: