My first introduction to gold mining in Colombia was through stories told years ago by a friend of the family. His father had been mining in the country sometime in the 1920s and hit it rich. He brought the gold back with him to the states by ship. But partway into his journey he began to suffer from yellow fever and probably malaria which left him delirious. His findings were stolen from him on the ship, leaving only a few nuggets in his possession. Two of those nuggets ended up […]

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Located between 75 and 90 minutes by train from downtown Melbourne, Ballarat is the state of Victoria’s largest inland community (visiting during December, check out the u-pick cherry orchards in Bacchus Marsh – a rail stop on the way to Ballarat). Known for its gold mines, Ballarat has a very ‘western’ feel. Gold was first discovered in the area in 1851 and like other gold strikes around the planet, this region was soon flooded with miners – but unlike other major gold strikes, the gold fields lasted much longer before […]

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Not to be mistaken for the original Ballarat in Australia (which is still a thriving city and a popular tourist destination), this Ballarat was named after the Australian town by an Australian miner. Originally founded in 1897, it provided services and accommodation for miners working several mines in the nearby vicinity. Its peak population was around 500 – like other remote gold mining towns, once the gold began to play out, the population dropped dramatically. The boom years were short – lasting from 1897 until about 1906 when the town […]

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Queenstown should be at the top of your bucket list on your trip to New Zealand. Located in the South Island of the country, you’ll find yourself surrounded by remarkable mountain peaks (coincidentally one of the ranges is called The Remarkables), turquoise lakes and native greenery. Five days in Queenstown is the perfect amount of time to stay. We’ve chosen our nine best things to do in Queenstown, from walks to wineries and adventure activities. Take a Gondola Ride up Bob’s Peak Take in the views of Queenstown without having […]

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How exactly do you celebrate the centennial of an iconic hotel built back in 1918 by real estate and gold mining baron Spencer Penrose who in his free time sped up hairpin turns in his “Yellow Devil” Pierce Arrow race car on a dirt road all the way to the summit of Pike’s Peak’s? You start with fireworks, champagne, special packages, and themed events scheduled throughout the year but fully immersing yourself in all The Broadmoor has to offer is perhaps the most commemorative of them all. A village unto […]

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It has been far to long since I have been to Montana. My father and I visited some 20 years ago – a road trip in the spirit of gold mining but in reality became a father-son bonding trip and a chance to explore the great outdoors of the Western USA. Most of our time in Montana was spent in the north and western part of the state with a mix of time spent both in small cities and the outdoors. We also visited Helena and Billings but those were […]

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When travel blogging started to slowly take off in 2005/2006 I created a separate category for it in my already existing links directory. I added a links directory to my site in the late 1990’s although it was much smaller and all html coded by hand back then. It gives me a way to keep track and reference when I need to, on a large scale, the many different facets of the travel industry. It is impressive how many travel blogs there are and equally impressive how many new ones […]

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One of my passions is gold prospecting, or as it is referred to in Australia, Fossicking. It is a healthy hobby as long as you don’t get to obsessed with making money from it! I can remember going out with my father from a young age to explore some of his favorite mining terrain in the foothills of California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. With all the trips we have made I am fairly certain we have spent more time and money on logistics and equipment then the actual price of gold […]

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My visa within Thailand was expiring in 2 days. Time to make another run for the border. Usually we are off in another country at some point during our time in Thailand so this is not an issue. But this year we just stayed domestic. Poipet on the Cambodia border is the closest border crossing to our village so we headed out that way. We reached this dusty chaotic border town in 2 hours. As is always the case we were met with enterprising men who offer to escort you […]

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Kokoda Homestay was set up by several villages around Kokoda with the help of Bruce, his wife Rosemary and her son Mark (who lives in Australia) as a way for travelers to experience the authentic lifestyle in the area and as a way for travelers to immerse themselves within the local culture. Rosemary taught school in the 1960’s here and much later reconnected with some of her students. Bruce will help arrange your homestay and answer any visit related questions about traveling in the area. All flights to Papua New […]

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We spent most of today exploring the hilly jungle covered countryside around Misima Village with Seli. Seli is about 60 years of age (when we ask people’s ages here we get approximate answers) and has the stamina of someone half his age. Like most people living in the mountains in this area he walks everywhere barefoot – even on the rocky, steepest of trails. And he will climb much faster than most people in shape who are wearing shoes! Walking is the only way around much of Papua New Guinea, […]

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The following Gold Mining Article first appeared in the August 2001 issue of Upbeat Times and has been heavily revised since then. Read on for info about Gold Mining, Prospecting, Metal Detecting, Gold Panning and how to find gold nuggets. Gold is valuable – why? It is the most non-reactive metal found meaning it does not rust or corrode like other metals. Place a nugget of gold and a piece of iron or aluminum in the sea for several weeks. At the end of this time the aluminum may not […]

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Walter Yates has lived a full life built on adventures, risk and unique projects. We recently had a chance to ask him to reflect on his life experiences at age 87. Note: Walter passed away on March 2, 2015 at age 90.   Q. Tell us about the focus of your new book, “Breakaway”. Focus: We are still the same people that started this country – for my own satisfaction, I set out in the harsh conditions of wilderness Alaska just to prove it could still be done. I love […]

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Recently I was approached by BoxTick America for an interview. The guys, Ryan, Johnnie and Tom have been traveling across the USA for 7 months and have another 5 months in the country. They are filming weekly episodes based on requests coming mostly from the UK for activities they think American’s are interested in. These requests come in and BoxTick America then tries to participate in these activities. One recent request from a viewer was gold mining. I can help in that regard having owned a mining claim in the […]

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“Fight for a just cause. Love your fellow man. Live a good life.” Taking the first two letters of each part of his motto, William Bourn named his lavish country estate Filoli. Bourn indeed lived a very good life in this 36,000 sq ft mansion with its 43 rooms and 17 fireplaces. The estate was built with his gold mining money in 1917, sold to shipping magnate, William Roth, in 1937 and is now maintained by The National Trust for Historic Preservation. Filoli House and Gardens is located about 25 […]

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