The Official Journal of the McDaneld Family Wanderings

a black and white stencil of a happy jackalope

The Journey of the Jackalope

jacakope jpeg

Vietnam Adventure

Vietnam is a strikingly beautiful country with a complicated and tragic history.  Despite this, the majority of Vietnamese people we met were kind, generous, and happy to meet us.  We started our exploration with a 3-day trek through the north where terraced rice paddies climb the sides of steep rolling mountains.  The views were incredible, […]

Victoria Falls

Ending our overland journey, we landed in the town of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, where we planned to celebrate Christmas. Victoria Falls was named as such by David Livingstone in 1855, although the local name is Mosi-oa-Tunya which means “the smoke that thunders.”  Truly, you can see the mist rising up from the falls in the […]

King of the Jungle

One of my top desires for this trip was to take the boys on a proper safari.  While I knew that we would get some game drives with the overland trip, I was unsure of their quality and duration.  I know that I didn’t want to haul the kids to Africa and miss out on […]

A Tale of Two Cities

A Tale of Two Cities

Cape Town came as such a relief to us after the cold of Patagonia.  We were thrilled to be somewhere warm, where everyone spoke English, and where there was an abundance of activities.  But South Africa has a complicated history and it didn’t take long to realize that this history impacted everything and everyone in […]

The Adventure That — Wasn’t

The Adventure That — Wasn’t

Pucón is the Outdoor Adventure Capital of Chile. Ski/hike/sled an active volcano, skydive, parasail, kayak, raft, mountain bike, snowshoe, zip line, hydro speed, hot springs, water bikes, lava tubes, multiple national parks, canyoneering, horseback rides, waterfalls, beaches, a life-sized Shrek! You name it – Pucón has it! Unless, of course, it doesn’t. Traveling during shoulder […]

The Things We Take For Granted

The Things We Take For Granted

As citizens of the United States, we have a lot of daily advantages that are so ubiquitous as to be invisible to us.  Some are a result of our culture.  Many are paid for by those taxes we love to hate.  While I’m not a fan of giving my money to the government to spend, […]

Signs of Humor

Signs of Humor

Sometimes, the message gets lost in translation. Here are a few of our favorite signs, to be updated as we go:

El Valle Sagrado – Part One

El Valle Sagrado - Part One

Looking for a little quiet time, we headed to the Sacred Valley just north of Cusco.  This valley, bordered on both sides by precipitous Andean peaks, has sheltered many people including the Wari since about 500 AD, the Inca from approx. 1100 AD, and the Spanish following the conquest of Peru.  It contains the ruins […]

El Valle Sagrado – Part Two

El Valle Sagrado - Part Two

Moray This fascinating ruin, located at 11,500’ elevation, may have preceded the Inca.  It consists of three groups of circular terraces descending nearly 500 feet.  Many researchers think that it was built to create microclimates for experimental farming.  Scientists have documented as much as 27 degrees variation in temperature from the top to the bottom, […]

Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountain

Rainbow Mountains The “Rainbow Mountain” of Peru usually refers to Vinicunca, a stunning triangular peak striped with seven different colors produced by a variety of stone and mineral types.  But as the well-known hike is fairly strenuous, ending at 16,700’ elevation, we opted for the more child-friendly Palccoyo. Our trip began with a 4am wake-up […]