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    Yellowstone NP: The Current State of Bear Affairs

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    While visiting Yellowstone National Park at the end of May, my parents and I spent at least half of our time watching the wildlife. While many of these animals mostly reside in Yellowstone these days, at one point the entire stretch of the Rocky Mountains sported all these animals. Some still do, such as elk, deer, and big horn sheep, but grizzly bears, wolves, and bison were once in danger of disappearing from the lower 48, so Yellowstone is one of the few places to observe them. However, park boundaries are arbitrary to wildlife and these animals' territory has expanded.

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    A Week in Wanaka Getting High

    December 8, 2023

    Peace, Love, and Turtles – Gili Air, Indonesia

    May 7, 2024

    Kunkels in Kaikoura: the End of the Line

    March 19, 2024
  • Plane Travel

    Where the Buffalo Roam–Some Thoughts on Yellowstone NP

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    National Parks remind me that once the whole west was as starkly beautiful and untouched by exploitation. But no longer. Yellowstone reminds me how, then and now, control is everything. Not harmony. Control. In 1872, the land of Yellowstone NP didn't have to be protected from Native American tribes who had called it home for centuries. It only needed to be protected from us.

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    Spoiled in the Sand: Adventures in Abel Tasman National Park

    March 14, 2024

    Dueling Volcanoes and Fire Power in Tongariro National Park

    February 6, 2024

    Tongariro Alpine Crossing – A Love Affair with a Volcano

    April 6, 2024
  • Plane Travel

    Yellowstone NP: Cruising the Crater of a Super Volcano

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    Much of Yellowstone National Park is a super volcano worthy of end of the world sci-fi movies, but my favorite part was the previously-not-known-to-me Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the wildlife watching. The snow is two feet deep in places and nonexistent in others. Rivers bulge at the seams, and some valleys flood entirely, calm waters mirroring the trees they swamp. Oh, yeah. And we're doing it all in the camper van.

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    Rainy Routeburn: My First Great Walk

    December 14, 2023

    Stewart Island: The Island of the Birds

    December 20, 2023

    Arthur’s Pass: My Favorite Alpine Region of New Zealand

    December 6, 2023
  • Plane Travel

    Seek and Ye Shall Find (Antlers)

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    So, I went antler hunting. Yes, that's a thing. Male elk, deer, and moose lose their antlers every spring, and people go looking for them. Like a giant Easter Egg hunt, except a lot more uncertain and a lot heavier load if you find some.

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    Aix Marks the Spot: Exploring my Temporary Home

    January 25, 2020
    the walls of Troy

    To Breach the Walls of Troy

    March 25, 2019

    1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: July & August

    July 29, 2023
  • awestruck in the arctic aurora borealis
    Plane Travel

    Awestruck in the Arctic: an Aurora Borealis Gallery

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    From the first human who tipped their head back to watch the fierce and brilliant otherworldly lights, there have been myths to explain the phenomenon of the aurora borealis. The stories of the aurora are wide and varied, but each suggests something greater than ourselves, greater than humanity. And I felt that, head tipped back, breath misting the air. I felt like I could almost touch them, like I was so close to something more.

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    Maddie with a visor and binoculars waiting to get on a boat to explore the Kinabatangan River

    1 Year of Travel Selfies: July & August

    August 30, 2024

    Kunkels in Kaikoura: the End of the Line

    March 19, 2024

    Kusadasi: Seaside Getaway with a Hidden Face

    March 28, 2019
  • Yellow dog Lodge
    Plane Travel

    The Last Nine People (and One Dog) on Earth

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    On Wednesday the 5th of April, I woke up at Yellow Dog Lodge in the Northwest Territories as one of the last people on earth. Only a few miles away from the quaint, off-the-grid lodge and cabin complex where we resided, the world as I knew it cut off, dropped away. Frankly, it just ended, like the edge of a flat-worlder's map. I don't know what happened to the people beyond the end point, but I came to terms with it pretty quickly. There was there, and here was here. And I was here. One of the last people on earth.

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    Peach clouds at sunset over the Côte d'Azur

    La Côte d’Azur: Sunshine, Flowers, and Spring-time!

    February 14, 2020
    fall trees in yellow and red mixed with green and a purple sky dotted with clouds

    I love ME…I mean Maine!

    October 6, 2022

    A Sloppy, Sweaty Trek in Sapa, Vietnam

    June 13, 2024
  • Green Aurora over Yellow Dog Lodge
    Plane Travel

    The Wonder of the Aurora at Yellow Dog Lodge

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    Fifteen minutes after midnight, I am napping in an armchair and Mom and Mason are sprawled on the coach. Then Gordon pokes his head in and says the magic words: "I see the aurora." We leap from our seats (literally) and pull on layer after layer of clothes. It's about 10 degrees outside, so I'm tugging on my gloves and mitten covers and simultaneously trying to put my phone on my cheap tripod. We clatter outside and tip our heads back and there...

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    The Jurassic World of New Zealand’s North

    August 3, 2023

    My Pinnacles Experience: Hiking to Great Heights

    September 5, 2023

    Dueling Volcanoes and Fire Power in Tongariro National Park

    February 6, 2024
  • Sailboats on the water under a cloudy sky
    Plane Travel

    Colorful Camden: Sea Winds, Mountain Views, and Lobstah!

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    The last stop on our weeklong trip to Maine was the coastal town of Camden, Maine. We rolled into Camden after a long day of driving through inland Maine. We were too hungry to park at our hotel and walk, so we drove downtown. It was dark, but we could smell the sea off to our left and see the rows of cute shops and restaurants.

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    A Sloppy, Sweaty Trek in Sapa, Vietnam

    June 13, 2024

    Photos from New Zealand Christmas and New Year

    January 13, 2024

    1 Year of New Zealand Selfies: March & April

    April 15, 2024
  • Plane Travel

    To the Main! –Heading Inland like the Fishermen of Old

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    My parents and I greatly enjoyed our time in Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, and I would return in a heart beat to climb the Iron Ladder Trails and explore along the rocky coast like kid explorers again. However, there is so much more of Maine to see, so we departed from Bar Harbor early one morning--and headed to the main!

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    A Kaleidoscope of Rotorua and Taupo – Central North Island of New Zealand

    September 18, 2023

    A Sloppy, Sweaty Trek in Sapa, Vietnam

    June 13, 2024

    Detour to Delft: Charming Churches & Canals in a Picturesque Dutch Town

    May 20, 2022
  • fall trees in yellow and red mixed with green and a purple sky dotted with clouds
    Plane Travel

    I love ME…I mean Maine!

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    After a busy month of work, hunting, and visitors, my parents and I jetted off to enjoy the easternmost state in the Union. We choose Maine because none of us had been before, and the idea of rugged coastlines, mountainous forests, and stunning fall foliage sounded like an excellent way to spend a week. Even as the plane circled the coast above Portland, I could see hints of reds and yellows in the trees.

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    Istanbul: Jewel of the Empire

    March 23, 2019

    The North of the South: Picton to Golden Bay

    October 2, 2023

    Yellowstone NP: The Current State of Bear Affairs

    June 15, 2023
12

Traveler, Reader, Writer

Hi! My name is Maddie. I am a traveler, reader, and writer. Pages to Planes is where I catalogue stories of my (history-obsessed) adventures and write reviews of my favorite books. Welcome!

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