Imagine that you're careening through the city on an old bus, and you find a notebook wedged in the corner of the seat. Open it up. Dusty sketches of swampy backwaters, photographs of foreign lands, illustrations of exotic foods. No destination reviews, no top 10 lists and no industry guest posts. It appears to be written merely for the joy of curious explorers and travelers.

This was the reason I set out to create Notes from the Road in 1999. If you enjoy reading about travel, dive in: Notes from the Road rewards readers who enjoy digging deep and exploring even while surfing the web. Check out my Roam section, where I write about everything from organizing for travel, to the importance of science to travel bloggers, to traveling through the deserts of Mexico and the fight to save the marine wilderness of Guana Cay.

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  Death and Salvation
  On the Salton Sea

  In twenty years of exploration along the fabled California sea, I encounter ecological devastation, lawless Slab City, zany prophets, burrow-dwellers, and at last, a bold hope for salvation

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  Bombay Beach: Sunset on the Atomic Paradise

  I kayak the Salton Sea to Bombay Beach, and then return 20 years later to see the cogs of environmental decline in action..

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  The Road to Quitobaquito Springs

  On the Road to a small desert spring, I investigate the border wall and the case for resurrecting a Transboundary Preserve.

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  My Rescue in the Gifford-Pinchot Wilderness

  Late summer backpacking in a Southwest Washington national forest ends in my terrifying rescue. Includes an interview with rescuer Lauren Dawkins.

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  Puffin Rally to the Látrabjarg Cliffs

  On a road trip to Iceland's remote Westfjords, I explore the decline of the iconic Atlantic Puffin.

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  Rum-drinking Demons of the Redwood Coast

  In the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, I compare Oregonian and Californian views on public lands.

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  The Ark Saucer of Sauvie Island

  An unexpected ark sends us to discover the life of the maverick inventor who built it.

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  Shi Shi Beach and the Dark Age of Travel

  While backpacking on the Olympic Peninsula's Pacific coast, I explore future scenarios for coastal areas.

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  Tamarindo to Tapir Valley

  Thoughts on a life of sports and green energy in Costa Rica's Guanacaste province.

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  Jefferson Park Wilderness

  Thoughts on rough roads, carefree trails and backcountry science in Oregon's Jefferson Park.

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  Ghosts of Celestun Biosphere Reserve

  Into the mangroves, coastal scrub and pink lagoons of Mexico's Yucatan Coast.

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  Sancti Spiritus and the Psychedelic Flyer

  Through Colonial towns, mangrove forests and Caribbean jungle, I seek the Pedorrera.

I illustrate my travel blog with sketches in marker, watercolor, pen and pencil. Travel sketches and travel journals have a way of capturing a place in a way that travel photographs cannot. And they can illustrate a particular thing about a place from the subjective mood and perspective of the traveler. If you're interested in creating your own travel sketchbook, here is a post on creating lightweight travel sketchbook supplies. You can also check out my travel maps, like my West Indies Map, my Portugal map, my Nicaragua map, or my Salton Sea map.

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  Cactuses of the Desert Southwest

  My sketches of all the cacti of the Desert Southwest and the United States.

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  Cuba Sketch Journal

  Sketches and illustrations and notes on the U.S. conversation about Cuba.

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  Sicily Sketches

  Drawings and Moleskine sketches from my travels on the island of Sicily.

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  Paris Sketches and illustrations

  Notes, drawings, sketches and illustrations in different mediums from Paris

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  Barcelona Journal

  Drawings, sketches and illustrations from Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.

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  My List of
  Life Birds

  An updated list of every species of bird I’ve seen in my travels, with sketches and drawings.

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  Moleskine Travel Journals

  Look inside my travel moleskine journals, which I use to make notes and reference my itinerary.

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  Ernest & THE
  Apes of Gibraltar

  Notes on Gibraltar and its famous macaques, plus an interview with one of their protectors.

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  Map of Abaco Islands

  My Copic and watercolor map of the Great Abaco and Little Abaco in the Northern Bahamas

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  Cuba Map

  My watercolor map of Cuba, featuring the cities on my itinerary.

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  Map of the Cyclades Islands

  A hand-drawn map of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea.

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  Tikehau Atoll Map

I am collecting a gallery of photos of doors, windows and door details from my travels. Take a look.

I don't like to tell people how to travel, how to pack or where to go. But, I think we can learn from each other when we share how we do things. Below are some of my most recent stories on how I organize for travel. Also, Notes from the Road features the Guana Cay Blog, which focuses on a specific example of how megadevelopments can play a negative role in travel destinations. I also keep notes on my bird life list, butterfly life list, reptile life list, dragonflies and damselflies list and amphibian life list.

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  Packing a Packraft

  How to pack a packraft, paddle and large tripod aboard an airplane in order to create the ability to photograph in amphibious environments.

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  Open Letter to Katie Tubb on Climate Change

  In an open letter to Heritage Foundation climate change denial author Katie Tubb, Notes from the Road walks through her argument, and uses a walled city siege to illustrate the weaknesses of her arguments.

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  Airbnb Nightmare

  What should we do when we run into problems with our Airbnb host? My crazy story about one Airbnb rental gone bad.

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  Interview with Marine Biology Artist Alison Atchia

  An interview with marine biology student and artist Alison Atchia. The first in a series of interviews with artists who asked for permission to use art from Notes from the Road.

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  Picking the Right Canon RF Lenses

  In this travel gear article, I look at Canon's new line-up of lenses and ask, which are the best lenses for different types of photographers?

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  Hamburg
  Sketch Journal

  Sketches, illustrations and notes on improvisation and worldbuilding in the Germany's second largest city.

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  Ross Rant Climate Change Claims Refuted

  Roam

  In an open letter to the author of the Ross Rant, I challenge his climate change statements.

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  Packing an Ultralight Carry-on

  Organize

  In this travel gear article, I explain how to travel with just 10 pounds of carry-on luggage.

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  Doors and Windows of the World

  My collection of doors, windows and door details from my travels for Notes from the Road

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  Mystery of the Flat Porcelain Crab

  What is this strange crab hanging out in spring tide barnacles? Hint, it's not a crab.

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  Reinstate The Ban on Elephant Ivory

  The definitive case for reinstating the ban on elephant ivory and trophy into the United States.

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  Traveling with Watercolors

  Keep your watercolor pallete organized, and your paints in order for travel sketching.

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  How Many Birds are in North America?

  A poster claims to display all the birds of North America. But the math doesn't add up.

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  The Super Weird
  Wax-tail Hopper

  What on earth is that weird, red-eyed creature with white flames coming out of its rear?

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  Bakers Bay Case Study Questioned

  Notes from the Road eviscerates case study of New York golf course development.

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  Graphic Novels for Travelers

  Consider traveling with graphic novels for travelers. Here are my favorites.

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  Packing an Ultralight Backpack for One Night

  How do you pack for a single night in the backcountry? Here is my gear list.

- Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, at the 2017 Apple Keynote Address.

Apple featured Notes from the Road to introduce the Apple iPhone X, another example of how we have been innovating the look and feel of the future of the web here at our little travel blog. I encourage you to take a look at the site, coded by hand by my brother and fellow traveler, Hans Gauger, on a high-resolution screen. My photographs and illustrations are meant to viewed in a horizontal format on smartphones.

Did you know that I created Notes from the Road before the phrase 'travel blog' even existed? In 1999, when I started writing this blog while traveling on a shoestring budget, they called travel blogs, 'online travelogues.'

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  The Sea Cats of
  Cap de Creus

  In Spain's northeastern Mediterranean coast, I make the case for itinerary-free travel.

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  Malheur and the Golden Age of Travel

  Observations from Oregon's Malheur National Wildlife Refuge after the Bundy occupation.

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  Primeval and Protected Osa Peninsula

  The Osa Peninsula is a wild gem of protected lowland forest, teeming with life.

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  John Day
  River

  Tips on minimalist road trip from the desert canyon roads of Oregon's interior.

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  Scarlet Starsong on the Tambopata River

  Notes on global biodiversity, from one of its prime hotspots in the Peruvian rainforest.

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  Clatsop County
  Road Trip

  On the Oregon coast, I write about my dearest subject: perpetual road travel.

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  The Bright Road to Zingaro

  Explore Sicily's Tyrhennian coast, with notes on climate and immigration on the island.

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  Mud Road to Coyote Buttes

  Notes on traveling to the Coyote Buttes during surreal winter weather.

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  Death and Salvation on the New River

  Notes on ecological devastation and salvation along the New River in Southern California.