Nature Connection Radio

On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Before They Vanish" Podcast, explorer and author James Michael Dorsey returns to talk about the gray whales he has spent decades getting to know in Baja's San Ignacio Lagoon, and about his book, "The Lagoon: Encounters with the Whales of San Ignacio."

Once hunted to the edge of extinction, these forty-ton animals now swim right up to the boats to be petted, and James explains why he calls the lagoon the only place on earth where wild animals in their natural habitat routinely seek out human contact.

James traces his love of whales to a sea kayaking trip in British Columbia in 1996, when a pod of three orcas swam close enough to touch, and to his first trip to Baja in 1998. He describes hearing whales through the hull of a kayak, how gray whales navigate the coast without echolocation, and how the lagoon works as a nursery where mothers train their calves and then bring them to the boats to play.

The conversation also covers the challenges the whales face, including warming waters, starvation, ship strikes, and the need for stronger protections. It also covers Mexico's protection of the lagoon, the difference between whales and dolphins, whether a whale could really swallow a person, why whales don't belong in captivity, and a whale-human connection that reaches back at least ten thousand years.

RESOURCE LINKS:
- Get the book: https://JamesMichaelDorseyAuthor.com/books/the-lagoon-encounters-with-the-whales-of-san-ignacio-james-michael-dorsey/9781635768428
- Travel with James: https://www.BajaEcoTours.com/
- Enjoy more episodes of Before They Vanish: https://www.BigBlendMediaHouse.com/p/before-they-vanish-podcast
- Learn more about James: https://JamesMichaelDorseyAuthor.com/

On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "English Connection" Podcast, Glynn Burrows takes us for a wander through England's forests — ancient and modern, native and man-made — and what a single tree can teach us about history, health, and home.

From Sherwood's legendary (and ailing) Major Oak to Thetford's man-made pine forest, from tree-ring dendrochronology to the real origin of the word "underdog," this one covers a lot of ground.

Along the way: tree equity and environmental justice in American cities, why a felled tree feels like a genuine loss, cemetery bird-watching, England's Heritage Open Days, and a closing reading of Joyce Kilmer's "Trees."

Read the companion article, "England's Ancient Trees: A Personal Tour of Britain's Forests," and check out Glynn's Digital Magazine at the links below.

And what a great episode with today (Sept. 26) being National Public Lands Day, Johnny Appleseed Day, and Lumberjack Day!

Resource Links:
- Article: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/englands-ancient-trees
- Check out Glynn's "English Connection" Podcast & Magazine on his website https://www.englishconnection.uk/
- Glynn's new English Connection Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594366433338

Travel writer and advisor Lisa Evans, host of Big Blend Radio's "Journey Jukebox" Podcast takes us to Yellowstone National Park — America's very first national park, marking 110 years of the National Park Service this year. 

This episode picks up right where her Cody, Wyoming visit left off: after basing herself in Cody, Lisa spent a day and a half looping through Yellowstone by chartered bus, and brings back a full rundown — bison herds thick enough to stop traffic for fifty cars, a moose sighting straight out of Lamar Valley, a surprise cinnamon bear, and the bighorn sheep on the way out of the park.

From there we walk through the icons — Old Faithful (which kept everyone waiting an extra thirty minutes), the otherworldly colors of Grand Prismatic Spring and the Midway Geyser Basin, the bubbling mud volcanoes, and dinner at the historic Lake Yellowstone Hotel with a general manager who's spent 40 years working his way up through the park's lodging operation.

We also get honest about the less charming side of visiting a place like Yellowstone: tourists stepping over barriers at Mammoth Hot Springs, walking up to bison for a closer photo, and — in one widely reported case — Pierce Brosnan's own $1,500 fine for wandering off a boardwalk into a restricted thermal area. With national parks already stretched thin on funding and staffing, we talk about why this isn't just about rule-following — it's about keeping the wildlife wild and the parks safe for everyone who visits them.

Along the way, Lisa also looks ahead to her next stops — Clarksville, TN, and a trip up to Anacortes, WA — and shares more of the multi-generational travel trends she's seeing on the road.

🗺️ Plan your own trip: Full Yellowstone travel guide, park links, and resources: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/yellowstone-still-wild-at-110 

- Missed her last stop? Catch Lisa's Cody, Wyoming episode & article: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/cody-wyoming-western-culture 

🎵 Journey Jukebox Music Playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7humUf03LIW04t8LiJSSN9?si=71c11c52c77c4596 

🎧 More about the Journey Jukebox Podcast:
- New episodes air every 3rd Tuesday at 6pm CST: https://journeyjukebox.podbean.com/ 
- Podcast Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/JOURNEY-JUKEBOX---2026/#p=1 

Follow Lisa Evans: 
- https://substack.com/@allabouttravelwithlisa  
- https://writerlisa.com/

Author and adventurer Inga Aksamit returns to this shared Big Blend Radio's "Food, Wine & Travel" show with the International Food Wine Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA) — to take us snorkeling for two weeks aboard the MV Bilikiki in the Solomon Islands. 

From a camouflaged crocodile fish and venomous sea kraits to a floating village market and the Coral Triangle's marine biodiversity, Inga shares what it's like to spend eleven days snorkeling with Snorkel Venture on one of the South Pacific's most remote liveaboard adventures.

SOLOMON ISLANDS SNORKLE ADVENTURE RESOURCES: 
 - Inga's article about her experience: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/snorkeling-solomon-islands 
- Plan Your Own Snorkeling Adventure: https://snorkelventure.com/ 

MORE ON INGA & IFWTWA:
- Inga Aksamit: https://ingasadventures.com/ 
- IFWTWA: https://www.ifwtwa.org/ 
- Follow this podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/food-wine-travel-with-ifwtwa 
- Read its companion magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/travel-food-wine-magazine

On this shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Quiltripping Travel" Podcast, travel writer and photographer Rose Palmer shares her epic month-long journey across Southern Africa with her husband — starting with wine tasting in Cape Town, riding the historic Rovos Rail into Zimbabwe, chasing wildlife and waterfalls at Victoria Falls, safari glamping in Botswana's Khwai Private Reserve and Okavango Delta, and ending with a river boatd cruise on the Chobe River.

Rose talks border crossings, elephant migration, the best age to bring kids on safari, and why this trip topped even her Alaska road trip for pure epic scale.

MORE ON AFRICA: 
- Read Rose's full article and see her photos: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/an-epic-month-in-africa  
- More of Rose's Africa stories: https://quiltripping.com/africa/  

KEEP UP WITH ROSE:
- Listen to more of Rose's "Quiltripping Travel" Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/quiltripping-travel-with-rose-podcast  
- Check out the "Quiltripping Travel" Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/quiltripping-travel-magazine  
- Follow Rose's blog: https://www.quiltripping.com