The Sea Cloud II sailing the Caribbean.

The first thing most of us think about when we imagine the Caribbean is how fast we can get a bathing suit on and stick an umbrella on a sandy part of the beach. But the Caribbean is also a haven for beautiful gardens, unique animal species, and an eclectic ecosystem.

The region ranges in elevation from 40 meters below sea level to up to 3,000 meters, resulting in a variety of rare animals and plants that can only be found on these islands. The lowlands are don’t receive much rain and are considered semiarid, with some plants such as cactus scrubs being found on parts of Barbados, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. At the same time, trade winds tend to push moisture in the highlands of the islands, creating a rainforest climate where completely different species of flora and fauna are found.

How special is the Caribbean when it comes to biodiversity? When you look at the numbers, it’s pretty amazing. There are over 13,000 plant species found on these islands, and 50.4% are only found in this region of the Earth. But it’s the amphibians that truly makes the islands special. Amazingly, 100% of the amphibians - over  170 species – are native to the islands. Then there is the unique diversity of mammals, reptiles, and birds that are found on each island.

The wildlife to view and appreciate in the Caribbean is everywhere, and if you have really good eyes, you might see a few of the tiny hummingbirds found in the tropics - all while getting a great tan.

Which Caribbean Island is your favorite to visit? Tell us why!

Marvel at the beautiful colonial architecture and gardens of the Caribbean this January aboard the Sea Cloud II with Smithsonian Journeys!

A rainbow at the Grand Canyon, Photo by Nancy Holland

It’s practically the American rite of passage. At some point in our lives, we are compelled to visit the Grand Canyon – and for good reason. There is no place on the planet as stunningly beautiful or shockingly vast.  With more than five million visitors each year, the Grand Canyon has achieved American icon status. This is a stark difference to the 44,173 visitors in 1919, when the Grand Canyon was first declared a National Park.

While most people visit the Canyon for hiking, photography, and family vacations, it was originally home to many Native American tribes including the Cohonina, Cerbat, Pai, Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo (also known as the Diné) . The oldest artifacts found date back more than 12,000 years, and are well preserved due to the hot and dry climate. It would be easy to think with all of our technology we would know everything about the Grand Canyon, but the reality is that modern archeologists and other scientists have only surveyed 3% of the Canyon and surrounding parkland, leaving this part of the United States is still full of mysteries.

What is your favorite family memory of the Grand Canyon?

Maybe it’s time to take your kids or your grandkids to the Grand Canyon - check out our Grand Canyon Weekend Adventure, created for family fun! Dates are available next summer.

A hungry grizzly bear having a snack. Photograph by Roman Kruywczak

The Athabaskan people  recognized Mount Denali, the massive  peak looming over a 600 mile long mountain range, as the “High One”. But it’s the animals surrounding the mountain that many people travel from all over the world to see. There are 39 known mammals that live in the park, but many come to see what are known as the Big 5 – moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, and the grizzly bear.

For those of us who love cuddly teddy bears there’s the question, “Are real grizzly bears the same way in real life?”

Definitely not. 

The grizzly bear is actually one of the most solitary and aggressive of the all bears. Due to their large size, they are unable to climb trees like the smaller black bear, and instead must stand their ground. A small grizzly may weigh about 300 lbs. while bears living in coastal areas can weigh as much as 1,200 lbs. When bears are competing for food, they may become even more irritable.

But who is the most dangerous of all? The Mama Bear. 70% of human fatalities when encountering a grizzly are by a female grizzly protecting her young. Should you ever meet a grizzly bear, it would be best to respectfully keep your distance.

What wild animal sighting will you always remember? Tell us your story.

There’s still room on our Alaska’s Best: Denali and Kenai Fjords tour leaving this August. Maybe you’ll see all of the Big Five.

Hundreds of polar bears gather on the coast near Churchill, Manitoba, every autumn to await the freezing of the Hudson Bay. When the ice thickens, the bears venture out to hunt Arctic seal and gain sustenance for the long winter ahead.  Here’s a few things you might not know about ursus maritimus…

Polar Bear Sow with Cub, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Alan D. Wilson

– The oldest known polar bear fossil was a jawbone found on the Arctic  archipelago of Svalbard in 2004, and is estimated to be more than 110,000 years old.

– Polars bears are the largest land carnivores on earth - adult males can weigh up to 1500 lbs. and measure as long as 9.8 feet. Male lions, by contrast, top out at about 550 lbs and eight feet. 

– A polar bear’s water-repellant outer coat is made of transparent, not white, hair. This outer  hair is shed every summer. Polar bears still have to be careful in warmer weather, though – they can overheat if temperatures top 50°F.

– Polar bears live on the edge of the Arctic Sea’s ice packs, where they hunt for seals. The increase of global temperatures since the 1800s limits the amount of sea ice available for polar bear habitat, and increased melting also reduces the amount of time each year they have to hunt. For this reason, polar bears were listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species  Act in 2008.

– If you want to help preserve Polar bear habitat, click here  for some good advice from the folks at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History  about what we can all do to help with ocean conservation.

What animal do you want to help? Please share.

Each year, we bring travelers to snowy Churchill  to observe these fascinating creatures up close. Space is still available on our October, 2010 departure.

Annie Edson Taylor, aka "Queen of the Mist", was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive.

First and foremost, do not try any of these ridiculous stunts. It’s illegal – it could cost you up to a $10,000 fine and banishment from Canada – and you would likely get hurt very, very badly.

That being said, here is our brief list of ridiculously silly and dangerous daredevil attempts at Niagara Falls. For the full list of absurdity from the mid-1800s to 1951, click here.  

1. 1. The first tightroper to cross Niagara River was “The Great Blondin”. Jean François Gravelet-Blondinwas a 31-year-old professional European circus performer. At the first of his many tightrope walks over the river, Gravelet made a spectacle on June 30, 1859, by pausing dramatically with his balancing pole and then did a sudden back somersault on the rope. He later crossed the river on his rope while riding a bicycle, walking blindfolded, pushing a wheelbarrow, and even cooked an omelet in the center. He lived a long and happy life, passing away in England at the age of 73.  
2. Some swimmers made the attempt to go over the falls, with tragically mixed results. Captain Matthew Webb had already conquered swimming the English Channel when he made his attempt on July 2, 1883. He failed, and his body was recovered four days later down river in Lewiston, New York. Three years later, a policeman from Boston named William Kendall made it – with the help of a very effective life preserver.  
3. The last tightrope performances at the Falls were by 21-year-old James Hardy in July of 1896. His performances were the last permitted at the site.
4. The first person to ever make the attempt in a barrel was actually a 63-year-old schoolteacher named Annie Taylor. She climbed into a air-tight wooden barrel with her cat on October 24, 1901. The air pressure inside was compressed to 30 p.s.i. with a bicycle pump, and when she emerged, she was simply bruised and battered – and expected fame and fortune. She instead died in poverty. The cat was fine.
5. Bobby Leach attempted the drop in a steel barrel in 1911, but ended up breaking both kneecaps and his jaw. Yet, he still survived. Years later he traveled to New Zealand, where he slipped on an orange peel and died from complications due to gangrene.

People still request to make attempts to cross Niagara River and the Falls even today. In November of 1996, the Niagara Parks Commission denied a request for a proposed skywalk by Jay Cochrane. Commission Chairman Gary Burroughs announced, “The net effect of this type of event is to encourage less qualified individuals to perform stunts or feats that put not only themselves at risk, but also those who may be involved in their rescue.”

Were these people brave, insane, or plain old stupid? Share your thoughts below.

To see how daring (or stupid) these people were, you must see Niagara Falls for yourself on The Great Lakes: A Voyage through North America’s Inland Sea. Save $700 per person off your cabin price for Categories E-AA. Also, save $2,000 per person off your cabin price on Categories VS and PHS.