Our first trip was to Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks with Susan Jane’s parents. This trip was carefully timed for late March so that we would have mild weather and that worked out great. Hiking in desert is quite a bit different than hiking in the Pacific Northwest, and we saw all sorts of different plants and animals. We didn’t see a “super bloom” but there were some great wildflowers in Joshua Tree. (more pictures here)

We celebrated our anniversary at our annual garden party and had a great time with all the friends who turned out to celebrate with us (including from John Day, Oregon and Haifa, Israel)! After the garden party, we went out to John Day and celebrated more with our friends in eastern Oregon. Then we headed up to the Eagle Cap Wilderness Area in northeastern Oregon and spent a weekend at a wilderness lodge there. It was a whole month of celebration! (more pictures here)

In July, we returned to Africa for the first time since 2011 (our last sabbatical). We visited 6 national parks between Kenya and Tanzania and saw all of our favorite animals and a few new ones. Central Africa is already starting to feel real impacts from climate change and we saw many changes since our last visit. (more Kenya and Tanzania pictures)

In August, we again rode in the Bridge Pedal (an annual ritual at this point) and managed to squeeze in a few days camping before the Labor Day crowds got there. We camped (for the first time) on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the forest SJ first worked on after law school. Even the dogs enjoyed the time away from the daily routine. (more pictures here)

Our final trip of the year was a two-fer. First, we spent the week of Thanksgiving in Bali with a group of friends. This was the first time we’ve done anything like this and it was really fun to have the time to connect with each person without feeling rushed. There aren't many opportunities to put work away and live with friends, but we got to do that in Bali. The week ended with a great Balinese dinner on Thanksgiving night - a memory we will treasure! (more pictures here)

At the end of that week, we said goodbye to our friends and flew to New Zealand, where we spent time on both the north and south islands (and were lucky to not be near the volcanic eruption on White Island). New Zealand has some beautiful vistas and friendly towns. Their forestry practices belie their reputation as a conservation-minded country, but every country has to learn at their own pace. On a brighter note, it was good to see all the work being done in New Zealand to honor the country's Maori indigenous people. (more pictures here)