Road Trips Wolrdwide. That's a pretty heavy burden to live up to isn't it. Thankfully, right now I'm lucky enough to be able to travel the globe. We just got back from another History Channel Monster Quest shoot. This time we were off to Japan and Austrlia to look for both giant and deadly jellyfish. Our 12 hour flight from Mpls to Japan landed us in downtown Tokyo. If you've never been put it on your list. Tokyo's metro is 35 million people. No doubt there are people every where you go. It's a combination of Manhattan and Vegas. Espcially downtown. Check out the view from our hotel room. We were there to look for Nomura Jellyfish, the largest jellyfish in the ocean. It weighs in at a whopping 450 pounds and is nearly 6 feet wide. We spend 1 day diving off in the Pacific in the showdow of Mt. Fuji. How cool is that!?! After just a few days we flew to Australia. This was my 2nd trip down under is 6 months. That's pretty amazing! We landed in Cairns and traveled down to Townsville. Both cities are on the eastern shores of Australia. It's here were we searched for the Box Jellyfish. The most dangerous and deadly creature on the planet. No joke. The venom from 1 sting can kill you in less than 3 minuts. Scary. Well, we headed out on the Great Barrier Reef for 3 days. What a place if you like to snorkel or dive. It's a must for anyone who loves the water. Well, I'd like to tell you exactly how the trip went but you'll just have to tune into the History Channel and watch Monster Quest to find out.

For whatever reason I seem to be a little tardy on my blogging duties. Hang with me here as I go back a month or so to my latest fishing experience. So right after Christmas, actually Christmas night, my wife Melissa and I headed to my sister's house near San Antonio, TX. A little holiday break and some warm weather is always a good thing. Well it turns out my nephew Aidan got a Rocket Fishing Rod for Christmas. Yes there is such a thing. You can google it for yourself. Basically you load up the bait, pull the action like a shotgun and fire. Off goes the lure and bait about 20-30 into the water. As soon as it hits the water, Bam, the lure and bait drop while the bobber, well, just bobs. Pretty cool stuff for kids who don't know how to cast just yet. Well, we set ourselves up at a local "pond" near my sister's house and wouldn't you know it. On Aidan's first cast a tiny catfish. A couple of hours later Aidan and his Rocket Fishing Rod had caught the biggest and most fish. I think the total was 3 to 1 if I remember correctly. Way to go Aidan. Keep up the good fishing until next time I come for a visit.

Being a California boy it's always nice to head south once the snow falls. Well, my wife and I along with her family, got the chance to do just that last week. We packed up the bags and headed south for Thanksgiving. Destination......Florida. 17 people in all taking in the sun, surf and sand. It's not that I dislike MN winters but when you grow up where the sun shines most of the time frozen lakes can take some getting used to. Of course, these days I can't take a trip without doing a little fishing. Pop and Nana set Melissa and I, along with her sister (Corri) and husband (Chris) up for a half day of charter boat fishing near Siesta Key. What a beautiful morning it was. We started out in the bay catching a few dog fish and a lady fish before heading out into the open water. Unfortunately the fishing wasn't so good on this day so we headed back into the bay where the action picked up a little bit. Melissa got us going by landing a 16 inch grooper and I followed that up with an 18 inch grouper. Not the biggest fish in the world but certainly tasty if we could have kept them. Size limit was 22. Boooo. All in all we caught 9 fish. Yours truly caught the most and the biggest. Brag, brag, brag. Not too bad considering Chris is the real fisherman. The rest of the week was spent relaxing on the beach, playing golf and enjoying a family Thanksgiving.

The cherry on top of the week was the unbelievable sunset on Tuesday night. I've seen plenty of sunsets but this one may have been the best of all time. Even those who live in the area and get beach sunsets every day said this was one of the best they've ever seen. It just got better every second. I took a few pics.....enjoy.

Happy Holidays!

Each year my wife (Melissa) and I take at least two camping trips. One in the spring and one in the fall. We load up the car with what seems to be half the house plus 2 dogs. Now, Melissa and I like to camp but we each do things a little differently. I'm more the pack it up and hike type and she likes to drive into the campsite and pitch a tent next to the car. "This way I have everything I need," she says. I like to call her Sgt. Coleman because she says everything has to be set up and ready to go before you can crack your first beer. "Yes dear!" Either way it's always a good time. Each fall and each spring we pick a new MN State Park that we haven't camped out in the past. Sometimes we head north, other years we head south. I always let Melissa pick because camping is one of her favorite things to do. We've both been kind of busy this fall and it was getting late in the year so we headed south to Frontenac State Park near Redwing. We camped there a couple of years ago and it's a great place to hike and bring the dogs. As you can see by the pics the leaves were in peak form. The weather was a little chilly but we made do. So next year when the snow melts and the ice thaws, think about doing an early season campout. You won't be let down. Isn't that right Sgt. Coleman.

Fall is a great time of year here in Minnesota but the state has as stiff challenge for greatest places to see the leaves change. Recently photographer Steve Plummer and I spent 5 days in North Carolina. It was the perfect time of year to be in the mountains of NC and Tennessee. We were there to shoot another episode of Legends of Rod & Reel. Our Legend this time was Joe Baigas. Believe it or not but Steve and I met Joe a couple of years ago in the Amazon on the Rio Negro River. You know, your typical place to meet new friends. Joe was there taking some clients Peacock Bass fishing and Steve and I were there filming a segment for Monster Quest on the History Channel. Joe was quite the character and fisherman. Turns out when we started filming for Legends last year we thought Joe would make a great story. Well, we finally got the chance to catch up with him. Sometimes it's hard to nail down a guy who fishes all over the country as frequently as Joe does. We spent 3 days with Joe and his good buddies Ollie, Brownie, John and Tim. Sorry if I missed anyone else. These guys know how to fish. After a day in NC in the mountains we traveld to TN and the Watauga River. If you plan to fish in this part of the country then you need to stay at the Wataga River Lodge & Outfitter. It's right on the river with plenty of big browns and rainbows. See for yourself by visiting their website.  We caught plenty of fish with sunshine every day. Look for Joe and his buddies next year on Legends of Rod & Reel on the Outdoor Channel. Be sure to bring your camera if you plan to head east next fall.