In this 2009 film, 180° SOUTH, Jeff Johnson makes a road trip to Patagonian Chile. Johnson retraces the steps of Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins’ 1968 trip to Patagonia. But instead of taking the Pan American highway, Johnson hitches a ride in a sailing vessel from Ventura, California and heads  south.

“You learn that what’s important is how you got there, not what you’ve accomplished.“  - Yvon Chouinard.

Johnson’s real trip begins after they are shipwrecked off the coast of Easter Island. After the sailboat gets patched up, they continue on towards Patagonia. Jeff’s goal is to climb the peak Corcovado. In many trips that are worth remembering, things usually don’t go according to plan. But of course that is what makes it an adventure.

It’s a narrative film following Jeff and his crew. The soundtrack is a nice addition too. What I found funny is how Jeff mentioned growing up in Danville, California as being very far from the ocean. I drive pass Danville sometimes, it is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Danville is only 31 miles form San Francisco and there are great surf spots out in SF’s Ocean Beach. And he thinks that is far from the nearest ocean!

Anyway, the film does have beautiful scenes of the land, mountain, ocean, and some wildlife too. I especially enjoy seeing the dolphins swimming along the sailboat.

In this film, Jeff also has the chance to meet up with Chouinard and Tompkins. They have discussions on the the state of progress and it’s impact on the environment. At the moment, Chile continues to plan on building more hydro-electric dams (where much of the power is used for heavy industry and mining). Many environmental organizations oppose the dams.

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In the remote mountains of Indonesia’s Foja Mountains comes frogs, gecko, and even the world’s smallest wallaby. The other recent discovery was of the golden-mantled tree kangaroo out of New Guinea. It’s always good news to hear that scientist have discovered new species.

This cute little guy is the world’s smallest wallaby. Photo by Tim Laman of National Geographic/Reuters

The other new animals discovered by researchers include an oversize yet tame woolly rat, a new bat that feeds on rainforest blossom nectar and a small tree mouse. There is even a new flowering shrub.

This part of Indonesia’s rain forest is very undeveloped and undisturbed without any roads. The elevation and tropical environment also provides much isolation. There are also local forest-dwelling people that depend on this place for resources. And the locals don’t take more then they need from the rain forest.

Bruce Beehler, a senior research scientist at Conservation International said it best, “While animals and plants are being wiped out across the globe at a pace never seen in millions of years, the discovery of these absolutely incredible forms of life is much needed positive news. Places like these represent a healthy future for all of us and show that it is not too late to stop the current species extinction crisis.”

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I have always been fond of alpacas ever since I first saw those funny expressions.  Alpaca fibers are considered to be one of the softest and warmest natural fibers available.

Alpacas are like a smaller version of a llama and related to the camel. Alpacas and llamas roam together and can interbred, but they eventually separate into their own groups.

Vicunas are the alpacas native to the Andes mountain. They are highly protected and can not be exported anywhere. They also have the finest fur of them all.

I first learned about Vicunas while watching Nature on PBS, the program was titled “Andes: The Dragon’s Back.” A great program to watch if you get the chance. There are so many other interesting wildlife that live in this part of South America.

Introduction from PBS Nature:

Only a mountain range of extremes could harbor such a rich and diverse variety of life forms. Here you will find some of the highest, saltiest, wettest and driest terrains on the planet. Penguins, opossums, hummingbirds, llamas, pumas, foxes, condors, spectacle bears and many more have all managed to carve out an existence somewhere in one of the many worlds that we call the Andes.

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I picked up my latest issue of the Smithsonian magazine and just learned about the narwhal.  Narwhal are considered to be the unicorn of the sea because of their spiral tusk (which is really their teeth).

Image source:  National Geographic

I was surprise that after all these years I’ve never heard about narwhals.  M said he found out about narwhals when he saw the cartoon drawing on a skateboard deck.  He couldn’t believe narwhals were real and thought it was a joke made between a small whale and a unicorn.  But he soon confirmed that narwhals are real and that they live in the Arctic.

In the past, European fisherman would catch and kill narwhals just to collect and sell the tusk.  And many people (in those days) believed the tusk were magical.  It was used to make a “powder” wonder drug.  Members of the royal family would carve the tusk into their thrones and other royal objects.  Some of them can still be seen in Norwegian museums today.

All that killing and hunting for the tusks put narwhals in risk of becoming extinct.  This also reminds me of what is happening with the elephants.  But presently, both the hunting of tusks for elephants and narwhals are illegal (at least illegal to be imported to the U.S.).  So that is a good sign going in the right direction.

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When I first heard the name marmot, I thought they were just an outdoor clothing company.  But marmots are these cute little animals that like living in the mountains.

These days, the marmots of Vancouver Island are being endangered due mainly to clear cut logging.  The Marmot Recovery Foundation is set up to help preserve and protect these cute little creatures.

Vancouver Island marmot peeking out between the rocks.  Photo from the Marmot Recovery Foundation.

Marmots are generally found living high up in the mountains.  And they are scattered between North America to Europe.

The name marmot originated from the old French and Latin “marmotte” meaning mountain mouse.  They are part of the squirrel family and related to the goundhog too.   Marmots typically live in burrows, and hibernate there through the winter. They are highly social animals.

Here is a little bit of information on why they are endangered in Vancouver Island.

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Having a small yard does not mean you can’t have a nice garden.  With some interesting layout and careful selections of plants and trees, you too can have a beautiful garden.

Christopher J. Cohan of This Old House recommends dividing a small yard into several areas of interest, including a pond.  This makes the landscape seem bigger than it is.  For his own yard, he divided the front and backyard with different types of plants and landscaping. 

Cohan uses ornamental border along the street to adds curb appeal and make it feel more inviting. Then an entry garden with a lamp post lights the way for visitors. And there’s even a private patio for dining and a woodsy backyard for relaxing in your lounge-chair. 

You can view more photos of Cohan’s garden here.

Photo from This Old House.

As you can see from the picture of the front yard, the house has a dogwood tree that is scaled to the house.  This provides the front-yard with a focal point. I really like this idea. But the only thing I wonder about Cohan’s yard is how much care and maintenance this yard will need.  And also if they plants are drought tolerant, since we are having water shortages in many part of the U.S..  But overall, despite having a smaller home and yard, Cohan was able to create a magical and inviting place.

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