#FiveYearsProject

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

2 months ago

To Our Children's Children's Children So it's our first full day in South Africa and it's about 10:30 in the morning on a Saturday and we are standing in a cave pretty much in th...

Wouldn't it be great to travel to somewhere that could tell us how humans evolved into what we are today? Don't get your hopes up. It's complicated. #FiveYearsProject #SouthAfrica #Maropeng #evolution

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2026/01/to-o...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

2 months ago

Penguins I have three South Africa blog posts left (including this one) from our late October / early November trip to the very bottom of the Dark Co...

We've been trying to find penguins in the wild for over nine years. This year, we finally found some. #FiveYearsProject #SouthAfrica #penguins

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/12/peng...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

2 months ago

Status I'm done traveling for 2025. My last night in a hotel was a couple of nights ago (for work). So in a completely non sequitur way, it's confe...

You would think that we travel so much that we have premier status in all sorts of hotel and airline programs and get tons of perks. Nope. Don't happen. Although it did a very bit this year. #FiveYearsProject

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/12/stat...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

3 months ago

Timbs In the spring of 2017, I bought myself a new backpack. I ditched the Samsonite one that I bought maybe four years earlier that had just simp...

I currently own three pairs of Timberland boots. This fall, one of those three pairs visited their sixth continent. #FiveYearsProject #Timberland #Timbs #SouthAfrica

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/12/timb...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

3 months ago

Kruger Mammals Photo dump time!  Our four full days in Kruger National Park was the best concentrated safari experience we have had in a single Park ever. ...

This is my last safari post for this trip. And yes, it's basically a whole bunch of pictures. #FiveYearsProject #SouthAfrica #Kruger #safari @gadventures.bsky.social

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/12/krug...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

3 months ago

Kruger Birds The first three times I visited sub-Saharan Africa, I went with a wish list of creatures to see. For the most part, those lists consisted en...

Each time I've been to Africa, I've taken a wish list of species to see on safari. This year, my list was mostly birds. #FiveYearsProject #birds #Kruger #SouthAfrica @gadventures.bsky.social

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/11/krug...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

3 months ago

The Big Five Our trip to South Africa in late October and early November of this year was our fourth African big game safari experience. We visited the V...

Pretty much everyone who has ever been on safari has at one time or another thought about seeing the Big Five. Here's how we did this year. #FiveYearsProject #SouthAfrica #Kruger @gadventures.bsky.social

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

4 months ago

Painted Dogs In August of 2025, we visited sub-Saharan Africa for the first time. We flew through New York and Johannesburg and landed in Victoria Falls,...

We've been looking for Afrian wild dogs for about 10 years now (sort of). Was 2025 the year we finally took this species off our "must see" list? #FiveYearsProject #SouthAfrica #Kruger @gadventures.bsky.social

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/11/pain...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

5 months ago

Train Kept A-Rollin How great an idea are national parks? Whether it's in the United States or Canada or anywhere else around the world, what could be more insp...

Tracking down ruins of the very thing that opened up the Canadian Rockies to tourists like me.

Last blog post about Canada (for this year). South Africa up next. #FiveYearsProject #Canada @altparkscanada.bsky.social

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/09/trai...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

6 months ago

Top Of The World Through our first four full days in the Canadian Rockies in late June and early July we had visited or traveled through four Parks Canada Na...

We hit six Parks Canada National Parks in five days in late June and early July. Number five didn't start out so promising...

#FiveYearsProject @altparkscanada.bsky.social #ShareTheChair #Canada #Revelstoke

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/09/top-...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

6 months ago

Name a Canadian food. ANY Canadian food. I know you said poutine. #Canada #FiveYearsProject #yahoostampede @calgarystampede.bsky.social

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/08/pout...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

6 months ago

I Melt With You We visited six Parks Canada National Parks in our week or so west of Calgary at the beginning of summer this year: Banff , Yoho, Kootenay , ...

We visited both a glacier in Canada and Canada's Glacier National Park this summer. But we didn't visit a glacier in Glacier. #Canada #FiveYearsProject #ColumbiaIcefield @altparkscanada.bsky.social

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/08/i-me...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

7 months ago

Dandelion No those aren't dandelions. They are buffalo berries. In Kootenay National Park. This post eventually will discuss a dandelion or two. Just ...

We visited six National Parks in Canada in late June and early July. Best park? Kootenay. Here's why. @altparkscanada.bsky.social #Canada #FiveYearsProject #bear

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/08/dand...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

7 months ago

That's A Paddlin' As of my 57th birthday (late June of this year), I had never, ever set foot or sat butt in a canoe in my life. At least I don't think I had....

I was super excited to go to Canada and paddle a canoe for the first time. Or maybe not. #Canada #kayak #FiveYearsProject

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/07/that...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

7 months ago

Even The Losers Our plan for the six Parks Canada National Parks that we visited this summer just west of Calgary was pretty simple. New day, new park. We p...

Yoho was almost our lost Parks Canada national park. But then it wasn't. #Yoho #ParksStories #FiveYearsProject @altparkscanada.bsky.social

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/07/even...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

7 months ago

Blue Canadian Rockies So we finally made it to Canada.  A four day workweek, an early Friday morning flight out of Dulles and we were on the ground in Calgary at ...

We finally scheduled a vacation in Canada. First stop: Banff National Park. Let's see what all the fuss about this Lake Louise is, shall we? #Canada #Banff @altparkscanada.bsky.social #FiveYearsProject

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/07/blue...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

8 months ago

It always is…

#FiveYearsProject #Canada

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

8 months ago

O Canada Before I hit the "Publish" button on this post today, I had written exactly one piece in the last 12 years about time that I had spent in Ca...

After 12 years of traveling really intentionally, I finally made visiting Canada a priority. Why on Earth did I wait so long??? We all make mistakes, what can I say? @calgary.ca @timhortonsofficial.bsky.social #Canada #FiveYearsProject

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/07/o-ca...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

8 months ago

57 Today is my 57th birthday. It's been one of the most challenging years of my life and I mean that in a number of ways. Family-wise, my 57t...

One more year in the books. On to year 58. Here's what the last year has been like travel-wise. #birthday #FiveYearsProject

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/06/57.h...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

9 months ago

Gashapon This is my last Japan post from our 2025 Tokyo trip. Here's hoping it won't be another seven years before we make it back over there. But th...

Last Japan post (for 2025). Think gumboil machines are great in the US? Check out Japan's gashapon!!!! #Japan #gashapon #FiveYearsProject

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/06/gash...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

9 months ago

Sweet Potato Town The planning for our 2025 Japan trip started way back in March of 2024 with a hotel reservation for eight nights in Tokyo. That hotel bookin...

Our 2025 Japan trip was spent mostly in Tokyo. But mostly is not all. We had to get out of town for at least a half a day. Hello, sweet potato town!!! #FiveYearsProject #Japan #sweetpotatoes

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/05/swee...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

9 months ago

Goshuin-Cho Update Warning: complaining coming. For as long as I can remember in my life, I have been a collector. Football cards. Comic books. Stamps. Star Wa...

A visit to Japan means a few more goshuin in our gosuhin-cho. This time with twists. #Japan #goshuin #FiveYearsProject @visitjapan.bsky.social

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/05/gosh...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

10 months ago

Inkan / Hanko Sometimes when I am getting prepared to travel, I read books about wherever I am headed to get myself psyched up or in the mood or whatever ...

Visited Japan and came home with a hanko. Don't know what a hanko is? Read this:

#hanko #Tokyo #Japan #FiveYearsProject #HankoLand

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/04/inka...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

10 months ago

Ramen The last time I spent a week or more in Japan, I came home and wrote an almost unconscionably long post about all the food we ate: gyoza,...

Japan is a culinary wonderland and we didn't take advantage on this trip. But we did deep dive ramen a little bit. #ramen #FiveYearsProject #Tokyo #Yokohama

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/04/rame...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

10 months ago

Haiku When we visited Ireland in 2019, we passed a sign directing us to the town of Limerick , the ground zero of the short form poems that seemed...

In my downtime in Japan earlier this month, I spent time experimenting with haikus. #FiveYearsProject #haiku #sakura

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/04/haik...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

1 year ago

Golf Cart Day Our trip to Belize was set up with a perfect balance for a Central American, Caribbean Sea-facing nation: four days in the jungle on the wes...

For the first time in my life (and probably the last time), I rented a golf cart. No, I wasn't golfing. #Belize #LaIslaBonita #FiveYearsProject

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/03/golf...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

1 year ago

Intrepid vs. DIY When I first started writing this blog, there is no way I could have conceived of participating in anything like an organized tour for a vac...

Our trip to Belize in January was supposed to be a group tour. Then I had a better idea. #Belize #FiveYearsProject

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/03/intr...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

1 year ago

Octopus's Garden WHAMMMMM!!!!! It's late January 2025 in Belize and we are in about the tiniest boat possible racing for the shore of Ambergris Caye (pronoun...

Snorkeling in Belize post time! This post was destined to be called "Under The Sea, Part Four" but Belize had other ideas. #Belize #snorkeling #FiveYearsProject

fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/03/octo...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

1 year ago

Black Rock In my first post about our Belize trip last month, I wrote that we went to Belize to see Mayan ruins and toucans . That was true, but that ...

Highly recommend birding in Belize. If you need a place to go, Black Rock Lodge is pretty darned good. #whatbird #Belize #FiveYearsProject fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/02/blac...

Jonathan Hopwood

@jonathanhopwood.bsky.social

1 year ago

Yavin 4 We went to the Belize jungle in search of Mayan ruins and toucans . Yes, I know, I started the last post on this blog with those exact same ...

Every so often I travel to a place that absolutely amazes me. This January, Guatemala’s ancient Mayan city of Tikal did that for me. #Tikal #Guatemala #FiveYearsProject fiveyearsproject.blogspot.com/2025/02/yavi...