THE RAMBLER

Responsible Travel. Creating Community.

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Hi Reader!

Are you enjoying summer? It's definitely off to a beautiful start here in Portland, Oregon. We are having gorgeous days but what I am most excited about is rain in the forecast. Yep, we moved to the Pacific Northwest for cooler summers and we haven't really experienced once since we arrived in 2019. But this year, we are off to an excellent start. May it continue to play out this way.

Business has been crazy busy this season - we are working on several new projects:

• A new website for a Nanntu, a travel partner in Arequipa, Peru (coming soon!)
• A new website and sponsorship for the Ecuador Bird Fair, coming up this November in Quito! (Save the Date)
• A new website and sponsorship for Yumbo Mashpi, a non-profit foundation supporting birds, environmental education, and conservation in the greater Mashpi region of Ecuador. (coming soon!)
• Coaching Portland-local tour guide Tanya March through the redesign of your her new website... definitely coming soon!
• A potential new partnership with a US 501(c)(3) to help them sell trips that support their projects and delight their donors!

Scott has us testing new gear this season. We're most excited by a Maven spotting scope — we used it during our trip to the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in April and again last week spotting Tufted Puffins at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach. We love our binoculars, but a quality scope honestly changes how you see birds. Scott has a full review coming soon. We've also got a pair of AI-enabled binoculars arriving shortly (that we can compare to the AX-Visio), so stay tuned for that breakdown too.

We've also been rafting on the Rogue River and tide pooling the lowest tides of the year while camping at Nehalem State Park. Whew. I'm looking forward to some hammock time in our backyard!

Check out some of the other stuff we've published in the last few weeks:

Tierra Viva Expo Fair in Nayon, Ecuador

I couldn't have felt happier when my friend, Maribel Quija, reached out to ask if we would publish an article about an Expo Fair she and her friends have started in Nayon, Ecuador. It won't be taking place until December so you have time to put in on your calendar. We're hoping having this article in both English and Spanish will bring more people to this small town full of incredible garden stores to learn about living landscapes.

👉 Read it here in English: Tierra Viva Expo Fair in Nayón​

👉 Read it here in Spanish: Tierra Viva en Nayón, Ecuador​

GORUCK X-PAC REVIEW: BETTER FOR TRAVEL THAN CORDURA?

Scott's favorite backback was one he purchased for our 6 month trip in South America, a GORUCK GR2. When the company offered to send him the latest GORUCK GR2 in XPAC (a much ligher fabric than his original) and the GORUCK GR3. Yes, that seems like a lot of acronyms but they are a company with military roots, a good fit for my veteran husband. Maybe a good fit for you too?

👉 Read it here: GORUCK X-Pac Review: Better for Travel Than Cordura?​

Upgrading Your Camping Gear?

While we originally published this article last year, we continue to make updates and are considering adding a section on our tried and true gear... the stuff that we still use decades after we bought it. After all, quality camping gear is an investment.

If you are unhappy with some of your gear or looking to start camping and not sure where to start, you could do worse that read this article:

👉 Read it here: Our Favorite Car Camping Gear​

Travel Deals With Going

We have an offer for the first three people to reply to this email: a one-month Premium companion pass to Going, formerly Scott's Cheap Flights. Listen... these are not affiliate linked and are meant for friends. If you use them, we get nothing. But we really believe in Going. They have put us onto some great flight deals. So simply hit reply and ask me for a companion pass code. I will share the three I have.

Last But Not Least

Tomorrow is Amazon Prime day. If you plan on shopping, you could help us out by using this ⇒ this link ⇐. We understand that Amazon saves a lot of us money and time, even while we still support local stores first.

But, if you are buying books, we have a better suggestion: Bookshop.org is offering free shipping for Anti-Amazon Prime Day. We've been curating reading lists for different seasons of life — here's what we're recommending right now:

• ​Best Books for Multicultural Kids including
  • ​King of the Condors (each purchase supports condor education in Ecuador)
• ​Transformational Travel for a Better World including
  • ​We Will Be Jaguars (best book I've read in years)
• ​Books for a Better World including
  • ​Is A River Alive? and
  • ​The Light Eaters (ebook is only $1.99 today)

Happy summer reading! If you have any recommendations for us from your favorite lists, please let us know. We are always looking for the next great read!

Thanks for Rambling With Us,

Angie & Scott

P.S. If you’ve read this far, you’re amazing! Want to support our work at no extra cost to you? If you plan to shop on Amazon, click ⇒ this link ⇐ first. We earn a small commission, and it helps us keep writing, reviewing, and traveling. Thank you! ❤️