Hi everybody, I’m back! Actually I’m in Shenzhen, China, but I’m back in spirit and in blog. I am going to put together a cool slideshow/video/audio commentary about the last 5 weeks of traveling (which were awesome and productive) because I figure it will be more interesting than if I put up 500 photos with no commentary. Don’t worry, it will be entertaining.

In the meantime, a few things have happened while I was busy touring the globe…

1. I got published in PC Magazine! It’s an article about using Skype on my PDA to make calls while traveling through Europe last summer. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2079136,00.asp
2. Take a jogging tour through Central Park: A video on Turnhere.com. http://www.turnhere.com/city/new_york/central_park.aspx
3. Florida Eagles: My first piece on Yahoo News, “Assignment Earth” about the diminishing habitat for bald eagles in Florida. http://news.yahoo.com/video/2714

Enjoy!

Wow, I didn't realize how much SUVs suck... I ended up driving 478 miles, and filled the tank twice, so a total of about 27.7 gallons. With the interstate speed limit at 70 and pretty much everyone going 80, mileage is not so good. My average MPG was 13.5. That is pitiful. I spent $60 or so on gas. WTF? And that's with gas at $2.20/gal.

When I arrived to drop my car off in Orlando, I realized I hadn't filled the tank. So I left and looked for the first gas station. Within a few miles I saw a Chevron and pulled in. I swiped my card and got ready to pump when I realized the price for regular unleaded was $3.60/gal. I rang the "call for help" button and asked if the prices were correct. They were. OMG? So I left and went to the next one where gas was $2.11. So bizarre. Also, there was a little official sticker on the gas pump that said "Charles Bronson, Commissioner". I just thought that's funny that a city official shares his name with a badass movie star.

Florida is over... it was a great trip. I got to see eagles, all kinds of birds, ride on a boat, ride on an airboat through Lake Okeechobee, see aligators, wild turkey, a shitload of cows, orange groves, and interview a bunch of really nice and interesting people. I'd say it was a successful shoot/vacation.

Unfortunately I have no photos, but I shot nearly 7 hrs of video, so that should cover the "what did I see" part of the trip. I will be going through the video shortly and writing up a script for my editor. Hopefully these 3 pieces will be online in the next 2 months or so.

I did my first story for Yahoo News today. It's about how the Tampa Port does construction in collaboration with Audubon to avoid disrupting migrating birds that nest on nearby islands. It's a pretty neat story, mainly because most environmental stories typically involve an industry or company that violates environmental regulations, but in this case the Port is actively collaborating and keeping these birds' nesting season productive. I saw dolphins, a bunch of different birds, and went on a boat. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon!

Yesterday I dropped about $600 on my trip to Florida next month where I'll be doing three environmental video stories for Yahoo news, Assignment Earth.

Flights -- $175 (fly into Tampa and out from Orlando)

Hotels -- $200 for three nights

Car -- $216 for an SUV for four days

Now I know what you're thinking: what on God's earthy crunchy earth was I thinking renting an SUV for my trip to shoot environmental stories. Well, I was planning on getting a regular midsize car but when I looked at Avis's site, the Chevy SUV was about $40 cheaper than the midsize Pontiac G6. So I did a quick calculation, figuring on about 450 miles of driving, $3 per gallon of gas, and 15 mpg and 22 mpg for the SUV and Pontiac respectively. It turned out even with the cost of gas being pretty high, the difference in mpg is just way too small. I would only save about $10 in gas by picking the Pontiac.

I wish there were an easier, cheaper, and more fuel efficient way for me to get around in Florida, but there isn't. So I'm stuck driving an SUV, which will be the first time I'll ever drive one, and likely the last at least for a while. I think I'm going to buy a carbon neutral tag for my trip. Basically, you calculate how many miles of air travel and car travel you will do on your trip. This translates directly into a certain number of pounds of carbon dioxide that is released. You can purchase a certificate to remain carbon neutral. The money basically goes to a variety of renewable energy funds and projects (like wind energy, yay!) that account for the equivalent amount of emissions you've used.