Hi ya'll! Happy Monday! Jaimie and I went to Chicago this past weekend for her bridal shower with my side of the family. And then we had a big ol' party to celebrate and catch up. I haven't been back to Chicago in 16 months, and it was nice to see family.

I also just found out on Thursday that I'll be heading to Canada next weekend for a whirlwind trip to Churchill. I'm still processing it all. When I say I'm shocked. I'm shocked. This was not on my 2025 bingo card. Can't wait to catch you all up next week!

In more important and disappointing news, SNAP benefits are in flux, with only half of the dollars going out this month. SNAP benefits contribute around $12B to economic activity in the USA. Millions of elderly individuals and children may lack the necessary resources to eat. If you have the resources to donate to a local food bank, please consider doing so.

No one. No one should go hungry in America.

ABC News has a helpful article here with places to donate.

6 Things That Stood Out in Rwanda

I visited Africa for the first time in September with a trip to Rwanda. We spent 10 days exploring the country. Starting in the capital city of Kigali, we went clockwise, heading west to the rainforest, then northeast to see gorillas, then east across the country towards the Tanzania border, before returning to Kigali. It's a relatively small country, which allows you to see a lot in a short amount of time!

Experiencing my first safari

Growing up in Arizona, I don't think I ever expected to go on a safari. So getting to embark on one was surreal. We saw two lions, tons of hippos, a handful of giraffes, lots of cape buffalo, birds, crocodiles, and a massive herd of elephants!

It was the end of their dry season, so a lot of Akagera National Park was dry and empty. But life down by Lake Ihema was thriving.

Two things that surprised me:

Rwanda's lions were killed off post-genocide due to human conflict and finally reintroduced in the early 2010s. It's a slow rebuild.
I figured it would be easy to see big game on the safari. Rwanda's landscape is more bushy/wooded, which makes seeing animals a little harder.

I can't wait to hopefully do more safaris in the years to come and witness more animal interactions.

Gorilla Trekking

If you're visiting Rwanda, there's a very high likelihood you're there to see mountain gorillas. Mountain Gorillas exist in only one place: the Virunga Massif. This area is remote with high elevation volcanoes, and Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo all share a border with this special region.

Unfortunately, Uganda and the DRC have less stable governments, making Rwanda the safest place to visit.

There are around 1000 mountain gorillas in the world, making this trek incredibly special. But it's not cheap. Each permit costs $1,500, and you are only allowed to be with them for one hour.

I know this isn't something most people can afford. But if you have the resources and are looking for a phenomenal experience, it's so worth it. Getting to see gorillas within 10 feet, smell them (they smelled terrible), and watch them interact with each other is so memorable.

If you have questions about going, reach out!

Learning about the country's history

From the Genocide Memorial Museum to the King's Palace Museum and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Museum, we had a wide range of opportunities to learn about Rwanda's history and rebirth. Each of these is in a different silo. Still, together you'll gain a better understanding of how modern Rwanda came to be, its darkest hour, and how gorillas are (somewhat) helping the country emerge in the 21st century.

Experiencing a chaotic, yet unsuccessful, chimpanzee trek

All of our primate treks are incredibly unique and memorable.

Funny enough, the least successful of our trips was the most interesting. We started our trek around 5:30 am and immediately bolted up a semi-steep trail. After a mile, we reached the chimpanzees. Ninety seconds later, they had zipped off. I landed only blurry photos.

From here, we followed after them. Soon after, we reached a vantage point only to realize the ground was covered in ants, and our guides told us to get out of there!

After that, we waited about 30 minutes for the trackers across the forest to try to find them. Once they had an idea of where they were going, we backtracked and headed down a slope into a ravine, crossed a stream, and trekked up a very steep slope. As you can imagine, we humans cannot move as fast as chimps can. And because of that, we ever caught up to them.

But getting to experience the thrill of the chase was pretty fun, and watching how the guides and trackers work together was fascinating.

Exceptionally Clean Country

Rwanda is one of the cleanest countries I have ever seen. And it's on purpose. They have dedicated cleaning crews to keep the streets clean. And the last weekend of every month is a community service day, when the entire country participates in a project to improve their area.

I honestly don't think I saw any trash during my entire trip.

The Capital and bigger cities are modern. The Rest of the country is catching up

As someone who studied political science and economics in college, I was fascinated by Rwanda's socio-economic statistics. But no resource provided concrete answers about average income across the country (some sources said the middle class was $12,000-$25,000 per year). In all, Rwanda is a very poor country. Some people live on only a few bucks a day, which makes sense when you realize how much of the country is agriculture.

Most houses outside major cities don't have running water. Electricity is quickly becoming more normal, with power grid or off-grid (solar) use at 82%.

Life in Kigali is far more "American" than in other parts of the country, but thankfully not an exact clone. It's a bustling city with more motorcycles than you could ever imagine. There aren't that many cars, and those who have vehicles are pretty well off or run a tourism company.

Just getting the opportunity to see how life looks outside the Western world is enlightening and also shows that there are other ways to live than the constant, insane grind Americans seem to do.

Read the full Rwanda itinerary and photos

2026 Scenic Calendar - Coming Soon!

I'm beginning to work on the 2026 Scenic Calendar. As usual, it will be out by the holiday season. I have this last-minute Canada trip coming up in mid-November that I think will result in a calendar photo. Think big white bears of the north ;)

If you want to pre-order a calendar, you can do so here. Use Code Alec20 to save 20% off until November 15.

Click here to purchase (20% discount already applied). || Click here to give me your shipping information.

Having a good idea of how many people want to buy them helps me a TON and keeps me from over-buying and wasting calendars.

I've had people ask about wildlife calendars in the past. So, I'm excited to announce that Special Edition Wildlife Calendars ARE available this year for $55. Email me to request an order!