Reefs to Rockies

10/15/2026

She was stretched out, completely at ease, moss covered trees all around her. This is the Kodiak I know. Not just bears on a riverbank, but bears in a forest that feels ancient.

I’ve photographed brown bears all over Alaska, but Kodiak is home, and its bears live in landscapes you won’t find anywhere else: mossy forest, rugged sea cliffs, salmon streams running to the ocean, and moody light that changes by the minute.

Next August, I’m leading a small group of photographers here for six days of brown bears, whales, puffins, sea otters, wild horses, and maybe the northern lights. I’ll be in the field with you the whole time, helping you make images that tell this island’s story.
~Michelle Theall

Kodiak, Alaska Photo Expedition | Aug 23–28, 2027
[https://reefstorockies.com/trips/photo-expeditions/kodiak-wildlife-photography-tour/]

Michelle Theall

10/07/2026

We knew the scouting trip was good when we saw Michelle's text - "So many fox"

New fall Kodiak photo expedition in the works. More images coming soon. Stay close.

📍 Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska

10/01/2026

When your lead guide in Mexico comes to Colorado, you make the most of every hour.

Ruben Encalada was in town this week and we weren't about to let him leave without a proper Colorado welcome. That meant elk at Rocky Mountain National Park, bison at Rocky Mountain Arsenal and Tuesday evening surrounded by friends at our Magical Mexico gathering.

We were so sorry to miss Carly this week. Illness kept her away and she was very much missed by everyone in the room. Get well soon, Carly!

Ruben, see you soon in Mexico!

10/01/2026

We heard you guessing. Here's your answer.

Southeast Colorado. Two weekends. The annual tarantula migration. One of the most unexpected wildlife spectacles in our home state.

Every fall, male Colorado brown tarantulas emerge from their burrows and go on a walkabout searching for mates. You can find them along gravel roads and crossing the prairie. It's the only time of year when so many tarantulas leave the safety of their burrow. And yet most Coloradans have no idea this is happening just a few hours from Denver.

This year's wet weather meant fewer tarantulas than usual. But honestly? It only added to the excitement. Every single sighting felt earned. That look on everyone's faces says it all.

Pro photographer Alex Wiles was with us the first weekend and came ready. Check out that macro!

2027 dates will be announced soon!

Alex Wiles Media

09/26/2026

Can you guess where we are this weekend?

Drop your answer below. 👇

(Hint: it's peak walkabout season for this spooky arachnid)

09/23/2026

This is why we do what we do.

Right now, a group of 8th graders from Colorado is immersed in the wilds of Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula. They're on the coast working hands on with green and hawksbill sea turtles, collecting data for an in-water sea turtle conservation project.

In-water projects like this one are rare. Most sea turtle conservation projects focus on nesting beaches at night. This is something different. It's daytime, active, hands-on science that only runs when visitors are there to help fund the boats going out.

We schedule this trip intentionally in September, during low season, so that valuable data gets captured when it otherwise wouldn't.

Our roots go back to study abroad programs. We have always believed that putting young people in wild places changes them in ways that last a lifetime. It did for us....

Would you consider traveling to Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula and spending time at this sea turtle project?

09/21/2026

We're back from the Adventure Travel World Summit in Québec. We left with full hearts, new partnerships, and a growing list of reasons to return.

From Canada to Costa Rica, Chile to Norway, Mexico to Iceland. The connections made over the last two weeks will shape where R2R goes next.

Including Québec itself. One of the largest gannet nesting colonies on Earth. Thirteen species of marine mammals. Moose. Caribou. Landscapes that genuinely stop you in your tracks. And Canadian charm that makes all of it even better.

A pleasant surprise this year. Birding was everywhere at ATWS. R2R co-founder Sheridan Samano made more than a few new friends through a shared love of birds. First time we've seen that at an ATTA event. We hope this trend continues from here on out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKEEi1L6ivw

That's a wrap on the Adventure Travel World Summit 2026 in Québec 🇨...

09/16/2026

This morning we sat in a room and listened to Wade Davis speak. If you're not familiar, check out his work.

That alone would have been enough. But then he said things like this:

"Every language is an old growth forest of the mind."

"The other people of the world aren't failed attempts at being you."

"There is no hierarchy of culture."

Then he spoke about the ethnosphere. Humanity's collective legacy of language, myth, ritual and memory. About what we lose every time a culture disappears. About what travel means to him.

A Himba village in Namibia. A genuine connection. A reminder that the world is immeasurably richer for every culture.

Ten years ago Reefs to Rockies aligned with the Adventure Travel Conservation Fund when its founding was announced at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Anchorage. This morning reminded us exactly why.

We travel to connect. We travel to be changed by what we find.

"This is why we travel."

09/15/2026

Something has our full attention.

Binoculars up. Cameras up. Every single one of us locked in on the same spot in Parc National de la Gaspésie in Quebec, Canada ahead of the Adventure Travel World Summit.

Drop your best guess below. Feathered or furred? We'll reveal the answer tomorrow. 👇

09/11/2026

Table manners? Never heard of them.

Meet the tufted puffin. Exceptional fisher, devoted parent, absolutely terrible at keeping food in her mouth.

Except here's the thing. That dangling bait isn't carelessness. It's a lesson. Parent puffins will hold multiple small fish crosswise in their beaks — sometimes dozens at once — and carry them back to their chicks in the burrow. What looks like a seafood disaster is actually a masterclass in parenting.

Kodiak delivering as always. What a week!

Michelle Theall