About Me
Welcome to this little corner of the pond! Skeena Siren is the place to be if you:
… love wild places, especially those with water.
… want to be more active while travelling, but not necessarily participating in high adrenaline activities.
… aren’t able to travel at the moment, but want to look at some beautiful images, read a good story and maybe learn something new while cozying up on the couch.
… want to learn about new and interesting destinations or learn about a favourite destination from a new perspective, with travel tips along the way.
… want to meet a few colourful characters along the way
Who Is Skeena Siren?
Hi! I’m Heather, a married, mid-40’s, childless, dog-loving gal who has always been at my best when I travel. Sometimes I travel solo, sometimes with friends or family, and sometimes I travel with my husband Cam. As a swimmer, (former lifeguard), paddler and water polo player, I’m never too far away from water. I live for the challenge of new experiences and enjoy the confidence I gain through successfully negotiating my way through travel.
I’m the proud owner of a PhD in Recreation, Parks and Tourism from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), and, as it turns out, I’m also a mermaid.
Wait, what? A mermaid, you say?
As my peers all turned 40 and planned amazing girlfriend getaways to celebrate, I was frustrated by being stuck in grad school, a continent away. Across my screen one day came an article about mermaid camp for adults at nearby Weeki Wachee Springs in southern Florida, a few miles down the road. I jumped at the chance to participate – this was to be my personal celebration. I’ve kinda been into mermaid-y things ever since, and hence the water-related focus of this blog.
Skeena Siren’s Purpose
To capture something magical about the places I go and the people I meet, and to share the magic with you.
To showcase not just a destination, but a few of the people I meet along the way that make each place unique.
To inspire those of middle age and beyond to be active and curious in their travel – if I can do it, so can you!
To focus on water-based and outdoor highlights of destinations.
Why a Blog?
After finishing my doctorate and working as a researcher and university lecturer, I decided to put academia on hold for the moment. So, then what? While living in Costa Rica two years ago, a chance encounter with friendly digital nomads Ryan and Kelli who were living adventures every day – made me really think outside the box as to what was possible. At long last, I’m fulfilling a dream that’s been growing since then – to share travel stories and photos in a blog format to inspire others through showcasing our beautiful world and its people. Call it a mid-life crisis, but I need to answer the call to travel that’s been building inside me since forever.
Why the dual focus on places and people?
Beautiful landscapes are all around us, but to me, the richest travel experiences include the people who live and work in these destinations and make it unique. I have long been inspired by the beautiful portraits and insightful conversations showcased at Humans of New York (HONY) and will include destination related interviews with locals I meet along the way. My mother gently says I have the “gift of the gab” and others have said that “Heather’s never met a stranger.” Rather than fighting with my weaknesses, it is time to build on my strengths. I am a storyteller and a researcher who has the ability to easily chat up complete strangers.
Our journey together
At the moment, I’m stationed in one place, in the final six months of a contract-based research position in Northwest British Columbia, Canada. To start, this blog will highlight people and places of NW BC, with a sprinkling of features from my recent travels farther afield. As it grows, the plan is for this blog to go global – it is a wide and wonderful world out there, and I look forward to sharing it with you in words and images. I hope you join me!
