Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located near Washington State's southern border – 96 miles south of Seattle and 50 miles northeast of Portland. On May 18, 1980, the eruption changed more than 200 …
November 1, 2011
Kid Friendly Travel
Mount St. Helens, Washington: An American Volcano
Discovering Phoenix, Arizona
Living in Southern California, I’ve always been interested in the dry desert climate of our neighbor to the east, Arizona. Last December, when we finally visited Phoenix, we got a much better idea of landscape …
October 25, 2011
Cody, Wyoming: Stoking My Inner Cowgirl
I must've been a cowgirl in a previous life, because nothing can quite explain the immediate attraction and connection I experienced on a recent trip to Cody, Wyoming. From immersing myself in Western culture at …
September 15, 2011
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, Oregon
On a recent visit to Portland, Oregon, I found myself unexpectedly with an extra day in my itinerary. So, being an aviation buff and former flight engineer in the Naval Air Reserve, it was a …
August 16, 2011
Travel with Your Dog: Pelee Island, Ontario
Sometimes, my dog and I need to get away from it all – maybe a little exotic jaunt to a Canadian island. You might be wondering about the logistics of traveling with your pup and …
July 1, 2011
Vikingsholm Castle, Lake Tahoe
Vikingsholm Castle sits at the bottom of a steep, mile-long switchback driveway that drops 500 feet to the shore of Lake Tahoe. Once at the bottom, I purchased a ticket to participate in a guided …
June 16, 2011
Snorkeling in Turtle Bay, Oahu
They don't call it Sunset Beach for nothing. The fading light casts vivid ambers and reds down the shoreline on the northwest of the island of Oahu. The rolling waves glisten, radiant, and a seal …
May 24, 2011
Filoli Gardens, California
With the fragrance of wisteria in the air, one million daffodils in full bloom stand brightly in meadows near the Santa Cruz Mountains. At Filoli Gardens, forty-eight varieties of daffodils – including 65,000 golden dawns …
May 22, 2011
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
This year is an especially good time to visit Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, the home of the National Civil War Museum, with interactive exhibits that let you intensely and personally experience the 150th anniversary of the war. …
April 29, 2011
Mineral Hot Springs of Agua Caliente
You don't need to travel to exotic hot springs to soak in the bounty of nature's hot mineral water. San Diegans can drive locally to Agua Caliente Hot Springs. Located a half hour south of …
March 7, 2011
Danish Days in Solvang, California
The rolling green hills in Santa Barbara County wine country provide little clue as to what awaits the visitor approaching the little town of Solvang. Also known as the "Copenhagen of the Pacific," Solvang is …
November 28, 2010
Tombstone, Arizona
October 26, 1881, gunshots rang out, men lay dead and the O.K. Corral was forever known as the famous Old West shootout. Today, gunslinging characters slowly swagger down the boot-worn wooden sidewalks of Tombstone, Arizona. …
November 4, 2010
The Land Where Giants Dwell: Sequoia National Park
Sequoia National Park is home to the largest living thing on the planet. The tree, General Sherman, is tucked away along Generals Highway, about five hour’s drive from San Diego. Although not the tallest tree …
October 14, 2010
Goias, Brazil: NEX Wildcat Refuge
“They tried to make me go to rehab: I said meow, meow, meow…” Here's a cure for the common Hollywood rehab story: Deep in the Brazilian cerrado lies a rehabilitation center for eight species of …
October 3, 2010
Skansen: Old Sweden in Stockholm
When visiting Stockholm, a must-see stop is the historical district known as Skansen. A trip to Skansen is like stepping into a time machine and being transported to a Sweden of centuries past. The world’s …
September 21, 2010