The woman bumped into me and the first thing I noticed was the five-pointed pentagram on her necklace. I was in Salem, Massachusetts, home of the famous witch trials, and now I was face to …
June 28, 2011
North America
Salem, Massachusetts
Grayton Beach State Park, Florida
Eight days into our around-the-country trip, my friend and I walked the long stretch of white sand beach in Grayton Beach State Park from the setting sun towards the rising full moon. We had pulled …
June 23, 2011
Camping in South-Central Miami
Through the thin walls of the tent, I hear an elephant trumpet, and a breeze caries its musty smell across the open expanse. Somewhere nearby, a lion joins in. If you had told me this …
June 16, 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
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West
Of all the buildings that Frank Lloyd Wright designed, his favorite was Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona. It’s one of the most popular destinations for lovers and admirers of the architect’s work, and, with the …
June 14, 2011
Mayan Ruins of Palenque, Mexico
Amidst jungle-shrouded hills overlooking the Usumacinta River basin in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas, the Mayan site of Palenque is a jewel for anyone interested in ancient Mayan civilization. Palenque offers a little bit …
June 9, 2011
Southeast Alaska: Craig and Klawock
You arrive at the Ketchikan Airport and quickly transfer to the Island Air Express counter. You excitedly secure your seatbelt and headphones inside the tiny nine-passenger aircraft. Within five minutes you’re soaring with the eagles …
June 7, 2011
Baja Revisited
Recently a close friend and I embarked on a two-week road trip that took us from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, the tip of Baja California, Mexico. We’d been discussing such a trip for …
June 2, 2011
241 mariachi players missing
Crack Bust. A routine traffic stop on April 10 led to the arrest of a woman carrying 12 rocks of crack cocaine in her vaginal cavity. According to the report filed by officer Nicholas Juarez, …
June 1, 2011
Hope, British Columbia
With only forty minutes of planning, two friends and I decided to visit a friend who was working on an archaeological dig in Hope, British Columbia. Eager for a road trip, we cleared two weeks …
May 28, 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
Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Texas
The Amistad National Recreational Area on the Mexican border is beautiful waterway, surrounded with blooming prickly pear cactus and wildflowers. And, apparently, monster snakes. I was careful as I made my way down the rocky …
May 21, 2011
Laura Plantation, Louisiana
After visiting Oak Alley with its twin rows of 300-year-old oaks and impressive Greek Revival architecture, I found the modest appearance of the Laura Plantation an interesting contrast. Laura is one of several plantations off …
There's So Much More to Detroit
There’s so much more to Detroit than what’s in the foreboding Chrysler commercials. It’s taken a beating in the press with the hard times that have befallen the auto industry, but still offers a vibrant …
May 15, 2011