Trains rumbled over the bridge and thousands of padlocks chattered in unison as I walked across the Hohenzollern Bridge in Cologne, Germany, looking at messages of love. Row after row of various shaped and sized …
February 14, 2012
Travel off the Beaten Path
Cologne, Germany's Love-Locked Bridge
Bordering on Lunacy: A Taxi Tour in the Mexican Borderlands
Ciudad Acuña is a small Mexican border town near Del Rio, Texas. Day-tripping Americans come for shopping, cheap booze and a shot at depravity in the compact tourist zone near the international bridge. Occasionally, a …
January 2, 2012
Tidal Living in Bahia, Brazil
Those who abide in the coastal state of Bahia in northeastern Brazil live according to something like "tidal time": when it ebbs, and it ebbs hundreds of meters, it's time for business; when it flows, …
December 17, 2011
Montaña de Oro State Park, California
"Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher." ~ John Muir I don’t know if John Muir ever visited what is now Montaña de Oro State Park, but the bard of …
December 8, 2011
Westport, Washington: Untamed Coast
I parked and walked into John’s River Lodge. It’s populated by the graying, the retired and plump. I’d just surfed Westport, and wanted a place to wet my whistle. I ordered a PBR and sat …
December 1, 2011
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: A Study in Contrasts
Kuala Lumpur is, above all, a city of contrasts. The capital of Malaysia is an interesting mix of the historic, traditional Asia and the modern, hip Asia. Its ethnically diverse population of Malays, Chinese and …
November 22, 2011
New York City, 4 a.m. – 7 a.m.
I left Boston at midnight, bound for Pittsburgh, and I knew I'd face a layover. When I ordered my Megabus tickets, I knew the first leg would only last four hours. I knew I'd have …
November 17, 2011
Xunantunich Ruins, Belize
Over the river and through the trees lie the Mayan ruins of Xunantunich. First unearthed in British Honduras at the turn of the last century, this ancient archeological site is one of the finest in …
November 16, 2011
Mellow Out in Topanga, California
When you’re staring at a deer beneath a grove of oak trees, it might be difficult to realize that you’re within the city limits of Los Angeles. Topanga is a hilly, wooded oasis located within …
November 16, 2011
Whitefish, Montana
The train screeched and jerked to a stop. I awoke in an unknown yard in pitch darkness. I hopped on this train back in Everett, Washington, where the day before I was napping in a …
November 10, 2011
Unconquerable Chickasaw Nation, Oklahoma
The Chickasaw Nation, an active tribe now in the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma, was once known as the “Spartans of the Lower Mississippi Valley” and the “Unconquered and Unconquerable Chickasaw.” The Chickasaw's original homeland was …
November 1, 2011