I’m lucky enough to have lived in Tuscany for several years. During my time in the Chianti region, I consumed hundreds of biscotti made by professional bakers and family members alike. If you’re not familiar with these baked goods, you’re missing a delectable treat. In Italian, biscotti means twice-baked and they literally are twice-baked cookies. This biscuit originated in the Tuscan city of Prato but they are now popular all over Italy and far … [Read more...]
North Dome: A Spectacular Day Hike in Yosemite
In all its moods, in all its seasons, Half Dome remains as young as it was ten thousand years ago. It never seems to age, unlike the rest of us ordinary mortals who gaze in open-eyed wonder at its grandeur and beauty. There are many ways to admire this most sublime of creations. One of the best is from the top of North Dome, a smaller sister dome on the rim of Yosemite Valley that provides a spectacular vantage point for Half Dome and other … [Read more...]
A Piece of Hollywood in the Eastern Sierra
Quentin Tarantino shot there. So did Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Kevin Costner and John Wayne. Robert Downey Jr. went on location there as the Iron Man. Whenever Hollywood is looking for a distant planet, or the long-gone Old West, or a rugged outdoors landscape for a Dodge Ram Tough truck commercial, there is one go-to location: Alabama Hills. The Alabama Hills are not, as you might think, in Birmingham or Mobile. Rather, they are in … [Read more...]
Why You Should Visit Death Valley in Summer
If the mere thought of visiting the hottest place on earth in summer freaks you out, think again. There are some great reasons to visit Death Valley in July or August. For one thing, there is the dearth of crowds. Unlike in winter, there are virtually no people anywhere. The few visitors you do encounter are most likely intrepid Europeans who have come to indulge in the desert at its most extreme. Also, unlike winter, days are significantly … [Read more...]
Sunrise at the Grand Canyon
As one might imagine, watching the sunrise at the Grand Canyon, a United Nations-dubbed World Heritage Site, is nothing short of amazing. Coming in at about 2,000 square miles, the Grand Canyon is truly massive. It’s so big, in fact, that watching the sunrise in one section of the canyon is oftentimes a completely different experience than watching it from another area. Why? The Grand Canyon has a huge variety of terrains and biomes. You can find … [Read more...]
Making the most out of your Minneapolis layover
So you have a long layover at Minneapolis-St. Paul airport? You can do what most people do - take the train over to nearby Mall of America and join the packed masses jamming through the second largest mall in North America. Or you can get off a couple of stops sooner on that same train and find yourself all alone in nature, hiking among the beautiful marshes of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. I'll take option 2 anytime. Get … [Read more...]
John Muir Slept Here
The best place to walk in the footsteps of John Muir is Yosemite National Park, where the famed naturalist and conservationist hiked and climbed granite domes, lovingly surveyed plants and animals, studied with rapt eyes “cloud mountains” in the sky, and developed his passion for wild spaces. Another place that evokes feelings for one of the visionary creators of our national park system is his old home in Martinez, California, about an hour … [Read more...]
My Trip To NY NY in Las Vegas
Recently my husband and I took a trip to Las Vegas so we could get a few days away. We weighed our options carefully and decided to stay at the New York-New York, Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. We both love playing casino games and have been going there for about 20 years. From home, we're only a short 45-minute flight from the strip. It's a no brainer. Some people go to Vegas for the shows and other entertainment, but we only go for gambling. … [Read more...]
History, Mystery, Art and More in Boonsboro and Beyond
Last year, during the holidays, I spent some time in Sharpsburg, Maryland, where I enjoyed a lovely stay at the Jacob Rohrbach Inn. During that time, my travels took me through the small town of Boonsboro, where I noticed a cozy, cute little Inn all lit up for the Christmas season. I was pulled to it like a magnet and vowed to return to explore the area when the weather warmed. That opportunity occurred just this month, when I was able to … [Read more...]
Adventure on the River: West Virginia Whitewater
It was July 4th at the New River Gorge in West Virginia. It was dark, and I was on the roof of a truck clinging to the roof rack as we wound through the twisting back roads en route to the edge of the gorge. This had not been the plan. We had ended up loading the truck down with a couple of kegs and as many raft guides as we could fit after the trailer that was supposed to deliver us to the party developed a flat tire. We had unhitched it and … [Read more...]
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