John M. Edwards hunkers down in the hallway of his Caribbean concrete-block hotel to sit out a hurricane tempest more powerful than Peter Potamous’s “Hippo Hurricane Howler”! “BEE-HEE-HEE-HAW-HAW!” I impressively bellowed like Peter Potamous, the cartoon hippo on the Hana-Barbera animated series “Peter Potamous and So-So” (1964). I had every right to howl, now that almost all of the tourists on Tortola--in the British Virgin Islands (or … [Read more...]
A Million Steps, by Kurt Koontz
Life certainly takes a winding road sometimes - Kurt Koontz was a successful sales executive for a Fortune 500 company. "Retiring" fairly early he is now a newly minted author and gives lectures and presentations on his life lessons learned. The name of his book, A Million Steps" reflects the amount of steps he estimated he took over nearly 30 days hiking the famous Santiago Compestela route - all 490 miles of it. This book is not merely a … [Read more...]
Walking with Polar Bears: The Next Great Safari
You can’t drive here; you can’t boat here; you can’t even walk here...you’d be eaten. We’re somewhere in the back end of nowhere, some 300 kilometers from the closest paved road; 1500 kilometers from the nearest Whole Foods. If you cry wolf here, everyone believes you. It’s the third day of a week-long safari. Not in Tanzania, Botswana, Zambia or anywhere in Africa. We’re in the sub-Arctic, on Cape Tatnum, Hudson Bay, Manitoba, 57 degrees … [Read more...]
A Trace of Thrace: Balkan Adventure
In Plovdiv, Bulgaria, John M. Edwards snitches on the mystery-shrouded Balkans’ best-kept secret: an ancient (and enduring) heresy I was on the way slow train from Budapest through the Balkans, on my way to Bulgaria, chainsmoking and guzzling Egri Bikavier (Bull’s Blood) wine, when the train came to a juddering halt and was boarded by heavily armed Serbian soldiers. A Serb with an impressive handlebar moustache and an assault rifle demanded … [Read more...]
Solo Camping in Prescott
I've lived in Arizona my entire life and I have to say that, despite the politics and blaring heat during the summer months, it truly is one of the best places to live -- especially for nature lovers like myself. Only two hours north of the state capital, Prescott is one of the places that makes living in Arizona worthwhile. Filled with a rich history and culture-driven community, Prescott has been one my favorite places to visit in the United … [Read more...]
Camino de Santiago, A Million Steps
A million is a rough estimate of the number of steps I took while walking the Camino de Santiago. I made the calculation on day 13 of my trek as I walked along a portion of the path that was parallel to a highway with kilometer markers. Over the course of a kilometer, I counted 1,153 steps. I did the math and discovered that I would take a total of 909,717 steps on the trail between St. Jean Pied-de-Port, where it began, and Santiago de … [Read more...]
Boom & Bust: Authentic Old West Ghost Towns of Colorado
DENVER (Oct. 1, 2013) – Colorado is home to 150 recorded town sites and many more abandoned or ghost towns with storied pasts of mining riches, rowdy saloons and outlaw showdowns. Walk these main streets and imagine the former hustle and bustle of these towns in their heyday during Colorado’s mining boom frenzy in the late 1800s. Below is a sampling of some of Colorado’s best-preserved and most accessible ghost towns for modern-day visitors to … [Read more...]
Escape to Carmel-by-the-Sea
There’s no place like home, but when a trip is ending, I’m always a little sad unless I’ve got the next excursion in mind. Coming home after almost three weeks of having a fantastic time in the Emilia-Romagna and Puglia regions of Italy, I needed to plan a getaway! I found solace in Carmel-by-the-Sea. About a two-hour drive south from San Francisco, Carmel is a convenient getaway for area residents or visitors to San Francisco Bay Area. … [Read more...]
Sexy Vermont: 50 Shades of Green
Who would have guessed? But, as laid bare before me, Vermont is the sexiest state. Beyond its partially-trussed shoulders, and sensually curved back, beyond its juicy, succulent berries, Vermont is a place that emanates a pheromone that smells more pine than Axe. And yet it somehow manages to excite in ways unexpected. The favored car is not a Porsche, but rather a Subaru. The state color not hot pink, but forest green. It is more Von … [Read more...]
Borivali National Park, Mumbai: The Urban Jungle
Sanjay Gandhi National Park or Borivali National Park, as its popularly known, lies in northern suburb of Borivali, Mumbai. It is 104 km2 (40 sq mi) of forest surrounded by the traffic, noise and the chaos of one of the most populated cities in India. It is remarkable that such a large national park exists INSIDE a city! It has a vast population of flora and fauna; some rare butterflies, deer and even 22 leopards! It is a designated UNESCO … [Read more...]
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