Tagged With "Olympic Peninsula Mountains"
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov. 26, 2013: Zhangjiajie National Park, China
Glad you guys liked the pictures. Indeed, this place impressed us a great deal. Like Karl said it’s like something unreal. Stay tuned, in part II, I will show you what underneath those mountain pinnacles.
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Re: Visiting great places -- before they're gone
Many times the fact that people feel the need to "visit places before they're gone" is the very reason they'll be gone or at least diminished to such an extent that they are vestiges of what made them great to begin with. This is particularly true of such naturally wonderful sites as you mention in your post above. Mt. Everest is a particularly glaring example of a wilderness reduced to a freeway of tourists with their ever-increasing demands on the environment forming lines to have their...
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Re: Weekend getaways. Where's your favorite spot
That's a fun question! Living in SoCal, there's lots of great places to getaway to. But there are 2 I really like. In the winter I like Palm Springs. Great weather, wildflowers, the mountains and desert. It's great! In the summer I like to go to Big Bear in the mountains. Beautiful mountain scenery. Great trees and lots of cabins. Both places are great!
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Re: Need help planning Morocco trip
To add to Mac's suggestions, with the week you have I'd recommend either a combination of Fes & Chefchaouen OR Marrakech & Essaouira. The first gives you an interesting medina experience combined with a very pretty mountain town and the Roman ruins of Volubilis between. The second a large city with all it has to offer plus a much smaller and very beautiful seaside fishing town with good tourist infrastructure. For that time of year I'd recommend Marrakech/Essaouira. If you're passing...
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Re: Gallarus Oratory, Dingle Peninsula, Ireland
The drive around the Dingle Peninsula is one of the most extraordinary I've ever done. This was just the sampler post -- more to follow. But it certainly is the most historic day trip I've ever been on. Glad you liked it as much as I did rbciao!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 10, 2013: Zhangjiajie National Park, China
Thanks Theo for your comment. That was exactly the intention to include a person in the picture Have not been in Carlsbad caves yet, perhaps should be added to the next destination list. The mountain pinnacles in Zhangjiajie stretch mils and mils, kind like Yellowstone. I was told the underneath cave system is the same. However, only a small fraction is explored and even smaller ones are currently open for visitors.
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Re: A Visit to Ireland (Part 5): the town of Dingle
You will enjoy it, Jonathan, as did we! Dublin is great and there are many wonderful places in the country but my favorite single region was Dingle and the Dingle peninsula. It's amazingly beautiful and incredibly historic.
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 12, 2013: Aerial Lift Bridge, Duluth, Minnesota
Hello again Theodore Sorry for the late response to your question. Personally, I do not think it is worth the time and effort it would take for you to drive to Duluth from Minneapolis for only one day in the winter time. The ride from Minneapolis to Duluth one way on Interstate 35 will take you 2.5 hours, and that's under good driving conditions. In the winter, chances are you will encounter bad weather, and that will definitely add to your driving time. Duluth doesn't shut down in the...
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 6) Slea Head. A Tour of the Dingle Peninsula
The landscapes of the Dingle Peninsula are truly beautiful and memorable. What will especially stick with me are the many rocks and stones and how they were used -- fences, beehive huts, even a grand old church (Gallarus Oratory). I become more and more intrigued by Malta ever day, IslandMan. It is quickly moving up my travel list!
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Re: A Visit to Ireland: Part 6) Slea Head. A Tour of the Dingle Peninsula
Slea Head on The Dingle Peninsula is one of my favorite places in the world, even though it is not in Italy. The Slea Head Cafe is also one of my favorite places for a latte, a brownie, and the VIEW. The coffee and dessert. Between Sea Head and Dingle Town is the Stonehouse Restaurant, which overlooks the Dingle Bay. The crabmeat sandwich on brown bread was really good along with the view.
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Re: Pesuta Shipwreck, Naikoon Provincial Park, Haida-Gwaii, British Columbia
Like the tree pics. I picked up all of my glass floats a bit farther south - on the seaward side of Vancouver Island and on the western shore of the Olympic Peninsula. I think it was always in the summer. Maybe the tides and winds bring different material at different times of the year.
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Re: Olympic Ski Jump, Calgary, Alberta
BEST WISHES TO ALL OLYMPIC ATHLETES, PEACE AND SUCCESS!
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Re: Tuktoyaktuk: A village on the Arctic Coast of Canada
Hi Tom. I live in the UK. We're not lovers of cold weather, but we did have a night 10 months ago when it fell below freezing for a few hours. Some say "Global Warming" but I say the Jet Stream got stuck in its usual "Summer" position and Caribbean winds kept us warm. We don't have a mosquito problem here ( 200 miles north of London) but I'm curious to know. Are there any noticeable changes to your weather ? Longer summers or wetter winters ? I remember studying the shifting Polar Ice Caps...
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Re: Tuktoyaktuk: A village on the Arctic Coast of Canada
I don't know much about global warming. I suspect that pollution contributes to it, but these things also happen on their own as we know from ice ages and warming periods in the past. I have noticed long periods of warm weather but then it gets cold again. I have read that the Arctic ice is melting but this coming winter is predicted to be very cold here in Canada. Although I have travelled in the Arctic, I have not spent enough time there to observe any climate changes. There are scientists...
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Re: Finding Reiner #2: Chasing Ghosts
Here we go! I am so eager to learn more about that old house which is pictured so beautifully in the mountain idyll of Poland. My fantasy is of undiscovered family treasures in the attic which the Polish police, who now occupy that building, would gladly be rid of. Whit, don't forget to search the attic when you get there. Ha! I am sure glad you are Finding Reiner.
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Re: Yosemite National Park: A walk among Giants. Hiking in the Mariposa Grove
Thanks for all your comments. Followup: DrY. Yes, you and your family should see this sometime. You would love it! We need to plan out a trip to California for you that includes its best parks and some city sites. PHeymont. Yes, you must DO Yosemite. I recommend mid to late May as the best time to go as the waterfalls are brimming with meltwater. I like hikes of all types and can still do "moderate" hikes, though no longer take on "challenging" ones. But the Mariposa grove is doable by...
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Re: Banff National Park: Hiking Johnson Lake
Fascinating to see that a hike in such rugged scenery can actually be an easy walk! There must be many more like that, that compare to a serious city walk and not to mountain-climbing. Good!
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, July 29, 2014. Shira Plateau, Tanzania
Hi Garry, By law, you can not climb or go on Mount Kilimanjaro without hiring a local "crew", which would include guide, cooks, porters. Most people do this as part of a travel package, as did I, which for me also included a week of wildlife viewing on the Tanzanian savanna. They take good care of you -- show you the way, warn you of dangers (mostly the altitude and dehydration), carry most of your gear and boil your water and prepare your food. So while remote, it was not a really tough...
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Re: High Atlas Bride Fair, Imchlil, Morocco
A fascinating piece, Mac! Would you know if the custom continues, or whether or things have "modernized"? And I also share your nightmares of passing massive lorries on those narrow mountain roads.
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Re: Romania-top 10 destinations of 2014
I'm not sure why more people aren't coming to Romania, but I think in the next decade you'll see that change. And alphabet is right. You might get tired of all these masses. Twenty years ago no one was in Prague and now millions visit it every year (to the point where the locals are definitely tired of us) The country certainly is lovely. I presume it's pretty safe for independent travelers to get around in. What would be the best season to travel, especially to enjoy the beautiful mountain ...
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A tropical oasis: Wahiawa Botanical Garden, Oahu
I'm fond of exploring parks and libraries in the cities I visit, for different reasons. Libraries are fun because I love and collect books, and because the quality of a city's libraries tells me a lot about that city's priorities. ...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, December 6, 2014: Late November, Pescadero
Sunny late November on the rural coastside of the San Francisco Peninsula. Normally too expensive for me, but it was off-season and I made a deal with the proprietor of a B&B near Pescadero for several nights while I visited my family nearby - midweek, cash, how could she refuse. A tiny cabin set in a garden, complete with kitchen and a deep bathtub, simply perfect. For more of PortMoresbys contributions, click here . ...
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Visiting historic Skagway, Alaska
Skagway, Alaska owes its existence to the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s. There were three main routes to the Klondike. One route was across Alaska. A second was the all-Canadian route starting at Edmonton and...
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Following the European Beer Trail: Oktoberfest to Sorrento
To answer your question. Yes, Italians drink beer. It’s not a well-known pastime of Italy, however it is becoming more common. But before we get to Italy let me tell you about my beer adventure that led me to central Italy. I started the...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Aiken-Rhett House
On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I bought a 2-day pass, called the Charleston Heritage Passport , at the North Charleston Visitor Center near the airport, and planned to include as many of the sites it offered of...
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A Visit to Ireland: Part 1) An overview of the Country and its People
I remember being in Wales several times and looking across the sea to the west, thinking that I needed to get to Ireland. Well I finally made it, completing this journey with my brother on our annual "getaway trip"! It was a trip we really...
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A springtime hike on the Yakima Rim Skyline Trail
After a rather long winter I was ready for a pleasant dayhike. While I’d rather head up to the mountains for a stroll in an alpine meadow, there’s way too much snow up there in April. Fortunately in the Northwest there are some...
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Washington State’s Long Beach Peninsula
For most travelers, the southwestern corner of Washington state is easy to bypass. It lies well over an hour’s drive from the busy I-5 Interstate Freeway. The broad mouth of the Columbia River limits access from the Oregon...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec. 17, 2013: Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Quebec
Montreal is one of Canada's great cities and one of North America's oldest. It offers many fun things to see and do and, of course, wonderful food to be enjoyed as Montreal is Canada's capital of cuisine. One of the more interesting...
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The North Cascades: a National Park and Scenic Highway
The North Cascades Highway (Washington SR-20) offers the northern most route across the Cascade range in Washington state, just south of the Canadian border. The eastern (and highest) part of the road is...
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Steamboat Rock, Washington — Wildflowers and Vistas galore!
The large basalt mass of Steamboat Rock is a distinct landmark in Central Washington state. Steamboat Rock State Park is a dozen miles southwest of the massive Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River. The Park is on a peninsula...
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Columbia River Gorge, Where Gumbo Was #82
Gumbo was visiting the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, which straddles northern Oregon and southern Washington states. Specifically, Gumbo was enjoying the amazing view of the Gorge through the lobby window of the Skamania Lodge in...
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Tahquitz Canyon, Palm Springs
It's a great time of year to be visiting the desert regions of the Southwestern USA. The weather is warm and pleasant, the wildflowers are starting to bloom, and the oppressive heat of summer is a distant...
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Under the Cirio Tree
One of the strangest plants I have ever seen is the Cirio Tree. It is a bizarre tree found mostly in the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. A few also grow in mainland Mexico and in Arizona. It is also known as the Boojum...
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The Minturn Summer Market
One of the pleasures of summer across the northern hemisphere is that farmers markets spring to life for a few months, serving a bounty of fresh produce along with other items people buy at a market, like handicrafts, baked goods,...
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Rocky Mountain High? Not at Denver Airport!
While Colorado has made recreational use of marijuana legal, it's also given business owners and building operators the right to ban it on premises—and both Denver and Colorado Springs airports have done so. Now, a vendor is suing the Denver...
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Road Trip, Day 1: City of Ten Thousand Buddhas and The Skunk
Gateway to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas March 9, 2015 In the late ‘80s, I lived in L.A. for a couple of years. My S.O. knew lots of cool L.A. stuff. One of those was something he’d read that...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, April 1st, 2015: Cameron Falls, Waterton
Cameron Falls, Waterton The Cameron Falls are located in the townsite of Waterton Village. This serene cascade is well lit at night for viewers enjoying a peaceful evening stroll. These falls are also the site of the oldest rock in the...
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Enjoying the Wonderful Sites in Zacatecas, Mexico
Millions of tourists visit Mexico every year, mostly in the winter as people like to get away from the freezing temperatures and snow in the north. Almost all of these people visit the tourist cities of Cancun, Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas,...
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Mar 27, 2016: Ladakh—Tibetan Monasteries, Stunning Landscapes, World’s Highest Road…
Ladakh is a mélange of mystical, ancient monasteries, of breathtaking landscapes and remote, untouched villages and the world's highest drive-able road.
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, June 22, 2015: Rocky Mountain Sunset
For travelers like me who love mountains, the Canadian Rockies are about as good as it gets. One evening I was driving to Calgary from the Crowsnest Pass in southwestern Alberta, along highway 22x, the beautiful Cowboy Trail. The Cowboy...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, February 24, 2015: Where is Apache Trail??
Located at the northeastern edge of greater Phoenix area, the Apache Trail was recommended by our friend as Arizona’s oldest and most scenic driving trail. The winding 40 mile road takes you through the magnificent scenery of sometime steep...
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Visiting Santiago de Cuba
I really had no idea what to expect of Santiago de Cuba , afterall the next biggest city in Cuba is always overshadowed by Havana. So Santiago was going to surprise us - it could only leave a good or a bad impression right? We showed...
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Scottsdale By the Numbers
Scottsdale Attractions: 1) Hot Air Expeditions: Start your day in a hot air balloon soaring over the desert with the sun creeping over the mountains. 2) Taliesin West : Frank Lloyd...
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Flight cancellations continue: Not just winter, now it's ash!
Alaska Airlines has been forced to cancel a number of flights within Alaska due to poor visibility caused by an ash cloud from Russian volcanoes erupting on the Kamchatka Peninsula. From USA Today, MORE That's added to the chaos...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, March 10, 2015: Oh Deer, you are Hungry!
Winter in Alberta is long and can be harsh. With snow covering the land, food for wildlife can be hard to get. That’s when we see deer wandering around the residential areas searching for something to...
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Skedans, Haida Gwaii, British Colombia (Where Gumbo was #106)
Gumbo was visiting the "misty isles", Haida Gwaii, in British Columbia. Specifically, the remnants of the Haida village of Skedans. Sadly, not much remains of the village, captured at its prime in the above image (1878), rich...
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"World's scariest walkway" re-opens; may be safer
A skinny walkway crossing a mountain face above a gorge in Spain has been rebuilt and re-opened; it was closed in 2001 after five deaths, but people just wouldn't stop walking it. The new version has safety features and requires a helmet, but is still...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, October 27, 2014: Nene, Kauai
A nene is a goose native to Hawaii and is that island's state bird. The first time I saw nene was several years ago when my wife and I spent a week in Maui. We spotted them while on a drive to the summit of the dormant volcano,...
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Route 66 - Pasadena to Needles
Last summer I had the opportunity to do something I had always wanted to do - drive a significant portion of Route 66. Having spent 4 days in LA, I started a drive to Albuquerque to meet up with The Amazing Ms. D. Instead of rushing down the...