Tagged With "Salmon Falls Creek Canyon"
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Re: United Campaign: Enforce carry-on limits, reduce complaints and crowding
I hope this effort is a real and continuing one and that other companies follow. Carrying everything onto the plane, to my way of thinking, is like any trend where if enough people say it's a good idea, even when it's not, hoards fall right into step, like lemmings. If I was offered valet service for a nominal fee to have someone carry my suitcase for me and I wouldn't have to touch it from the time I arrived at the airport until the time I was leaving at my destination, I'd jump at the...
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More Frequent Flier changes in the air
The world of award travel and elite perks continues to shake and shift. Delta, which like United, has switched for next year to awarding flight miles based not on distance but on price paid for ticket—a move that hurts many frequent...
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All the Tea In...Charleston?
Tea gardens, as the farms are traditionally known, no matter the size, have been seducing me for over a decade. In Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces of China, Himachal Pradesh and Darjeeling in Himalayan India, in the Cameron Highlands of...
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Charleston's Grand Mansions: Drayton Hall
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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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, February 23, 2015: Skógafoss, Iceland
Iceland is a land of dramatic rugged scenery, especially along its south shore. There are lots of great sites here, one of my favorites being Skógafoss . Located in the pretty little town of Skogar, this...
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A Remote Canadian Village offers Indescribable Natural Discoveries
As I left the hotel in Winnipeg I was outfitted in all my brand new cold-weather gear headed for the airport and a two hour flight to the remote village of Churchill. I prayed my preparation for facing the sub-zero temperatures and brutal...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Dec 18th, 2014: Longwood Gardens, Penn.
Longwood Gardens created by Pierre S. du Pont,(1870-1954) is one of the premier arboretums in the USA, if not in the world. It consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania , in the...
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The Bear Blog
I had a hunch when Shelly and I were planning our 59 National Park in 59 weeks tour that wildlife would be center stage. I knew that the buffalo would roam in Yellowstone, that the tropical fish would dance...
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Jestine's Kitchen, Charleston
In the past decade or so, Charleston has emerged as a food/foodie travel destination. On an extended weekend visit to Charleston, we enjoyed superb food every single meal. Most everything is fried and a little "heavier" than we're...
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Gallery: Longwood Gardens, PA
Longwood Gardens created by Pierre S. du Pont,(1870-1954) is one of the premier arboretums in the USA, if not in the world. It consists of over 1,077 acres of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square,...
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Saguenay Fjord — Deep and Long but not very Tall
I’d heard as a schoolboy that the Saguenay Fjord was one of the longest in the world. Years later someone told me the area around Tadoussac was pretty, sparsely developed and inviting. Given a spare day or...
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Ottawa – NOT the coldest Capital in the world!
Ottawa is a vibrant and charming small city — so pleasant that it’s hard to believe it’s home to soooo many politicians. Of the national capitals I've visited, Ottawa seems the most livable to me (ie. if...
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The Valley Island of Maui: 3) Central, Upcountry and South Maui
The largest stretch of (relatively) flat land on Maui is the valley between the two volcanoes, Haleakala and the West Maui Mountains. This area is commonly called “Central Maui” and it’s here most locals live....
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Montreal: Je Me Souviens
There are many great cities to visit in Canada, two of my favorites (for different reasons) being Vancouver and Montreal. Vancouver has one of the most breath-takingly beautiful settings of any city in the world, and I’ll be discussing it...
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Quebec — A Walled European Fortress In America
Quebec, like New York, is both a city and a state (or rather, a province). It’s an island of French heritage and culture within our Anglo-North American continent. We combined this visit with stops in Montreal and...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Nov 22, 2013: Moab before the storm
Running as fast as they dare out on the old rutted highway from Cisco and heading fast for Moab, a warm hotel and dry clothes after a long day’s hard ride, two snorting Harley Davidson motorcycles cross onto the i91 and head towards the edge of...
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Walla, Walla: “So nice they named it twice!”
What’s a Walla Walla? It’s a Indian name meaning “many waters”. It’s also the name of a charming city in southeastern Washington; nestled close to the Columbia and Snake River valleys, and with a river of its...
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Dry Falls – Home of The World’s Largest Waterfall!
Imagine a waterfall with a precipice over three and a half miles (5.5 km) long and a drop of over 400 feet (120 m)! By comparison, Niagara Falls is about 1/10th as wide. Think of the millions of gallons of water pouring over it each...
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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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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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Colorado National Monument
While many of the units of the US National Park system are frequently visited and very busy, there are also a few less crowded places. Colorado National Monument (known to locals as " The Monument" ) falls into the latter category....
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A Day Among the Ruins
I chose Ostia Antica for a day trip from Rome, rather than the much longer trek to Pompeii. Aside from a few school groups, I had this remarkable place almost to myself. I realized that there’s a different crowd on...
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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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El Yunque: A visit to the rain forest
When we began planning a trip to Puerto Rico, and planning to include our 14-year-old granddaughter, we sent her some of the material we were gathering and asked her what her priorities were. She, and we, both had El Yunque right near the top of the...
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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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Silver Plume, Colorado
I love going on leisurely road trips -- the kind where you've several spare hours to pull over somewhere and explore. If a place seems interesting, I like to check it out. So it was this past summer while we were visiting...
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Why You should visit Nevada's Valley of Fire
Tired of the hustle and bustle of Las Vegas? Had enough of the concrete canyons and smoked filled casinos of Sin City? Not sure if it's day or night (there are no clocks allowed in Vegas casinos)? Then you should do...
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Solo Travel: Four unexpected essentials
I like to think of myself as an international badass seasoned solo traveller. It is my preferred way to see the world. For me, there is nothing more cathartic than knowing I can survive without anyone — knowing that my own company is enough....
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As scheduled Cuba service nears, charter operators face unknown future
A surprisingly large industry of scheduled charter flights from the U.S. to Cuba faces an uncertain future as the U.S. and Cuba negotiate their future relationship, including civil aviation, a topic that has already begun to be discussed by the...
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Road Trip, Day 3: A Sunny Day in Sonoma
March 11, 2015 The drive down California Highway 1, along the Mendocino and Sonoma County coast, was a bit of a bust. It started to rain as I arrived at Point Arena and Fort Ross was closed, it turned out, on weekdays, so I...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, April 13, 2015: Waimea Canyon, Kauai, Hawaii
Located on the west side of Kauai, Waimea Canyon stretches 14 miles long, is one mile wide, and is more than 3,600 feet deep. These photos were taken from the Waimea Canyon Lookout (elevation 3,400 feet) which provides these...
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Pu`uhonua O Hōnaunau National Historical Park (The Place of Refuge), Big Island of Hawaii (Where Gumbo was #113)
Perhaps the best place on the Big Island to enjoy a sunset (from many great possibilities), Pu’uhonua o Honaunau (the Place of Refuge) is a remarkable destination. This is a National Historic site which should be...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, June 4, 2015: Modern-day Cowboy
Thank God there are still cowboys in the world! Tough, hard-working guys -- real men. I came across this fellow I'll call "Roy" at the Bar U Ranch in Alberta. The Bar U is a Canadian Historic Site that every summer...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, February 18, 2015: Changing Seasons
I think spring may be just around the corner for us here in Calgary, watching nature change with the seasons is so metaphorical to me. The repeated cycles of death and rebirth that the fall and spring show us is a reminder to me that I...
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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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A Taste of Fall and More: Ithaca Farmers Market
Everywhere I go, my wife and I seem to find ourselves wandering aisles of fruit, vegetables, meat and seafood, cheeses and breads and more. But most often, aside from our local weekend Greenmarket in Brooklyn, our stroll is in the huge and chaotic...
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Welcome to the town of Dawson City, Yukon
Dawson City owns its existence as a direct result of the Klondike gold discovery in 1896 in the nearby creeks. Dawson was founded in 1897 and incorporated as a city in 1902. By 1898, the population was almost 40,000. It was the largest...
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Historic Route 66 (pt 2) - Needles CA to Flagstaff AZ
Leaving Needles CA, I drove a route that is a MUST DRIVE if you are the kind of person that loves road trips. The main portion of my day was spent on the longest continuous stretch of the original Route 66 that is still in place - From Topock AZ to...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, November 25, 2014: Fall colors at Upper Kananaskis Lake, Alberta
Fall is a special time of year in the mountains. While the colors in the Canadian Rockies are not as varied as in eastern North America, it's still very lovely. Here is some beautiful mountain lake scenery and a surprise...
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Airline scheduling: Hurry up and wait, or run like crazy?
Have you ever stopped to wonder, while planning a trip, how your airline’s schedule was planned? Especially when it seems you’re about to be condemned to a headlong half-marathon across the airport to a flight that leaves all-too-soon, or...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, April 15, 2015: Elbow Falls
This is what Elbow Falls used to look like. I'm not sure what they look like now as it is still difficult to get out there since all of the destruction. I have heard that the change is quite dramatic. Elbow Falls...
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Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Factory Tour
Much like lei made of tropical blossoms, or Dole pineapples, Mauna Loa macadamia nuts have long been a symbol of Hawaii for me. As a child I recall family friends returning to the frozen White North from Hawaii, bringing small cans of...
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Nikka Yuko Japanese Gardens, Lethbridge
I'm fond of visiting gardens and enjoy their beauty and tranquility. This seems especially true of the Japanese Gardens I've visited, which combine the various elements -- carefully pruned trees and shrubs, flowing and still water, and...
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Why you should try Scuba Diving...
...because it's the best thing in the world! Not convinced yet? Then read on. 1) You will be able to breath underwater Isn’t that the coolest thing to be able to do? I will never forget my first experience as an instructor when I saw...
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Death Valley National Park
Death Valley is one of the most desolate place I have been. Others include central Greenland and the Dead Sea. Death Valley is the lowest place in the western hemisphere at 282 feet (86 metres) below sea level. The Dead Sea in Israel is 1,370...
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Gumbo's Pic of the Day, May 6th, 2015: Fish Creek Park
My favorite place in the world: Bebo Grove in Fish Creek Park. This was taken after a lovely evening stroll, one of so many, in the Grove. It is so beautiful there and abundant with wildlife. In the springtime, the does...
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Trinidad de Cuba
Trinidad de Cuba seems frozen in time. That was my immediate reaction on arrival. That was my leaving thought after exploring it for a week too. It's difficult not to fall in love with such a enchanting and unique city especially after experiencing a...
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Yellowstone National Park in Winter
Seeing all fifty-nine national parks was never a dream of ours--especially not in fifty-nine weeks. We'd call it more of a whim, an impulse or an inspiration. Going to Yellowstone National Park in the winter was something we had...