Art, music and missions in Santa Barbara
Ocean breezes keep Santa Barbara’s temperatures moderate year round. Visitors can enjoy a beachside arts and crafts show, along with surfing, shopping and performing arts.© Bpperry | Dreamstime.com Beautifully situated along the Pacific coast about 90 miles north of Los Angeles, onshore breezes keep Santa Barbara delightfully cool in summer.Lower State Street is very popular ... READ MORE
Buffalo’s natural and man-made wonders
Fourth of July fireworks explode over the Erie Canal Harbor in Buffalo, N.Y. The city has several art museums, two dozen theaters, and a skyline filled with the works of prominent 19th and early 20th century architects.Photo courtesy of Visit Buffalo-NiagaraLast winter, Buffalo was blanketed with 130 inches of snow, the seventh-snowiest season since World War II. Even in years with more... READ MORE
Villages and hamlets of the 1,000 Islands
Tibbetts Point Lighthouse, built in 1827, marks the point where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River in northern New York.Photo by George FisherThe great St. Lawrence River, which flows from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean, is inviting. It invites curious travelers, outdoor enthusiasts, pumpkin catapulters and even would-be princes and princesses who harbor fantasies of living in... READ MORE
Portland, hip city of roses and gourmands
At more than 11,000 feet, Mt. Hood towers over downtown Portland, deemed America’s “most livable city” by Places Rated Almanac. The city boasts both the largest rose show and book store in the nation.Photo courtesy of Travel PortlandRoses have figured prominently in plays, poems, songs and movies, but manhole covers? Welcome to rose-obsessed Portland, Ore.The City of Roses ... READ MORE
Visiting Normandy, 70 years after D-Day
Weather in Normandy had been iffy for days. Showers and wind gave way to sunshine, then lightning storms over the sea.We watched and waited for the signal to jump. With a window of only a few hours, I began to doubt our chances.Finally the message my companions and I had been waiting for arrived: The jump was on.Unlike the paratroopers of the 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions who jumped... READ MORE
Alpine escapes offer relief from desert heat
If fresh, cool mountain air is beckoning, think Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead for a quick change of scenery. A short one-and-a-half-hour drive from the desert will reward you with alpine views and cooler temps at these picturesque San Bernardino Mountain resorts.Beautiful Big Bear A pontoon boat is a popular choice for fishing, swimming, picnicking and simply cruising around Big Bear... READ MORE
Exploring the Amazon’s many wonders
I am a hiker. But at home in Maryland, no one uses a machete to blaze the trail prior to walking on it as did Souza, our Amazon guide. He created a path for us in the overgrown rainforest step by step. Slicing, swatting, swooping and chopping, no branch, bush, vine or twig was safe.The hike was one of four daily activities during our eight-day adventure exploring the Amazon rainforest. We... READ MORE
From a bomb site to a beach destination
A jet plane bearing the identifying emblem of the U.S. Navy streaked low over a broad stretch of beach, dropped a bomb onto the island below and banked sharply to return to its base. The U.S. Navy was attacking a tiny corner of its own country — sort of.Today, a smattering of beach towels and colorful umbrellas dot the sand not far from where that bomb fell, and the only sounds are... READ MORE
Geyser and grizzly gazing in Yellowstone
Buffalo roam across a road in Yellowstone National Park. The park is also home to big horn sheep, grizzly bears, wolves, moose and antelope, not to mention its famous geysers. © Roussien | Dreamstime.com They spew, they gurgle, they boil, they froth. Some spurt, some burp, some suddenly erupt. Geyser-rich Yellowstone National Park is the land of hydrothermals and... READ MORE
Avid older skiers stick with their passion
If you’ve walked into a ski lodge the past few years, likely as not you’ve seen tables filled with gray-haired skiers wearing sweaters so old they’re back in style.That’s because the number of skiers on the far side of 50 — some on the very far side — has been creeping up each year, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA).Credit advances... READ MORE