The Library of Congress uploaded some old prints of Aberystwyth, Wales from over a hundred years ago.
It surprises me how similar things look today:
You can see all the photos from that set in this slideshow:
Where: Aberystwyth, Dyfedunstarred, UK: Google Map
Here is the announcement of the formation of Zion’s National Park in the New York Tribune back in 1907.
It reads:
Wonderful natural bridges and other wild scenery to be included in two new national parks.
It’s nice to see how people viewed our national parks one hundred years ago. Instead of complaining that the government is “stealing” our land, the press was excited to share the beauty of the areas that the parks protected. Because of that foresight, we can see these sites even now.
This weekend, you can hike, camp and enjoy at over 100 National Parks for FREE! They offer fee free weekends a few times a year and there are a couple left. You can find out more here:
Mark your calendars for fee-free weekends this summer:
Mike and I enjoy several of the nearby National Parks. The photo shown is from a trip to Lake Mead in southern Nevada (near Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam), which is on the list of free parks this weekend. You can see all the photos of that camping trip here:
If you are feeling the financial squeeze this year, take advantage of the parks that your tax dollars go toward maintaining and try them out this weekend free of charge.
The Sands Motel has been a fixture in St. George, Utah for a LONG time. In the Fifties, it was called the Sleepy Hollow Hotel:
When the Vegas craze hit during the Sixties, it became The Sands Motel and outlived its namesake:
A few years ago, when we were driving through St. George, we took photos of it in all its glory:
You can see all the photos here:
Where:
Sands Motel
581 E Saint George Blvd
Saint George, UT 84770 Google Map
Phone: (435) 673-3501
Two-Heel Drive has a beautiful review of the Guadalupe River Trail in San Jose. You can read it and see all the lovely photos here:
Speaking of flowers, the best excuse for walking the Guadalupe River Trail is to check out the nearby San Jose Municipal Rose Garden. A couple years back it was a monument to the city’s errant previous mayor, who could introduce appalling City Hall structures to stroke his ego but could not prevent the once-glorious rose garden from declining into an embarrassing state of disrepair. The good news is it’s great now — a riot of pure rosy loveliness, even with blooms fading a bit with summer’s approach.
Where: The Guadalupe River Trail San Jose, California
Length: 11 miles open (discontinuous)
Surface:
Gravel – Alviso at Gold Street to Highway 880 (6.3 mi.)
Paved – Highway 880 to Grant St/Highway 280 (2.7 mi.)
Paved – Chynoweth Avenue to Lake Almaden Park (2.0 mi.)
My friend, Jere, is the author of the most wonderful blog, Blind Prophecy. This Memorial Day, he went to the Cincinnati Zoo.
He was looking for an inventive and enjoyable way to fit exercise into his day.
Since my gym was closed, I decided to get my day’s exercise by visiting the Cincinnati Zoo. It’s about a 3 mile walk each direction, plus I spent the whole day on my feet. Despite a bit of rain and some very humid air (which made the rain forest section seem especially realistic), it was a very pleasant day. As our friend Nick put it tonight, “the zoo is one of the rare things about Cincinnati that doesn’t suck.”
I love to see people enjoying the cities in which they live. Sometimes it seems like we don’t spend enough time being tourists in our our towns. Congratulations to Jere for making this Memorial Day memorable!
You can see all the photos here:
Here is a beautiful collage from Whimsy’s Quill:
In the collage is an afternoon of us walking about the pier, various photos of downtown, and of the Underground Tour.
I love to see photos of people’s trips to various places, but I especially love this 5 By 5. It’s a great snapshot of a weekend in time.
One taco joint is pretty much the same as any other. There are so many that it’s impossible to eat at them all. If you are in the San Diego area, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don’t have at least one meal at Lucha Libre Taco Shop.
The highlight of the shop is the prestige of the Table of Champions.
Unlike the rest of the tables at the place, this one is beautiful. It is roped off with velvet ropes. You are served your tacos and burritos on REAL plates with REAL silverware. Your glasses are filled with the wine you ordered. While the rest of us normal schelps watch you eat in style, you are treated like a champion.
Here is a feature on KUSI News – San Diego:
You can see all the photos I took that night here:
Where:
1810 West Washington St., San Diego, CA 92103
Google Map
Phone: (619) 296-8226
Mike and I are planning a trip to Yellowstone National Park soon, so we were interested to see if we were going to be buried in six feet of snow again this year. Fortunately, the lovely Roland K. Smith visited Yellowstone on opening day this year and gave us a bunch of photos to see how our trip might be.
For some strange reason we didn’t get to Yellowstone Park once last year. We decided we were definitely going to change that this year and further determined that, if possible and the weather permitted, we would go to Yellowstone on the first day that vehicular traffic was allowed into the Park.
Last year, Mike and I went to Yellowstone on opening day and we got a FAR different welcome.
The snow was piled higher than our ears. I don’t think we’ll run into that again this year. Thanks, Roland, for scoping it out for us!
To see more of Roland’s Yellowstone Photos:
To see more of last year’s Yellowstone trip:
I love these photos from Rudy and Cassie on their trip to Disneyland. I always wanted to have a picture of myself trying to pull out the sword in the stone, but no one would take one of me. Next time I go, I’ll have to finally get a snapshot of me.
You can see all the photos here:
I love this tweet from Rudy:
It seems like whenever I tell the Internet I’m going to Disneyland, the whole world wants to experience it with me. We all turn into children again when we talk about Disneyland.
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