Ted Rheingold is visiting Benson Hut just five miles south of Donner Summit in California.
I had never heard of it, probably because it’s the kind of place where you need to hike in all your supplies. It looks like an affordable spot to stay if you are willing to hike in and there are pristine ski areas that few run every year.
For more information:
The Smithsonian Magazine has posted the finalists for their photography contest. You can see the entries for the travel category here:
I always feel a sense of pride when something from Utah is featured. Here is “Sunrise in Canyonlands National Park” by Diane Kroupa from St. Louis, MO. Canyonlands National Park is in Southern Utah near Moab.
Yes, my state is an exotic locale on par with worshippers in Taiwan and Buddhist photographers. Head on over the the Smithsonian website and see the rest of the beautiful photography submitted.
With a recommendation like this, I don’t know why everyone doesn’t go to New York for tacos?
Missbhavens takes us to Viva El Mariachi restaurant in Astoria, New York.
It’s like porn you can swallow.
Where: Viva El Mariachi 3311 Broadway Long Island City, NY 11106 Google Map Phone: (718) 545-4039
Here is an excellent entry written by Phil Burns about his hike up to Bridal Veil Falls in Utah.
He gives you a good idea of how difficult the hike might be:
It’s a very easy hike, more of a stroll, until you go up to the base of the waterfall, that was a bit rough for the twins. As usual, I brought my camera with me and got what I think are a few decent shots… The walk from the parking lot to the base of the falls is short and paved and wanders through a park. Watch out for idiots on longboards though, they think it’s a good idea to ride their boards 30 miles an hour down the hill at kids.
If you like his entry about the Bridal Veil Hike, you might also like his description of hiking Battle Creek Canyon:
Utah is filled with such lovely beauty that is accessible almost all year round. From the city, there are so many awesome places to visit that I find myself surprised at how much I still haven’t see. Come enjoy the early spring hiking in Utah at Phil’s Personal Take.
Chris Kahn with the Associated Press has a great description of what it is like for him to walk across the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
The Skywalk’s builders have said repeatedly that the deck is extremely durable. It’s essentially a huge steel horseshoe, capable of withstanding 100 mph winds and holding several hundred 200-pound people at a time.
I had no reason to doubt them. But out on the edge, my mind was racing: I tried to remember if any government regulatory agency had checked how well this thing was anchored to the cliff. I wondered what it would sound like for a million pound hunk of metal to uproot and tumble 4,000 feet. Like an earthquake, I bet.
This new installation is a walkway of glass and metal that stretches into the vast expanse that is the Grand Canyon. If you have ever wanted to experience the Grand Canyon as a vertigo-induced nightmare, the Haulapai Reservation has created the experience for you!
When your town gets cold, show them what cold REALLY is: hold an Ice Sculpture Competition! Josh Leo reports on the Ice Sculpture Competition in Holland, Michigan.
I love his questions:
“Have you ever thought about maybe going into a different type of sculpting instead of something where you are constantly freezing your butt off?”
“Well, actually, I prefer cake decorating.”
You can see more of Josh Leo’s videos featuring his home state here:
If you thought traveling to Michigan in the middle of winter would be a bad idea, Josh has a whole bunch of ideas to keep you busy.
If you have ever wanted to own a piece of macabre history, now is the time to jump. For a mere $100,000,000, you can own Dracula’s Castle.
Well, it’s not really Dracula’s Castle, it turns out. It was never owned by Vlad the Impaler, although, he was imprisoned there for two weeks. I’ve stayed at the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas for a total of several months. Does that make the Luxor Hotel the Moncur Mansion? I don’t think so.
More importantly, the castle was owned by the Romanian royal family until 1948 when it was seized by the Communists. Only recently, has it been returned to the rightful owners. They are now trying to sell it.
If you have ever considered traveling to Romania, putting this castle on your list of tours is a good idea, but you better make it quick before it is turned into a vampid tourist trap instead merely a vampire tourist attraction.
I never stayed at the Stardust hotel. I never even went inside it. I had a friend who used to swear by it, but now it is gone. You can see a film of the implosion here:
They have never blown up a hotel that I have stayed in. I live in fear for the day that they implode my beloved Luxor Hotel. I can’t bear to think about the beautiful black pyramid sinking into a heap of rubble and iron and broken glass. The way things are going, I can foresee it happening and I don’t want to think about it.
Antelope Island is in the middle of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Every spring, Mike and I go up there to see if we can see baby seagulls. We’ve never seen them once, but bison, we’ve seen many times.
This photo from Ed Karjala on Flickr is more beautiful than I’ve ever seen Antelope Island. Click on the picture to see it full-sized on Flickr.
Take a five minute vacation from work and enjoy the view at Antelope Island.
Ward went to Portland, Oregon and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. You can find out more about it here:
He is planning on moving there, but you get to see all the beautiful sights from a tourist AND soon-to-be-resident.
Powered by WordPress
(c) 2005-2017 Michael Moncur, Laura Moncur, and Starling Studios