Category Archives: Travels

A visit to Arches National Park as it all fell down

On Friday, March 6, Logan Airport was packed with travelers heading out on winter escapes. People crowded together, waiting to board with ski bags and backpacks. But in the bathroom, everyone was washing their hands with a furor I’d never … Continue reading

Posted in Family and Kids, Hiking, Mountains, Travels | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Hiking to the sun on Mount Fuji

On August 10-11, 2015, I climbed Mount Fuji on Japan’s first annual Mountain Day holiday. My article about this sunrise hike has just been published in the summer 2019 issue of Appalachia, with an excerpt here, along with more many … Continue reading

Posted in Hiking, Travels | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New Year’s in Old Havana

Note: On June 5, 2019, the Trump administration announced new restrictions on travel to Cuba that are going to make life a lot harder for the Cuban people. However, U.S. citizens can still travel to Cuba under the “support for … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Travels | Tagged , | Leave a comment

August days in Death Valley

During the summer months at Death Valley, birds sometimes drop out of the sky, killed by the extreme heat. Would our car die as well? As the car slid down Highway 190 into Death Valley, the temperature indicator continued to … Continue reading

Posted in Family and Kids, Hiking, Mountains, Travels | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Hello to Manzanar

Back in 7th grade, when I read Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston’s memoir, Farewell to Manzanar, the wind and sand had buried most remains of the Japanese internment camp that Houston described so eloquently in her 1973 memoir. By the early 1970s, … Continue reading

Posted in Family and Kids, Travels | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Exploring the streets of the mountains in the Onion Valley

On the map, Onion Valley looks remote and inaccessible, an impression confirmed by the drive on a twisting mountain road from Independence, California. In town, we pass the home of  writer Mary Austin, best known for her 1903 essay collection, … Continue reading

Posted in Mountains, Travels | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Back on the trail to Mount Belknap with Windows to the Wild

On a hot spring day in early May, I met up again with the crew from New Hampshire Public Television’s Windows to the Wild: host Willem Lange and producers Steve Giordani and Phil Vaughn. The resulting show, titled “Hiking with … Continue reading

Posted in Family and Kids, Hiking, Mountains, Travels | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

36-hour Montana Road Trip: Driving into the Big Hole and the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway

In 1905, Montana pioneer Joe Maurice experienced the worst possible losses. Although blind in one eye from a horse kick, the Belgium immigrant had persevered in eking out a living at the homestead he’d established on Gold Creek, supplementing cattle with gold … Continue reading

Posted in Family and Kids, Mountains, Travels | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Ten tips from 12 days of Spain

Bargain airfares, a favorable exchange rate, and a niece studying abroad pulled me to Spain this spring, my first trip to Europe in many years. Here’s my general spin on 12 days in Spain, with more detailed posts to follow. #1: … Continue reading

Posted in Art, Travels | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

The Little Lodges that Could: Exploring Maine’s North Woods with AMC

I stepped outside the Library to watch the sunrise glow on snow-covered Long Pond. Not a soul or a sound deep in the North Woods of Maine. Instead of the buzz of the snowmobiles that flock to these parts come … Continue reading

Posted in Family and Kids, Hiking, Maine places, Mountains, Travels | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments