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 national parks, road trips, southwest travel, Utah
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
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
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 California, California hiking, national parks
3 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
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
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 hiking, New Hampshire hikes, New Hampshire Lakes region hikes
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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
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
