The summer when Kittery aliens landed at the Town Office
In late June of 1940, 39 aliens officially called Kittery home. Some had dwelled among the town’s residents for more than 50 years, others for just a few weeks. When […]
Giving up on Isolation
When we set out from Kittery at 6 a.m., I knew we had a grueling day ahead of us: two+ hours to the trailhead, 11.5+ miles of hiking, 5,000+ feet […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Rangeley Days Redux: Moose, mountains, and memories
Rangeley, Maine – Our first day at the lake was windy and mostly gray, a good one for moose hunting. We don’t always get our moose, but with the right timing […]
Walking with the mothers at Vaughan Woods, South Berwick
South Berwick, Maine — On Mother’s Day this year, I went for a walk with the mothers in Vaughan Woods State Park. Vaughan Woods is a popular local walking spot, […]
The Maniacal Traveler plays with maps: my local history posts, via Google Maps
This summer I am playing with mapping tools, which I eventually plan to teach my students at York County Community College to use in telling stories digitally. Displayed here are my […]