August 2008

Hurricane Ike heads to Texas coast

Hurricane Ike continues to make a bee line for the Texas coast. It is now expected to make landfall near Galveston, with powerful winds and water damage expected to be widespread.
Track Hurricane Ike here.

Denver, The Place For Mile High Fun

Denver offers a lot of fun things to do, the least of which is going to a boring convention... We explored a few months back from our trip to the Mile High city. Look for more features coming up in December as we travel back to the Colorado rockies.
 

Lynden Pioneer Museum, Lynden, Washington

 
Lynden Pioneer Museum in Lynden, Washington

I love small town museums. They have heart, and have an obvious pride in showing off their local history. Such is the case with the Lynden Pioneer Museum we visited a few years ago.
Few small towns have a museum this size. We spent several hours meandering through all the impressive exhibits that are housed in the 28,000 square feet of the museum.

Early wagons, tractors, cars, are in pristine condition. On display are farm implements, a soda fountain, doctor's office, barber shop, school house, and many other items dating back to the early 1900s, with snapshot histories of local ciitzens that helped to found the small town. Lynden, Washington is situated about 16 miles east of the coastal town of Blaine. When traveling through Washington, be sure to stop in and see the Lyndon Pioneer Museum. It will be a visit you will cherish for a long time.

Mississippi Gulf Coast welcomes tourists anew

The Mississippi Gulf Coast residents are resilient and are making a quick and steady comeback. I got a recent update from Vincent Creel, Public Affairs Manager for the City of Biloxi on all the positive things happening. Tourists are welcome to explore the many attractions that have now reopened.
The area holds a special charm and attraction to me. I spent several summers walking the beach, exploring Ship Island as a young man. Along this 28 mile stretch is the longest manmade sand beach in the world. It has a rich heritage of fun, seafood, and festivities that draws you in. View our updated feature on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Large arch at Arches National Park collapses

The Wall Arch at Arches National Park collapsed early last week, the sandstone a victim of time and erosion. Shown above is a photo I took on our visit to the park back some nine years ago as we hiked along Devils Garden Trail. According to Paul Henderson, the park's chief of interpretation, "They all let go after a while."

I plan to write a book someday from our travels, but in the meantime here's a snippet I wrote when we stayed in Moab -

Upon entering Arches National Park, we went up a winding road to view the many sandstone and sculpted slickrock formations formed from 100 million years of erosion and underground salt beds. The snow peaked La Sal Mountains could be seen in the distance. The mountains got their name from Spanish explorers who thought they looked like piles of salt when covered by snow. There are over 2,000 arches to view in this tranquil place in Utah. Native Americans traveled these lands for thousands of years, leaving evidence of petroglyph and pictograph drawings. Ranchers came in the late 1800s to raise cattle in the side canyons. Be sure to stay on the trails if you go. The soil is fragile, made up of algae, fungi, and lichens. This crust absorbs moisture and helps prevent erosion in the harsh climate. The best time for photos are in the early morning or late in the afternoon, where the colors of the rocks appear the richest (photos to appear here soon). As we left the park late in the day, we saw a skinny mule deer along the road, one of many we have seen on our journey.

Watch the 2008 Olympics online