If a moose charges you, run as fast as you can and zigzag. If a bear charges you, never run, just stand still. These warnings serve as your official Alaska greetings and they make you realize that you’re not in Kansas any more. Over the years I have been tantalized by Alaska travel posters showing…
Category: USA and Canada

Joshua Tree National Park: A unique desert playground
Joshua Tree National Park is different from many other prominent national parks because its attractions are more subtle and its size is so vast (794,000 acres). At first I wasn’t too excited by the desert expanse that featured an endless brown terrain dotted with joshua trees and scattered rocks. Keeping an open mind, I soon…

DEATH VALLEY: A park worth visiting
I am crazy about our U.S. national parks, and yet a trip to Death Valley seemed like a lot of effort for an uncertain reward. After all, it is in the middle of nowhere, and aside from having the lowest spot in North America, I couldn’t think of many other major features it offered….

Kauai – A Hawaii Paradise
OVERVIEW WHY KAUAI: Compared to Maui, I prefer Kauai because it is smaller, less commercially developed and more scenic. It has some of the best hiking along the Na Pali coast, an impressive canyon (Waimea Canyon) spectacular, jungle-clad mountains with waterfalls. The nature aspect of Kauai is hard to beat. WHAT WE RECOMMEND TO DO:…

Lake Powell – Houseboat adventure in a southwestern water wonderland
WHY LAKE POWELL: I love the Southwest’s arid, rocky, crisp beauty. When you combine this with a sky blue lake that stretches as far as you can see, bordered by canyons and cliffs of every imaginable shape and reddish hues, then you have a place called Lake Powell that is hard to beat. Rent a…