North America

ChicagoHenge, Manhattan Henge, etc

ChicagoHenge, Manhattan Henge, etc

In many modern cities, the streets are lined up in a grid pattern (some are specifically N-S and E-W, and...

La Brea Tar pits: stinky paleontological research (California)

La Brea Tar pits: stinky paleontological research (California)

It’s odd to find an active paleontological research site in an urban area such as Los Angeles, but that’s what...

Dr Seuss’s trees in the desert (California)

Dr Seuss’s trees in the desert (California)

Joshua trees are funky dancing trees from Dr Seuss’s imagination brought to life in a desert. The backdrop of the...

Stories told by cemeteries

When I travel, I often find myself attracted to old graveyards and cemeteries. I didn’t even realize that those two...

Molokai Hot Bread (Hawaii, USA)

If you go to Molokai (which I do recommend despite its low number of visitors – or perhaps because of...

Marco Island, Fl: Otter Mound and historic museum

The Otter Mound Preserve is worth a short trip if you are on Marco Island. Do not expect to see...

Marco Island: Turtles, Urchins, shells and birds

If you are really lucky, you’ll get to see turtle tracks in the sand from the female coming onto the...

Chicago River Cruise

The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Chicago River Cruise is great.  Several companies offer tours of the Chicago River. The CAF tour...

Mono Lake and Tufa Towers, California

The otherworldly vistas at Mono Lake are stunning. The lake is very salty and alkaline so no fish live in...

Mirror Lake Trail – Yosemite National Park

Mirror Lake Trail – Yosemite National Park

  The Mirror Lake Trail is about 2 miles long (5 miles if you walk around the lake too).  ...