I love a road trip and this one had all the components to be great: wonderful friend, Cacinda Malony; awesome car, 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited; and fantastic scenery along I-40 as we drove through Arizona on our way east to New Mexico including the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. The car, courtesy of Drive Shop, was perfect
Photo Essay: Sedona in December
Just after sunrise it started to snow. Big fat flakes floated down making the holiday surroundings of Sedona even more festive. During the morning I took a Pink Jeep Tour up on the red rocks along the Broken Arrow trail. Expertly, our driver Doug drove up and down steep inclines bringing our group to the tops of otherworldly formations and
Grapevine, the Christmas Capital of Texas!
Grapevine, Texas, is just north of the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport; a gem in an otherwise rush-rush world. Along Main Street, charming shops and family-owned restaurants welcome visitors like family. Christmas carols are dancing on a winter breeze and old-fashioned decorations are stretched over the street. At one end of the street is Grapevine Vintage Railroad that is transformed during the
Photo essay – A Santa Fe Christmas
Hotels, churches, museums, the plaza and downtown streets are decked out for the holidays in Santa Fe, New Mexico. As the oldest capital city in North America and the oldest European city west of the Mississippi, Santa Fe is steeped in tradition and respect for the Christian faith which is reflected in its Christmastime charm. Originally occupied by Pueblo Indians,
Discovering Greenville, SC, West End Historic District
A new visitor to Greenville, South Carolina, I hear of Falls Park on the Reedy, but have no idea where it is located. Walking along Main Street, I stop and ask a young woman for directions. She smiles and says it is right across the street. Indeed, Falls Park, a 32-acre crescent-shaped greenway, is nestled up against the historic West
Book Review: “Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences” by Matthew Christopher
It may seem unusual for a travel writer to be interested in the abandoned, derelict and forgotten. I am usually telling my readers where to travel and what to visit when they get there. But Abandoned America: The Age of Consequences is such a fascinating book about deserted buildings of every description; I want to tell you about it. According
Two Writers Hit the Minnesota and Wisconsin Roadways in Search of Adventure
What could be better than a road trip with a friend in an awesome car? Not much in my book. And so I set off to Minneapolis and Door County, Wisconsin with my friend David Walton in a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport AWD 2.0T provided by DriveShop. I am an online and print travel journalist, and David is a
Beauty in an Aruba Cemetery
As part of a De Palm Tour, nine other passengers and I head for Aruba’s Arikok National Park. Our driver Gio slows in front of a cemetery to explain why the mausoleums are painted so colorfully. “Most of Aruba is Catholic, but there is a little superstition mixed in as well,” he explains. “Friends and relatives want to make sure
The Windmills of Kinderdijk, Holland
The week of sailing on AmaCerto, one of the beautiful river cruise ships in AmaWaterways fleet, was like a crescendo. Every day somehow topped the day before. It was Saturday, next to the last full day of cruising, when the ship docked next to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands.
Is Your Child’s Safety Seat Safe?
Ella is an active, happy, playful almost two-year-old, and she knows when it’s time to go to the grocery store, playground or church, she’ll be securely fastened into her car seat before her mom puts the car in gear. Ella has responsible caregivers who provide her with a safety-approved car seat that is properly installed. Proper Installation According to the