By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw
The Native Heritage Center, located outside of Anchorage, Alaska, introduces you to native traditions and customs of both the past and the present. We stopped there on our way from Whittier to Anchorage. (more…)
Passing Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (see last week – August 17), travel through a landscape of scrub brush and lava rock and you reach Wupatki National Monument.
Wupatki Pueblo - part of the 100-room ancient community
Wupatki’s 100-room pueblo, built of intricate stone and clay mortar, housed a resourceful and hard-working Native American population who lived in Northern Arizona over 800 years ago. They farmed, created pottery, and lived in large communities. Water was a scarce commodity and they conserved it carefully. (more…)
Except for my home, I have rarely spent as many hours anywhere as I did in one particular place in New York City. That one place is known as Broadway.
Beyond the physical place, New York City, where theater is the center of the universe and 40 theaters are in a concentrated area, Broadway is a state of mind. Once you’ve been treated to a Broadway show, you’re hooked for life – at least I was.
My very first Broadway show, a special occasion with my grandmother, was The Sound of Music, starring Mary Martin. Dressed up, as people used to be to attend the performances, I settled into my plush seat. The house lights went down. Then, the enchantment began. Acting, sets, the orchestra, songs – they all combined magically. I left the theater singing one of the tunes and a confirmed theater-lover. (more…)
When we visited Walnut Canyon National Monument this past weekend, we were alerted that there were 240 steps down – and up – from the visitor center to the Loop Trail where we could see the homes of ancient people carved out of steep hillsides.
240 steps – each way, up and down – was quite a strenuous trip to reach the top! When Sinagua people inhabited the cliff dwellings of Walnut Canyon 800 years ago, they must have been part mountain goat – and they didn’t have paved steps and paths! Although I consider myself fairly physically fit, the altitude, 7,000 feet, coupled with the demanding climb of 185 feet, I reached the visitor center panting with my heart pounding.
By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw
When you are traveling to all of these great places out west, if you want to be economical, you might bring your RV. Here are some places to stay…
The KOA Campgrounds across the country are usually very nice and well run. One of the nicest is the one in Las Cruces, NM. There are trees and a cement pad at every site and most are pull-thru, making it easier to get your rig in and out. The Las Cruces campground has a wonderful pool and picnic/barbeque area, and a grassy area for those with tents. The general store and gift shop offers western and native wares for purchase, along with restocking your rig.
What to do when the wife is in a conference in Santa Fe? Abscond with the rental car and take a little trip around northern New Mexico, that’s what!
It was sort of a last minute idea, so I looked at a map to see what I could do in a day. Two towns, and a national monument sounded feasible, so I dropped her off and I headed out.
Almost 1,000 years ago, a volcano spewed hot magma – gases and rock – across the landscape in what would become Northern Arizona. What resulted is now called Sunset Crater National Monument.
Traveling to Sunset Crater is an easy drive from modern-day Flagstaff, Arizona. In some areas of the park, though, it feels as though you might be on the moon. (more…)
What do you think of when someone mentions Dover, Delaware? Probably not much.
Dover Sole, the White Cliffs of Dover, maybe? Or, the place where large corporations incorporate due to favorable tax advantages?
This obviously shows you are not from Delaware, although the last answer would be correct. (more…)
By Guest Author Peggy Bradshaw
Upon first seeing Mt. Rushmore, the first thing that goes through your mind is the enormity of it. The second thing is “Wow! How did they do that!” (more…)
Long before there were high rises in Manhattan, ancient people built tall buildings in the cliffs. At Montezuma Castle, a US National Parks Service National Monument, you can see, from a distance, the handiwork of “Sinagua” dwellers from the 12th century. The Park is north of Flagstaff, Arizona near Interstate 17 and is normally $5 per person for those 16 and older.
Montezuma Castle National Monument
This is the last weekend (August 15-16) that the US National Park Service is allowing free entry to over 100 national parks. Montezuma Castle is one of the free locations during this special promotion. See the following list to see what is available to visit for free. (more…)
