What better way to follow up my maudlin Pearl Harbor experience than a visit to Molokai, land of fatal disease and forced isolation. Fun! Turns out it actually was fun. And fascinating. Sad, definitely. Also, beautiful.
Tag Archives: National Parks
Crying on Oahu
Despite wondering if a giant wall of water might kill me, the Hawaii trip was fabulous. I visited four of the seven islands – Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and the Big Island – and saw all seven of Hawaii’s national parks. It was a relatively complicated trip to plan, what with all the island hopping and a weekend trip to Guam. (More about that later, but […]
Beauty Trumps Mishap at Chiricahua
Nothing extraordinary happened on this last trip to Southern Arizona. I didn’t get lost or run out of gas or make a spectacle of myself in restaurants or get stung by rage-filled insects. (For more of this kind of fun see the “mishaps” tag on the right.) I also didn’t meet any interesting people, and by interesting, I mean crazy. And by didn’t meet, I […]
No British Rock Gods Anywhere, But a Good Stop Regardless
On this last scampabout I saw four Arizona national parks – the Painted Desert, Petrified Forest, Chiricahua (I’ll write about that one soon – it’s gorgeous), and Ft. Bowie. I’m sorry to tell you that Ft. Bowie is not, in fact, a monument to David Bowie, but is actually where the Chiricahua Apaches fought the U.S. military in the late 1800s and were (surprise!) defeated.
Posted in Travel
Also tagged Cemeteries, Hiking, History
How National Parks and Disneyland Are the Same
Have you been to It’s a Small World at Disneyland? National parks are just like that to me, without the chlorine smell and relentlessly cheerful songs. Which, let’s be honest, are two things the world needs a lot less of. Like Disneyland, with National Parks you pay your entry fee, get your map, and wander around looking at beautiful or interesting sights along the way. […]
The Painted Desert: Fantasy and Fact
The Painted Desert in Arizona is 150 square miles of badlands. That sounds so rock and roll, doesn’t it? Like Keith Richards might appear, offer you a shot of expensive scotch and something illegal, then grab your hand and drag you out for an ill-advised midnight hike through the desert, where he’d bust out his guitar and serenade you with all those Stones songs they […]
Walking with the Dead Near the Mexican Border
Tumacácori National Historical Park is south of Tucson and just north of the Mexican border. Like the Mission San Xavier del Bac, Father Kino founded this mission, too, one of more than 20 in the region:
Posted in Travel
Also tagged Arizona, Cemeteries, Missions
Where to Stay and What to Do in the Texas Panhandle (and Oklahoma)
In the interest of providing useful information, which is rare with me I know, here are links to a few things I recommend. (Real reason: it’s a hodgepodge link-fest because I’m still comatose from the giant meal I made yesterday. And even though I’ve been trying to lose four pounds for, oh, the last six months, I made a feast that is basically the opposite […]
Southern New Mexico: Recap
I’d rate my maiden voyage with Sadie a success, since a) I did not blow myself up lighting the stove, b) I did not run over animals or small children while pulling into a campsite, and c) Sadie did not come unhitched and go sailing by me on the highway. (Thanks for sharing that story, Ginger! Didn’t even know that was a possibility!)
Posted in Travel
Also tagged New Mexico, Restaurants, RV parks, Scamping, State parks, Weirdness