Editor’s Note:
In honor of West Virginia Day – 3-22-2020 – I am reposting this piece from October 2012. There are two new photos, and the web links have been updated. Enjoy!
Almost Heaven, West Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River….
The sky in the northern Arizona desert is beautiful and ever changing.
By day, the clouds are pushed around by the wind, sometimes briefly bringing a rain shower or offering a respite from the sun. However, the sun soon regains dominance until it sets in brilliance.
My history-loving son recently moved to Austin, Texas, which gives me a new travel destination! As we discussed things to do during my recent visit, he suggested going to San Antonio to see The Alamo.
He told me of his first visit there, and how much it moved him. He described the battle and the loss of lives, and spoke of the bullet holes still visible in the chapel.
He remembered standing next to his buddy, a veteran who became so filled with emotion that he had to leave the building.
In the United States November is recognized as National Native American Heritage Month, and November 23rd is recognized as Native American Heritage Day.
It is a time to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of Alaska Native and American Indian people.
Although I grew up in Utah, my first visit to Zion National Park did not occur until I was in my early 60’s.
We were an outdoorsy family, and our vacations usually revolved around camping, fishing and boating. But our destination was always in the north and/or northeast part of the state, and it wasn’t until October of 2017 that I finally visited Utah’s first national park.
During a recent visit to Boise, Idaho for a wedding I had an extra day available for site-seeing. So I asked my daughter, Amanda, if she would be willing to go on a tour of the Old Idaho Penitentiary State Historic Site. “Yes! I love that sort of thing” was her enthusiastic reply. And on a very warm Sunday we took the tour of the “Old Pen.”
I love trains. Not in the way Sheldon Cooper (of The Big Bang Theory) loves trains, but I love them. I love the haunting sound of their whistle in the distance and the promise of adventure they represent.
(A personal tribute to my heart’s companion in travel and in love.)
It’s been seven years since Rich died.
As I recently told a friend, in some ways it feels like an eternity ago; in other ways, just yesterday.
After two days at sea our first port of call was Ketchikan, Alaska, where we were greeted by enthusiastic short excursion guides – and clear skies! (Ketchikan is known for its rainy weather.)
After Carrieanna and I enjoyed our “private tour” of the Saxman Village Totem Park, we returned to the main part of town for another, more rowdy experience – the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show!
When I saw Carrieanna’s photos of Tracy Arm Fjord (from her 2013 Alaskan cruise), I remember thinking “Oh, that’s pretty scenery.” It looked like a nice location, but I did not feel deeply moved.
That all changed when I saw Tracy Arm Fjord for myself in May.
