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….
As part of a photography group, I recently visited the tulip gardens at Crystal Hermitage, which is part of the Ananda community located about 15 miles northeast from Nevada City (California) in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
“Situated along the rugged Mendocino County coastline adjacent to the town of Point Arena, is the 1,665-acre Point Arena-Stornetta unit of the California Coastal National Monument. The first shoreline unit of the Monument offers spectacular views of coastal bluffs, sea arches, the estuary of the Garcia River, and sandy beaches and dunes with eight miles of marked paths.”
(National Conservation Lands’ “Point Arena-Stornetta Unit” brochure)
While many people fully embrace “the holiday spirit,” my children and I do not. So rather than feeling Grinch-like this Christmas season, our gift to each other – and ourselves – was to spend a week at my daughter’s timeshare in Cabo San Lucas.
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.
(The following guest post was written by Olivia Bourke, a writer and blogger who describes herself as “an adventurous traveller who simply wants to explore this incredible world we call our home. Originally from the States, I now call Australia my home. I’m loving every minute exploring this ever so scenic country, one state at a time.”)
Sydney is a beautiful city with lots of natural attractions and iconic tourist spots. In this modern day and age there are a multitude of great locations that are easily wheelchair accessible with lots of space.
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.”
In springtime many people spend hours outside planting, weeding and tending to their gardens. Whether for their own personal enjoyment or to share with others, gardening can be a beautiful and meditative activity.
Although I only keep a few rose bushes and a bed of poppies and Love-in-the-Mist, I am grateful for those who do much more and share their gardens with the public.
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.
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!
