In order to describe Iowa, you have to start with the land. Its freshly overturned sod is as black as a starless night, and a handful of dirt is richer than any potting soil you …
April 7, 2012
Travel Stories
Bauer, Iowa: Sunset on Rural America
Belize Explored
I’d like to invite you to a tropical paradise, one of the finest vacation destinations that I have had the pleasure of visiting. Recently my girlfriend and I set off on a two-week open-ended adventure …
April 7, 2012
Paradise, Thai-Style: Beaches and Islands of the Andaman Sea
I first became intrigued with the beaches and islands of Thailand while reading an account about a family selling their home in those halcyon days when the real estate market was skyrocketing. They intended to …
Rosarito Beach Sportfishing, Alive and Well
From the standpoint of “petro-tourism,” it very well could be that nearby Baja California peninsula, with its Mediterranean-like coastal climate and uncrowded beaches, is one of the best draws for Southern Californians looking for a …
March 30, 2012
Royal Treatment in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Part 1)
Is it possible to have a strong connection to a place without ever having been there? Nearly every member of my family, other than myself, grew up in Saudi Arabia. My entire life I’ve heard …
March 29, 2012
The Allure of Paris: Eiffel Tower
PARIS! All the tour books, online research, talking with friends who have been there, and pre-trip planning don’t prepare you for the overwhelming feeling of immersion once arriving in Paris. On a recent business trip …
March 29, 2012
Birmingham, Alabama: Birthplace of a Movement
Birmingham, Alabama, was founded in 1871 – after the Civil War – but quickly caught up with other Southern cities’ cruel segregation and Jim Crow practices. Some say it bested them. Dr. Martin Luther King, …
March 27, 2012
Visiting the Insides of a Chicken – Manukan, Philippines
“...stay with my family and me for a few days.” I’d just met a friend of a friend, here in California, who heard that I was planning a trip to the 22,000-mile coastline nation of …
March 23, 2012
Ambling in the Everglades
At 1.5 million acres, Everglades National Park is the third-largest national park in the U.S. It is, nevertheless, half the size it was a century ago. Once you’re away from the visitors and crowds, the …
March 20, 2012
At the World’s End: Hiroshima and Miyajima
The tragic events of 1945 can barely be appreciated without seeing the peaceful, dignified city of Hiroshima, Japan. Within minutes of stepping off the bullet train, a local resident offered us a free tour of …
The Big 5 in Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in Tanzania includes the Ngorongoro Crater, covering 8,300 square kilometers and the only place on earth where mankind and wild animals co-exist in harmony. This uniqueness earned it a UNESCO …