Making Friends on the way to Mount Whitney, by Lee Juillerat

The main allure of the John Muir Trail is its incredible scenery, sights that photos or videos can't replicate. But backpacking proved a shared experience. On some sections I was joined by friends and my daughter, Molly. Other times it was with new friends, including the Grouse Meadow trio....more

Summertime in My County, Crater Lake Country, by Larry Turner

The more I travel, the more I realize that I was born and raised and still live in some of the best country on the planet: Klamath County in Southern Oregon....more

Singapore, by Yvette Cardozo

The government heavily recommends (and that means virtually orders) locals to buy a new car every 10 years. That is so beater cars don’t break down on the highways and thus, hold up Singapore’s main purposes in life—business and efficiency....more

BEST SEATTLE HIKING TRAILS FOR BEGINNERS by Mihaela Schwartz

One of the best things about living in Seattle is that this Pacific Northwest city has great natural surroundings. This means that each time you are in the mood for an outdoors adventure, you'll likely to find the perfect wilderness destination, not to mention some of the Seattle parks, which make great venues for short hikes....more

SAN FRANCISO RAILWAY MUSEUM – IT’S ALL ABOUT VINTAGE STREETCARS, by Ted and Sylvia Blishak
When World War II started, many of the conductors and motormen were drafted into the armed forces,  leaving the San Francisco Municipal Railway short-handed.  While previously they had hired only white males, this crisis forced Muni to change their requirements.  Thus women and people of color were eventually considered eligible. A true pioneer in this change was a determined, 15-year-old Maya Angelou....more

THE LONG WAY TO MOUNT WHITNEY: 23 Days and 230 Miles on the John Muir Trail, Story and photos by Lee Juillerat
The delights, and challenges, of the Muir Trail start immediately, beginning with the Mist Trail, part of the nearly 6,000-foot elevation gain between the Yosemite Valley and Tuolumne Meadows. The visual eye candy never stops, from flower-filled meadows to a series of breathtaking, in more ways than one, mountain passes that require near daily treks up – and down – 11,000-foot passes, to the sights and sounds of bubbling streams, thundering waterfalls and dreamy lakes so welcome and beautiful it was hard to believe they weren't mirages. more...

VENTEV AND ADLENS, Charger and "JOHN LENNON" GLASSES REVIEWS, BY Yvette Cardozo

Portable power supply - gotta have it! How about changeable-focus glasses that you dial up in the field when you need? Some eyes change focus through the day...more

Iceland Volcano-Bardarbunga: Fiery Bowels of New Earth Being Born, by Lynn Rosen
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly directly over a violently erupting volcano in Iceland, the land of ice and fire, doesn’t present itself every day. Who wouldn’t jump at the chance? Fly with us over Bardarbunga, Iceland’s most recent significant active, belching volcano, and stare in awe into the fiery bowels of the earth....more

Virgin Atlantic Food, by Yvette Cardozo

Some people (those in upper classes and, also the coach folk on international flights) still get meals aboard an airplane these days. But have you ever wondered just how that food gets to them? Or how airlines deal with the 30% kill factor of our taste buds in the air. Or cultural differences. And so much...more

Winter Fun in Quebec, by Vicki Hoefling Andersen

For starters, Quebec City hosts the biggest winter carnival in the world. Nearby you will find dog sledding, snowshoeing, major ski resorts, snowmobiling, ice climbing, sugar shacks, and an ice hotel....more

Wanderings in Venice; solving the pedestrian puzzle, by Lee Juillerat

As I'd learned the day before, traveling Venice's pinball wizard amalgamation of concrete and watery passages is akin to navigating a video game or complex corn maze filled with false starts and stops....more

Leisure Rail: National Train Day, by Ted and Sylvia Blishak

National Train Day, with the theme "Trains Matter", celebrates its eighth year on May 9th 2015 with the aim of sharing information about the advantages of traveling by rail to the general public....more

Stockholm, a Capital City on the Water, By Brad Hathaway

While an hour cruise to the east onto Lake Maleran was fun, a longer voyage to the west was a thrill. Stockholm is located at the most protected spot of an archipelago of more than 24,000 islands scattered over the 50 miles between Stockholm and the Baltic Seas....more