By Richard Varr Our speed boat quietly chugged into a secluded cove off the Pakleni Islands archipelago where forested bluffs adorn a rocky coastline. The gentle water – aquamarine and clear – brought to mind a Caribbean dream. But that setting of sun-drenched islands is on the other side of the Atlantic. Instead, we had…
By Steffy McCourt Untouched by the glaciers that leveled the northern part of the state, Southern Indiana swells and ebbs against an unending sky, forested hills, and ancient farms. On its winding two-lane roads, it unfolds like a good story… slow turns, familiar scenes, a feeling that you’ve been here before, even if you haven’t.…
The Guadalupe River appeared benign – quiet, slow-moving, fishy-looking. It was just what a visitor from a thousand miles away expected in the Central Texas Hill Country, a region of big skies, gentle hills and open land that native son President Lyndon Johnson loved. The Hill Country is north of San Antiono and south of…
By Ramaa Reddy New York City is a wonderland to visit in winter and can captivate visitors with its spellbinding attractions, sights, and sounds. Eternally an iconic city, it was born of grit, and its unique racial and cultural diversity has spawned a variety of restaurants, music talents, and distinctive establishments. Its fame and attractions…
The British Army was on the move and the American militia was scattered across the New York countryside. What followed were nights of courage and defiance that helped shape the outcome of the Revolution. Through midnight rides, strategic river control, and decisive battles from Long Island and Fort Ticonderoga to Saratoga, New York emerged as a true battleground that determined America’s fate. Join writer Mark Orwoll as he traces the battles, landscapes, and forgotten heroes that made New York the linchpin of America’s fight for independence.
By Kerrick James There is a yin ~ yang interplay of life and seasons in the corridors of sandstone canyons as the Colorado River makes its passage south through Utah, before being released below Arizona’s Glen Canyon Dam. Sometimes called the ‘American Nile,’ the great river of the American Southwest drops 9,010 feet from its…
By Teresa Bitler Most visitors to Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site arrive today just as the prisoners did in the 1930s, by train. But instead of marching under the watch of SS guards, visitors board a city bus that takes a residential route past steep-roofed homes, a spattering of businesses and restaurants, and a school.…
By Matt Johanson Keep your footing on the steep and slippery granite. Fight for breath in the thin air. Navigate a tight passage packed with hikers on the exposed mountainside. Above all, grip the cables like cold death, because that’s what awaits those who falter. Half Dome has more than a dozen climbs leading atop…
By Rich Grant “The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State.” President Donald Trump, May 4, 2025. Donald Trump is not the first United States president to suggest that Canada join the U.S. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison all thought Canada should be…
For wildlife enthusiasts and travelers keen to explore the globe, there are incredible bear-viewing destinations on every continent except Australia — sorry, koalas are marsupials, not bears–– and Africa, where Atlas bears were hunted to extinction by the late 18th century. Whether it’s watching sloth bears snuffle through termite mounds in India or spotting the rare spectacled bear in the Andes, the world offers no shortage of unforgettable bear encounters. Alaska may be the gold standard for seeing bears in the wild. Thanks to its sprawling wilderness and salmon-choked rivers, the state has a population of more than 130,000 brown and black bears.