Road trip: Camping in the Everglades

Yes, camping round two, in the Everglades. Hmm, ‘is camping in the Everglades during summer a good idea?’ you ask. No. No it isn’t. When the park ranger said, “We have a slight mosquito problem,” that should have been red flag number one. Actually, when the woman at the Everglades welcome center responded quite haughtily to our inquiry about the campsite with a definitive, “I don’t camp,” that should have been red flag number one. So red flag number two then. Of course you would expect there to be some mosquitoes as you are in the Everglades after all, but…

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Road trip: What I’ve learned in one week

It’s been one week on the road. In the greater scheme of a month long road trip, one week is not much. But when considering that we have been traveling non-stop for one week, covered 10 states 13 cities, and packed in tons of activities, it seems like a lot. There have been great places and weird places, tedious drives and pleasant drives and lots of lessons learned in between. This is what road travel has taught me in one week: Some places cannot be fully understood unless you are there. You cannot always live vicariously through someone else, through…

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Road trip: For the love of music

She just wanted to hear the music. Dressed in a cap and sweats with a rag over her shoulder, the littlest old lady surfaced from the ‘Employees Only’ section somewhere at the back of the room. She appeared to have just finished, or been in the process of cleaning something. She strolled quietly over to the piano on the stage and took a seat. We had stumbled upon the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park by chance as we left the French Market and the intense mugginess of the day. The place was completely void of visitors but filled with…

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Road trip: I am tired!

The driving is exhausting. Period. And while the thrill of passing through one place to the next and having a new adventure each day is really great, I’m tired! Most of each day is spent driving, only to arrive at a place in the evening, grab something to eat, and find a place to sleep. Then it’s early to rise, pack in the sightseeing, and get on the road and drive. Then drive, drive, and drive some more. It would be one thing if we were passing by beautiful scenery and coming across great stopping points for photo-ops, or cute roadside…

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Road trip: Grand Canyon unlit and illuminated

Never arrive at a campsite at night, especially for your first visit, and especially if you have any inclination towards wimpy-ness. It was way too dark. And it was cold. All we could see were shadows of the looming forest trees, the barely discernable street signs and the occasional brave (or slightly crazy) person headed into the blackened forest for a nighttime shower. I was just a little bit leery. Okay, time to set up. We shone the headlights toward our lot and took down the camping gear. Well, when I say “we” I really mean my much more savvy…

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Road trip: The adventure begins

I know I am a little bit crazy. But what can I say? I am living with the travel bug and when travel calls, the only way I know is to answer.  I just wish travel just didn’t have to call at 5 a.m.  It’s really not a time for waking up, ever. It should be reserved solely for returning home to begin sleeping post party and late night eats, not for beginning the day. But there is a long way to travel and plenty to see, so early it is. I am ready to go. Of course, we must…

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From an empty room to the open road

Every noise I make echoes off the empty walls in this now foreign place that was once my beloved bedroom. Four things hang in my closet, and the last of the bags and boxes wait to be loaded into my car (help?) I guess it’s really over. After five wonderful years, my apartment, roommate, and I are separating. It feels like a divorce, the end of an era. Was this movie yours or mine? You can keep the cheese grater, I’ll take the curtains. It all sounds silly when we stop and listen to ourselves. We have grown up together in…

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8 things to love about Toronto

< From the Exhibit "Late News" by Dan Perjovschi at the R.O.M. Toronto, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways… 1. Cultural Diversity.Toronto has it all. You can “travel” across continents without ever leaving the city! There are so many areas and neighborhoods where you can find people, culture, and delicious food from all over the world. There is something for everyone here. This portion of Dan Perjovschi‘s “Late News” Exhibit captures it best; there are so many elements that make up greater Toronto, and to me, that’s the beauty of the city. Plus, I really love to eat.…

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“It’s a pity we have to work”

The Toronto skyline faded behind us as our tour boat, the Harbour Star, motored out from Queen’s Quay. I had anticipated this ride to be a bit over-touristy, but it was kind of fantastic.  A very animated young redhead narrated the tour. She spoke about the history and the current happenings in and around the harbour and the islands. On such a hot summer day, it was hard to imagine any part of this harbour being frozen over as she had mentioned. We learned of the rivalries between the local yacht clubs (oh, life gets so complicated sometimes…) and even got to witness…

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Muddling through Marrakech

Oh, Morocco. Your first trip, first hours, first minutes there can be packed with all sorts of adventure. Check out my first published article “Muddling Through Marrakech” over at Travelmag. Travelmag has a wealth of exciting travel stories from real, independent travelers with great experiences to share. From the magazine’s editor, “Travelmag correspondents travel well beyond the guidebook routes, illuminating little-known corners of the globe and, occasionally, revealing a bit about themselves as well.” This travel writing thing isn’t impossible, you just have to start somewhere.

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