Which is further north, Venice, Italy, or Bangor, Maine?
Paris, France, or Seattle, Washington?
Category: Places & Travel
Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah)
… was designated a national monument on this date in 1923. It became a national park in 1928.
Bryce Canyon, famous for its worldly unique geology, consists of a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah. The erosional force of frost-wedging and the dissolving power of rainwater have shaped the colorful limestone rock of the Claron Formation into bizarre shapes including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called “hoodoos.”
Click National Park image for larger version.
Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site (Colorado)
… was established on this date in 1960. The National Park Service informs us:
William and Charles Bent, along with Ceran St. Vrain, built the original fort on this site in 1833 to trade with plains Indians and trappers. The adobe fort quickly became the center of the Bent, St. Vrain Company’s expanding trade empire that included Fort St. Vrain to the north and Fort Adobe to the south, along with company stores in Mexico at Taos and Santa Fe. The primary trade was with the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians for buffalo robes.
For much of its 16-year history, the fort was the only major permanent white settlement on the Santa Fe Trail between Missouri and the Mexican settlements. The fort provided explorers, adventurers, and the U.S. Army a place to get needed supplies, wagon repairs, livestock, good food, water and company, rest and protection in this vast “Great American Desert.” During the war with Mexico in 1846, the fort became a staging area for Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny’s “Army of the West”. Disasters and disease caused the fort’s abandonment in 1849. Archeological excavations and original sketches, paintings and diaries were used in the fort’s reconstruction in 1976.
Bent’s Fort is east of La Junta, Colorado, on the Arkansas River, which was the border between Mexico and the United States from 1819-1848. The present fort is a reconstruction built in 1976.
Volare
[B]ut whether it’s a two-seater or a 747, any airplane is able to glide successfully sans power. Even the heaviest jetliners glide routinely during so-called idle thrust descents, and believe it or not, the glide ratio of a large jet — altitude lost to horizontal distance traveled — is usually better than that of your average private model (the one caveat being that it must accomplish this descent at a considerably higher speed).
Ask the pilot from Salon.
Above first posted here three years ago, and a fact I still find fascinating.
The 31 Places to Go This Summer
The New York Times suggests 31 North American travel destinations including two in New Mexico.
Thus, here are 31 options — from river rafting in eastern Oregon to biking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire — for a great summer vacation. Not one involves the terrifying conversion of dollars into euros, many can be enjoyed without ever getting on a plane, and the road trips are ones that actually justify filling up your tank, even if the price of gas hits $5 a gallon this summer.
Washita ‘Battlefield’ Misnamed
Yesterday we visited the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site. This is the location of Black Kettle’s village of Southern Cheyenne at the Washita River in Indian Territory (now western Oklahoma). On November 27, 1868, the 7th Cavalry attacked the village just before dawn. (This event is portrayed in the movie Little Big Man.)
Here is what took place, as described by James Welch in Killing Custer:
Just before midnight, they crawled to the edge of a bluff which overlooked a river valley. One of the scouts announced he could smell smoke. The other heard a dog bark. Custer could not see anything, and he did not smell smoke or hear the dog. But in the quiet moments of listening, he heard a baby cry. He had found his Indians.
Custer divided his command into four detachments, which would surround the village, north, south, east, and west, and wait for dawn. On his command, they would charge from the four directions.
At first light, Custer turned to the band leader and directed him “to give us ‘Garry Owen’ [his favorite song]. At once the rollicking notes of that familiar marching and fighting air sounded forth through the valley, and in a moment were re-echoed back from the opposite sides by the loud and continued cheers of the men of the other detachments, who, true to their orders, were there and in readiness to pounce upon the Indians the moment the attack began. In this manner the battle of the Washita commenced.”
The “battle” in the village was short, barely fifteen minutes. The soldiers drove the people from their lodges barefoot and half naked, shooting them in the open. Many of the warriors managed to reach the trees, where they began to return fire; a few of them escaped, but after a couple of hours, the firing ceased and 103 Cheyennes lay dead in the snow and mud. Custer reported that they were fighting men, but others said that ninety-two of them were women, children, and old people. Black Kettle, the sixty-seven-year-old leader of the band, and his wife, Medicine Woman Later, who had survived nine gunshot wounds at the Massacre of Sand Creek four years before, had been shot in the back as they attempted to cross the Lodge Pole or Washita River. Their bodies, trampled and covered with mud, were found in the shallow water by the survivors.
The soldiers seized everything in the village—guns, bows and arrows, decorated clothing, sacred shields, tobacco, dried meat, dried berries, robes, and fifty-one lodges—and burned it. In addition, they captured 875 horses and mules. Custer gave the order to slaughter these animals by cutting their throats, but the horses feared whiteman smell and shied away, and after several attempts, the men grew tired. Custer gave the order to shoot the animals instead. Custer himself slaughtered camp dogs. Then the 7th Cavalry took its captives, mostly women and children and old ones, and headed north to its base of operations, Camp Supply.
Custer’s attack on the village of Southern Cheyennes was hailed as a great victory in the Indian wars.
[The National Park Service says “approximately 30 to 60 Cheyenne” were killed.]
It wasn’t a battle and isn’t a historic battlefield. It was state-sponsored terrorism and should be renamed a national memorial.
Must See
NewMexiKen had been to the Oklahoma City Memorial before — it’s a well-done and moving tribute to those who lost their lives — and to the survivors and rescuers — in 1995’s terrorist bombing of the Murrah Federal Building. This album has photos I took in 2006 (you may click any image to enlarge).
This trip I also took in the adjacent Oklahoma City Memorial Museum and I urge you to add this to your list of places to see. Without losing sight of the human tragedy — or sensationalizing it — the museum tells the story of the bombing, the rescue and aftermath, the news coverage, the investigation and convictions, and the memorial itself. All of it is very well done — and fascinating.
I also encourage you to revisit the Memorial at night when the chairs representing each of the victims are lighted. Click image for larger version.
Been Away
NewMexiKen was away seeing the face of changing Middle America.
Photo taken June 1st in Cheyenne, Oklahoma. Click for larger version.
Harry S Truman National Historic Site (Missouri)
. . . was established on this date in 1983.
Harry S Truman National Historic Site includes the Truman Home in Independence, Missouri, and the Truman Farm Home in Grandview, Missouri.
Harry S Truman (1884-1972), 33rd President of the United States, lived here from 1919 until his death. The white Victorian style house at 219 North Delaware Street was built by the maternal grandfather of Bess Wallace Truman (1885-1982), and was known as the “Summer White House” during the Truman administration (1945-1953).
10 best road-trip cars
Just in time, Kelley Blue Book has provided a list of the top 10 new vehicles best suited for road trips. Based on factors such as driving enjoyment, passenger comfort, cargo space, and — perhaps most important — fuel economy, the experts suggest travelers consider the following options. To sweeten the deal, we’ve offered some fun destinations to consider.
The Top 10
Audi S5
Bugatti Veyron
Chevrolet Malibu
Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid
Dodge Grand Caravan
Ford Flex
Infiniti EX35
Mini Cooper Clubman
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Eos
The 10 best road-trip cars and where to take them from the Los Angeles Times.
Best line of the night
“TSA announces plan to streamline security checkpoints by allowing passengers to leave laptops in special, Targus or Skooba-designed bags. This announcement brought to you by Targus and Skooba, for all your laptop needs”
How to Pack
“Next week, AirTran Airways and American Airlines will join Northwest, Delta, US Airways, United and Continental in requiring passengers to pay a fee if they can’t cram all their clothes, shoes, books, and hairdryers into one bag to check.”
How to Pack Everything You Own in One Bag
More:
“If it’s not on your list, it shouldn’t be in your bag,” Dyment tells NPR’s Michele Norris. “What happens with people is that they pack before their trip, and that packing activity consists mostly of talking to yourself and saying, ‘Well I might need this and I might need that and what if the queen invites me to dinner?’ And that’s death to light packing.”
That’s me all right, though I did have just one bag (plus a carry-on backpack) for my recent week-long trip to Virginia.
The Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe National Historic Trail was established on May 8th in 1987.
Between 1821 and 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was primarily a commercial highway connecting Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. From 1821 until 1846, it was an international commercial highway used by Mexican and American traders. In 1846, the Mexican-American War began. The Army of the West followed the Santa Fe Trail to invade New Mexico. When the Treaty of Guadalupe ended the war in 1848, the Santa Fe Trail became a national road connecting the United States to the new southwest territories. Commercial freighting along the trail continued, including considerable military freight hauling to supply the southwestern forts. The trail was also used by stagecoach lines, thousands of gold seekers heading to the California and Colorado gold fields, adventurers, fur trappers, and emigrants. In 1880 the railroad reached Santa Fe and the trail faded into history.
Earth Day Travels
NewMexiKen thought it would be good to share in the burning of some high-octane jet fuel in commemoration of Earth Day, so I am writing from the Albuquerque Sunport about to fly over, by my count, about a dozen states (and perhaps a bit of Canada). One can’t always get from Albuquerque to Virginia, without connecting in some seemingly out of the way place — like Minneapolis.
Should you care to drop by Casa NewMexiKen while I am away visiting the east coast Sweeties, be alert for the rattlesnakes. They like to curl up behind the electronic gear. The scorpions in my closet are nasty little fellows, too.
We’ll see if the Sweeties have plans for Grandpa, or if I can just spend all day blogging like at home.
See, I’m not the only one
This Sonics move can really eat at an NBA writer, too.
“As a longtime NBA traveler, I’d much rather see the SuperSonics in Seattle,” wrote Sam Smith of The Sporting News. “It’s a beautiful city with phenomenal restaurants and culture and a quirky populace that makes you wonder at times if the country tipped in the late 1960s and the hippie movement landed there and stayed. It’s a place unlike any in the U.S.
“Among the best last meals has to be the Copper River salmon available in the late spring.
“It hardly compares with my favorite IHOP in Oklahoma City.”
National Park Week April 19-27
National Park Week is an annual Presidentially proclaimed week for celebration and recognition of Your National Parks.
Your National Parks are living examples of the best this Nation has to offer – our magnificent natural landscapes and our varied yet interrelated heritage. Parks can provide recreational experiences, opportunities to learn and grow, and places of quiet refuge.
This year, take a moment, an hour, a day to visit the national parks near you.
Follow the link for a schedule of events.
The bone-bending, ergonomic hell of economy class
Ask the pilot, Patrick Smith talks about airliner seats:
When carriers offer improvements, the focus, all too often, is on legroom. The various souped-up economy cabins out there — marketed as Economy Plus, Premium Economy, etc. — emphasize legroom as their biggest selling point. I can’t speak for everybody — I’m under 6 feet tall — but among the least of my concerns is the lack of space for my legs. A bigger issue is the inability to lift my legs.
What he talks about is actually kind of interesting for anyone who flies, including something I’ve never thought about before — why no cup holders?
‘Less a harbinger of disaster than a wake-up call’
Ask the pilot’s Patrick Smith takes a look at the aircraft maintenance problem — and reminds us:
The system, as it stands, is remarkably safe. Although airlines have been through fiscal hell and back over the past several years, and despite their status as the most consistently dogged pariahs of the postindustrial American economy, they and their regulators have managed to maintain an astonishingly reliable transportation system. Here we are amid the safest-ever stretch since the dawn of the jet age. The last large-scale accident involving a major U.S. carrier was that of an American Airlines A300 in November 2001. That was approximately 43 million flights ago.
Blah blah blahs
NewMexiKen will be returning to the Land of Enchantment later today. In the meanwhile, I haven’t much to say.
I don’t know why The Sweeties disappeared from the right sidebar — well, I know why but I can’t seem to fix it. I’ll get them back somehow. Update: Replaced old version with new slideshow version. It still needs some tweaking — and some new photos, but The Sweeties are back!
Dinner last night at a West Seattle waterfront restaurant included a stunning view of the city skyline across Elliott Bay on a beautifully clear evening. Mount Rainier stood out above the haze and from different vantage points one could see the North Cascades in the east and the Olympic Mountains across Puget Sound. This really is a magnificent setting and a great city to visit. If you haven’t been here, make a point of it.
I had salmon Friday, Sunday, Wednesday lunch and Wednesday dinner. Monday I had halibut. Oh, and oysters on the half-shell both Sunday and Monday. Yummy. (It’s not as if fresh fish isn’t available just about anywhere these days, but it just seems right when one is near the ocean.)
Hotel
NewMexiKen mentioned the Seattle Westin yesterday but of course I can’t afford to stay THERE.
Here’s where I am staying.
Plus, of course, I got the AARP discount.
Where is NewMexiKen?
Here are three photos so you can figure out where I might be. I took them during a drive from one city to another Monday.
(No fair playing if you actually KNOW where I am.)
Click each image for a larger version.
Europe as seen from Asia
Click image (of Istanbul from across the Bosporus) for larger version and to learn more.
One of NewMexiKen’s favorite places.
Central Park
NMK fave Avelino (Live from Silver City) took a handful of photos today in New York’s Central Park. I believe it’s his first visit.
Nice.
On the road again
Seemed like a good time to get out of town, so here you see what I saw as I came down I-25 into Colorado from Raton Pass. (Click image for larger version.)
Again, I’m no Ansel Adams. On the other hand Adams didn’t take too many photos that I know of while driving on an interstate. (And to think they consider cell phones a distraction!)
Earlier, on a cool but clear late winter’s morning I drove through Las Vegas, New Mexico. From I-25 Las Vegas appears to be just another dusty little town, but it has some historical treasures. Here’s the Palace Hotel on the plaza and the Plaza itself. I stopped and got out of the car for these. Click images for larger versions.
Yellowstone National Park
AN ACT to set apart a certain tract of land lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River as a public park.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the tract of land in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming, lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River . . . is hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale under the laws of the United States, and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people; and all persons who shall locate or settle upon or occupy the same, or any part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and removed therefrom.
SEC 2. That said public park shall be under the exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior, whose duty it shall be, as soon as practicable, to make and publish such rules and regulations as he may deem necessary or proper for the care and management of the same. Such regulations shall provide for the preservation, from injury or spoliation, of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within said park, and their retention in their natural condition.
. . .
s / Ulysses S. Grant, March 1, 1872
