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ARCHIVES: NORTH AMERICA
EXPERIENCING HORSE RACING CULTURE: Louisville, Kentucky
Kentucky and the city of Louisville are to horses what North Carolina is to NASCAR. I got a chance to see some of the inner workings of Churchill Downs while meeting some very famous world class athletic celebrities of the four-footed kind, then relaxed at a horse racing-themed bar.
KNOCKING ON WISCONSIN’S DOOR: Door County, Wisconsin
The area received its name from the French, when it was dubbed Porte de Mortes (or “Door to Death”), because of the treacherous strait between the peninsula and the islands off its northern end, which today is the resting place of countless sunken ships. Door County also boasts multiple white sand beaches that line Lake Michigan.
CELEBRATING THE ROYAL WEDDING: Victoria, BC
It was a historic Royal Wedding weekend celebrated in style in British Columbia’s capital city, Victoria, named for Queen Victoria. Victoria is one my favourite local destinations, so my friend and I decided to visit this historic West Coast city to celebrate the royal event.
PRESERVING HISTORY: Cleveland, Tennessee
The growing city of Cleveland, Tennessee has a population of over 38,000. In late 2007, it was ranked nationally as one of 50 best places to raise a family by BusinessWeek.com. Also, Forbes Magazine found Cleveland to be one of the top communities in the nation to do business. While a good place to do business and raise a family, it would hardly seem to be a destination for history buffs, but the town has made preserving history a priority.
THE MYSTERIOUS GREAT SERPENT MOUND: Ohio, USA
The rolling hills of Southern Ohio surround me in all directions. My husband and I travel along the secluded wilderness below the Great Serpent Mound. From head to tail the Serpent measures 1,330 feet in length and three feet in width.
THE GHOSTS OFF THE MISSISSIPPI: Alton, Illinois
Gary Hawkins knows how to catch a ghost. Yes, he boldly claims that he knows how to snatch one by the limbs, and make them screech, howl and fight until he decides to let them go. Hawkins sure gets plenty of practice too, because he resides in one of the most haunted places in America.
WONDERLAND OF ROCKS AND TREES: Joshua Tree National Park, California
I’ve never been much interested in rocks. I’ve always seen them as lumps of matter, squatting sullenly in the earth. So when I started on a journey through the Joshua Tree National Park, near Palm Springs, California, I never expect to be so excited and amazed by the rocks found there.
GUNG HAY FAT CHOY - CELEBRATING THE LUNAR NEW YEAR IN CHINATOWN: Vancouver, Canada
A West Coast mist that quickly turned into an icy downpour didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the spectators or stop the lions and dragons from dancing in this year’s Chinese New Year’s parade. From marching bands, politicians, police, banner waving martial arts groups and pretty dancing girls, there was entertainment for all ages.
EXPERIENCE THE HISTORY: Louisville, Kentucky
In Louisville, Kentucky, I found some of the city’s best gems using a variety of transport means, and in the process fulfilled one childhood wish. From flying in a classic biplane to riverboating on the Ohio River, my getting travel-intimate with this city was made all the more fun and adventurous.
NORTH BY NORTHWEST: Before James Bond, There was The Man in Lincoln’s Nose
Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest remains one of the most entertaining motion pictures of all time. It pops up repeatedly on lists of Greatest American Movies and thanks largely to Turner Classic Movies, is possibly the most televised of all Hitchcock films. Odd then, that one of his most famous pictures started as a vague notion about a guy hanging from Abraham Lincoln’s nose.
BAFFIN ISLAND! O CANADA! Nunavit, Canada
I have always dreamed of travelling to the Arctic North, a land full of wonder, mystery and adventure. Somehow, I felt a “calling” in my heart. I often wonder, maybe in my past life I was an Inuit or a polar bear, yearning to return back to where I belong? I finally decided to realize my dream. So I pack all my heavy winter clothing and set off to Baffin Island.
HAUNTING TOURS IN AMERICAN CITIES: Chicago, New Orleans, Hollywood, New York and Savannah
Haunting tours to five US cities noted for their outstanding scandalous, murderous and strange behavior by a few of their illustrious and nefarious citizens – their ghosts and spirits still haunt the byways and thoroughfares of the cities. On a tour for the curious folk, the skeptics who will visit the haunted sites in the cities of America could make them a real believer in ghosts.
EXPLORING PUEBLO PAST: San Diego, California
As you walk from the paved trolley stop into arid, sandy “Old Town” San Diego isn’t just a change of terrain, it‘s a step across the sands of time into the early 19th century when the settlement was in transition from Mexican pueblo to American frontier town.
DOING THE LA DE DA - Detroit’s Hamtramck Neighborhood
Following Big Daddy down the street playing “Doing the La De Da” on the accordion was just one part of a fun-filled morning I spent in Hamtramck, the city of 25,000 surrounded by metropolitan Detroit. It is just a short distance from the center of Detroit and the cultural center of the Detroit’s Polish community.
HOMES OF SPLENDOR, SPEED, AND SPIRIT: Daytona Beach, Florida
Daytona Beach is known nationally as hosting the famed Daytona 500 and has been a hotspot for young hedonistic Spring Breakers to kick up their heels. Yet this place is more than somewhere to get a nice tan or to escape from the wintry climates.
FLORIDA: Miami's Indian History
You can’t visit Miami without being reminded of the Seminoles, the Miccosukee and the Tequesta, South Florida’s native American ancestors. What better pastime for a rainy Friday afternoon than leaving the glamour of South Beach behind and diving into the exciting history of the Indians with a visit to the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.
BURN AWAY THE WINTER BLUES: Whitehorse, Yukon
Torches are being held high. Banners and tall effigies depicting both Father Winter and the dragon of Spring are flowing into the night’s festivities as if alive. The sun has now settled into an intense cobalt blue creating a backdrop for the stark black trees lining the hills. I am in awe.
FLAVOR OF NEW ORLEANS IN TWENTY FOUR HOURS: Louisiana
While Bourbon Street, jazz, voodoo, street musicians and good food are always available, the season has lengthy lulls when Mardi Gras-related activities are unavailable. How do you compensate for those down- times? You find that “extra adrenaline rush” by sampling everything that New Orleans has to offer over a single 24 hour period.
DOG MUSHING IN THE YUKON
Five dogs lurch forward with shocking fierceness, without one second of hesitation, throwing my city-soft body into shock. Frantically I grab for the crossbar with my mittened hands, raise one foot off the brake — a small spiked platform of snowmobile track — to a small, icy runner. The other foot tests the brake. A 61 year old woman…what was I doing?
THE TRINITY SITE - WHERE THE FIRST ATOMIC BOMB WAS EXPLODED: New Mexico
Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975, the Trinity Site is near the north end of the Jornada del Muerto desert. This desert name often translates as “journey of the dead man,” the name the Spanish conquistadors gave to the 1660s northerly route from Mexico. The origin of the code name “Trinity” is uncertain.
TOSSING & TURNING WITH THE LEMP MANSION SPOOKS: St. Louis, Missouri
The thirty-three room mansion that is the focus of so much ghostly activity today was bought in 1876 by the Lemps. William’s daughter Hilda married Gustav Pabst of Milwaukee, creating a powerful beer alliance in 1897. But the good times for the Lemps were about to end, and tragedy would begin to assault the family.
EXPLORING OLD MONTREAL: Montreal, Quebec
I descend slowly into the dimly lit archeological site in the Old Port of Montreal. I am now below the ground level of the beautifully preserved Pointe-à-Callière Museum. As my eyes adjust to the light, the foundations of the formally standing Royal Insurance building (1861 – 1951) appear before me as an ancient maze.
SEARCHING FOR THE LAKE NORMAN MONSTER: North Carolina, USA
Loch Ness, Scotland. Lake Van, Turkey. Lake Hodges, California. Seljord Lake, Norway all have had reported sightings of monsters. North Carolina has its own alleged monster of the waterway called The Lake Norman Monster, or “Normie” to his close friends.
THE 2010 WINTER OLYMPICS: Vancouver, Canada
As Host City of the 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games, we Vancouverites will welcome the world this February. I’ve lived here most of my life and will share with you all the sights and attractions my city has to offer, including Vancouver’s colourful history.
WRITING-ON-STONE PROVINCIAL PARK: Alberta Canada
"The Writing-On-Stone Provincial Park" situates as the earth splits, cracking the dusty plains open to reveal layers of ancient geography—sandstone scrubbed by rain and wind and glacier and who knows what violent or persistent acts of nature.
SAILING THE MAINE COAST: Penobscot Bay Maine, USA
Imagine sailing the Maine coast on a schooner launched in 1871. The Stephen Taber, a historic landmark, has been sailing continuously for 138 years. Originally a cargo boat, it now takes up to 22 passengers on sailing adventures through Penobscot Bay.
CELEBRATING THE BIRTH OF BRITISH COLUMBIA: Fort Langley, British Columbia CanadaRain pours down and the chill creeps into my bones as I trudge up the hill, past a statue of James Douglas. I splash through the gate in the tall palisade at Fort Langley towards the Big House. I have come to participate in the 151st anniversary of the founding of British Columbia and the swearing-in of James Douglas as the colony’s first governor.
DANIEL BOONE’S FORT BOONESBOROUGH: Kentucky, USA
Fort Boonesborough became the second English-speaking settlement in this new land. It is a short walk from the parking lot to the fort, but once inside, the sounds, sights and smells instantly transported me back to an earlier and much simpler time.
CELEBRATING FRENCH-CANADIAN HERITAGE: Maillardville B.C.’s Festival Du Bois
It’s almost time for the evening show to go on and the enormous tent is already crammed to capacity. Long tables are set up, banquet style, occupied by hundreds of people, some of them sporting toques and sashes, some enjoying plates of French Canadian cuisine and a glass of beer or wine. The atmosphere is definitely festive.
GOLD ON SHOALWATER BAY: Oysterville, Washington
Today, tiny Oysterville is a National Historic District, and fresh oysters can still be found in Shoalwater (now Willapa) Bay. A number of small, family owned farms spurn the use of dredging a pesticides used by the larger corporations, and harvest fresh, deliciously organic oysters daily. My family and I visit Oysterville often, and we love everything about this tiny town that time forgot.
GOLD RUSH NARROW GAUGE: Skagway, Alaska
I arrived in Skagway by ship, as did so many adventurers on their quests after riches. My ship, of course, was one of several large cruise ships that arrive every day during Alaska’s short tourist season, not one of the picturesque, small steamers of the Klondike days. As do most of today’s travelers, I boarded my train on the dock, right alongside my ship.
AFRICA - THE CLIFFS OF BANDIAGARA: Bandiagara, Mali
Dogon Country denotes a region of roughly 400,000 hectares, following the Bandiagara Escarpment, an astonishing line of cliffs which climbs up to 500m at its highest points in 150 km. The stunning views from the top went for miles. Savannah went all the way to the horizon, or sand, or rock. The area felt at times impossibly remote, but it was one of Mali’s first tourist groups.
THE PEDDLERS OF THE HANGZHOU NIGHT MARKET: Hangzhou, China
It is the low season for tourism, so other than myself there are only a few westerners out this evening. Vendors beckon with cries of “Hello, hello!” and “CD, DVD!” They are relentless, thrusting cracked plates and crumbling vases in my face as they scream, “Ming Dynasty!”
WHERE PERSONAL AND FRONTIER HISTORY MERGE: Casper, Wyoming
The venues that travelers deem as either a neat place to visit or a waste of time and money are often spots where the dramas, the highs, and lows of another’s past may have played out, leaving imbedded memories. Such is the case for the venue of Casper, Wyoming, where I came of age in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
THE KING OF RAGTIME - SCOTT JOPLIN: St. Louis, Missouri USA
The only home where Scott Joplin ever lived that still stands is a humble yet handsome, brick, walk-up flat on Delmar Boulevard in St. Louis. It is open as a state historic site, serving both as a tribute to Joplin and perhaps the nation’s most significant monument to this truly American musical genre.
A CIVIL WAR CAMP ADVENTURE: Petersburg, Virginia
My husband John and I signed up for the Civil War Adventure Camp, part of the Pamplin Historical Park. I volunteered for the Army of the Potomac and John joined the Army of the Confederacy. Regardless of the visions of glory when enlisting, this quickly faded with the intensity of the training and experiencing the horror of war, albeit a ‘mock’ war.
THE GHOSTS OF SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN: Canada
Saskatchewan is crisscrossed with a myriad of highways so the choice of routes seemed endless. Old Wives appealed to me because of the legend I had heard surrounding its name. Many years ago there was an encampment of Cree at this site. Further away in the hills the Blackfoot were waiting to attack.
BURNABY HERITAGE VILLAGE: YE OLDE FASHIONED CHRISTMAS: British Columbia, Canada
Every December, Burnaby Heritage Village in Burnaby, B.C. Canada reopens for its heritage holiday schedule. Festively dressing up and entertaining guests with special activities, it’s an opportunity for visitors to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas. Entering this charming 1920’s village, families cross a bridge above a murmuring creek and step back to a simpler era.
NORTHWEST COMPANY FUR POST - A STEP BACK IN TIME: Minnesota, USA
Located along the Snake River, one and a half miles west of present-day Pine City in northern Minnesota, sits a recreated 1804 wintering fur post of the Northwest Company. During the early 1800s, the Northwest Company was expanding its number of fur posts to keep ahead of its competition, the XY Company.
TALES OF THE YUKON: The Yukon International Storytelling Festival
After two long hours thumbing for a ride outside the small Alaskan town of Skagway while holding a large cardboard flap reading “Whitehorse”, a small dusty car pulled over. It was the first chapter of my trip to Whitehorse’s annual and nineteenth Yukon storytelling festival.
EXPERIENCE THE HISTORY: Louisville, Kentucky
In Louisville, Kentucky, I found some of the city’s best gems using a variety of transport means, and in the process fulfilled one childhood wish. From flying in a classic biplane to riverboating on the Ohio River, my getting travel-intimate with this city was made all the more fun and adventurous.
WASHINGTON IRVING’S SPIRIT IS ALIVE AND WELL: Sleepy Hollow, NY
Literature fans who call New York State home are fortunate. Our country’s first internationally known author “wrote” his legacy in two of Gotham’s most lush spots: the Hudson Valley and the Catskill Mountains. Washington Irving (1783 – 1859) authored two of the most renowned tales in ALL of literature.
THE MYSTERY OF OUR HISTORY: Discovering Alert Bay, BC
When we descended the ferry at Alert Bay I looked around with anticipation. An elaborate gateway carved with ‘Namgis First Nation, Gilakas’la Welcome' greeted us. Down Front Street, which ran forever along the waterfront was the Namgis Burial Grounds dotted with numerous totem poles interspersed with a few crosses to mark the graves.
RIVERSIDE: Louisville, Kentucky USA
History is never lost when we experience places like Riverside. When you visit, let history surround you as you leisurely walk through each room of the home. Enjoy each moment of your walk over the grounds, the gardens, and the landing, allowing people and pieces of history to whisper to you what life was like long ago on the banks of the Ohio River in southwest Louisville, Kentucky.
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