Category ArchiveEverywhere Once |

A Chaotic Kaleidoscope of Color

by Brian on January 28, 2013 in Arizona, Travel, United States

Regional festivals are something we never think to include in our trip planning. It’s an ongoing blind spot of ours. Mostly we roll into town and discover that we missed an annual extravaganza by a couple of days or weeks. Unless, of course, the event happens to be the big Harley Davidson Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota. Apparently if it’s the kind of gathering that inspires news segments contrasting this year’s criminal violations with those of past rallies we show up just in time.

Our luck in these things isn’t always bad, though. In Yuma, Arizona, an equally colorful event of a completely different variety awaited us. Every November for the past 22 years hot air balloonists from around the region descend on Yuma for a weekend of floating and plumage flaunting. Without planning it, we somehow arrived in Yuma the Friday before liftoff.

Of Donkeys and Asses

by Brian on January 25, 2013 in Arizona, Travel, United States

I think I’d prefer “ghost towns” if they had more, you know, actual ghosts. I’d be happier still if they simply had fewer living people. It’s not that I generally prefer ghosts to people it’s just that the folks we’ve encountered in such places have been particularly unfriendly. Unfriendly enough to make us long for poltergeists in comparison.

It’s a strange thing, really, because you’d think they’d be happy to see tourists roll into town, almost like carnies eyeing fresh marks. It’s not as if some other industry supports the community. Whatever reason people had for originally settling there is long since gone. Now they survive solely by hawking bad meals and memorabilia to people like us.

Horseshoe Bend from Behind the Lens

by Brian on January 18, 2013 in Arizona, Travel, United States

The iconic turn of the Colorado River known as Horseshoe Bend is easy enough to get to. From Page, AZ, it’s a short five mile drive from town followed by a half mile hike over a small sand dune. Actually seeing Horseshoe Bend is another matter.

Photo of the Day: Horseshoe Bend

by Brian on January 16, 2013 in Arizona, Photo of the Day, United States

Horseshoe Bend, Colorado River, Page, Arizona

Around the World in Vegas (Sort of)

by Brian on January 14, 2013 in Arizona, Travel, United States

There’s more to Las Vegas than just gambling, shopping and shows. And yes, more even than drinking, fornicating and otherwise embarrassing yourself in ways you pray will “Stay in Vegas.” For travelers like us who are uninterested in those things (well, many of those things anyway), we found in Vegas a surprising opportunity for world exploration; if only in a manner of speaking.

It’s fitting that several of the massive casinos dotting The Vegas Strip are themed after actual world cities. Many are large enough to qualify as cities themselves; complete with shopping, dining, entertainment and even museums. Once inside, there is no real reason to ever leave – which is entirely the point. But no matter how captivating a city or casino may be, we’re always looking forward to our next destination. So join us as we travel the world, Vegas style.