In honor of our recent return to the States, and to commemorate one of our favorite places from last year’s travels, we’re posting for the first time this photo of Painted Canyon in Teddy Roosevelt National Park, ND.
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8 Favorite Destinations, Year 2
We’ve now been on the road for two solid years. During that time we’ve visited 145 different locations in both North and Central America. Last year we highlighted Eight Favorite Destinations from our first year of travel. With another full year under our belts, it’s once again time to select the best from the last 365 days. Each of the following headlines links back to our original blog post about the destination.
Pictured Rocks, MI
If 200-foot, multi-colored sandstone cliffs along a lake of emerald-colored water isn’t how you imagine Michigan, it’s time for a pilgrimage to Pictured Rock National Lakeshore in the state’s Upper Peninsula. It absolutely blew us away with its striking similarities to one of our favorite excursions ever: rafting through the Grand Canyon.
USS Lexington: Fun Facts
The jet engine of a vintage aircraft on USS Lexington's flight deck
Dubbed the “Blue Ghost” by Japanese servicemen who believed they had sunk the aircraft carrier no fewer than four times during World War II, the USS Lexington now rests – entirely intact – as a museum in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Other interesting tidbits:
- The USS Lexington is as tall as a 19 story building and as long as three New York City blocks.
- You could park more than 1,000 automobiles on its flight deck.
- It has more telephones than a city of 5,000.
- It has crossed the equator 13 times.
- It was the first carrier to deploy air-to-surface missiles.
- It has sailed enough miles to circle the globe eight times.
- It has more sleeping spaces than Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas.
- It was the first carrier to establish a seagoing high school.
- It can produce enough electricity to power a city of 150,000.
- I was the first ship in U.S. Navy history to have women aboard as crewmembers.
- The behemoth actually floats.
Free San Antonio
Five ways to spend a day in San Antonio, Texas, without spending a thing.
Walk the River
At street level San Antonio looks like any other American city. One story lower, the River Walk transforms five miles of downtown into canals and bridges befitting the best of Amsterdam and Venice. The Paseo del Rio (walk of the river, in Spanish) is a public park lined with bars, restaurants, hotels and even an outdoor theater. There is no shortage of things to do, day and night, 365 days per year. Just walking and taking in the atmosphere is wonderful, though, and free.
American Safari
When we think about wildlife viewing trips our minds immediately conjure images of a long coveted African safari, or maybe a sail through the Galapagos Islands. We don’t normally think of the American mid-west.
A travel truism is that we appreciate the far off and discount the nearby. I spent nearly two decades in one of the best cities on earth but didn’t really understand New York as a travel destination until after I left. Similarly, we have some pretty spectacular wildlife right here in the U.S. that often gets overlooked.
The good news is that we didn’t need a reminder to marvel at all the fabulous critters that crossed our path over the past six months. Here’s a partial tribute to what we saw, both great and small.
Meet Brian and Shannon
Fulltime wanderers since 2010, Brian & Shannon are traveling the world on a quest to see everything there is to see . . . at least once.
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