Travel

Travel adventures

Blogland: Roar Awards

It’s always nice to get a little recognition with your coffee. Blogger Marilyn has passed on to me a “A Roar for Powerful Words” award saying that I’m her favorite travel writer. Flattery will get you everywhere, even enticing this meme-reluctant blogger to participate in the same. The “Roar” comes with the usual “pass it …


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Book Contest: We Have a Winner!

First, thanks for sharing your stories. And also, (drum roll) meet celebrity judge, and writer of our prize, Chuck Thompson!

Seeing as how I know about half of the folks that entered, I didn’t think I would be able to pick my favorite without having personal stuff in the way. I asked the publicist if he’d ask Chuck Thompson if he’d pick my winner, and hey, he did. He might be cranky as hell about travel writing, but also, it seems he’s a Nice Guy. We’re probably not supposed to know that. Also, the publicist said he’d ship the prize, so I get to keep my copy – more nice guy stuff all around, and, let’s be real here, great marketing. Many thanks, guys!

Here’s a list of the entries:

From Chuck:

A word to all the non-winners: Through the years I’ve entered a number of contests (writing contests, song contests, NCAA bracket pools) and have never won a single one. It sucks not to be chosen, and I’m sorry for being part of the process of you not winning this time. I really am. I hate not winning, though since I’ve never won one of these things I’m not sure I’d handle victory any more graciously than defeat.


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Hawaii: Two Day Trips Worth an Overnight

Visitors to Maui are bombarded with exhortations to head to Hana – and lots do. They stumble out of bed at the crack of dawn, fold themselves into the rental car, and barrel off to the little town at the end of the road, stopping here and there to admire the view, snap photos of the falls, and let oncoming traffic pass. Visitors to the Big Island use this same tactic to go to the volcano, flying through the little towns on the south side, missing the coffee stands and the wonders of South Point to get in and out of the National Park before dark. Hey, it works. If it didn’t work, fewer people would do these excursions as day trips. The West Hawaii to Volcano drive isn’t so bad, though the Hana drive takes forever and doing it in the dark is a trial.

There’s no need for any of that harried rushing about. Both Hana and Volcano are great places to stay the night. We were lucky enough to do so and because we did, we not only have a better sense of what’s there, but we’re psyched to spend more time in the places that are typically revolving door spots for visitors.


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Places in Review, 2007

January: Talked fish in Vancouver. February: Suffered from wanderlust and pined for Saigon. March: Went to Mount Hood to write a story. April: Swooned for West Seattle. May: Roamed the Pacific Northwest. June: Photographed White Center. July: Met new friends in Chicago. August: Photographed Vancouver for a guidebook. September: Wandered in the fog near Snohomish. …


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Loose Ends: Short Reviews

Disclaimer: All this stuff was sent to me by PR companies or publishers. I didn’t pay for any of it. Buzz Off makes a line of clothing out of bug repellent permeated fabrics. I took a couple of bandanna scarfs with me to mosquito infested Hawaii and used them as headbands. What happened? The mozzies …


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Dusk, Interstate 5

What is the feeling when you’re driving away from people, and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? -it’s the too huge world vaulting us, and it’s good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies. –Jack Kerouac Photos shot through the car window at 60mph on …


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