Like many lush Caribbean nations, Jamaica is awash is brilliantly colored flowers. On a recent bloggers trip, I slipped away from the crowd with my new camera in hand and managed to snap a few pictures of some of the country’s vegetation.
Archive for July, 2010
When we pulled up to Chukka Caribbean, an adventure outfitter in Jamaica, I admit to being a little bit skeptical. Though I love adventure activities, I always feel a little put off by companies that offer a menu of offerings that are fun but don’t do much to actually showcase an authentic destination. I love an afternoon of zip lining, white water rafting and ropes courses, but what do we learn from them? So many of these companies could be picked up and placed anywhere else on the planet and nothing would change.
That was my fear with Chukka, which actually operates in a number of different Caribbean locations. How did this company differ from anything else that had a colorful marketing brochure at the hotel concierge?
I met Cherie Ve Ard at Burning Man in 2009. After some snafus with the camp I was originally supposed to stay in, Cherie and her partner, Chris Dunphy, invited me to stay in theirs. Their Burning Man community, Camp Nomadia, is very much in tune with their lifestyle: minimal, interactive and drama-free.
You see, Cherie and Chris, known jointly at Technomadia, travel, work, play and live full-time in a small solar-powered RV. They go when and where they choose, traversing the United States with their cat, Kiki. Cherie and I have remained in close contact since meeting nearly a year ago, and she was kind enough to answer a few questions about the life she and Chris lead as nomadic ambassadors.
1. Tell me a little bit about your nomadic lifestyle.
I’ve been on the road full time since May 2007 in a small, solar-powered, geeked out travel trailer roaming around the USA with my life and business partner, Chris, and our cat, Kiki. We run a software development and technology consulting firm, doing a variety of remote and onsite work … embracing nomadic serendipity at every turn. We have no physical home anywhere else.
At the end of May, a funky creative enclave in the Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree National Park opened its doors to artists and wayward travelers who needed a place to stay outside of Los Angeles. Hicksville Trailer Palace is a kitschy, fun place, one where old trailers have been gutted and redesigned by theme. Set around a small saltwater pool, these trailers make up the lodging at Hicksville.
I had the opportunity to visit Hicksville in June on assignment for Matador Trips, and you can read the complete account of my stay here, but I wanted to let the readers of Kaleidoscopic Wandering know what a truly cool retreat it is. Here are a few photos, which provide only a glimpse into the nature of Hicksville Trailer Palace.
Navajo National Monument is tucked off a small road in northern Arizona, about a 90-minute drive from Page. It encompasses a sprawling canyon, which, in its own right, is quite beautiful with the reds and oranges seeping from the canyon walls. An ancient, overgrown forest with gamble oaks, Douglas firs and quaking aspens fills the canyon.
But in this corner of the Southwest, where Zion and Bryce set up shop near the Grand Canyon, it takes something truly magnificent to impress potential visitors (Cedar Breaks is a prime example).
That’s why it’s the ruins at Navajo National Monument that set this site apart from others. Betatakin, which can be viewed from the overlook of Sandal Trail, consists of the remains from an ancient village in an oversized, gaping alcove. These cave dwellings, which were occupied between 1250 and 1300, are the most accessible to visitors; in addition to being able to view them from the rim, there are free guided hikes offered by the National Park Service into the canyon.
Located on historic Route 66, Winslow, Arizona, is just like any other sleepy southwest town on the road: Kitschy, quiet, cute and, in some respects, crumbling in disrepair. The city was once the largest town in northern Arizona, but the creation of I-40 in the late 1970s literally drove traffic out of the town and many of the city’s businesses faded into history.
In 1972, the Eagles immortalized the city in their song, “Take it Easy.” The lyrics:
Well, I’m a standing on a corner
in Winslow, Arizona
and such a fine sight to see
It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed
Ford slowin’ down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don’t say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
gonna save me
We may lose and we may win though
we will never be here again
so open up, I’m climbin’ in,
so take it easy
In 1994, the Standin’ On The Corner Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the rebirth of the city, sprang into action to revitalize the downtown area of Winslow. In 1997, a committee of volunteers designed a park, which commemorates the corner that made its debut in the Eagles song so many years ago.
It’s a shame that for more than 20 years the city of Winslow nearly faded from existence, and though it’s no happening place now, there is a revitalization and reason for people to visit. In addition to the park, a historic hotel and restaurant have been renovated and several investors have made efforts to kick start the economy in this sleepy southwest town.
