Archive for March, 2012

March30

I Love Las Vegas: Hoover Dam and Bypass Bridge

By: JoAnna

I Love Las Vegas: Hoover Dam and Bypass BridgeOkay, so the Hoover Dam isn’t exactly in Las Vegas, but chances are you wouldn’t visit the dam in isolation without taking the time to visit Las Vegas. And actually, most people who want to visit Hoover Dam do so as a day trip from the city.

And who wouldn’t? The Hoover Dam is pretty darn spiffy. I’ve never considered myself an engineering geek by any stretch of the imagination, but I can’t help but be impressed with the Hoover Dam and the Hoover Dam bypass bridge, located about 30 minutes from the heart of Las Vegas by car.

There are so many fantastic things to do beyond the Strip and even the immediate city limits of Las Vegas, and visiting the Hoover Dam is one of those things. I’ve been to the dam before, but every time I go (usually to take someone who is visiting us), I’m blown away by the enormity and scale of the dam. Built in the 1930s as a way to control floods, store water and provide hydroelectric power, the Hoover Dam is an engineering feat with an awesome list of statistics including:

  • The dam weighs 6.6 million tons.
  • It is 726.4 feet from foundation rock to the roadway on the crest of the dam.
  • There are 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete in the dam.

And so on and so forth.

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March28

Wanderlust Wednesday: Alley Art in Willemstad, Curaçao

By: JoAnna

Need to escape? Looking to be whisked away? Itching for travel inspiration?

Look no further than the colorful alleyways in Willemstad, an UNESCO World Heritage site in Curaçao. Though the buildings throughout the entire city are multi-hued, it’s very easy to find rainbow-colored street art tucked down many of the streets.

Wanderlust Wednesday: Alley Art in Willemstad, Curaçao

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March26

Images: Rock Art by Roy Purcell in Chloride, Arizona

By: JoAnna

Chloride, Arizona, is a living ghost town.

It’s an odd village with crumbling buildings, a bizarre collection of yard art and an impressive number of tractors. More than 72 mines used to operate in Chloride, and remnants of many of them can still be seen today. There are a few small corner shops where people sell gifts and cold sodas, and occasionally a ghost is spotted wandering around, but other than that, there’s not a whole lot going on in this high desert town.

Except one thing …

Located between Boulder City, Nevada, and Kingman, Arizona, off of US 93, Chloride is the home to a massive rock mural painted by Roy Purcell. The mural is painted across several rocks that are located on the far side of the town. The entire collection of paintings stands 30 feet tall and is known as “The Journey.” It depicts several symbols that have spiritual meanings such as the yin and yang, the serpent and the sun and moon. Purcell originally painted the rocks in 1966 and 1967, and  they have been restored since then, so the colors are bright and vibrant.

If you visit “The Journey,” keep a few things in mind.

> There aren’t a lot of facilities in this part of Arizona, so fill up with gas before visiting.
> Carry water with you. This is the high desert, so it is dry year round and it can be exceedingly hot in the summertime.
> Nothing protects this art, so please be respectful and avoid vandalizing it.

Click on the smaller images below to view the slideshow.

Images: Rock Art by Roy Purcell in Chloride, Arizona

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March23

A Chicken on the Run in Iowa, Louisiana

By: JoAnna

A Chicken on the Run in Iowa, LouisianaWhen most people think of Mardi Gras, they picture parties powered by booze, strings upon strings of beads and elaborate costumes decked out in sequins and feathers. It’s not an inaccurate picture of Mardi Gras by any stretch of the imagination, but what many people don’t realize is that the celebration has evolved over the years and isn’t the way it used to be.

In years past, many Mardi Gras celebrations used to involve something known as the chicken run, where chickens were tossed out into the wild and children chased and caught them. Upon catching the chickens, their necks were wrung and then they were used in the communal pot of gumbo. People wore simple clothing in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of green, gold and purple to frighten the chickens. Instead of fancy costumes, these were often made out of scraps and masks were simply eye coverings.

The traditional Mardi Gras chicken run has all but died out, but in Iowa, Louisiana, a small town of just under 3,000 people, the ritual lives on. Every year for more than 30 years, community members have gathered for an annual chicken run parade that includes the customary costumes, several chicken throws, zydeco music, dancing for gumbo ingredients and a block party vibe that brings the community together.

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March21

Wanderlust Wednesday: Wildflowers at Cedar Breaks

By: JoAnna

Need to escape? Looking to be whisked away? Itching for travel inspiration?

Look no further than the wildflowers of Cedar Breaks National Monument. The Utah park is known for its brilliantly colored flowers and, in fact, hosts a wildflower festival every June that includes guided walks, workshops and Zion Canyon Field Institute classes.

Wanderlust Wednesday: Wildflowers at Cedar Breaks

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March19

What Makes a Hotel Eco-Friendly?

By: JoAnna

What Makes a Hotel Eco Friendly? Being eco-friendly is all the rage these days, but what, exactly, does that mean if you travel? Certainly there are many ways to minimize your eco-footprint in all stages of the travel process, but choosing earth-friendly accommodations is one of the biggest choices you’ll need to make if you want to enjoy an environmentally conscious holiday.

Keep in mind that hotels that are eco-friendly aren’t always easy to spot from the outside. This is because many environmental concerns are managed behind-the-scenes so that guests can have care-free stays, regardless of the carbon footprint. Nonetheless, there are a few telltale signs for how green your hotel is simply by a few design features and service policies that have been put into place.

Many hotels claim to be eco-friendly to get your business because they know that environmental consciousness is an increasing concern with today’s consumers, but this façade (known as greenwashing) often only confuses people. As an eco-conscious consumer, the most important thing you can do is choosing a property that has made a commitment to go green, supporting that property by paying the (possibly) higher price that may be affiliated with it and sharing your findings with others. Only then will all hotels feel the need to take steps to help preserve the environment.

So what should you be looking for in a true eco-friendly hotel? Here are a few signs that your accommodations really are going green:

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Posted in: Contemplation, Resources, Stay4 comments

March16

I Love Las Vegas: Smith Center

By: JoAnna

I Love Las Vegas: Smith CenterYou might know Las Vegas for it’s glitz and glam, the highrise hotels and celebrity chefs, Cirque shows and all-night parties.

But now, my friends, Las Vegas is going to become a hotspot for the arts, and I am ridiculously excited!

The Smith Center, which is part of Las Vegas’ downtown revitalization project, sits on five acres and is 100% dedicated to arts and culture. The center includes:

  • A massive, multi-level hall with a full orchestra pit, a huge stage for big-name productions and great seats … even in the balconies.
  • A 258-seat cabaret performance space with full meal service. This space reminds me of cabaret clubs in New Orleans.
  • A small black box theatre that has many uses including rehearsal space, small-scale productions and lecture space.

Education and community outreach play a huge part in the Smith Center’s mission. Students and educators will have access to arts and culture materials and presentations, and a number of resident artists will work closely with the center to enhance creative education throughout the community.

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Posted in: Go, I Love Las Vegas8 comments

March14

Wanderlust Wednesday: Sunshine in Halong Bay

By: JoAnna

Need to escape? Looking to be whisked away? Itching for travel inspiration?

Look no further than Halong Bay, Vietnam, where more than 2,000 outcroppings dot the watery landscape. Though my exploration of Halong Bay by junk wasn’t the world’s greatest experience, I was still wowed by the sunlight reflecting off the water.

Wanderlust Wednesday: Sunshine in Halong Bay

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March12

Reading: The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders

By: JoAnna

Reading: The Photographer: Into War Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without BordersI’ve taken up an interest in graphic novels lately, and while I was scanning that section at the library awhile back, I happened upon The Photographer: Into War-Torn Afghanistan with Doctors Without Borders, which immediately attracted my interest. I’ve been intrigued with Doctors Without Borders for many years anyway, but as I flipped through the book on the library floor, I was drawn in by the creative mix of photography and classic graphic novel art.

The Photographer is the story of photojournalist Didier Lefèvre’s journey into Afghanistan with a humanitarian expedition of Doctors Without Borders, the medical organization that ventures into disaster zones and high-risk situations to provide care to those who need it most. The expedition took place in the fall of 1986, when the Soviet Union occupied parts of the country and long before the tragedy of September 11, 2001.

At the beginning of the book, Lefèvre is in Peshawar, Pakistan, preparing to embark on the journey into Afghanistan with a Doctors Without Borders team. He is admittedly quite naïve about the political situation, geography and difficulties of what is to come, but it is because he is viewing this time and space in wide-eyed wonder and curiosity that we as readers are treated to insights about even the smallest, day-to-day details that Lefèvre notices.

The journey into Afghanistan is not easy. It involves several weeks of strenuous walking, the threat of bombing from the Russians, exhaustion, hunger and difficulty with communication (Lefèvre only knows a few basic words of the local language). Along the way, he documents the expedition with his camera. We follow the feisty animals, learn about village hierarchy, witness graphic injuries and begin to understand the problems plaguing the Afghanistan countryside.

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March9

Sink Into This: Cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula | Mexico

By: JoAnna

Sink Into This: Cenotes of the Yucatan Peninsula | MexicoThe Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico (home to the Riviera Maya) rises from a continental platform that divides the Gulf of Mexico from the Caribbean Sea. It’s basically a floating slab that doesn’t exceed 200 meters above sea level. In some places, the water has created cracks and gaps in this platform, which has resulted in one of the area’s most unique geological features: Cenotes.

There are hundreds of cenotes throughout the Yucatan Peninsula. They are a bit like sinkholes, appearing randomly in the landscape, surrounded by vegetation and filled with water that is an impressive turquoise color, in part because the entire area is connected by a series of underground rivers. They are not only a unique geological feature on the Yucatan Peninsula, but they were also important sources of water and sites of worship for the Maya. In fact, cenotes were very much a part of the Mayan culture and history; they played a significant role in their local folklore, and artifacts, cave drawings and other pieces of archeological evidence are widespread throughout the area, punctuating the importance of cenotes to the first settlers in the area.

The expansive stretch of cenotes on the Yucatan Peninsula makes this a popular place for cave diving, and in places, where cenotes once existed there are now simply underground caves, many of which served as sacred sites for the Maya. Calcehtok is the site one of the Yucatan Peninsula’s largest cave features, which is made up of 30 smaller caves, many of which are likely connected to each other. Balankanché is a spacious cave with many interesting geological features, and rock paintings, rock carvings and sculptures from generations past have been found in Loltún.

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