Category: Your Own Trail
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Travel Tip: Suicide Prevention
Last weekend, I unpacked a favorite handbag after months in storage while I traveled. It’s a large, sleek tote, and the lipstick red leather is a splash. On Tuesday, June 5, that bag was on my shoulder when I read that its maker had died. I hadn’t known much about Kate Spade, but I admired…
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Green Sounds in Post-Hurricane Puerto Rico
Brown sounds are the happenings of a hurricane — sandy waves and sewage gush in the streets and rush down the mountains. Mud slabs and unforgiving boulders create a sound vacuum through humble hillside dwellings. Across this land covered in color and surrounded by turquoise Caribbean water, these sounds of dirt and destruction still echoed…
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How to Honor MLK Through Travel
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s leadership in the U.S. civil rights movement and violent assassination have left an unparalleled legacy. His peace, passion and perseverance have changed the world and continue to influence us today. You can see how for yourself at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Then, you…
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Where to Donate to Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Recovery
First of all, thank you to everyone who’s reached out to me during this journey in Puerto Rico. I’m nearly done with my assignment, and every day has had its share of challenges and accomplishments. Anything I face pales in comparison with these survivors of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, many of whom have been without…
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Posts from Puerto Rico
Until this summer, some of us might not have thought of Puerto Rico too often. Be honest — did “Despacito” get stuck in your head more than once as coverage of Hurricane Maria took over the news? It’s been well over a month since the hurricane made landfall on the island (September 20). It might…
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How to Thank a Park Ranger for World Ranger Day 2017
There are many types of park rangers performing a variety of duties on our public lands, but what they all have in common is working in service to the resources, wildlife and future generations. Today, July 31, 2017, is the 10th Annual World Ranger Day. I hope that we all reach out in some way…
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#WhyIMarch is a Lot Like Why I Travel
[Author’s note: I’m resharing this post a year later on the eve of the 2nd Women’s March. This year, I’ll attend in Nevada due to my current locale. Think about how we blew their minds last year. But it’s still time to resist and persist! Best wishes for safety and solidarity to my fellow Marchers,…
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Chinook-y: Yurt Life in High Wind
Last month, when the temperatures dipped well into the negative degrees Fahrenheit, I thought, “I’m so glad I just moved out of the yurt!” Last week, as I dug my car out of a foot of snow to get to work, I thought, “I’m so glad I moved out of the yurt!” And yesterday at…
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Fat Bottom Girls, You Make the Rocket World Go ‘Round
This goes out to everyone who’s wondered if they measure up (or down) enough. By attending the GOES-R Satellite launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, I was completing a bucket list item. More than that though, I want to help tell the story of why space exploration still matters, matters more than ever. Since Colorado is consistently…
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Did I Mention I Live in a Yurt?
Wrapping up lunch at Denver Biscuit Company on Colfax Avenue, I said to my companion something about my latest living situation, a rented yurt. She teased, “Way to bury the lead! You live in a YURT?” It was just that we had a lot of other neat stuff to catch up on, so housing didn’t come…
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Five Years and One Day
It’s been five years since my first solo trip. It was my dream to go to Machu Picchu, so I went. Well, first I went to Houston, Lima, Cuzco, Ollantaytambo and Aguas Calientes. But then I finally made it to the ancient Incan ruins of Machu Picchu. It was everything I hoped it would be…
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So Put Me on a Highway, and Show Me a Sign
I’d heard a little bit of The Eagles’ music when I was growing up, but I didn’t really start listening to them until I was in my 20’s. When I heard today that Glenn Frey, the legendary band’s co-founder, passed away, I was rightfully dismayed. Then I pulled up his song-writing credits and realized how…
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Scenic Routes and Second Chances
I’ve learned a thing or two about the quintessential travel experience known as The Road Trip. In 2014-2015, I road tripped in 25 U.S. states! Before that, I’d really only taken one as an adult solo and one as an adult paired. One of the best parts of road tripping is stopping for scenic overlooks…
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Travelers Live Vicariously Too
I’ve been noticing commentary lately about how what we share on social media is inaccurate of real life and only shows the brightest aspects of it. There are also studies, of course at this point hardly newsworthy, about how social media use affects our self-esteem. And then there are people who make snide remarks about…