Retirement? Thoughts to Consider

From Yahoo. I'm a million years away from retiring but this article caught my attention more so as a way to live frugally overseas. If these places are cheap for retirees, than they are cheap for everyone else. The trick for the rest of us is finding a job that allows us to live in such distant locations. Where do you think you could find such cheap places overseas? Let me know so I can go, plus share with everyone else.

Flight Costs

Before you click buy, find out what you're really paying for that airline ticket. From Yahoo.

The Festival List

Summer is approaching which of course means road trip! I recently came across the 2010 Rand McNally Atlas Festival Edition. In case you didn't know, I heart maps, but the added bonus of state by state festival listing piqued my interest to the nth degree. The results have inspired this post, a listing of some of the coolest and even bizarre festivals across the US, many of which are in the summer, but some in other seasons as well. This is not even close to comprehensive nor will it cover many states, just the ones that sound delectable, intriguing, and worthwhile. I have not been to many of these so don't hold me accountable if you fail to adjust your attitude and have a good time.

Festival of Colors (Holi Festival), Hare Krishna Temple, Spanish Fork, UT, Late March
5000+ people cram onto the fields behind the Hare Krishna Temple in southern Utah County (yes there are impressive non-Mormon temples in UT) to celebrate the arrival of Spring by throwing mass quantities of chalk in the air, creating tie-dye clouds and getting chalk dust into places they didn't know they had. Truly a sight to behold. Don't forget to check out the llamas as well.

Rose Festival, Portland, OR May - Jun

Seafair, Seattle, WA, Jun - Aug
A variety of activities all summer including a marathon, triathlon, parade, air show, The Milk Carton Derby, Fleet Week (see below)

Grand Tetons Music Festival, Jackson Hole, WY, Jun - Aug
Classical music all summer long in Jackson and in the Tetons at the visitor centers.

Moab Music Festival, Moab, UT Sept
Classical music amongst the Red Rock, 'nuf said!

Tall Ship Sailing Festivals, Cleveland Jul, Green Bay Aug, Chicago Aug, San Diego Labor Day, Dana Point/ L.A. Sept, Victoria BC (every 3 years, next one 2011)
See Schooners, Sloops, Frigates, and other classic masted sailing ships in many locations through out the summer. There is nothing like watching a parade of boats under full sail glide through the ocean.

Fleet Week, Ft. Lauderdale Apr, NYC Memorial Day, Portland Jun, Seattle Aug, San Diego Sept, San Francisco Oct, Charleston, SC has had one over the years but no current info could be found.
The Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard come together to offer many Fleet Weeks across the US through out the summer. Tours of ships, air shows, and other military themed events are usually part of the festivities.

Strange, Obscure, Awkward, Fun etc.
World Cow Chip Throwing Contest, Beaver, OK, Apr
Picklefest, Atkins, AR, May
The self proclaimed Pickle City, USA, Atkins hosts a weekend extravaganza to all things pickle in mid-May. The festival is also home of the deep-fried pickle, first invented in the 1960's by Bernell "Fatman" Austin.
Mike the Headless Chicken, Fruita, CO, May
The Amazing true story of this famous fowl dates back to September 10, 1945 when Mike, a young Wyandotte rooster, was about to become the dinner of Fruita, Colorado, farmer Lloyd Olsen. With a sharp ax in hand, Mr. Olsen firmly held Mike, preparing to make the bird ready for his wife Clara's cooking pot. Mr. Olsen swung the implement, thereby lopping off poor Mike's head. Mike shook off the event, then continued trying to peck for food. Mike's will to live remains an inspiration. It is a great comfort to know you can live a normal life, even after you have lost your mind.
TrekFest, Riverside, IA, June
The future birthplace of Capt, James T. Kirk, Riverside has quite the annual gathering of die-hard trekkies to commemorate this "historic" event. Bring your own Star Fleet jumpsuit.
UFO Festival, Roswell, NM, July
Don't put away your Star Fleet jumpsuit just yet. Site of the infamous alien crash in the 40's, Roswell is home to the UFO Museum and the accompanying festival. Unearthly attire encouraged
Mid-Atlantic Hermit Crab Challenge, Virginia Beach, VA, July
Hermit crabs from all over the US (as well as their human owners) gather together every year for this silly competition by the sea. Crabs go head to head in the Crustacean 500 race, and get all dolled up for the Miss Curvaceous Crustacean beauty pageant.
Great Texas Mosquito Festival, Clute, TX, July
This is one of the more creative ideas I've come across as they had me at the mosquito calling contest. Plenty of music, a Fajita cook-off (Yum!) with their BBQ cook-off, dodge ball tourney, requisite 5K run, and more.
Burning Man, Black Rock, NV, week before Labor Day
Once a year, tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada's Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance. They depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever.There are no acts, the gathering is entirely participant driven.
International Kite Festival, Long Beach, WA, Late Aug
International Camel Races, Virginia City, NV, Early Sept
Waterfire, Providence, RI, May - Oct

One of the best lists of fun and unique festivals can be found here.
Not what you're looking for? Try festivals.com to find events across the country.

America's Most Underrated National Parks

Want to see US National Parks without all of the crowds? Yahoo Travel produced the following list which I second as a great selection of beautiful choices with a fraction of the crowds. I drove through Capitol Reef just last month on my way to Flagstaff and enjoyed the contrast of snow against the red rock and crystal blue sky. I have not been to any of the others on Yahoo's list, though I am working on going to Great Basin and Black Canyon of the Gunnison this year. One suggestion I would make is to check out your local National Monuments and State Parks as well. These are generally smaller and less crowded as well, depending on their proximity to major metropolitan areas. But these parks will not disappoint. Click on the title of this post for the article.

Oldest Trees on Earth

Click the title to read the article from Wired Magazine. I have seen a few of these trees and want to see the rest on their list. My personal faves are the bristlecone pines found in the White Mountains in California, which I saw in 2006, and in Great Basin NP in Nevada, which is still on the list of places to visit. Some pics of what I saw in the mountains east of the Owens Valley, CA.

 

All the Fun Things to See

I write from New London, CT where I've been for a couple weeks now visiting my Aunt Mary Anne. This destination was not intended when I left Logan for the Midwest, but after reaching Chicago I realized I was past halfway there. So I continued the journey and checked off a few more places I've wanted to see along the way. But first a list of places and things I've seen along the way.

World's First JC Penney Store in Kemmerer, WY.

Carhenge, Alliance, NA.

 

Sturgis Bike Rally, which can be read about in my August post, in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

Wall Drug, the world's largest drug store in Wall, SD and famous for their "singing cowboys." I wished I had my camera out sooner to get pictures of the grande-sized jackelope that people can sit on and the other oddities they have on display. Wall Drug is the original tourist trap (though don't tell them that) and definitely worth the stop.

 Alexandria, MN was the next stop after passing through North Dakota.

This town is where vikings supposedly showed up in the 14th Century and left a runestone, but this is apparently debatable. The town does have a 25' statue of Big Ole that was in the 1964 World's Fair. I  personally think more towns should have giant viking statues, anything to encourage pillaging, plundering, ransacking, socialism and other wholesome wealth redistribution activities. No wonder is Minnesota is such a bastion for Democratic values, it's part of their viking heritage. The part that made Minnesota thoroughly enjoyable was listening to Garrison Keillor on Prairie Home Companion. I even saw the turn-off for the Lake Wobegon Trail while listening to the news from Lake Wobegon. Listen to the show every Saturday and Sunday evenings on NPR.

Also saw the Mall of America, then made my to Iowa where I stayed with some wonderful friends in Humboldt and saw places that brought back fond memories of riding bikes through cornfields, while wearing white shirts, ties and black name tags. After reminiscing it was back to Minnesota, to Austin, the home of Hormel and SPAM. Here I saw the wonderfully entertaining SPAM Museum and was overcome by all of the options in the gift store.

I'm glad to see that such important national treasures are being preserved for the common man to admire, even if it requires extra preservatives. The SPAM Museum truly is a ribbon of honor to the ingenuity of humanity, as long as it is a first place blue ribbon, with gold font written in all caps. The shelf life for this ribbon is quite astounding...

Some of the prettier country in the Upper Midwest that I have found is along the Mississippi River. The drive from Lacrosse to Prairie du Chien offers spectacular cliffs (by Midwest standards) and the chance to see Effigy Mounds National Monument. The bridges over the river itself offer interesting displays of engineering. 

But far more interesting are the pink elephants along the way.

 If your town can't get a viking statue, than I suppose a pink elephant will suffice. This elephant is a rare species of Iowa Elephant, Republicanus confusitusk. Quite common for hundreds of years as Republicans formerly dominated politics in the caucus state, but have since turned to blushing since the allowance of gay marriage. 

A good cure for blushing is to head east to Milwaukee to see the Harley-Davidson Factory. 

After listening to thousands upon thousands of the rumbling hogs in the Black Hills, it was only appropriate to see where they are manufactured. The most appealing part of the tour was the factory's continuous improvement efforts, some of the better in a manufacturing setting in the US. The tour guide even knew about Lean Teams that worked to improve the factory. Seeking for Operational Excellence really does help companies better utilize their assets and reduce waste along the way. The eagle statue is made out of exhaust and muffler pieces.

Finally I made it to Chicago and ate the greatest pizza I have ever tried in my entire life. A couple days later I left for Connecticut, traveling through Indiana, Michigan, Ontario, New York, and Massachusetts while seeing Ford HQ in Detroit, the CN Tower in Toronto, and Niagra Falls along the way.

Total Drive Time: Good Question. I can say it has definitely been worth it.

New 7 Wonders of Nature

For those of you who voted in the New 7 Wonders of the World a couple years ago, the same group has announced the finalists for the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Now I personally think there has been a great oversight in that Yellowstone did not make it to the finals and the highly overrated Grand Canyon did. However, there are 27 other beautiful natural wonders of the world from which to vote. This is international, with the most populated countries already shaping the outcomes. Click on the title of this post to go to the web page to vote. In case you want to know my 7: Halong Bay, Table Mountain, Angel Falls, Great Barrier Reef, Kilimanjaro, Milford Sound, and Mud Volcanoes. Halong Bay in Vietnam and the Grand Canyon are the only 2 of the finalists that I have personally visited, and I can more than vouch for the beauty of the bay. The picture (not the greatest) is from one of the 2000+ islands in the park. Grand Canyon isn't even the prettiest place in the Southwest US as there are 5 national parks in Utah just north of there that are all far more spectacular and beautiful in appearance. I refer to Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks. Though none are as deep as GC, they are far more interesting to see, offer more to do, and most importantly in my completely biased opinion, offer far more stunning vistas from which to be inspired. GC is not even the deepest canyon out West as Hell's Canyon on the Snake River is deeper. Whatever you prefer, go to the website and vote for what you think are the 7 Wonders of Nature.

Keystone, South Dakota

I'm in South Dakota, staying with one of my best friends from USU who lives out in Keystone. He grew up in a bed and breakfast that you can look out from and see Mt. Rushmore 3 miles away. I have been grilling hot dogs and selling beer at his deli to bikers in town for Sturgis, the world's largest motorcycle rally.























Here are links to the BnB and my friend's deli:
www.buffalorock.net/
www.teddysdeli.com/
Gideon is my friend and his parents Art and Marilyn own the BnB.

Today I drove around and saw Mt. Rushmore,

Crazy Horse Monument, Custer St. Park

(has one of the largest herds of bison in the world, Yellowstone's herds actually came from here), all while listening to the constant rumbling of Harleys. It's gorgeous country and I think you should all come out here some time. Also drove through Alliance, NE on the way to Keystone and saw Carhenge. The Jim Reindeer Family decided to build a recreation of Stonehenge in England using cars during a family reunion. Definitely one of the more interesting family bonding projects I've ever heard of. See it here: www.carhenge.com
I will eventually make my way over to North Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and other states after that depending on time. I look forward to seeing old friends in Iowa from when I served my mission out there.

Antelope Canyon from Environmental Graffiti

Click on the title of the post to go to the website to see the rest of the fantastic photos from environmental graffiti.

Photo: X Ceccaldi

Gaze for too long at these rock formations, and you begin to drift off and forget whether you’re looking at a geological phenomenon or a vast, abstract oil painting. The swirls seem to envelop you, and in Antelope Canyon they actually do. Let’s take a ramble down this most gorgeous of gorges and lose ourselves in the wonderful play of light and patterns that captivate its many visitors each year. Here lies one of the planet’s greatest natural art galleries.

Upper Antelope Canyon

Photo: Lucas Löffler

Antelope Canyon lies on Navajo land in the American southwest, nestled hidden in the Arizona landscape. One of the world’s true natural wonders, it is a place of splendid serenity, the sort of spot where people find themselves talking in hushed whispers without quite knowing why. As a slot canyon, it has been formed over thousands of years by the gradual wear of water rushing through rock.

Lower Antelope Canyon

Photo: X Ceccaldi

Slot canyons are exceptionally narrow, far deeper than they are wide, and Antelope Canyon’s fantastic whorls and contours can be up to 150 feet tall, while being observable only by very small groups shuffling along the sandy floor. The canyon was formed by the erosion of Navajo sandstone, chiefly due to flash floods that still occur here, making this very much artwork still in progress.

Photo: Luca Galuzzi - www.galuzzi.it

Rainwater, particularly in the monsoon season, runs into a large basin overlooking the slot canyon, picking up speed and sand as it runs into the narrow passageways. Grain by grain, the corridors are deepened and the edges smoothed to form the exquisite shapes and graceful curves in the rock. Wind too has played a part in eroding and sanding this majestic canyon.

Photo: X Ceccaldi

The geological rock sculpting here is split into two distinct areas. The Navajo people fittingly call Upper Antelope Canyon Tse’ bighanilini, which means “the place where water runs through rocks”. Lower Antelope Canyon, known to the Navajo as Hasdestwazi, or “spiral rock arches”, is less visited, as it is a longer and tougher hike and must be climbed into via metal stairways.

How Nerdy Am I #1

If you know anything at all about me, it is probably how nerdy and full of useless information I am. Which is why I love trivia games. This combined with my geographic and topographic love plays out in my favorite facebook application "Where I've Been," particularly in the question of the day section. How nerdy am I? I am currently 25th out of almost 11,000 app users. Some questions I do have to research the answer, but for the most part I answer them by myself. Expect more nerdiness postings in the future.