January 26 2010 by Sam Lowe
Among the mix of golf and health magazines that populate the waiting rooms in medical offices, there are usually some travel periodicals. You may have to sort through the stack to find one, and they're probably from the previous year, but the photography is usually pretty good and the travel tips are worth remembering, so I dig them out and make notes.
Here are some of the interesting items I've come across recently:
BUT IS IT OKAY IF THEY DON'T EXHALE? -- Smoking bans already instituted on airplanes, buses and trains are now being implemented by some rental car agencies. On Oct. 1, 2009, both Avis and Budget became the first major car-for-hire companies to outlaw smoking in their entire fleets. To make certain that the no-smoking orders are followed, the companies also impose a cleaning fee of up to $250 on customers who violate the ban. And they'll get you because the cars now undergo a new type of inspection when they're returned.
Requests for smoke-free cars ran quite high because a common complaint among renters was that the cars smell like smoke. Company employees who drive the cars are also banned from smoking in them. And there's also an economic reason for the ban: It costs the companies money because cars often have to be taken out of service while they're being cleaned.
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December 28 2009 by Sam Lowe
Now that I've learned how to spell it without adding extra letters, and how to pronounce it without adding extra syllables, Albuquerque has become one of my favorite places. It's not only beautiful and culturally satisfying, but it also features a delightful amount of quirkiness that appeals to us older sightseers.
One good example is their baseball team. Most cities give their teams common nicknames like Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Pirates, Yankees, and different colored Sox, but Albuquerqueans named their minor league club the Isotopes, and it's because of Homer Simpson. When professional baseball returned to Albuquerque in 2003, the team owners held a contest to pick a new name. The Isotopes won by a substantial margin, an indication that the city's baseball fans are not only sports-savvy but also adherents of the television's "The Simpsons."
In one episode of the cartoon show, Homer Simpson went on a hunger strike to prevent his town's baseball team, also known as the Isotopes, from moving from Springfield to Albuquerque. His efforts paid off; the team stayed in Springfield. Given all those circumstances, the tie-in between Homer Simpson, Albuquerque, baseball, hot dogs, seventh-inning stretching and species of atoms of a chemical element becomes more easily understood.
Albuquerque is also home to a number of unusual museums cover a wide variety of cultural divergences. For example:
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December 4 2009 by Sam Lowe
My love of trains goes back to childhood when our family sat on the front porch of our home in North Dakota and listened to the chugs and snorts of the steam engines as they hauled freight and passengers across the prairies. This affection was enhanced when my dad got a job on the railroad, a move that furthered my dream of someday riding in a caboose. And when it happened, I was moving royalty, seated in the cupola of the little red car and waving to the wheat fields and little towns that dotted the flatlands.
Those days are gone, but a few avenues remain where I and others like me can live go back to those thrilling days of yesteryear. They're called excursion trains now, but they serve the same purpose. Four of them are located in the Southwest, so with a little planning I can ride them all in less than a week.
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November 2 2009 by Sam Lowe
Millions of readers across the globe have involved themselves with the thrilling stories created by the late Tony Hillerman. In his many novels, Hillerman combined Native American culture with murder mysteries, taking his readers across Navajo, Hopi and Zuni lands through the eyes of Joe Leaphorn and Jimmy Chee, his lawman heroes.
Now his fans can personally experience some of the intriguing settings of the novels on a five-day Hillerman Country Tour that departs from Phoenix, Arizona, and travels to some of the destinations the author described in his books. One of the first stops is at the Grand Canyon where participants will meet with James Peshlakai, a Navajo elder and silversmith whose name appears in Hillerman's "The Wailing Wind."
Also in Arizona, the tour stops at the Hopi village of Walpi, situated on the top of a towering mesa that rises hundreds of feet above the semi-desert below. Tour guides explain that it was here where Jimmy Chee arrested a criminal but, due to a lapse in judgment, let him escape. The 10-passenger van then winds through the Chuska Mountains on the Arizona-New Mexico border, then passes the legendary Shiprock Pinnacle, believed by many Navajos to be their place of origin.
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October 9 2009 by Sam Lowe
As I grow older, I am finding a deeper appreciation for older things. Particularly for things that are older than I am. Having adopted that attitude, I eagerly look forward to excursions into northwestern New Mexico because they have old things there that are really old.
Primarily, they are Indian ruins, ancient reminders that white men were not the first to inhabit the land. They bear such names as Chaco Canyon, the Salmon Ruin and Aztec Ruins National Monument. Each is distinctive, yet their origins are similar. And Chaco Canyon is the most spectacular.
Officially known as the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, the site contains evidence of 10,000 years of human occupation, and several of the structures within its boundaries are (or were) immense, some of them covering several acres. The canyon is best known for these large-scale, multi-storied buildings that were planned and constructed more than a thousand years ago by ancestors of the Hopi and New Mexico Pueblo peoples.
Those who study such things believe that from 850 A.D. until 1150 A.D., the area was the center of a vast political, religious ceremonial and trade network that encompassed a large portion of the Southwest. The public buildings contained within its boundaries, also known as great houses, were built using a core and veneer masonry system that added to the strength and stability of the massive structures.
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September 25 2009 by Sam Lowe
Many years ago, probably even longer ago than that, I read a magazine article about a rich man who visited every country in the world. He owned a jet airplane so he made it to the 300-plus nations in existence at the time in less than a year. Inspired by his success and already bitten by the travel bug, I vowed to do likewise. Alas, economics and reality set in so I'm still more than 260 nations short of reaching that goal.
Even worse, as I grow older, I sense that my time is running out. But, rather than give up entirely, I compile lists of places I want to go and things I want to do before ... well, you know.
Mont St. Michel on the north coast of France tops my gotta-see list. I can hardly wait to climb to the top of the towering church and watch the tides go in an out. Then, it would be off to Petra, the ancient city in Jordan. I eagerly look forward to entering the narrow passage leading into the ancient buildings that were carved into sandstone centuries ago.
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September 18 2009 by Sam Lowe
As a youth, I started taking photographs of big things. Big houses, big horses, big statues. Then, during middle age, the hobby was raised to the next level - pictures of world's largest things. And now that I am mature, perhaps even older than that, I look back on those I've seen and photographed, and look forward to getting more under my belt. My list varies but I concentrate on the funky ones that stand as lesser monuments to civic pride.
There's no way I can ever get to all of them because they are in the thousands. Like the world's largest fruit bowl, the world's largest guitar and the world's largest turtle. But I console myself with my personal collection, including these favorites:
North Dakota has a couple of winners. The world's largest buffalo, a 60-ton concrete and steel creation, stands guard over Jamestown. It measures 26 feet high and 46 feet long. To the west, the world's largest cow rises 38 feet on a hillside near New Salem. The fiberglass reproduction of a Holstein weighs six tons.
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September 11 2009 by Sam Lowe
My two best two reasons for returning to Spokane, eastern Washington's largest city, are whimsical and photogenic. The first is whimsical - the giant red Radio Flyer wagon that sits in the lush, 100-acre Riverfront Park. It's about 12 feet high and 20 feet long, substantially larger than the ones we lugged our brothers and sisters around in many years ago. This one is a slide. You climb up one of the wheels and slide down the handle. It's not quite as much fun as riding over a bumpy road in one like when we were kids, but still it's worth one trip down just to partially relive those wondrous days of our youth.
The second, and most important, reason is that there's a waterfall running right through the center of town. The Spokane River makes its way through the surrounding hills into the city, then puts on a frothy display as it plummets, then cascades while evolving from a river into Spokane Falls. They are a delight to watch, and photograph, from any of the 17 pedestrian and traffic bridges that cross the (at this point, at least) raging river. Most of the bridges are located in the park, from Monroe Street eastward to the campus of Gonzaga University.
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September 4 2009 by Sam Lowe
Since it happened more than 60 years ago, it is sometimes easy to forget the role American servicemen played in the defense of England during World War II. But the British haven't forgotten, and they proudly display that loyalty in a variety of ways.
The Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial is a classic example. Located in Cambridge, about 60 miles north of London, it was established as a temporary military cemetery in 1943 on land donated by the University of Cambridge. The site was later selected as the only permanent American WWII military cemetery in the Great Britain.
Now it is a silent tribute to American men and women who died while stationed at military bases in England. Row after row of white headstones sweep across the landscape in an arrangement similar to the memorials in northern France. There are 3,811 grave markers, each bearing the name and military assignment of the fallen warrior whose remains rest below.
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August 28 2009 by Sam Lowe
As senior citizens, it's our right and our duty to seek out and utilize travel tips that save us enough money so we can go again. Here are a few I have used or read about.
The free weekends at the nation's national parks are over, but there will be a fee-free day on Public Lands Day, Sept. 26. It might get a bit crowded, considering the zero admission charge, but those with Golden Age Passes can avoid the throngs by going any other time, and for the same price.
Some of us face mobility challenges when traveling. These can be substantially alleviated by renting small travel scooters. Most major cities offer them, but always check with either travel agencies or visitors bureaus first. It might take some planning, but the results are worth the effort.
On one of my last overseas trips, I needed access to my passport number six times and each time was a hassle because once I dug my passport out of its safe hiding place, I had to find my glasses so I could read the dinky little number. So now, I take ballpoint pen and a piece of white paper in hand, write down all the vital information (number, date of issuance, where it was issued, expiration date) in large letters and numbers and tape them on the front of the passport.
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August 20 2009 by Sam Lowe
One of the initial impressions many people have of Florence, Italy, is derived from a photo or painting of the dome of the Cattedrale de Santa Maria del Flore (Il Duomo) as it rises above the city, a giant multi-colored sphere hovering over the landscape. It's an image that has been recorded countless times by artists using oils, acrylics and watercolors, and by photographers using slide film, zoom lenses and digital cameras.
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August 14 2009 by Sam Lowe
We found Bariloche, a city of about 100,000 located in the Andes Mountains, somewhat of a paradox because we were Argentina, which is a foreign country to us, but it looks and feels like a different foreign country. Switzerland, perhaps. Or the Tyrolean areas of Germany and Austria. Even northern Italy. Regardless, it is a beautiful place where the sunrises and sunsets are as magnificent as anywhere else in the world.
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August 7 2009 by Sam Lowe
If you go to the English town of Bury St. Edmunds, and you really should go there sometime, one of your first questions will be: Where'd they get that name?
The answer is quite simple: It's where they allegedly buried St. Edmund. But there's a mix of fact and fiction involved here, so the story takes on a legendary status that often blurs the edges of truth. In brief, it goes like this:
King Edmund, the ruler of East Anglia and a devout Christian, was captured by raiding Vikings in 869 A.D. The invaders tied him to a tree and demanded that he renounce his faith. He refused so they shot him full of arrows, decapitated him and threw his head into the nearby woods. While searching for the head, his followers allegedly heard a voice calling, "Here, here, here!" and found the severed head being guarded by a wolf. When laid in a coffin, Edmund's head and body were mysteriously reunited and he was proclaimed a saint.
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Those of us who have reached that age of wisdom commonly referred to as "AARP eligible" would do well to check out the special discounts now being offered to us by Best Western International. Especially those who are fond of travel.
AARP members and guests 55 and older may save as much as 25 percent on room rates at Best Western hotels in the United States and Canada, as well as several Best Westerns throughout the world. It's easy - reserve a hotel room online by booking the AARP member rate, or call the Worldwide Reservation Offices and ask for the AARP member rate. Either way, you get the savings. All Best Westerns offer a 10 percent reduction off the best available rate, but some go as high as 25 percent under their deep discount program. There's no expiration date for the 10 percenters, but the deep discounts can start and stop at owner discretion so it's best to check frequently and book quickly.
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Prior to visiting some old Civil War forts in the South, I had no idea they were not only good history lessons, but also great sources of trivia. To support that contention, here are three examples.
Question: Who was Fort Pulaski named for:
Answer: Count Casimir Pulaski, a Pole who became a hero during the Revolutionary War. The fort, located on the marshlands of the Georgia coast just east of Savannah, was also inadvertantly responsible for changing wartime defense strategy worldwide. On April 11, 1862, it was the first masonry fortification battered by Union rifled cannon. These accurate, long-range weapons shattered the fort's walls from more than a mile away, and the target fell after a 30-hour bombardment.
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The images we usually bring home from London almost invariably include exterior shots of Buckingham Palace, primarily because of its architectural splendor, secondarily because most people never get to see the interior.
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On a recent trip to South America, we were warned repeatedly about the presence of pickpockets. The warnings were similar to those on every visit to a major city, and my wife and I give them our full attention because I once lost several rolls of film to these handymen on the streets of Moscow.
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At first glance, the National Museum of the Marine Corps looks like a giant launching pad because of the 210-foot steel mast rising at an angle high above the main structure. But it's only a fleeting image, one that vanishes immediately with the realization that the angle is exactly that of the flagpole being raised on Iwo Jima in the classic photo taken by Joe Rosenthal during World War II.
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Although not a big Civil War buff, I do seek out battlefields from that conflict whenever there's one nearby. So it was fortunate that I was in Prince William County, Va., recently because the first major battle of the war occurred there. On July 21, 1861, enthusiastic volunteers in colorful uniforms representing both the Union and Confederacy took up positions on the rolling hills near the small town of Manassas.
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My 40-plus years as a newspaper reporter played a big part in my desire to tour the Newseum, a new exhibition hall located at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and Sixth Street N.W., between the White House and the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. I was a bit hesitant at first, unsure of what to look for because the media aren't normally subjects for a museum. But what I found went far beyond my expectations.
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Three memorials at west end of the Capitol Mall in Washington, D.C., have had a long-lasting effect on me. I had seen a multitude of photos and countless numbers of television clips about them, but it wasn't until I approached them in person that they had their intended impact, just as they do to most others who visit there.
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There are two ways to reach the bottom at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southeastern New Mexico. The more venturesome may choose to walk the Natural Entrance Route. This option is not recommended for the pot-of-belly or the weak-of-knee because it's about a mile long and it's all downhill getting there and all uphill getting back.
But people my age can take the elevator, an experience unto itself. It's old (installed in 1931), it goes deep (750 feet one way which makes it the longest elevator ride in the state), and it travels at the rate of 9 miles per hour (definitely not express speed but considerably faster than hiking the Natural Entrance Route).
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Three key words for anyone planning a vacation in Savannah - good walking shoes.
Although he probably didn't realize it at the time, Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe must have had senior travelers in mind back in 1733 when he sketched the original plans for this charming Georgia city. It is flat, it has more than 45 cultural attractions, it has massive oak trees with branches draped in Spanish moss. But most of all, it has 27 historic squares and each square is a thing of rare beauty.
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In my earlier years, I disdained the city tours. Upon arriving at a new destination, I always struck out on my own to see the sights for myself rather than have them pointed out by a guide wearing a neck microphone. But then there comes a time when ease of travel is nearly as important as the adventure itself. This usually happens when the knees weaken, the inhalations and exhalations quicken, and finding a place to sit for a spell takes on greater importance.
However, rather than give up my wandering ways entirely, my wife Lyn and I have formulated a method that combines my free-spirited younger days with my current need for resting weary bones that no longer share my enthusiasm.
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My primary reason for a trip to Los Alamos, N.M., was curiosity. Like many senior travelers, I have some vivid memories of World War II, so I wanted to see the Los Alamos National Laboratory where the first atomic bomb was developed. I didn't get the close look I wanted, but I did manage to tour a Black Hole and eat breakfast in a chapel.
Visitors don't get to see much at the laboratory because they're not allowed inside, but the Bradbury Science Museum at 15th Street and Central downtown presents interactive exhibits and displays about the Manhattan Project and its role in the creation of the first A-bomb. Operated by the lab, it also explores current research and technology being conducted in the facility. And, as a bonus, it's free.
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In these times, when so many of us retirees are concerned with stretching the budget as far as possible, two-for-one deals are a welcome form of travel. One of my favorites is the combination of the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert in eastern Arizona.
Travelers can take a delightful 28-mile drive through these two natural wonderlands for a mere $10 per vehicle. (The deal gets even better if you own a Golden Age Passport because then it's free.) Either way, a trip through the 93,520-acre piece of high desert is a journey into spectacular scenery.
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When traveling alone I pack a night light, one of those little plug-ins with a small bulb. It's one of the tips I've picked up over the years to reduce those minor stressful situations encountered on the road.
Shortly after finding a room, I check the bathroom. If it has a night light, mine stays in the suitcase. If it doesn't, mine goes to work. The reason: Because of my senior status, there'll be at least one nocturnal call of nature and I'll need a light to guide me.
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April 24 2009 by Sam Lowe
You're never too old to learn the hula. As long as your hips can take it. And your sacroiliac doesn't give out.
My lesson came from a charming young woman at the Polynesian Cultural Center on the north shore of Oahu, far from the crowds of Hawaii's largest city, Honolulu. The center, the primary tourist destination on the north side of the island, is a showcase for the seven different Polynesian cultures from Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, the Marquesas, New Zealand, Fiji and Tahiti.
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April 17 2009 by Sam Lowe
Nothing throws a wet blanket over a trip faster than discourteous companions. They're rude, inconsiderate, embarrassing and completely unconcerned about the distress they dump on others. Over the years, I have encountered many of them, but two were unforgettable.
At a restaurant in Munich, an elderly female co-traveler asked a waiter for a glass of water. Since most restaurants in Germany serve bubbly mineral water instead of plain water, he brought her a glass of that. She loudly proclaimed, in English, that she wanted just plain water, not soda water, and ordered him to make the change. He brought her another glass of bubbling water, sat it in front of her and said, in German, "Wasser."
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April 10 2009 by Sam Lowe
During an overnight stay at our home, a well-traveled senior citizen couple from North Carolina mentioned that they go volkswalking in some of the towns and cities they select as destinations. They said it's helping keep them in shape while they're on an extended tour of the United States.
Volkswalking is not specifically designed for seniors, but many in our age group find it challenging and rewarding because it's a good way to exercise while making new friends. The American Volkssport Association (AVA) was founded in 1976 to promote non-competitive physical fitness, friendship and fun. There are now more than 320 active clubs in the U.S., and they present thousands of volkssporting events every year.
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The Navajo Code Talkers are part of our generation because they, like us, are now seniors. So paying tribute to their heroic deeds is a worthwhile trip that not only honors some relatively unsung war heroes, but also takes senior travelers to many of the places we used to read about in National Geographic.
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March 30 2009 by Sam Lowe
When dining on foreign food in a foreign country, I always face the same dilemma - should I ask what this stuff is made of or do I really want to know?
There was a time, back in my younger years, when I would never hesitate to devour whatever was set in front of me in a restaurant in a faraway place. But now, being a senior, I tend to be a bit more cautious. Some may say it comes with aging; I prefer to call it the wisdom that comes with 60-plus years of experience.
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March 20 2009 by Sam Lowe
One of the best investments I have ever made cost a mere $10 but over the years it has saved me close to $1,000. It's a Golden Age Passport, a lifetime entrance pass to national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas and national wildlife refuges that charge an entrance fee.
The pass is for citizens or permanent residents of the United States age 62 or older. Once obtained, it grants free admission to the person whose name appears on the pass and any accompanying passengers in a private vehicle if a park has a per vehicle fee. When a per person fee is charged, the passport admits the signee, spouse and children.
The passport must be obtained in person at a federal area where an entrance fee is charged. You must show proof of age and residency, something like a drivers license, birth certificate or similar document. The pass is non-transferable and does not cover or reduce special recreation permit fees or fees charged by concessioners.
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March 10 2009 by Sam Lowe
Having reached that age when any reference to "the good old days" takes on added meaning because I was there for a lot of them, I was quite taken with Columbia, an old mining town that's also a historical state park, located in California's Tuolomne County near Yosemite National Park.
This is an ideal place for senior travelers for a couple of reasons:
First, it's easily walkable and reminiscent of the small villages where so many of us grew up. The main street is only two blocks long, it's flat and there are no cobblestones to stumble over. And, as a bonus, they don't allow cars or loud music on the main drag.
Second, Columbia takes its job of being an historical state park very seriously. Every morning, the shopkeepers put on their period costumes and crank open the huge steel doors that guard the stores against fire. Then the women bustle onto the sidewalks, clad in long skirts and whisking homemade brooms to maneuver the previous day's dust off the wooden sidewalks and back onto the dirt road that bisects the town.
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Sam Lowe
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