![\"Grand](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Grand_Canyon.jpg\")
Richard Carroll<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0T-Boy writer<\/strong>:<\/p>\n I very much have the yearning to hike the Grand Canyon again to enjoy the rocky switch-back trail that leads to the bottom of this incredible national park where the Colorado River is cutting an ageless path leaving in its wake a lasting mark. The fast-moving river was a convenient but treacherous highway for American trappers, mountain men, explorers, Native Americans, and later fun-loving rafting aficionados. The problematic river with tales to share includes the heart-break and disillusionment of the unknown when explorers with overloaded boats had no idea of the advancing challenges.<\/p>\n Throughout my visit I would spend time to fully appreciate the million years of geological history embedded in the towering walls, to understand that the Pueblo people and other Native America tribes have existed in the Canyon when the United States was just a jagged blob on European maps, and that some Native America\u2019s to this day believe the Grand Canyon is a holy site. I would encompass a few leisurely days in the park with notebook and pin in order to fully appreciate the lingering sunsets, the merging colors, and irregular shadows that quickly transpose the massive landscape from a deep red to pastels. I recall the flickering and fading light touching on fantastic shapes, setting the mind\u2019s eye to run wild. The Grand Canyon is both a scenic and historic jewel and on my next encounter I hope to be firmly enlightened.<\/p>\n Ed Boitano<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u2014\u00a0T-Boy editor:<\/strong><\/p>\n A quick study revealed that the distinct urban cultures of Minnesota\u2019s Twin Cities: Saint Paul and Minneapolis, sit apart by a mere seven-mile-long football pass \u2013 that is if the pass was thrown by Minnesota Vikings\u2019 quarterback Fran Tarkenton. Built around the confluence of the Mississippi\u00a0 and Minnesota rivers, St. Paul is considered the last city of the East, Minneapolis the first city of the West. Saint Paul is renowned for quaint neighborhoods of well-preserved late-Victorian architecture, while the more populated Minneapolis is considered a modern city with a relatively young downtown and trendy uptown.\u00a0Saint Paul is also the state capital and the birthplace of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. His family home, described as a simple brownstone row house, is where he wrote his first published novel, This Side of Paradise<\/em>, to prove that he would able to support the wealthy Alabama southern belle Zelda Sayre who would eventually become his bride.<\/p>\n Despite the blistering months of cold and snow, a car journey to Duluth would be in order to see the birth home of Robert Zimmerman (Bob Dylan,\u00a02016\u00a0Nobel Prize in Literature<\/em>). This would be followed by trip north and longer stay at Hibbing, where Dylan (Zimmy<\/em> to friends), lived during his informative years from ages six to eighteen. Hibbing is famous for its Dylan heritage sites, which includes his family\u2019s modest home, and also the site of the world’s largest iron ore mine. Why winter? For an ice fishing experience. After all, isn\u2019t this the state of 1,000 lakes (actually 14,444 lakes). Imagine fishing in an ice hole in the comfort of a warm fishing shack, compete with a little stove, chairs, food and drink, and with Dylan songs on my phone and Fitzgerald\u2019s This Side of Paradise<\/em> in my hand. I guess a fishing pole would be in my other.<\/p>\n Ringo Boitano<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0T-Boy writer:<\/strong><\/p>\n Often times in the past I would join press trips to places I\u2019d never been or would probably never visit when it was on my own dime. This was true with my experience in Tulsa, Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation. I had an ignorant west coast conception that the entire state was one big dust bowl, based on Steinbeck\u2019s novel, The Grapes of Wrath<\/em> and John Ford\u2019s film adaptation. I was proven wrong; the Tulsa area was fresh, green and vibrant, and I learned much at the very progressive Cherokee nation. On my flight to Seattle, I thought of an old NPR broadcast at the time of the Oklahoma City terrorist bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building on April 19, 1995. Carried out by Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols, the bombing killed 168 innocent people and injured more than 680 others. The broadcaster spoke of the emotional texture of its people; it went something like this: Very little happens in Oklahoma City that evokes national coverage from the press. The people are used to this lack of attention, but at time of the bombing its citizens displayed resilience, strength and empathy to one another.<\/p>\n Phil Marley<\/strong> \u2014\u00a0Poet:<\/strong><\/p>\n James Carville famously described Pennsylvania politically as Philadelphia in the East, Pittsburgh in the West, and Alabama in the middle. But why Alabama? Apparently, it\u2019s due to this part of Pennsylvania\u2019s mountainous central area is known as the Appalachian region where its local people and culture are politically more of the conservative kind than the urbanized East and West. The Appalachian region will be part of the landscape I plan on passing as I depart Philadelphia in my rental to Pittsburgh, the ancestral home of my friend, David. No doubt a stop in Pennsylvania Dutch Country (from German Deutsch), famous for its productive green farmlands, thanks to the Amish and the Mennonites, will be in order. I\u2019ll have only half a day for Gettysburg National Military Park; for Steel Town is my goal of and I had planned on seeing as much of it as I could in two-days.\u00a0 David has gushed about his city of 446 bridges, more than Venice, Italy, and its three rivers: the Allegheny River and Monongahela River united at Point State Park to form the Ohio River.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve read that Pittsburgh’s ethnic enclaves are slowly disappearing since David\u2019s departure, but still exist with the Germans of Millvale, Italians of New Castle, Slovaks of Munhall, Hungarians of Hazelwood and Ukrainians of the South Side. Plus, there\u2019s hills galore to climb with magnificent views of the city to see.<\/p>\n During a much earlier trip to what would be become Pittsburg’s Point State Park, Lieutenant George Washington of the Virginia militia,\u00a0 negotiated with the French during the French and Indian War of 1753.\u00a0 He wrote about Point State Park in his journal.<\/p>\n As I got down before the Canoe, I spent some Time in viewing the Rivers, and the Land in the Fork; which I think extremely well situated for a Fort, as it has the absolute Command of both Rivers. The Land at the Point is 20 or 25 Feet above the common Surface of the Water; and a considerable Bottom of flat, well-timbered Land all around it, very convenient for Building: The Rivers are each a Quarter of a Mile, or more, across, and run here very near at right Angles: Aligany bearing N. E. and Monongahela S. E. The former of these two is a very rapid and swift running Water; the other deep and still, without any perceptible fall.” <\/em><\/p>\n Four different forts were built at the forks of the Ohio within a period of five years. In 1754, French forces captured an outpost known as Fort Prince George at the Point that had been erected by a force of Virginians. George Washington led British forces to recapture the fort, but suffered his first and only surrender at Fort Necessity, 50 miles to the south.<\/p>\n Deb Roskamp<\/b><\/a>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0T-Boy photographer and writer:<\/b><\/p>\n I have friends who vacation once a year to Sanibel Island, located along the Gulf of Mexico, just a short drive from Fort Myers, Florida. Their enchanting description of its sunsets, lighthouse and beaches harkens to\u00a0 emotional thoughts of calm, peace and rejuvenation. They spoke of the island\u2019s most popular activity known as shelling; Sanibel Island has the 3rd richest seashell beaches on earth. Apparently, you barely can walk a step on the beach without indulging in the so-called “Sanibel Stoop” in search of its shells. Research informed me that the most secluded beach on the island is Bowman’s Beach; there are no hotels in sight and the beach has a “pristine and quiet” atmosphere.<\/p>\n James Boitano<\/strong><\/a> \u2014\u00a0T-Boy writer:<\/strong><\/p>\n Isle Royale US Cities:<\/strong> Just picking 4 random larger cities I have not been to. No particular draw specifically: just that I have not been\u00a0to them.<\/p>\n US towns\/Villages<\/strong><\/p>\n Sites<\/strong><\/p>\n Skip Kaltenheuser<\/a> <\/strong>\u2014 T-Boy writer:<\/strong><\/p>\n A Bucket List is any trip, anytime, anywhere.<\/p>\n The term \u201cBucket List\u201d gives me the willies. I\u2019m not ready to strike a bargain, have it fulfilled and shuffle off, none of that \u201cTo see Paris and die\u201d stuff, I just want to go on seeing, the list eternal. And I can think of a worse afterlife, the Flying Dutchman finally allowed make any port of call he desires.<\/p>\n But I’ve plenty of domestic locales high up on my wish list for the here and now. Many of them are national or state parks and the environs around them. Some are repeats from when I was young, including places my parents took me that left indelible memories – of places, of them, of my awe. Living in a suburb of Kansas City, we usually headed West in my traveling salesman dad\u2019s Buick of the moment. Car and man joined together as a driving cyborg, or a genie with a bit of flying carpet, gifting an endless flow of national parks and roadside attractions, another day another natural wonder, or two or five.<\/p>\n Many of the roads were pre-Interstate, before fascinating arteries like Route 66 withered, when roadside attractions were still legion. Where water flowed uphill and gravity was iffy. Before the Buick was air-conditioned, summer climate figured in, going across Death Valley<\/strong> at night, though the night sky was still something to gawk at. Kansas could get pretty hot and steamy, so soaking up the cool of the mountains counted. I think we tended to favor the West because we were lucky to have a couple horses we kept in a rented pasture that kept moving outward with the suburban sprawl, and though cowboy was a stretch the image was still internalized, polished up with a Boy Scout\u2019s interest in all things outdoors. Plus, as driving was a parental pleasure, wide-open spaces with sudden, map-inspired detours were magnetic. The serendipity of\u00a0what looked enticing on a map. No cell phones then, thank God. I still use a map.<\/p>\n Revisiting Jackson Hole<\/strong> with a then-small boy, his first downhill ski, and a dog sled in the Tetons, I realized how many repeaters I\u2019d like to share. That was a lovely continuum stretching from my own childhood visit. Though my kids are now young adults, I\u2019d like to share more of\u00a0those memories with them, to watch them form their own impressions as they react to the beauty and the menace of places like the Grand Canyon<\/strong> and Yellowstone<\/strong>. To watch them explore the Rockies, where I once camped on a mountain ridge for a summer, working down below in Estes Park. When I was young Colorado alternated with the Ozarks as the family default, the excitement of\u00a0topographical relief coming into view after the hundred mile-an-hour car ride across the Kansas flat. And I\u2019d like to re-experience some of the skiing in the Rockies, the high ground views whispering\u00a0\u201cAre you sure?”,\u00a0before my knees go on strike over bad working conditions. Is 69 really rounding the bend, just shy of April Fools? Other things now\u00a0compete\u00a0for my kids\u2019 time, so any window of travel opportunity with them is gold.<\/p>\n My family didn\u2019t exclusively drive West. Other child memories I\u2019d like to refresh and share include the Everglades<\/strong>, and the underwater views of the coral reefs along the Florida Keys<\/strong>. These destinations seemed exotic to a boy from Kansas. Because they were exotic. Driving east one Spring, we took in\u00a0\u201cthe educational\u201d in a DC adorned with blossoms, leaving impressions that might have later helped draw me to the city where my family resides.<\/p>\n Beyond the grand repeaters, framed this time with a whiz-bang camera, locales I wish for include sites that will be new to me. Yosemite<\/strong> waits in my imagination with Ansel Adams. California\u2019s skyscraper redwoods, with my hopes that climate-induced fires won’t imperil them. I\u2019d like Death Valley to be well-bathed in rain so I can see a big Spring flower desert bloom. Hiking and biking through some of the canyons in Utah that look so surreal. I\u2019m not a snob for elevation, I\u2019d like to see how the Kansas Tall Grass Prairie<\/strong> has grown, and visit deserts like the Sonoran.<\/p>\n As I write this, I realize my parents also had bucket lists, with me lucky to help fulfill parts. After Dad died Mom lived with us in DC until she passed away at 101 1\/2. Nothing excited her more than getting in the car for any trip, anytime, anywhere.<\/p>\n During the microbe onslaught, everything got relative fast. Over the last year, when they could cobble time for a break, I took my kids on local road trip explorations, appreciating the poor man\u2019s Rivieras in state parks and coastal areas, the valleys by the Blue Ridge, a scenic winery, etc\u2026 Anything for relief from online study rigors and pandemic isolation, to break up the scenery as best one can do in two or three days or even just a day trip. I\u00a0just took my son to Solomon\u2019s Island, MD, catching roadside attractions along the way like the northernmost cyprus swamp, (who knew?).<\/p>\n One is never stuck for a place to go as long as the wish list is any trip, anytime, anywhere.<\/p>\n Arthur Lim <\/strong>\u2014 IT Professional:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Following the arrival of railroads beginning in 1871, Colorado Springs\u2019 location at the base of Pikes Peak\u00a0and the Rocky Mountain\u00a0made it a popular tourism destination.\u00a0The Summer of 1975 was when I visited Colorado Springs, but that was a while back and am primed for a revisit.\u00a0 Aside from the many mountainous streams, two places of interest stood up in my mind: the Glen Eyrie Castle, and the United States Air Force Academy. Glen Eyrie Castle is a Tudor styled castle built by General William Jackson Palmer in 1871. He founded Colorado Springs. The United States Air Force Academy is nearby. It houses a beautiful interdenominational chapel and has an overall futuristic feel.<\/p>\n Roy Endersby <\/strong>\u2014\u00a0Philosopher:<\/strong><\/p>\n In a New Orleans rental car I traveled through Louisiana’s Cajun Country for lunch in Houma at Abear’s Caf\u00e9; a Cajun and Creole mom & pop caf\u00e9, famous for their specialty: alligator piquant and potato salad. The caf\u00e9\u2019s founder, owner, chef and Houma native, \u00a0Albert\u00a0\u201cCurly\u201d L.\u00a0Hebert ( (1933- 2017) politely shuffled around us, expressing concern that the dish might seem rather funny to us Yankees, before proudly proclaiming that the very dish won an award at a county fair. The next two nights it was Lafayette (pronounced \u2018Laugh-yet\u2019) for a little Cajun and zydeco flavor, and then Breaux Bridge; the crawfish capital of the world.<\/p>\n My time was limited in Mississippi, so my final destination was a night in Natchez, home to one of the largest\u00a0 collection of Antebellum (\u201cpre-Civil War\u201d) mansions, with many open for tours. The next morning, I decided to forego the tours and simply bask in the enchanting ambiance of a Natchez park, hanging high on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. I had a long and taxing day ahead of me; driving to New Orleans for a flight back to L.A. would be tiresome. I measured the distance on my map, and noticed I was close to both the Mississippi Delta and Vicksburg National Military Park. With more time allowed, I would have adored a ride further up the Natchez Trace Parkway\u00a0 to the Vicksburg National Military Park. And then, further out, Highway 61 would take me to the holy grounds of the Mississippi Delta. Once home to Muddy Waters (McKinley Morganfield), and singer-songwriter and guitarist, Robert Johnson<\/a>, considered since the 1960s as a maestro of Delta blues and an important influence on many rock musicians. Yes, they are gone today, but their spirit and music lives on.<\/p>\n About an hour south down Highway 61, you\u2019ll find\u00a0Clarksdale, Mississippi\u00a0\u2014 better known as the Blues Crossroads. Legend has it that\u2019s where Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil. Visit the Hopson Plantation and spend the night at the ShackUp Inn. The evenings are filled with blues at Ground Zero, Red\u2019s or the Juke Joint Chapel. An amazing cultural and musical emersion you\u2019ll want to experience again and again.<\/em> Robert Nighthawk, Sunnyland Slim, James Cotton, Chester Burnett (Howlin\u2019 Wolf) Bukka White, Sonny Boy Williamson II, Big Bill Broonzy, Carey Bell, Tommy Johnson, John Lee Hooker, Charley Patton, Son House\u2026 some made their names in Chicago, some made their names in the South, but all were born in Mississippi.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014\u00a0T.E. Mattox<\/a>, Traveling Boy\u2019s Blues Aficionado<\/p>\n Courtesy Visit the Delta<\/a><\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n The\u00a0Delta blues<\/a>\u00a0is one of the earliest styles of\u00a0blues music<\/a>. It originated in the\u00a0Mississippi Delta<\/a>, a region of the United States that stretches from north to south between\u00a0Memphis, Tennessee<\/a>, and\u00a0Vicksburg, Mississippi<\/a>, and from east to west between the\u00a0Yazoo River<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Mississippi River<\/a>. The Mississippi Delta is historically famous for its fertile soil and the poverty of its farm workers. More famous blues musicians have come from this area than any other region (or state for that matter) combined. Today, you can still feel that authentic vibe of Mississippi Delta blues history.<\/p>\nThe Grand Canyon<\/h3>\n
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Twin Cities: Minneapolis and Saint Paul<\/h3>\n
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Oklahoma City<\/h3>\n
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Road Trip: Philadelphia to Pittsburgh<\/h3>\n
![\"George](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/George_Washington-Guyasuta.jpg\")
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![\"Deb](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Deb-Bucketlist.jpg\")
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![\"scenes](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Grand_Teton-Yellowstone-Yosemite.jpg\")
![\"Everglades](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Everglades_Sunset.jpg\")
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Colorado Springs, Colorado<\/h3>\n
![\"scenes](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Mississippi_Delta-Vicksburg.jpg\")
The Mississippi Delta: <\/strong>Birthplace of the Blues and Vicksburg National Military Park<\/h3>\n
![\"Robert](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Robert_Johnson-Muddy_Waters.jpg\")
The Mississippi Delta<\/h4>\n
Birthplace of the Blues<\/h5>\n
![\"Vicksburg](\"https:\/\/travelingboy.com\/travel\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Vicksburg.jpg\")