Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
FEBRUARY 12, 2022 – Blogger’s note: This post is a “double-feature,” meaning it’s twice my daily limit of 500 words. Of the 999 posts of this blog thus far, this is the first to violate that rule. The second half of this post bears the 500,000th word of “Write Makes Might.” To mark the 1,000th post–tomorrow–I …
FEBRUARY 11, 2022 – I’m in my spartan hotel room, two floors up. Parched, starving, and exhausted, I pull from my backpack a granola bag, open it, and pour a serving into my mouth. Granola never tasted so good—or dry. I drink the last of my “safe” water—a thimble’s worth from my one-liter, plastic canteen, …
FEBRUARY 10, 2022 – Upon entering the domestic terminal, I was assaulted by the same pandemonium that’d filled the international terminal—except “Wendy,” of course, had flown off to Never, Never Land. I had to navigate on my own. In a foreign land, “on your own” inevitably requires interaction with strangers. Amongst a crowd, who has …
FEBRUARY 9, 2022 – Wendy spirited me through officialdom as if she were Indira Gandhi herself. Despite my questions on the fly, I received no explanation as to what her true role was or why a baffling reception had been reserved for a 26-year-old, American vagabond packing two bags of granola . . . not …
FEBRUARY 8, 2022 – As I reflect after 41 years, my introduction to India was even more bizarre than it seemed at the time. The British Airways flight to Bombay (Mumbai) took over 10 hours. As we broke through low-hanging clouds along our gradual descent, I saw the Indian version of an uninterrupted Dickensian slum …
FEBRUARY 7, 2022 – During my two-month sojourn in NZ and Australia, I’d encountered many Europeans who’d ventured there via India. Time—and illness—on the Subcontinent seemed to be a rite of passage. No traveler had not experienced gastrointestinal problems, and everyone emphasized that no matter how much you heard or read about India, nothing could …
FEBRUARY 6, 2022 – As hours rolled by, I stared in wonder out the picture window of my compartment. Often, I imagined peering out the window of a spacecraft circling Mars just above the surface: the arid infinity outside was mesmerizing in its “other worldliness.” At a refueling stop in Cook (now a ghost town; …
FEBRUARY 5, 2022 – “Today,” I wrote, “is Easter Sunday, the 50th day of my ‘Trans Global Expedition.’” I then updated my family—the second time since leaving home. Smartphones—texts and email—were still a generation away. Aboard the Indian-Pacific I printed a 62-page letter on small pages (removed along sidelong perforations) from a pocket notebook. The …
FEBRUARY 4, 2022 – Even back then Sydney, capital of New South Wales, was the big, splashy city of “Down Under.” I spent several days there, impressed by its busy harbor, cosmopolitan feel, world-class modern architecture—including the harbor-front Opera House (and a recital inside)—and expansive botanical garden. But naturally, I was drawn to . . …
FEBRUARY 3, 2022 – From the sea, I turned to Kuranda in the rainforest along Queensland’s northeastern “fringe.” Other travelers had recommended Kuranda as a “Bohemian outpost in Eden,” and the pathway was well established. Joined by Karen and now my romantic interest, Debbie, we hiked to the heights of towering waterfalls and admired the …
FEBRUARY 2, 2022 – Having lived much of life at 45-degrees latitude, I noticed that at 17-degrees our sun is a different star. Its zenith is nearly overhead and motivates an early start before one’s energy becomes non-renewable. By 8:00 I was in queue with other “pilgrims” where tour boats lined up to catch and …
FEBRUARY 1, 2022 – Like most visitors in those days, I traveled “the eastern fringe”—the coastline between Sydney in the southeast and Port Douglas in the northeast, well above the Tropic of Capricorn. The big attraction was the Great Barrier Reef, yet much else influenced my itinerary—from Kuranda, a Garden of Eden deep in the …
JANUARY 31, 2022 – Heavy hearted, I boarded the Qantas 747 to Brisbane. Ahead lay unmeasured time filled with untold adventures, but I couldn’t imagine how they’d compete with the experiences behind me. For a month I’d been ensconced in Treasure Island[s], and it was hard to let go. Yet, this was the rhythm of …
JANUARY 30, 2022 – When people outside NZ think of that paradise, they consider flora, fauna, and geography. But of all the countries I’ve visited, none exudes the civility of NZ. This assessment overlooks historical injustices toward the Maori and the anomaly of the 2019 mosque attack, but NZ’s well-established, civilized reputation is otherwise fully …
JANUARY 29, 2022 – In those days, to venture down “The Most Beautiful Walk in the World,” a reservation was required—along with rain gear and sturdy hiking boots. Average annual rainfall in that region pushes 300 inches. Since most of the Milford Track follows a canyon floor, the trek can be a muddy slog from …
JANUARY 28, 2022 – I’d latched onto four facts about “Down Under,” two appearing in old National Geographic magazines: 1. “The most beautiful walk in the world” was at the south end of NZ’s South Island; and 2. The longest straight railway in the world (297 mi/478 km) stretched across Australia’s Nullarbor Plain. Well known …
JANUARY 27, 2022 – Blogger’s note: our younger son, Byron, asked me to post about my trip around the world–starting 41 years ago. Through the prism of my current circumstances, his suggestion inspires re-examination in fresh light. I’ll endeavor to make installments compelling without lapsing into “travelogue” mode. Photo credit: my grandmother, whose family friend, “Hoxie” …
DECEMBER 16, 2021 – My first glimpse of the Vale of Kashmir surpassed what the guidebooks had promised—blossoming fruit trees on the shores of Dal Lake, the glistening Himalayas jutting into blue infinity above the world. I stayed for only three weeks, but the memories are as vivid today as my actual experiences were that …
NOVEMBER 29, 2021 – Yesterday our son and daughter-in-law took us on an excursion between their hometown of Chester and down river to Essex, Connecticut. We took side routes and backroads for a closer look at this old part of New England. Our trip included breakfast at The Whistle Stop café, a cozy, local establishment …
OCTOBER 17, 2021 – For many people, Covid has confined our travel space. For example, over two years have now passed since I took a plane flight. Not since my pre-teen years have I gone so long not going far, at least by air. This relative confinement has sharpened my awareness of a grand paradox …
SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 – Late yesterday afternoon, after a day of business and busy-ness, I took to the woods to do some trail work. As the light faded behind an overcast sky, I repaired to the dock and peered at the windswept lake. Not a single boat—underway or stationary—appeared on the water. I scanned the …
AUGUST 16, 2021 – Now that we’ve arrived home safely from a 2,900-mile road trip, I can write about silent road rage: hyper-speed. I’ve driven and ridden on enough byways the world over to know that America has no monopoly on crazy driving. No one who survives a bus or taxi ride in Egypt or …
AUGUST 15, 2021 – (Cont.) The surrounding beauty was created by millions of years of geologic forces and biological evolution. We spent much of the day hiking through this dynamic painting, absorbing at every step, the dramatic scenery. As nimble as she is intrepid, the harpist who wins wild applause when she tames the most …
AUGUST 14, 2021 – As a biting fly in the car kept me alert, we hurtled west on I80 across Pennsylvania and Ohio to Friday’s destination just beyond Toledo. The day had begun in Cragsmoor, NY, 90 minutes from Manhattan. Our proximity to Gotham reminded me of things that people back home in Minnesota have …
JULY 31, 2021 – Yesterday we arrived at the home of our younger son, Byron, and his wife, Mylène in Chester, Connecticut. They moved here recently from New York. As Byron worked the grill on the back deck of their new home on a wild, wooded lot, I said, “I know you don’t have to …