United States Stories and Tips

Quote: "Cherry blossom time"—that’s how Washingtonians casually refer to their annual Cherry Blossom Festival on the National Mall. For 16 days each spring, politicians in the world’s single remaining superpower must compete with the lovely pale pink blooms of ornamental Japanese cherry trees for dominance…

Quote: From a historical or geopolitical perspective, the Fourth of July (aka, Independence Day) marks the anniversary of the United States’ Declaration for Independence—the date in 1776 when representatives of thirteen of Britain’s American colonies severed their ties with the Mother Country and went out on…

Quote: We left the Beach House and Seward in the morning, en route to Homer and the Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge. The drive traces a good part of the Kenai Peninsula, a fairly rugged area with thick forests and mountains meeting the sea. There…

Quote: Laura and Richard drove into the Kenai Fiords National Park for a day of hiking. The park’s only road ends at the visitor center near the base of Exit Glacier. There are several shorter walks around the visitor center that go up near…

Quote: Richard, already a single-engine land pilot and flight instructor, took a sea-plane lesson in a Piper Super Cub on floats. Located in Moose Pass (about 30 miles inland from Seward), Alaska Float Ratings offers seaplane instruction for pilots, as well as sight-seeing flights for…

Quote: Amazingly, the bad weather had blown off, and the clouds were clearing. Our last day in the park was going to be another with great views and great photos. We left our bags by the door when the breakfast bell rang (as instructed…

Quote: Day 4The dinner bell summoned us to breakfast. The food was wonderful. Each morning there was a warm cereal (different each morning), cold cereal, and a plated breakfast. The staff took real pride in each meal and explained what we were being…

Quote: Richard got up early and went running. Again. There was easy access from the Resort to the Denali Park Entrance area via sidewalks and trails. He did a loop trail (about 7 miles) through the park entrance area and as he got…

Quote: The rooms were big but basic. The breakfast buffet was minimal. They had a waffle machine, a few apples and oranges, cereal and hard boiled eggs. We caught the Alaska Railroad to Denali after breakfast. Checking in for the train was…

Quote: Our flight to Anchorage reminded us of when airline flying used to be fun and exciting. The captain descended below a cloud layer so we could keep our view of the magnificent Wrangell St. Elias National Park. This park can only be accessed…