Caldera Islands

The top picture shows the landscape of a tiny little island named Ponza. Ponza sits in the Tyrrhenian Sea, just southeast of the city of Anzio, Italy. Ponza shares the name of the island and the main village -which is where the ferries drop you off. Looking at the map above, you can see that Ponza is what's left from a volcanic erruption.

These caldera islands are some of the most impressive scenery on earth, and some of the most sought after destinations. One of the most popular caldera island destinations is Santorini, Greece. I would imagine you've heard of Santorini and maybe this is the first time of hearing about Ponza. I had never heard of Ponza when I got on the hydrofoil at dawn from Anzio. I was immediately amazed by what I had never heard of.

In Ponza, steep cliffs drop off into crystal clear Mediterrean water. The smell of olive and euclaptys trees intermingle with the salty sea air. Bright painted buildings rise from the shore and blanket the hillsides. Grottos, ruins and beaches - along with fine Italian fare are what you can expect in Ponza. Need I say more?

Ponza isn't off the beaten path - lots of people have heard of it - but probably not as many have been there. So - the moral of this post is that hopefully you've now seen or heard of a new place that you can put on your radar.

Olmstead

Take a second and just try to guess where this picture was taken. Wait for it....
It's part of the Conservatory Grounds on Belle Isle in Detroit. Were you right?
Belle Isle was designed by Frederick Law Olmstead - who arguably pioneered landscape architecture in the United States.

His works include The White House grounds, The US Capitol, Central Park in New York, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, The Emerald Necklace in Boston, The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, UC Berkley, Stanford University and the University of Chicago to name just a few.

I was impressed to also learn that Olmstead designed Presque Isle Park just outside of Marquette, MI. He was not only an amazing landscape artist, but a conversationist who cherished open spaces and the preservation of beauty througout the US. There is an Olmstead Point in Yosemite National Park, paying hommage to Olmstead's efforts preserving the Sierra Nevada region.

The one work of Olmstead's that isn't recognizable to what is once was is from the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Jackson Park, Chicago, IL. The Palace of Fine Arts building is the last ediface that remains from the fair. The Museum of Science and Industry now calls this building home. There is a Jim Hensen exhibit that is currently running from now until January - and I believe this will get me out of the downtown/Lincoln Park area of Chicago to Jackson Park to finally stand there and try to remember what Olmstead's vision was.

Olmstead's home in Brookline, MA is registered as a National Historic site. It's currently closed for a renovation project and is slated to re-open sometime in 2011. Maybe an eastcoast trip for next summer? Hmm....

Good Reads - Utah

Utah is probably my favorite state (aside from Michigan of course!). Now, I haven't been to all 50 and there's definitely much more that I need to see. But, I was lucky enough to spend a decent amount of time in Southern Utah over the past decade. The landscape is like no other. Red rock canyons dive into oblivian and compete with the bluest sky you can imagine. If you've been here, you know what I'm talking about. Here are two books that take place and in around this area - very different subject matter - but highly recommended. Here's a little something about both.


Under the Banner of Heaven is a true account of the history of the Mormon religion and the evolution of the FDLS church - an extreme sect of people who continue to practice plural marriage - whereas the Mormon Church denounced this practice in the 1800's. In conjunction with the history lesson, is also the true story of a woman murdered by her husband's brother - due to her not wanting to live the FLDS way of life. This is all just scratching the surface. Read if you'd like. Onto the next book.

Between a Rock and Hard Place, by Aron Ralston is again the autobiography of a day hike turned struggle to survive when Ralston is hiking down a canyon and gets his arm stuck. He's there for 5 days before he cuts his arm off - and runs to safety. The cutting his arm off part is pretty hard to stomach - and the Phish and Grateful Dead song lyrics that got him through the ordeal might not be for everyone. Finally, the fact that he didn't tell anyone where we was going because he was too arrogant to believe that he needed to on such an elementary hike made me have less respect for him. The moral of this story is for sure call someone and tell them where you're going when you enter the backcountry - especially the extensive canyon systems of Southern Utah.

The part that really got me with this book, though, was Ralston's methodical decisions that for sure kept him alive. We have this running joke at work that I would drink all my water and die. Ralston was an engineer, and with his analytical mind, he deduced exactly how much water he could drink hourly- along with many other key decisions. It came down to him drinking some excrement as well - I would have never even thought of that. Of course, Hollywood has come calling on this story. James Franco is playing Ralston in the film 127 Hours, which opens on November 5th. Enjoy!

The Great Pyrenees

Some of you may know that I just adopted a Great Pyrenees named Jackson. The breed is known for their ability to guard flocks and herds of livestock. Since I have neither herds or flocks of anything, he guards me and my home - needless to say, I sleep very soundly alone these days. The Pyrenees Mountains serve as a natural border between France and Spain. I'm quite certain that Jackson is from the French side - maybe I'll explain why I believe this to be true another time....

The largest city on the French side is Toulouse - which is actually not in the range, but just outside - as this area is very rugged and there are few roads that go through connecting the Iberian Peninsula with the rest of Europe.

Toulouse is called the Pink City - as most of the buildings are made of light red brick. The picture shown above is the work of graffiti artist Miss Van who got her start on the brick walls and doors of Toulouse. She's actually quite famous - but this is the first I've heard of her.

Her work consists mainly of women expressing emotions. Apparently the feminists of the world have a problem with her art - you be the judge. Either way, I'd love to explore this area more, as I've just ridden through on an overnight train from Barcelona to Interlaken. Next time, next time.

October

I love Fall. It's for sure my favorite season. There's really nowhere that I'd rather be in October than in Michigan for these glorious 60 degree sunny days with chilly nights. So - get out to the trees near you this weekend and enjoy what's locally wonderful. This picture is from Stony Creek Metropark, which is literally out my front door - there are many other parks in the Metro Detroit area - and of course all over this amazing Peninsular state of ours! Enjoy your weekend, friends.

Aurora Borealis

The Northern Lights (or Southern Lights if you are in the S. Hemisphere) should be a priority in everyone's travels. I was lucky enough to catch them when I was backpacking on the Harding Ice Field in Alaska in 2001. I have also seen them from Northern Michigan a few times, but I can assure you, it's an entirely different ball game in AK.

Not only were we able to see the vibrant green streaks of the aurora, this was mid August, which is when the annual Perseid Meteor Shower is at it's peak. Needless to say, this was unreal. The great thing about Alaska is that you don't have to backpack for two weeks in order to take advantage of its wonders - but I would recommend doing so...just bring your deet, bear spray and mosquito net:-)

I love iGoogle. I subscribe to the places to see app and one of the suggestions for today is Iguazu Falls in Brazil/Argentina. Iguazu is composed of 275 individual falls. Lore has is that God sliced the river in half due to his wife running off with her mortal lover thus them falling to their death. Pretty impressive, God. I'd say this is for sure a place to see - hopefully sooner than later.

The beginning

I decided to start a blog about travel. Really, everyone else that I work with currently has a blog and I must admit that I do enjoy reading them, so I figured that I could give it a try.

Compared to many, my travels aren't that significant, but aside from where I have been, I spend many hours researching where I'd like to go next. So, here you will find a bit of both. Enjoy.