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“Pic of the Week”, July 30, 3032: Strömparterren—Stockholm’s oldest Public Park
Located on a small island called Helgeandsholmen is Stockholm’s oldest park, Strömparterren (1832), which has been recently renovated. You descend to the park from stairs on the Norrbro bridge. It’s not a large park but is pretty and offers beautiful views of the city, so it’s worth the effort to reach. Strömparterren is surrounded on three sides by the Royal Palace, the Parliament Building and the Royal Opera House.
It’s a great place to sit and relax, people-watch, and enjoy the scenery. The park is a popular place from which to fish and it’s possible to catch salmon, trout and pike.
The park is best known for its statue The Sun Singer (Solsångaren) crafted by Swedish sculptor Carl Milles. This statue sits on …
.All Trips / Alberta / Central Canada / North America
The Bar U back then was one of the largest and most successful ranches in Canada, covering 160,000 acres (65,000 ha). It had 30,000 …
Bar U Ranch National Historic Site, Alberta
The Bar U Ranch is located just south of Longview, Alberta, on the scenic Cowboy Trail. The area consists of a long stretch of mostly undeveloped prairie where it abutts the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
The Bar U Ranch sits on the eastern slope of the Rockies. It’s a nicely preserved and interesting ranch that provides a look at life on Canada’s great prairies more than a century ago, before the land became fenced off. At a time when the bison had nearly been exterminated from the plains to be replaced by large cattle herds that roamed freely.
A wagon shuttles you from the visitor center to the ranch
The Bar U back then was one of the largest and most successful ranches in Canada, covering 160,000 acres (65,000 ha). It had 30,000 …
“Pic of the Week”, July 23, 2021: Benny Benson Memorial, Seward
The story of Alaska’s state flag is an interesting one, well worth sharing. Additionally, the Alaskan flag is elegant in its simplicity.
A contest was held in 1927 to select a design to be used for the Alaska Territory’s flag (up to that point, only the US flag was flying since the territory was purchased from Russia). The winning entry was from Benny Benson, a native Alutiq orphan. Benny designed the flag when he was just 13 years old and in the 7th grade, and he won a $100 prize. Benny was living in an orphanage in Seward, his mother having died of pneumonia when he was 3 years old. Alaska was not to become the 49th state for another 32 …
.All Trips / Alberta / Car Culture / Central Canada / North America
Great Cars Along the Highway: 1964 Austin Healey 3000
The Austin-Healey 3000 was a popular British sports car built from 1959 to 1967. The 3000s were often used as racing cars. Most were exported, the majority to North America.
This beautiful car was spotted in Calgary.
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Tagged 3000, Austin Healey, Calgary
.All Trips / Denmark / Europe
Exploring Christiania, Copenhagen
I was told by a friend that I absolutely “had” to visit Christiania — also known as Freetown Christiania — while in Copenhagen. It’s an unusual and somewhat interesting place, but I’d definitely not put it on a ‘must see’ list for the city.
The existence of this community has been quite controversial. Christiania was began in 1971 when a group of people moved into an abandoned military barracks (covering 7.7 hectacres — 19 acres). The place grew into a squatter’s village and somewhat of a community. It especially became known as a place you could buy pot and hash on “Pusher Street” (which was illegal in the rest of Denmark). Hard drugs are said not to be tolerated, though I …
Tagged Christiania, Copenhagen, drugs, pot
“Pic of the Week”, July 16, 2021: Grass Cutters of Machu Picchu
It’s tough for people to cut grass that’s terraced or growing on steep hills, but it’s enjoyable for llamas and alpacas.
When we visited Machu Picchu, we noticed a number of these woolly creatures grazing on the grass, or resting and chewing their cud. The grass was well trimmed throughout the site. A practical solution to a problem.
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.All Trips / Argentina / South America
A Final Hike in Tierra del Fuego National Park
The final chapter of our exploration of Patagonia was a visit to Bahia Lapataia (Lapataia Bay). Here you’ll find the southern most point of the Pan-American Highway, the longest highway on earth. At a parking lot beside the road’s end, you’ll find this sign marking this important landmark. It’s only about a 45 minute drive from Ushuaia, but is the farthest south you can drive in the Western Hemisphere.
We drove to the area, parked, and hiked a little through a swampy forest of beech and evergreens. Fortunately there were boardwalk trails through the wettest areas, so our feet didn’t get soaked. The weather was wet and cold and windy — not exactly terrific hiking weather, but typical of the area. The …
“Pic of the Week”, July 9, 2021: Storm over Salt Lake City
We were shopping in an outdoor mall in Salt Lake City when the previously clear sky begin to get dark to the north. A storm was approaching and it moved on us rather quickly.
In a matter of minutes, the heavens opened and buckets of water drenched the area. A few minutes later the storm moved on and a rainbow emerged.
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