Connie, Author at - Page 49 of 98

Everglades Holiday Park: Touring the Everglades on an Airboat

I saw my first alligators in the wild while zipping through the Everglades on an airboat. Sure, I’ve seen alligators before in captivity, like in zoos and at Reptile Gardens in South Dakota, but I had never seen one in its natural environment until my visit to Everglades Holiday Park near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Read more

Oklahoma City National Memorial: Powerful and Somber

“Just like communities everywhere, it is the start of a day like any other day.” This is the opening point as you enter the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum tour. A timeline goes on to outline what was going on that morning in downtown Oklahoma City: people starting work, children being dropped off at the daycare inside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, an Oklahoma Water Resources Board meeting about to begin in the Journal Record Building directly across the street. A typical Oklahoma City day. No one had an idea of the horror about to occur. Read more

With renowned travel professionals like Rick Steves and Samantha Brown, entertainers representing countries from Ireland to Fiji, cooking demonstrations by noted chefs, and booth after booth of exhibitors offering information and guidance on exciting travel options, the Travel and Adventure Show is a must experience for travel lovers. I had attended the Chicago Travel and Adventure show three years in a row and looked forward each year to learning about new places to visit, checking out the latest travel gadgets and enjoying the entertainment and speakers. I had mixed feeling this year when my husband and I decided to escape the Midwest winter and head west, as I would miss the Chicago show. It turned out the timing was right to attend the Los Angeles Travel and Adventure Show instead, giving us a chance to check out new destinations and compare the two shows. Read more

Red Rock Canyon: Taking a Break from Las Vegas

Nothing compares with the glitz and glamour of the Las Vegas Strip. After a few days, however, you may need a break from the noise and neon. Mother Nature provides just the antidote needed. At the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, only 17 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip, you can hike, rock climb or just take a leisurely scenic drive through some of the Mohave Desert’s most spectacular landscape. Read more

Sheaffer Pen Museum: 13 Fun Trivia Facts

Anyone who grew up in the 1960s, or earlier, was required to use a fountain pen in school. I remember how excited I was when I got to the fourth grade and was allowed to use a pen instead of a pencil, sort of a right of passage. In the 1960s we used Sheaffer cartridge fountain pens, never a ballpoint pen. The nuns insisted that the nib on a fountain pen taught you proper, flowing penmanship. I hadn’t seen a Sheaffer cartridge pen in years until my visit to the Sheaffer Pen Museum in Fort Madison, Iowa. Read more

Why Ziplining with Flightlinez Bootleg Canyon Wasn’t so Scary

Regular readers of this blog know by now that I have a fear of heights. Yet every once in a while I challenge my fear. Like ziplining. I ziplined once before, in a cave, and was weak-kneed the entire time. By the time I got to the last run, taking off from a platform that had a 70-foot sheer drop-off, I almost couldn’t do it but there was no turning back. So when I planned to zipline near Las Vegas with Flightlinez Bootleg Canyon, I was a bit apprehensive but not in panic mode. Here’s why. Read more

Midwest Wanderer explores history, nature, and culture through road trips along scenic and historic U.S. highways, byways and trails

Author: Connie

Everglades Holiday Park: Touring the Everglades on an Airboat

Oklahoma City National Memorial: Powerful and Somber

Travel and Adventure Show: Comparing Chicago and Los Angeles Shows

Red Rock Canyon: Taking a Break from Las Vegas

Sheaffer Pen Museum: 13 Fun Trivia Facts

Why Ziplining with Flightlinez Bootleg Canyon Wasn’t so Scary