Attractions & Events Archives

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

Lake Havasu City: London Bridge and Lighthouses

Lake Havasu City is noted for the London Bridge, which was our main reason for visiting the western Arizona city. The city is also popular for water sports and spring breakers. What we didn’t know until we got there is that the Lake Havasu shoreline is lined with two dozen lighthouses, all working replicas of lighthouses from the East Coast, West Coast and Great Lakes. Read more

Oatman: Burros, Route 66 and a Honeymoon Suite

Oatman has a lot going for it, considering its business district is one short block. Descendants of burros used in the mining industry until World War II and then set free roam the street begging tourists for handouts. Visitors can peek into the room at the Oatman Hotel that Clark Gable and Carole Lombard stayed in on their honeymoon. And the main road that runs through the town is part of Historic Route 66.

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

Attractions & Events

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

Lake Havasu City: London Bridge and Lighthouses

Oatman: Burros, Route 66 and a Honeymoon Suite