Gallery: Petit Jean State Park

One of the loveliest of Arkansas’ state parks is Petit Jean. The park is located in central Arkansas, about 75 miles northwest of Little Rock. I had visited there once before in the fall of 2010 to hike Seven Hollows Trail, when the foliage was at its most splendid (see photo above). This time, theContinue reading “Gallery: Petit Jean State Park”

LAND OF FIRE AND ICE

Iceland, a sparsely populated, volcanic island in the north Atlantic, is known as the “Land of Fire and Ice” for good reason. Volcanic activity is commonplace, revealed through recently deposited lava fields, steam erupting from underground hot springs through the moss-covered turf, and black pumice-covered trails in the countryside. The earth is volatile in thisContinue reading “LAND OF FIRE AND ICE”

On the Bus to Shangri-La

(A story from our 2007 visit to China) “Is this bus going to Qiaotuo?” “Shangri-La,” says one of the seated passengers. Confused, we get off and return to the terminal to ask the gate agent. “Is this the bus to Qiaotuo?” Mark points through the glass to the bus sitting outside. “Yes. Qiaotuo.” “They saidContinue reading “On the Bus to Shangri-La”