Category Archives: Trip Reports

Hanging With the Burros- Custer, South Dakota

Trip Reports, Wildlife, ,
This post is being featured in travel clothing company SCOTTEVEST/ SeV’s weekly Pocket Guide newsletter.
 a group of donkeys walking on a dirt road
While planning a visit to Custer State Park, I knew that it had a pretty large herd of bison along with many other animals. I was curious as to what other animals called the park home.
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I found out that a small donkey called burros also lived there.

(Check out my post about Custer State Park here.)

Initially you might think- Who cares? I didn’t fly from NYC to South Dakota to see some donkeys in a park. However, these burros are wild, living freely in the park and are also very friendly.
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The burros are friendly because they are always on the lookout for a free meal!

I read that you can feed and interact with them but to be careful as they still are wild animals.

Our First American Safari in Custer State Park- South Dakota

Trip Reports, ,
a sign at a park

While researching things to do for our trip to South Dakota, I came across Custer State Park. Kim and I really love seeing wildlife in their natural setting and we read that Custer  had lots of animals to view in the park on an 18- mile Wildlife Loop Road. I was really looking forward to the visit.

We’ve been to Africa two times and got to view and get up close with lots of animals on game drives, hiking, biking and boat safaris. We’ve also had many other  great animal related experiences all around the world. Check out my post My Top 5 Animal Encounters to see some of the experiences that we’ve had.

Jumping in Bolivar Square- Bogota, Colombia

Trip Reports, ,
a man jumping in the air in front of a building
While on our trip to Colombia, Kim and I were surprised by how much we enjoyed Bogota.
We really liked wandering around the city. An area that we passed through each day was Bolivar Square. It always seemed to be busy and full of people having a good time. There are shops and museums near the square and the presidential palace is also close by.
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During one of our visits to the square, I decided that it was a great place for a jump!

South Dakota Trip In A Nutshell

Trip Reports,
a family posing for a picture with a mountain in the background
The Family

We’ve been back from South Dakota for a couple of days now so it’s time to write a little about the trip.

Our flights went smoothly and Lucas was once again a great traveler. Many of the other passengers commented on how good he was.
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United Airlines’ new policy of not allowing families with young children to board early is a bit ridiculous if you ask me. However on 2/3 flights (for our second we had to run to make the flight after a late flight arrival) the super friendly staff allowed us to board early anyways. It was on the last flight (Houston to Laguardia) that I was really taken by surprise.
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An Unlikely Place For A Souvenir- Easter Island, Chile

Trip Reports, , , ,

I was asked by travel clothing company SCOTTEVEST/ SeV to write an article for their weekly Pocket Guide newsletter. I am happy to announce that this post will be featured there!

            a green gate with signs on it

Over the years I’ve definitely slowed down on buying souvenirs on my trips. It seems like you  see the same trinkets and junk for sale all over the world. However, I still do like to try to bring a little something back (to Kim’s dismay!) with me to remember the countries I’ve visited. Things that I collect are masks, traditional hats, shot glasses (silly and pointless, but why stop now) or anything that seems really interesting and unique.

On our visit to Easter Island we hired a guide for two of our four days. Kim and I rarely hire guides but we figured for EI it would be a good idea to get a better understanding of what we were looking at. While visiting the sites I had mentioned that I would like to get a small statue of a Moai to bring home. (Moai are the carved rock figures found all over the island. You can see them in the title picture for my blog)
Soon after, he mentioned that we should visit the local jail where they might have better prices.

a man standing in front of a sign
“Artisinal Shop” sign with guard standing by

I was extremely surprised that we could go visit the jail to pick up some souvenirs and had to make it a part of our plans!

a sign on a fence

When we arrived there was a sign outside with some rules listing items that you could not bring inside. The items on the list were alcohol, drugs, cell phones, cameras and weapons. Luckily they did not enforce the camera rule (I asked first).

a man sitting at a table with wood carving
An inmate at work
The inmates have it pretty easy in the jail and are given a lot of freedom. They have decent areas to sleep and a kitchen area to prepare food. The souvenir area was impressive. They get to use power tools and other seemingly dangerous items to create their crafts.
The quality seemed top-notch and they even made a sign for the entrance to the jail.
a sign on a fence
two men standing in front of a store
They actually did not sell what I was looking for but I had to buy a little something to remember my visit to jail. I decided to buy a carved fishing hook necklace (worn in the picture above). I do not recall what I paid but after a quick negotiation I bought it for around half of the initial asking price.
a wooden object with a string
The Necklace
I haven’t worn my necklace since the day I bought it, but when I see it with some of my other travel related souvenirs, I always remember my odd visit to jail on Easter Island!

Jumping by The Sweetest Place On Earth Sign- Hershey, PA

Trip Reports, ,
a group of people jumping in the air with a large sign
While on a family trip to Pennsylvania Dutch Country, we had part of a day planned to visit Hershey’s Chocolate World to do a Chocolate Tasting Adventure.
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While driving there I suddenly came upon this sign and had to stop for some photos.
For those that don’t know, I am a big fan of signs. (check out my Ridiculous Street Signs tab)
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Kim and I timed our jumps perfectly and got a great, synchronized jumping picture!

Big Apple Barbecue Block Party- NYC June 9 & 10, 2012

Food, NYC, Trip Reports, ,
a red and blue sign with a pig
This weekend I’ll be eating some great food at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party in NYC. The event features top BBQ pitmasters from all over the country.
a group of people standing around a grill

The event will be entering it’s 10th year and features “award-winning barbecue and Southern-inspired fare from the country’s top pitmasters available for $8/plate”.
There will be 18 pitmasters at the event from “barbecue capitals like Texas, North Carolina, Alabama, Illinois and more”. There is also live music and cooking seminars throughout the day.

Continue reading Big Apple Barbecue Block Party- NYC June 9 & 10, 2012 →

The Baksheesh Pays Off- Luxor, Egypt

Trip Reports, , , ,

I was asked by travel clothing company SCOTTEVEST/ SeV to write an article for their weekly Pocket Guide newsletter. I am happy to announce that this post will be featured there!

a stone structure with columns with Ramesseum in the background

After a long day of visiting some amazing sites around Luxor, Kim and I decided to make one last stop before calling it a day.

We walked over to the Ramesseum, a memorial temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II.
Unlike most of the other sites we had visited, there weren’t many other visitors here. We may have passed a couple of others leaving as we entered the site, but that was about it.

Continue reading The Baksheesh Pays Off- Luxor, Egypt →

The Best Places To See Amazing Street Art

Trip Reports, , , , ,

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Valparaiso
A couple of months back I was reading a Lonely Planet newsletter which had a short article related to street art. A LP Magazine reader sent in a question asking- Where can I see Amazing Street Art? (Check out the article HERE)
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The article answered the question with three suggestions- Belgium, Pittsburgh and Melbourne. I’ve been to Belgium and Melbourne and don’t remember the street art. Maybe I didn’t pay attention to it or it just did not catch my eye.
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However, I immediately thought of a couple of cities that did- Bogota, Colombia and Valparaiso, Chile. Continue reading The Best Places To See Amazing Street Art →