KEEP PORTLAND WEIRD, by Lynn Rosen
When you visit Portlandia, you get this overwhelming urge to merge, fit in. You want to go find a bike and commute to work, get a nose piercing or a tattoo, shop at Powell’s Books, grab a meal from one of the notorious downtown food carts or stay on the edge of The Pearl District at McMenamin's weird Crystal Hotel...more

ALASKA’S FUR-RY WINTER RENDEZVOUS, by Vicki Andersen

Modern fur trappers haven’t been forgotten as the Fur Rondy moved into the 21st Century. They still flock to the State Hide & Horn Auction and the Rondy Fur Auction to find buyers for their goods. At the end of the week, many of them can be found bellied up to the tables of the Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament of Champions....more

SICK DAYS IN IDAHO - Getting Healthy on the Slopes, by Lee Juillerat

“This is Idaho. Ski alone,“ he chirruped. He leaned back, soaked in the sun and flashed a contented Cheshire cat grin. “I’m actually taking a sick day today,” he said, pausing long enough for my confusion to show before adding, “because I’d be really sick if I missed this feel-good fresh powder.”...more

LUTSEN MT, MINNESOTA: Winter Pleasures in the North Country, by
Larry Turner
Listening to the wind outside was like being inside one’s body listening to one’s skin, haunting but impenetrable to the wind. The winter elements in the North Country are very real so you have to be well prepared when slipping out into its realm. It is worth it for the wildness that you experience. As the old Minnesota proverb says: “There is no bad weather, only the wrong clothing.”...more

WESTERDAM AT SEA-How to Lose a Pound a Day on a Cruise, by Ted Blishak
Readily available ice cream between meals had been my downfall on earlier cruises. We don't have desserts at home, so in spite of firm intentions, my will-power had always disappeared. This was a triple crisis! We'd be risking not only our willpower, but also our wardrobes and my health. But I really didn't want to miss the cruise and the chance to meet other journalists....more

I CLIMBED HUANGSHAN MOUNTAIN LIKE THE EMPERORS OF OLD, by Habeeb Salloum
There are no roads that lead to the lodge. Everything, starting from when the hotel was built to everything used in the lodge at present, is brought up by porters, to give the unemployed work. Porters carry up everything needed to operate the hotel....more

AVENTURA AMOROSA PORTUGUÉSA (Portuguese Romance) by Les Furnanz

By the end of dinner we felt like long-time friends. Alfredo and Georgia’s story of romance had captured our hearts. They first met in Lisbon in 1967. He was a popular club singer, and she was an American stewardess with a weekly Lisbon stopover. “Truly love at first sight,” he said, nodding at her....more

AFRICAN SAFARI, JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME by Diana Hunt

Three cheetah brothers were trying to nap in the shade of a tree while we kept moving the vehicle by a few feet to get the best angle. They would get up, look disdainfully at us (as only a cat can), find a new place and throw themselves on the ground in exasperation that we were still there....more