DAYS AND DAZE IN RUSSIA - Riding the Trans-Siberian Railway Part 2
by Lee Juillerat

SOME THINGS (AND SOME TOURISTS) NEVER CHANGE - The Shooting Star Saloon in Huntsville, Utah
by Steve Giordano

LEAVENWORTH, WASHINGTON CHRISTMAS PHOTO DIARY

by Yvette Cardozo

The rhythmic, gently jittering train rocked me to sleep on the overnight ride to Novosibirsk, where a day of touring included the obligatory Lenin statue. Far more delightful was the humorous Monument to the First Traffic Light, a statute of a man staring bewilderingly at the city's reputed first traffic light.

Look at the tourists. You can tell they're tourists because none of them are wearing watch caps or gimme hats, and they're NOT sitting down enjoying each other's company. They're fidgety, wandering around taking pictures of things.

I had wanted to do Leavenworth at Christmas for years. This was the year. No excuses. No last minute cancellations. Just go. The drive from the Seattle area was fantastic. There was absolutely NO snow but that meant we arrived in Leavenworth with plenty of time for a wine tasting at Eagle Creek Winery.

BEAUTIFUL BITTERSWEET GRAND CANYON RAFTING EXPEDITION
by Larry Turner

A ‘PETRA-FYING’ ADVENTURE IN THE ROSE-RED CITY OF PETRA
by Habeeb Salloum, M.S.M.

When I left on the journey (it was a last minute opportunity to fulfill a life long dream), I knew that my Mom was vulnerable as she had been diagnosed with cancer earlier in the spring. But she and my sisters and brothers wanted me to go.

This is a compact solar charger that folds out to charge in the sun and then folds in for easy carrying and charging any device.

Every morning for three days we entered its Siq – a 1,200 m (3,936 ft.) awesome cleft in the pinkish sandstone, then made our way to explore what has been called ‘a rose-red city half as old as time.’ However, there was still the Monastery high up on an outcrop of rock.

CHECKING OUT THE CRUZBIKE, FASTEST ROAD BIKE IN THE WORLD
by Steve Giordano

NAPILI KAI BEACH RESORT ON MAUI

by Lynn Rosen

Don't let Provo's squeaky-clean, straight-laced image fool you. It can be a wild place. And a little crazy. I'm not just talking about Utah Valley's latest obsession, a skill that will serve you well in the zombie apocalypse.

See where the pedals are? Out in space, and they turn with the steering. The top guy, me, is not smiling - it's my first time, just like my first day on a bike without training wheels.

A love affair. That is how Napili Kai Beach Resort on a quiet bay beyond the tourist haunts begain in 1957. Today, this resort has evolved into a lovely paradise that has preserved the best of Old Hawaii combined with the most modern and luxurious accommodations in the Islands. Lynn Rosen shares the beauty and a bit of the history of this one-of-a-kind piece of Hawaii.

Who we are: For brief bios on the writers who form this Pacific Northwest collective, please click here.