Gadling

I was looking for YouTube footage of the 4th of July parade in Hannibal, Missouri, one of my most memorable 4th of July's ever, when I came across this marvelous effort that worked. Flippy Cat didn't set up the dominoes, but he makes a comment about them. Very cool.

Here are two other top 4th of July's.

Sitting in the car in the cemetery in Philipsburg, Montana with my husband and two kids watching fireworks go off from various parts of town. There wasn't an organized fireworks display, just random people doing their own thing. My son who was four at the time said, "This is a fireworks festival." About the cemetery. We aren't morbid. The cemetery is the highest point of the town, thus has the best views.

At Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts with my family and friends on a trip back through time to 1790-1840 for a reading of the Declaration of Independence in the town square. This historic village is one of the best I've been to and worth the trip.

Hope your 4th of July is swell. If you can swing it one day, there's nothing more fun than a small town parade where candy is thrown like confetti.

Happy 4th of July a day early. This week we've welcomed another blogger Kendra Bailey Morris who will be enticing us with posts about food in her series The Accidental Chef Travels. Oh, how we love to eat at Gadling. We're hooked already.

Also Hotel Month has kicked off. Each day will bring a new angle to where to stay and helpful tips to make your slumber experiences good ones.

And here are five posts that offer insight into destinations. As always, I've had a hard time choosing.

• To find the best bar in the world, check out Scott's post on the best bar in the world. As Scott wrote, he wonders why this particular bar made the cut. He's been there.
• Tom found a hot dog fit for royalty and since he went on a hot dog hunt he knows a great hotdog when he eats it.
• The Appalachian Trail is one of those classic networks of hiking trails that everyone should do if possible. Not the whole thing, but part of it. Kraig has details about this historic gem intimately linked with nature.
• For an idea of what to do next June, check out Alison's post on Festa de São João in Caruaru, Brazil. She was there and gives it a hearty thumbs up.
• For a bizarre travel idea, read Aaron's post on pirate hunting. It reminds me a bit of the short story "The Most Dangerous Game."

There are roadside stores and attractions that are worth driving to. In some cases towns wouldn't exist unless it wasn't for the store. With the bounties of kitsch, confections, food, and often an array of items that offer endless possibilities of items to buy--or wonder who in his or her right mind would buy such a thing, some places are hard to resist.

According to the reader survey conducted by USA Today recently, these are the top five favorite roadside stores in the United States. I'm wondering why the term "store" was used because in two cases stores aren't involved at all. Bessie the Cow stands where she used to grace the front of a store called Oasis. Oasis was bulldozed under and a Menards was built on the land. If Oasis was great, why was it bulldozed under?

Still, it's an intriguing collection that offers ideas for places to head, either on their own, or when you're on the way to somewhere else. You'll see Bessie is number 4.

On a Great American road trip, one place to head is Arches National Park in Utah. That's where we're heading from Albuquerque, New Mexico today. This shot by weegolo reminds me of how the sky and land interact in the west. Here it looks as if both are moving, and perhaps over the horizon one might reach the end of the world.

If you have a shot of a shot that intrigues you. Intrigue us be sending it to Gadling's Flickr pool. We might choose it as a Photo of the Day.

The bird strike in the skies above LaGuardia airport yesterday didn't faze the passengers--they didn't know it occurred. When American Airlines Flight 1256 was arriving from Miami, getting ready to land, it met up with some of our feathered friends. Good-bye birds. Also, good- bye nose gear hydraulic system

After landing, the pilot discovered that the system wasn't working, thus the 737-800 had to be towed to a gate. Upon inspection, a large bird was discovered stuck in the landing gear. This story reminds me of when we were hitting pheasants right and left in North Dakota last summer.

As you have probably read a bit about, bird strikes are quite the concern. In this human vs the wild story, the humans are determined to win and killing off some of the birds is part of the solution. Scott's post explains just how.

Kent Wien, Gadling's beloved pilot extraordinaire provided this photo of his own bird vs plane experience. This gross occurrence happened on a final approach to Barbados last year. Paradise can be hell. Seeing this photo made me think too bad that I don't have shot of my husband removing a pheasant from the grill of our car.

Certainly there isn't any better proof about why driving into a puddle isn't the best idea--unless you are pretty sure what kind of puddle it is--than this.

I came across this gem while doing research for the sink hole travel post. This mishap did not happen in the United States which would be just one more example of a stupid American story.

If you're wondering just what happens to your car if you drive through a big puddle and don't have to swim, read the answer to the question: "If you drive a car through a big puddle, can it ruin your engine?" at Askcars.com.

When I was writing my post Five famous fathers: Visit where they lived with their children, I did research Walt Disney to see what else there was to head to that is not a theme park. Walt Disney was a dad as well as a family entertainment genius. I wasn't able to find a site to head to, although he is one of the first men I though of. That's changing this fall. It's not that he lived in a museum, but there is a museum coming that will be all about him.

Walt Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller is excited about the October opening of the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. One of the reasons for the museum is to show just how diverse Disney's life was and to provide insight into the man behind what has become bigger than life.

While reading the AP article about the museum, I was struck by the fact that some people don't know that Walt Disney was a real person. I suppose that's because some companies have fake people who are their icons. Betty Crocker comes to mind. Maybe some folks think that Betty Crocker is real.

In the case of Walt Disney, I'd say that his impact on American popular culture is unrivaled. I was also happy to read that the sticky parts of his past are also included such as his testimony in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee. The museum is not a Disney version of Disney, but a full look at an amazing man.

Gallery: Disney Cruise

"A client called in inquiring about a package to Hawaii. After going over all the cost info, she asked, "Would it be cheaper to fly to California and then take the train to Hawaii?"

This is only one of the stupid things an American has said to a travel agent. At Strangeplaces.net, there is a slew of side-splitting funny stories that travel agents have recounted. Some of them are so stupid, they are hard to believe, but still, very very funny. Although, with the story about Kelly Pickler that we recounted here, and Miss South Carolina, here, perhaps, the stories are just as they seem. If nothing else, they point out that some people need to get a refresher course in how to tell distance on a map.

Here's another distance related example:

"A man called, furious about a Florida package we did. I asked what was wrong with the vacation in Orlando. He said he was expecting an ocean-view room. I tried to explain that is not possible, since Orlando is in the middle of the state. He replied, "Don't lie to me. I looked on the map and Florida is a very thin state."

Read more and weep--with laughter, that is.

With a week where we've added a new blogger to the Gadling fold, I didn't want to pass up the chance formally give Stephen Greenwood a hearty welcome. He's going to be dazzling us with posts from his current home in Hong Kong. Tune into his Dim Sum Dialogues.

This has been a busy weekend. With ComFEST, the mega community arts festival taking over Columbus's Goodale Park and terrific weather for each day of it, it does indeed feel like these are the days to enjoy oneself.

Here are five stories you might have missed:

• In Amsterdam, a branch of Russia's Hermitage Museum opened. Head there and you can see items that once belonged to the Russian court. As Kraig Sean mentioned, what isn't covered is how the Romanov's lost power. The thought of the family being lined up against a wall and shot by the Bolsheviks, still gives me pause.
• Willy's post on 10 things to do on Jost Van Dyke in the Virgin Islands has me wanting to head there for an eco-excursion.
• If you aren't feeling hungry, you will be after reading Jeremy's post on eating brunch in Kingston, Jamaica. Jeremy's adding posts on Jamaica to his lush series, Undiscovered New York.
• Catherine's post on Geographic Expeditions deals on travel caught my attention. I highly recommend guided tours. They are worth the money, particularly if your days off are a precious few.
• As a New Yorker who sizzles in the summer, Tom is on the lookout for ways out of Manhattan and chances to cool off. He's summarized the deals he's found in New England. You don't have to be a New Yorker to enjoy them.

Also, we're running a new series on airport layovers. There are a few more to come. Annie's post on Amsterdam this past week has one tip that did last December.

If hiking the Bright Angel Trail, or any other trail that leads down into the Grand Canyon is the stuff of your dreams, be warned--it isn't the easiest thing to do. Sure, going down is fine. That path of switchbacks, often with mule pee at every turn, beckons downward. "This is swell, " you might say to yourself. "Isn't the Grand Canyon grand?"

Sure. It's spectacular. The Grand Canyon is probably one of the most glorious, breathtaking sights I've seen in my life, and I've seen a lot--not to brag, just saying. But that alluring trip down towards the Colorado River that formed such majesty can be hell on the way back up. It can even give people a heart attack.