Apr 22nd, 2013 at 1:00PM: While reading fellow Gadling blogger Chris Owen's post about a Twitter mix-up between Chechnya and the Czech Republic, I was horrified to read that one-third of young Americans can't find the Pacific Ocean.
I was horrified, but not surprised. I taught for several years in a community college and no amount of public ignorance surprises me anymore – not after a student handed in a paper ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
USA posts
The Pacific Ocean: Is It Really True That One-Third Of Young Americans Can't Find It?
Apr 22nd, 2013 at 1:00PM: While reading fellow Gadling blogger Chris Owen's post about a Twitter mix-up between Chechnya and the Czech Republic, I was horrified to read that one-third of young Americans can't find the Pacific Ocean.
I was horrified, but not surprised. I taught for several years in a community college and no amount of public ignorance surprises me anymore – not after a student handed in a paper ...Traveling Couple Hits 20 Countries In 312 Days On 3 Minutes Of Video
Feb 5th, 2013 at 4:00PM:
In a quest to tackle 30 must-have travel experiences before they turn 30, career breakers Gerard & Kieu of GQ trippin traveled 108,371 kilometers (67,338 miles) in 312 days through 20 countries for one adventure of a lifetime.
Shooting 1,266 videos along the way, the traveling couple ended up with 11 hours of video but has reduced it and their entire year of travel to just three ...
Why I Visited Mesa Verde National Park Instead Of The Warren Jeffs Polygamy Compound
Jan 19th, 2013 at 11:00AM: On my last morning in southwest Colorado, I went to the public library in Mancos to decide if I should spend my last hours in the state trying to track down polygamists at the Warren Jeffs compound just outside town or if should visit Mesa Verde National Park.
"The Jeffs people really keep to themselves," said a friendly, bearded librarian named Lee.
"And I don't imagine they're very keen on ...Want A National Park All To Yourself? Visit Canyonlands National Park In Winter
Jan 17th, 2013 at 10:00AM: It was 12 degrees as we stood before the Mesa Arch in Utah's Canyonlands National Park early on a Monday morning in January waiting for the sun to rise. But we weren't complaining because we knew that we had this wild and magnificent place almost all to ourselves.
Photographers have gathered at the Mesa Arch to photograph the early morning light that unfolds into the vast, majestic canyonlands ...Experiencing Polygamy, Utah Style At Rockland Ranch
Jan 15th, 2013 at 10:00AM: "Why do some people not like that we have two mommies?"
That was the first thing that 7-year-old Faith Foster asked me when I walked into her family's home, which is carved into a 400-foot-high, ¼-mile deep rock some 30 miles from the nearest town in rural southeast Utah. Faith's parents aren't lesbians; they are polygamists.
Mention the word Utah in a word association game and the ...Four Corners: A Delightfully Confusing Tourist Trap
Jan 9th, 2013 at 11:00AM: Of course I knew that Four Corners – the spot where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona meet – would be a tourist trap. But on a recent road trip from Durango to Monument Valley, Utah, I passed just five miles away from this geographically auspicious place and found that I couldn't resist the temptation to stop and see the only spot in America where four states meet.
The Navajo ...12 Offbeat Travel Ideas For 2013
Jan 2nd, 2013 at 12:00PM: My annual New Year's Eve tradition is to reflect on all the places I visited during the year and plot out where I want to go in the New Year. 2012 was a banner travel year for my family because we put all of our things in storage for five months and traveled extensively in Europe and North America. We gorged ourselves on donuts and thought we got scammed in Western New York's Amish Country, ...The World's 10 Scariest Haunted Castles
Jun 4th, 2012 at 10:00AM:
From a Czech forest castle reported to house the gates of hell to a gargantuan castle right here in the United States, the world's most haunted castles boast histories rich with frightening details. Specters haunt the halls of these old castles and travelers visit to experience brushes with the paranormal. Some of these castles possess secrets darker than a moonless night, and when ...America's baddest badlands
Jan 17th, 2012 at 10:30AM:
One of the greatest things about the United States is its environmental diversity. From towering forests of pine to sun-hammered deserts, from snowy peaks to steaming swamps, this nation has it all.
Some of the most compelling places are also the harshest. Take this view of the sand dunes of Death Valley, taken by talented photographer John Bruckman. This is the worst part of the Mojave ...Denver's Union Station undergoing LEED Gold makeover
Jan 6th, 2012 at 2:00PM: The historic Union Station in Denver, Colorado, will soon be undergoing a major restoration project that will turn it into one of the most progressive transportation hubs in the United States.
According to Inhabitat, the project is aiming for LEED Gold certification and will preserve the train hub that connects the Amtrak system with regional modes of transport, like Colorado's celebrated ...Video: An ultra high resolution look at the American Southwest
Dec 7th, 2011 at 3:00PM: Time lapse photographer and filmmaker Tom Lowe has been working on his new and innovative creation for over two years now. The video is actually a clip of his soon-to-debut film, TimeScapes, which showcases the beauty of the American Southwest using Canon RAW and Epic Red still cameras. Because the movie was filmed and edited at 4K resolution, which is four times greater than regular high ...
In the United States? Catch a free ride with the Kindness Cab
Nov 1st, 2011 at 11:00AM: From now up until November 13, 2011, anyone located in between Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, California, can catch a free ride in a 1985 London Sterling taxi. CouchSurfer Leon Logothetis started driving the Kindness Cab in a an effort to give back to the community as well as raise money for charity. If you're interested in hitching a ride with him, you can click here to follow his whereabouts ...Virgin Galactic christens terminal 'Gateway to Space' (Photos)
Oct 17th, 2011 at 6:00PM:
The Montgolfier brothers had Paris. The Wright brothers had Kill Devil Hills. Today, Richard Branson can officially call the New Mexican desert 'home' for his burgeoning commercial space line.
This morning, Governor of New Mexico Susana Martinez, Virgin Galactic CEO George Whitesides, and Richard Branson welcomed guests inside Spaceport America, to commemorate and christen the ...Serial public art around the world
Oct 17th, 2011 at 4:30PM:
Public art exhibitions featuring a common sculpture that is multiplied and then embellished by various artists have been popping up in cities worldwide since 1998. Artistic director Walter Knapp first came up with the idea and convinced artists to dot Zurich, Switzerland with a collection of artfully-decorated lions. Within a year, Chicago businessman Peter Hanig had taken the idea and ran ...The 5 ugliest states in the country
Aug 17th, 2011 at 2:00PM: They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. San Francisco Examiner writer and occasional Gadling contributor Bob Ecker doesn't behold much, at least for a few unlucky states. Ecker previously named the prettiest US states including coastal California, exotic Hawaii, diverse New York, historic Virginia, and verdant Washington. He's now determined the unfortunate ugliest states, measured by ...Thirty years of AIDS: Smithsonian remembers the start of a pandemic
Jun 5th, 2011 at 4:00PM: Thirty years ago this summer, the first official reports were released about a new virus that destroyed the human immune system. The virus was the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes AIDS.
Since that time HIV/AIDS has become a global pandemic, claiming millions of lives and seriously damaging several developing economies.
The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is ...How to get a second passport
May 27th, 2011 at 12:00PM: A second passport sounds glamorous. And in point of fact, it is glamorous. There's no debating the matter. Possessing a second passport gives its bearer bragging rights and the ability to feel a wee bit like a spy, especially when he or she is traveling with both passports in tow.
So you want to get a second passport and feel like an undercover agent? Not so fast. The US State Department allows ...Pillow Fight World Cup kicks off in Brooklyn
May 17th, 2011 at 1:30PM: Eurovision chose a winner this weekend and the Olympics aren't for another year, so what sporting event will next unite countries and provide entertainment for the world? Tonight is the first-ever Pillow Fight World Cup and participants from Sweden, Japan, Austria, and, of course, the United States are expected to compete. Did we mention the pillow fight entrants are all female? Rest assured, this ...Video of the Day - Sunsets around the world
Mar 29th, 2011 at 10:30PM:
Seeing the sun set over a foreign land can lead to some of the most memorable moments on any given trip. Even though it's an event we witness every day of our lives, watching it dip over a new horizon always feels like a completely new experience. Today's Video of the Day is a collection of one backpacker's best sunsets from a 365 day trip around the world.
Romain Corraze decided to ...
Winter in Alaska: five amazing, unforgettable things to do in Fairbanks
Mar 6th, 2011 at 3:00PM: In the spirit of journeying during periods less traveled, I've embarked to Alaska this winter. Follow the adventures here, and prepare to have your preconceived notions destroyed along the way.
A glimpse at what Fairbanks offers during the winter
We've already discussed a number of amazing activities to do whilst in Anchorage during the winter, but what about Alaska's second largest ...
