June 15, 2009
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Want to submit a shot from your U.S. or Canada travels for consideration as a Picture of the Week or Banner Day selection? Please put a Creative Commons license on it, and add it to our Flickr pool, drop us a line, or post a link to it in the comments.
June 12, 2009
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The Grass Blades by J. Rosario |
Today marks the launch of a new feature: Banner Day. We’ll periodically refresh our banner with a Creative Commons photo we find that catches our eye, either one of our Picture of the Week picks, something submitted by you, neither, or both. (Put simply, whenever we feel like looking at something new, we’ll change the banner.)
Our first choice is photographer J. Rosario’s “Memory Lane,” which was already a Picture of the Week. And since we’re loathe to repeat ourselves, we’re dressing this post up with another of his photos, a wonderful shot of Seattle’s Grass Blades sculpture. (Bonus points if you can spot the airplane, and yes, Seattle is on our minds this week.)
Want to submit a shot from your U.S. or Canada travels for consideration as a Picture of the Week or Banner Day selection? Please put a Creative Commons license on it, and add it to our Flickr pool, drop us a line, or post a link to it in the comments.
June 11, 2009
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Tawny frogmouth chick by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo |
A quick roundup of travel-related items:
June 10, 2009
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“On the Road” by Indy Charlie |
Given how long it’s taken the U.S. to get serious about raising mileage standards, you’d think the folks in D.C. were gas-saving rookies. Wrong. Turns out they know an awful lot about it, and they’re sharing on their exhaustive (ha!) Fuel Economy site.
We’ve already told you about the wrong ways to get better mileage via our “5 Myths About How to Save Gas” list. So why not pass along some that actually work, and link to other highlights of the site? Happy motoring, and be sure to let us know when you graduate to hypermiling. — Michael Peck
Other Highlights
June 8, 2009
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Want to submit a shot from your U.S. or Canada travels for consideration as our Picture of the Week? Please put a Creative Commons license on it, and add it to our Flickr pool.
June 5, 2009
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Cat burglar by Ella Mullins |
Right now, only the person or persons who broke into Israel Hyman’s home after he tweeted about being on vacation know for sure if that’s what served as the tip-off to an empty house ripe for the picking [h/t Professional Travel Guide]. However, that won’t stop the media (myself included) from speculating about Twitter serving as a guidance system of sorts for criminals.
Besides, I’ll take any excuse to post a photo of an animal doing something cute. (Cat burglar! Get it?) Between this and the grizzly bear team, it seems to be a theme with me.
Regardless, it’s never a bad time to remind travelers about precautions to take when leaving home and hitting the road. Aside from not Twittering about your being gone, here are some of the basics, along with helpful resources. (Follow the linked headings for more.) — Michael Peck
June 3, 2009
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Grizzly courtesy Living with Wildlife Foundation/Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center |
Helena, Mont. — Vacationers heading into grizzly territory with one of the first two cooler models to be certified bear-proof may not realize it, but those most responsible for making sure their beer and peanut butter are safe from Yogi and pals are some of the very varmints those campers are trying to avoid feeding. The names are Sam, illie, Revel, Stoke, Kobuk, Nakina, and Spirit, and before a garbage can, dumpster, cooler or any other kind of container gets a minimal star rating from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee, it’s got to survive at least 30 minutes with this “pic-a-nic basket”-craving crew.
Much like Robert Wagner’s Alexander Mundy was coerced into using his burglar skills for good in the ’60s series It Takes a Thief, the test grizzlies never volunteered for the job. They are either nuisance bears that got too used to the easy pickings of humanity and had to be moved from where they lived, or they’re the offspring of such. And each brings a different set of skills to the challenge, according to Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center (GDC) Director John Heine, whose West Yellowstone organization shelters bears, wolves and other animals and carries out the certification process along with the Living with Wildlife Foundation (LWWF).
“Some of them have techniques that are better for certain containers,” Heine said. “Nikina is really good with latches. She can get her claws in and flip a latch that only human hands are supposed to be able to get to. Our largest bear, Sam, is 1,000 pounds, and he’ll use brute force to tip it over, pound on it, or jump on it. Two of them are good at unscrewing things.”
Cont’d: test results, how to motivate a grizzly, and additional photos …
June 1, 2009
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“Getty Museum #9″ by kevindooley |
Want to submit a shot from your U.S. or Canada travels for consideration as our Picture of the Week? Please put a Creative Commons license on it, and add it to our Flickr pool.
May 27, 2009
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King Kong courtesy Universal Studios Hollywood |
A quick roundup of travel-related items:
May 26, 2009
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“American Falls at Night” by Diego_3336 |
Want to submit a shot from your U.S. or Canada travels for consideration as our Picture of the Week? Please put a Creative Commons license on it, and add it to our Flickr pool.
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