There are several Highland Games in Northern New England. The games at Loon Mountain are a personal favorite. These are known as the most diverse games in the country! First, Loon Mountain and surrounding area is a beautiful area.  Getting there is big fun.  Coming from Maine or the Mt. Washington Valley, the ride must include a trip across the Kancamagus Highway, an adventure in itself.

The event itself includes a gathering of over 60 clans and societies, a Scottish Fiddle championship and other instrument competitions, sheepdog trials, and food, to name just a few attractions.  The main drawing factor for many people, though is the heavy athletics. Athletes come from all over the world to participate in the NH Highland Games.

If you’ve never been to a Highland Games, you really need to go to this one.

Photo credit: bgeissle

I am a sucker for a fair of any kind.  This fair, however, knocks my socks off.  The Common Ground Fair is sponsored by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) and is always held the third weekend after Labor Day. MOFGA is the voice of organic farming in Maine, and the Common Ground Fair is the annual celebration of Green living. Held at MOFGA grounds in Unity, Maine, attendees will enjoy the ride there, for one, but also an amazing assortment of vendors. All food is organic and Maine grown. One can learn about any form of alternative energy, find information on causes of many descriptions, see demonstrations of working animals (the sheep herding dogs are a personal fave), learn a LOT about gardening from master gardeners, and basically enjoy a day at a fair of a different color.  There is no midway at the Common Ground, no rides, no barkers.  There ARE, however, all the other elements of a country fair and then some — amazing post and beam structures, food (I can’t say enough good about the food), artisans and craftsmen, animals, demonstrations, a farmers market, and a good time for all.

To get to the fair, drive, ride your bike and save $2 off admission, camp overnight, ride the train from Unity to the fairgrounds. It’s more than a fair, it’s an experience.

Photo credit: Allison McKellar

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (ISGM)  is the most amazing and odd little museum I’ve ever visited…and I’ve been to a few.  First, its setting.  It’s near the famous Boston Fens and within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Art. It has an inner courtyard that is always in bloom and lovely.

The museum’s history is interesting, as well.  Ms. Gardner opened the museum to public viewing in 1903. It’s been virtually unchanged since.  She determined how the art would be displayed and, for better or worse, that too has been unchanged. That is certainly not a reflection on the collection. Covering multiple millenia, it is wonderful and diverse, including paintings, sculptures, tapestries, books, and other items of note.

The ISGM is also the location of one of the most infamous art thefts in history, which just adds to the interest of the museum. March 18, 2010, marks the 20-year anniversary of this theft of 13 works of art, whose combined value is over $300 million.   Their frames have been hanging empty since. Artists include Rembrandt, Vermeer, Degas, and Manet.  $5 million could be yours, if you have can help the FBI solve this one.

Photo credit: MarioAnima

Sometimes, you find unusual travel photo opportunities at the most unexpected times. For example, this African mask I came across on a family visit to the zoo.

It was one of several on display. Not authentic, it was definitely one developed for decorative commercial use. However, it still made a statement and added a tribal atmosphere to that area of the safari animal exhibit.

Tall, and posted on a large pole, it added a museum-like quality to an otherwise casual outdoor display. It reminded me that travel photography doesn’t always have to take place in foreign lands. Particularly when scenes like this are within driving distance of your very own home.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

Located in University Circle in Cleveland, the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum houses a collection of the Western Reserve Historical Society. It contains  historically significant automobiles (over 200 vehicles from Model T to contemporary Jaguar), bicycles, aircraft, spacecraft, motorcycles and even a boat, Tinkerbelle.  It’s fascinating.

If history is your thing, and even if it isn’t, a ticket to the Crawford includes admission to the History Museum and Library, too. Active members of the military enjoy a 50% discount on admission.  This is an interesting historical museum and is worthy of inclusion on your visit to Northeast Ohio. I visited this museum several times during my tenure at college in University Circle, and I was never bored.

Photo Credit: Craig Hatfield

Hiking Mt. Washington is a popular thing to do for outdoor enthusiasts visiting the Mt. Washington Valley. Getting to that summit is an attainable goal and the view from the summit is an apt reward. If, however, you happen not to want to execute that climb to get those views, there is an alternative.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road near the  Pinkham Notch Visitor’s Center on Rt. 16 is a thrilling way to go.  You, your family and your vehicle can make this climb yourselves at your own rate and attain the summit and its rewards, including a ‘This car climbed Mt. Washington’ bumper sticker!

The weather on Mt. Washington is the most unpredictable in the world. No two trips to the summit are the same. The option to drive yourself isn’t available when the snow flies, but if you’re in the area in temperate weather, consider the drive. It’s amazing, memorable, and the story will be worthy of the retelling.

Photo credit: zappowbang

This image called to me for the taking on a day trip we took with a friend in Ecuador. The back view of virtually identical hair braids streaming down vibrantly colored shawls is a cultural snapshot of the Andes themselves.

This particular group of women were at a local market some distance out of Quito. While there were a few souvenirs to be had there, this particular market was more for the locals and featured vegetables, chickens, eggs, animals, homemade sugar cakes, baskets and more. These women were on a weekly shopping errand.

Photo Credit: Trek Hound

Tumon Beach, Guam

It Takes Guts

 I made this transition and you can too. I did it long before there were travel websites talking about it and before living overseas was the rage. I knew I was going before it happened. I’d done my homework, researched jobs, downsized my belongings and given up my apartment to rent a room in a friend’s daughter’s home. I knew in my heart my next home would be overseas. Within three months I had an interview in San Diego for a teaching position on the island of Guam. Within a week they offered me a job teaching fifth grade, I accepted immediately. I gave notice at my job, flew to the Midwest to visit my family and within a month I was living overseas, on the island of Guam.

My parents were cautiously supportive. They knew I was a free spirit and that I wanted to live overseas. I’d been talking about it since the sixth grade when I saw a slide show of Germany.  My mom was the most open to my overseas life, but even she had concerns. I spent three years on Guam and fell in love with the tropics. Guam was a new cultural experience and was a turning point in my life. Taking that teaching job sight unseen and moving half way around the world gave me a deep seated confidence and enthusiasm to continue my journey of working and living overseas.

Tumon Beach By: JetAlone

As a person who lives near the White Mountains, I frequently like to combine a trip to Conway/No. Conway with a ride on the Kancamagus Highway (aka “The Kanc”).  There are a few ways to do this for those ‘in the know’ without backtracking. My favorite is to connect from Rte. 302 in Bartlett to The Kanc via Bear Notch Rd.

Bear Notch Rd. is a 9-mile road that is only open from May to November for wheeled vehicle access.  Snowmobiles take over in the winter months.  It is very popular in the warm months with bikers, to mention one group. There are several scenic turn outs along the way, and foliage season viewing is exceptional on Bear Notch Rd.

To find Bear Notch Rd. from Conway/No. Conway, head west on Rte. 302 out of No. Conway.  In Bartlett, NH, turn west (left) onto Bear Notch Rd.   The road ends at The Kanc.

Photo Credit: walknboston

This instruction manual for travel yoga by Darrin Zeer, covers poses you can perform casually in the airport as well as tips for every portion of the trip, including layovers, at the luggage carousel, standing in line for the security check, on the plane, etc.  Some of top tips from the book?

• When stressed, stop. Take a deep breath . It doesn’t matter where you are, according to Zeer. Crowded street, bus station, middle of the airport or even a taxi cab. All are appropriate locations to get a grip.
• Make peace of mind your highest priority throughout your trip.
• The back-stretching cat pose. This one’s great for the hotel at the end of the day. Just get on your hands and knees, and slowly arch your spine up and down. This will get out the kinks from a long day of sitting on a train or plane.

Slightly larger than a pocket-sized book, this hard cover title is small enough to pack conveniently if you are on a short trip, but I’m not sure I would lug it on a long-term excursion when space is an issue. Available through Amazon.

Photo Credit: Chronicle Books