I really like the variety of light sources in this photo! A garage in the Sunnyside neighborhood in Denver. It's on W 39th Ave, despite CO-39 actually being in northeastern Colorado. Perhaps a Coloradan knows the story behind this garage door mural?
Friday, October 31, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 10 31
Apologies for not posting last Friday; I've been away from my computer(s) much more than usual. I hope this one makes up for it?!
I really like the variety of light sources in this photo! A garage in the Sunnyside neighborhood in Denver. It's on W 39th Ave, despite CO-39 actually being in northeastern Colorado. Perhaps a Coloradan knows the story behind this garage door mural?
I really like the variety of light sources in this photo! A garage in the Sunnyside neighborhood in Denver. It's on W 39th Ave, despite CO-39 actually being in northeastern Colorado. Perhaps a Coloradan knows the story behind this garage door mural?
Sunday, October 19, 2014
Exploring Rural New Mexico: Raton, Capulin Volcano, Folsom, and Clayton
As some of you may know, I recently bought a new camera (comment below if you want the backstory). What better way to learn and test the new camera than a road trip? The boyfriend has recently been working on a project regarding the Santa Fe Trail, and heard about an extinct volcano in northeastern New Mexico. Let's go!
We left Denver Friday evening, stopped at our favorite Jamaican restaurant in Colorado Springs (Jamaican Flavor, go there!) for dinner, and spent the night in Trinidad, CO. Saturday morning we left Trinidad in search of breakfast in Raton, NM. It appears as though Raton has seen better days. Most restaurants and businesses along the main drag are either out of business, boarded up, or open with very limited hours. Fortunately, there is one place that is definitely open: the Oasis Restaurant. The Yelp reviews may be iffy, but I will tell you that breakfast is delicious! Homefries, egg sandwich, ham, green chile*... all good! The staff is very friendly. Next time I'm in NM I'd like to spend some time in Raton learning about its history.
*Colorado likes to pretend that it knows what's up with green chile, but the truth is that green chile is a New Mexican dish. I'm just going to throw this out there: New Mexico makes better green chile. Now you know. :)
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Full of delicious breakfast we set out towards the Capulin Volcano. A volcano in New Mexico? Yes! It is very well preserved, thanks in part to the plants that now live on the volcano and help prevent erosion. There are trails around the rim of the volcano and down into the vent (remember: extinct volcano). The rim trail provides an excellent view of other volcanoes in the area, as well as nearby towns, roads, and railroads.
If you are at all interested in geology, volcanoes, or historic land forms, check out Capulin!
Folsom, NM
After spending some time at Capulin we decided to drive through Folsom, just to see what was there. We heard it was a ghost town, but there was a lot going on! We stopped at the Folsom Museum to learn about the town's history. For a town that might fit the description "the middle of nowhere", there's actually a lot of history. There was also an arts/crafts sale going on outside of the historic Folsom Hotel, and they were preparing for a concert later in the evening. As with any town of this size (56 people!), the locals quickly noticed that we were outsiders. We talked to a few people, all of whom were very friendly and wanted to share their town's history with us. Several people asked what brought us to town, and we told them that we stopped because we heard about the old historic district and were curious. We were told that one resident volunteered to fix up (paint, rebuilt, clean, etc) the historic district. If you compare my photos to others on flickr, you can see that she has done a great job!
For comparison, here is a photo (by Flickr user CourtHouseLover) of the Folsom business district in 2009:
To read more about Folsom's history, check out this site: Folsom Museum - Folsom Area History and these Wikipedia articles about George McJunkin and Black Jack Ketchum.
Clayton, NM
Our next stop was in Clayton, which is about an hour away from Folsom. With a population of nearly 3000 people, Clayton is much larger than Folsom. We weren't planning to stop, but decided to check it out when we saw the Herzstein Museum in an old church. The museum's curator was very friendly, and told us about some of the exhibits. The museum covers Clayton's shared history with Folsom as well as some things unique to Clayton.
The Rest of the Trip
From Clayton we continued on to Amarillo. We visited Cadillac Ranch, Palo Duro Canyon, and made friends at a restaurant/wine bar called Crush.
On Sunday we headed north, stopped at the TX/OK state line, visited a grocery store in Boise City OK, and continued onward. Of course we had to stop at my favorite restaurant in Lamar (List: Things I Never Thought I'd Say): Thai Spicy Basil.
Overall, a fun weekend of exploring!
Map
Typically I'd embed a map here, but the new Google Maps won't allow me to do so without changing my map to "Public". So instead here is the not-public-but-viewable-by-anyone-with-the-link map. Sorry it isn't embedded; go complain to Google.
We left Denver Friday evening, stopped at our favorite Jamaican restaurant in Colorado Springs (Jamaican Flavor, go there!) for dinner, and spent the night in Trinidad, CO. Saturday morning we left Trinidad in search of breakfast in Raton, NM. It appears as though Raton has seen better days. Most restaurants and businesses along the main drag are either out of business, boarded up, or open with very limited hours. Fortunately, there is one place that is definitely open: the Oasis Restaurant. The Yelp reviews may be iffy, but I will tell you that breakfast is delicious! Homefries, egg sandwich, ham, green chile*... all good! The staff is very friendly. Next time I'm in NM I'd like to spend some time in Raton learning about its history.
*Colorado likes to pretend that it knows what's up with green chile, but the truth is that green chile is a New Mexican dish. I'm just going to throw this out there: New Mexico makes better green chile. Now you know. :)
Capulin Volcano National Monument
Full of delicious breakfast we set out towards the Capulin Volcano. A volcano in New Mexico? Yes! It is very well preserved, thanks in part to the plants that now live on the volcano and help prevent erosion. There are trails around the rim of the volcano and down into the vent (remember: extinct volcano). The rim trail provides an excellent view of other volcanoes in the area, as well as nearby towns, roads, and railroads.
If you are at all interested in geology, volcanoes, or historic land forms, check out Capulin!
Folsom, NM
After spending some time at Capulin we decided to drive through Folsom, just to see what was there. We heard it was a ghost town, but there was a lot going on! We stopped at the Folsom Museum to learn about the town's history. For a town that might fit the description "the middle of nowhere", there's actually a lot of history. There was also an arts/crafts sale going on outside of the historic Folsom Hotel, and they were preparing for a concert later in the evening. As with any town of this size (56 people!), the locals quickly noticed that we were outsiders. We talked to a few people, all of whom were very friendly and wanted to share their town's history with us. Several people asked what brought us to town, and we told them that we stopped because we heard about the old historic district and were curious. We were told that one resident volunteered to fix up (paint, rebuilt, clean, etc) the historic district. If you compare my photos to others on flickr, you can see that she has done a great job!
A train in Folsom | Switchboard used to warn residents of the deadly 1908 flood |
For comparison, here is a photo (by Flickr user CourtHouseLover) of the Folsom business district in 2009:
To read more about Folsom's history, check out this site: Folsom Museum - Folsom Area History and these Wikipedia articles about George McJunkin and Black Jack Ketchum.
Clayton, NM
Our next stop was in Clayton, which is about an hour away from Folsom. With a population of nearly 3000 people, Clayton is much larger than Folsom. We weren't planning to stop, but decided to check it out when we saw the Herzstein Museum in an old church. The museum's curator was very friendly, and told us about some of the exhibits. The museum covers Clayton's shared history with Folsom as well as some things unique to Clayton.
The Rest of the Trip
From Clayton we continued on to Amarillo. We visited Cadillac Ranch, Palo Duro Canyon, and made friends at a restaurant/wine bar called Crush.
On Sunday we headed north, stopped at the TX/OK state line, visited a grocery store in Boise City OK, and continued onward. Of course we had to stop at my favorite restaurant in Lamar (List: Things I Never Thought I'd Say): Thai Spicy Basil.
Overall, a fun weekend of exploring!
Map
Typically I'd embed a map here, but the new Google Maps won't allow me to do so without changing my map to "Public". So instead here is the not-public-but-viewable-by-anyone-with-the-link map. Sorry it isn't embedded; go complain to Google.
Friday, October 17, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 10 17
Back in 2009, the boyfriend and I drove to Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor. While planning the trip, he found a deal on The Cat. We left the car in Maine, took the bikes with us to Nova Scotia, spent an evening drinking local beer and eating lobster, spent a day exploring Cape Forchu by bike, visiting a wonderful museum, and doing a self-guided walking tour of Yarmouth. Then it was back to Maine.
We biked to Cape Forchu from downtown Yarmouth and had lunch (lobster roll and tea!) at the lighthouse. A great way to spend a day!
The Cat doesn't run between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth anymore, making it more difficult to get to Yarmouth. If you ever find yourself there, please visit the museum!
Friday, October 10, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 10 10
A bit later than usual, but here is the photo!
Taken on the 16th Street Mall in Denver. I was going to take a photo of the sidewalk under the scaffolding, but this guy and his dog ended up being a nice addition!
Taken on the 16th Street Mall in Denver. I was going to take a photo of the sidewalk under the scaffolding, but this guy and his dog ended up being a nice addition!
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Buildings That Aren't What They Seem
Brooklyn Subway Vent
Back in 2011 I read BLDGBLOG's article about a house in Brooklyn that is a disguised subway vent. It was a residential brownstone that was converted into a subway vent and emergency exit in the early 1900s.
As luck would have it, I was scheduled to be on the east coast a few months later and built a visit into my itinerary. We found the house, and it was as odd as I'd imagined. Hidden in plain view. How much of the neighborhood is really aware of what lurks behind those doors?
As I walked up to the front door a lady walking down the street said to me, "they make it look so real, don't they". She knows!
Denver Chilled Water Center
I wasn't planning to blog about the Brooklyn brownstone/vent because BLDGBLOG and others have already done so, and I have no additional information to provide. But then I read about a building in downtown Denver. Disguised as an office building, it is really a facility that serves cold water to nearby buildings.
An excerpt from District Energy - Denver’s Historic System: Still Full Steam Ahead:
In addition to the Chilled Water Center, Xcel Energy also owns/operates Denver's steam system, which is the "oldest continuously operated commercial district-heating system in the world" and has approximately 130 customers. For comparison, ConEd's steam system in New York City serves approximately 2000 customers. Denver's Chilled Water Center serves approximately 40 customers.
Unlike the brownstone/vent in Brooklyn, the Chilled Water Center was built for its current purpose. Prior to the Chilled Water Center, the Ghost Building occupied the space at 15th & Glenarm. In 1979, it was dismantled so the Chilled Water Center could be built, and re-built in 1985 at 18th & Stout.
Back in 2011 I read BLDGBLOG's article about a house in Brooklyn that is a disguised subway vent. It was a residential brownstone that was converted into a subway vent and emergency exit in the early 1900s.
As luck would have it, I was scheduled to be on the east coast a few months later and built a visit into my itinerary. We found the house, and it was as odd as I'd imagined. Hidden in plain view. How much of the neighborhood is really aware of what lurks behind those doors?
As I walked up to the front door a lady walking down the street said to me, "they make it look so real, don't they". She knows!
Denver Chilled Water Center
I wasn't planning to blog about the Brooklyn brownstone/vent because BLDGBLOG and others have already done so, and I have no additional information to provide. But then I read about a building in downtown Denver. Disguised as an office building, it is really a facility that serves cold water to nearby buildings.
An excerpt from District Energy - Denver’s Historic System: Still Full Steam Ahead:
"A dedicated Chilled Water Center was built in the heart of downtown Denver, ‘disguised’ to look like an eight-story office building. The first cooling customer was served in August 1998. The Chilled Water Center incorporates two ice tanks with storage capacity of 75,000 ton-hrs of cooling. Ice is made at night and melted during the day to provide cold-water service to the buildings, while reducing the electrical requirements on the downtown grid during the peak daytime hours."
In addition to the Chilled Water Center, Xcel Energy also owns/operates Denver's steam system, which is the "oldest continuously operated commercial district-heating system in the world" and has approximately 130 customers. For comparison, ConEd's steam system in New York City serves approximately 2000 customers. Denver's Chilled Water Center serves approximately 40 customers.
Sources
Brooklyn Brownstone Subway Vent: http://bldgblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/brooklyn-vent.html
ConEd's Steam System: http://gothamist.com/2005/11/28/superhot_steam.php
ConEd's Steam System: http://gothamist.com/2005/11/28/superhot_steam.php
Xcel's Chilled Water Center in Denver:
- District Energy - Denver’s Historic System: Still Full Steam Ahead
- Xcel Energy XTRA - District Heating and Cooling
Denver's Ghost Building:
- DPL - Ghost Building
- Denver Post - Ghost Building Made Its Way To 18th Street
- Railroad Glory Days - Denver's Ghost Buildings
Friday, October 3, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 10 03
An old photo from 2008, but it seems to capture the mood: autumn is coming quickly!
Friday, September 26, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 09 26
This one is for the local crowd:
Denver! Taken on a recent rainy evening at 16th & Blake. It doesn't rain a lot here, but it sure brings out the colors in the city!
PS: I am working on an actual real blog entry about a recent road trip. STAY TUNED!
Denver! Taken on a recent rainy evening at 16th & Blake. It doesn't rain a lot here, but it sure brings out the colors in the city!
PS: I am working on an actual real blog entry about a recent road trip. STAY TUNED!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Friday, September 12, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 09 12
Friday, September 5, 2014
Friday, August 29, 2014
Photo Phriday - 2014 08 29
At the Colorado Railroad Museum: old tracks are home to a Manitou & Pikes Peak Cog Railway engine, at the end of some other old tracks.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Photo Phriday! - 2014 08 22
As you may have noticed, I share a lot of photos on Flickr. So many photos, in fact, that I feel some of the best ones get lost in the masses. You may have also noticed that I rarely post actual blog articles anymore. In an effort to do something with this space, I decided to feature some of my favorite photos in a new series: Photo Phriday*. I'll try it for a while, and see how it goes. I hope you enjoy it!
Here's this week's photo:
I took this photo during a fjord cruise of Indian Arm last month. The Canadian flag on the boat with a taxiing float plane behind it seemed to sum up the area around the harbour. :)
*I am not above spelling changes for cheesy alliteration!
Here's this week's photo:
I took this photo during a fjord cruise of Indian Arm last month. The Canadian flag on the boat with a taxiing float plane behind it seemed to sum up the area around the harbour. :)
*I am not above spelling changes for cheesy alliteration!
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Norwegian Stave Churches
As part of my recent trip to Norway last August I was fortunate enough to visit a number of stave churches. I'm not going to provide a lot of background information here; you can find that on a number of other websites. So for now we'll just say that stave churches are medieval wooden church buildings, and though there used to be 1300+ scattered around Norway, there are only about 30 that remain today.
Any good blog needs a map, so here's a map of the remaining stave churches:
View Stavkirker in a larger map
The stave churches I'll be discussing in this post (ie: the ones I visited) are:
Hopperstad
My group was driving from Bergen to Vang when we saw our first stave church. We were on a pretty tight schedule, so we didn't get to go inside. I quickly purchased a book about stave churches, took a few photos, and hopped back in the van. Onward.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopperstad_Stave_Church
Year Built: 1131 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Øye
Before setting out on our activities of the day, we decided to stop by the Øye stave church. Located just outside of Vang, where we stayed at the Bøflaten campground for a few days, I was hoping I'd finally have the opportunity to go inside one of these awesome structures. Unfortunately, the Øye church was closed that day, so we could only admire it from outside. Still impressive!
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Øye_stave_church
Year Built: Around 1200 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Hegge
The stave church tour continued for part of our group (the injured few), while the rest of the group hiked Besseggen. On our self-guided tour (ie: geography nerds in a van with a map!) we found the Hegge stave church, which features a carved figure that resembled the Norse god Odin! Hegge is just one of many stave churches which incorporates pagan and Christian elements into a single building. We struck out again; Hegge was not open for tours on the day of our visit.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegge_stave_church
Year Built: 1216 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Høre
Next up on the self-guided tour was the Høre stave church. The next day, with the entire group present, we returned to Høre. I gave a short lecture to my classmates on stave churches, their history, their preservation, and their geography in the cemetery beside the church. There is no better place to learn about and discuss such structures.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Høre_stave_church
Year Built: 1180 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Lomen
The last stave church in the area was Lomen. The road to the church was a little tricky to find. A few wrong turns and iffy multi-point-turns on narrow roads and private driveways, and we figured out where to park. The church had beautiful carved portals around the entrances.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomen_stave_church
Year Built: 1192 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Reinli
FINALLY, a stave church we can tour!! Our guide was an older Norwegian woman, who shared some of the church's history with us. There is an old manual organ from the 1800s, and our guide actually let two people from our group play it! Then she proceeded to sing us an old Norwegian folk song, a cappella, so we could hear the acoustics of the building. Incredible! Back at the church's office/store she let us hold the church's original key from the year 1023. A replica is used to open the church today.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinli_Stave_Church
Year Built: 1326 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Gol
Gol was much less impressive after our tour of Reinli. There were no awesome Norwegian ladies singing folk songs to us at Gol, and there were TONS of tourists. I find it interesting that the Gol stave church was moved from its original location to the Norsk Folkemuseum / Norwegian Museum of Cultural History in the late 1800s, after its original village replaced it with a more modern church, and the King purchased it with the intent of preserving it. Since the church is in a museum, rather than a historic building being preserved within a small community, I felt more comfortable taking interior photographs. I did take photos in the Reinli stave church, but I was a little uncomfortable doing so. Anyway, here are my photos from Gol:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gol_Stave_Church
Year Built: 1216 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Odds and Ends
The UNESCO site references 1300+ stave churches that have been "indexed". I'd love to map the locations of former stave churches, but I can't find much information on the buildings or their locations. When UNESCO says "indexed", I think they may be referring to sites mentioned in a collection of sources (folk stories, old literature, etc), rather than an actual list that someone has compiled of these sources.
As we visited each stave church, I searched for the oldest headstone I could find. I was hoping I'd find something from the 1300s, but the oldest headstones were from the mid- or early-1800s. What's the deal?! Apparently, Norway lets you have your cemetery plot for free for 20 years. Someone (family, estate, friend, organization) needs to sponsor it after the 20 years are up, or else they'll reuse it for someone more recently dead. While it may be a creepy thought, this article brings a lot more creepy thoughts to mind: Grave Problem, Nothing is Rotting in the State of Norway.
Any good blog needs a map, so here's a map of the remaining stave churches:
View Stavkirker in a larger map
The stave churches I'll be discussing in this post (ie: the ones I visited) are:
- Hopperstad
- Øye
- Hegge
- Høre
- Lomen
- Reinli
- Gol
Hopperstad
My group was driving from Bergen to Vang when we saw our first stave church. We were on a pretty tight schedule, so we didn't get to go inside. I quickly purchased a book about stave churches, took a few photos, and hopped back in the van. Onward.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopperstad_Stave_Church
Year Built: 1131 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Øye
Before setting out on our activities of the day, we decided to stop by the Øye stave church. Located just outside of Vang, where we stayed at the Bøflaten campground for a few days, I was hoping I'd finally have the opportunity to go inside one of these awesome structures. Unfortunately, the Øye church was closed that day, so we could only admire it from outside. Still impressive!
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Øye_stave_church
Year Built: Around 1200 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Hegge
The stave church tour continued for part of our group (the injured few), while the rest of the group hiked Besseggen. On our self-guided tour (ie: geography nerds in a van with a map!) we found the Hegge stave church, which features a carved figure that resembled the Norse god Odin! Hegge is just one of many stave churches which incorporates pagan and Christian elements into a single building. We struck out again; Hegge was not open for tours on the day of our visit.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hegge_stave_church
Year Built: 1216 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Høre
Next up on the self-guided tour was the Høre stave church. The next day, with the entire group present, we returned to Høre. I gave a short lecture to my classmates on stave churches, their history, their preservation, and their geography in the cemetery beside the church. There is no better place to learn about and discuss such structures.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Høre_stave_church
Year Built: 1180 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Lomen
The last stave church in the area was Lomen. The road to the church was a little tricky to find. A few wrong turns and iffy multi-point-turns on narrow roads and private driveways, and we figured out where to park. The church had beautiful carved portals around the entrances.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomen_stave_church
Year Built: 1192 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Reinli
FINALLY, a stave church we can tour!! Our guide was an older Norwegian woman, who shared some of the church's history with us. There is an old manual organ from the 1800s, and our guide actually let two people from our group play it! Then she proceeded to sing us an old Norwegian folk song, a cappella, so we could hear the acoustics of the building. Incredible! Back at the church's office/store she let us hold the church's original key from the year 1023. A replica is used to open the church today.
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinli_Stave_Church
Year Built: 1326 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Gol
Gol was much less impressive after our tour of Reinli. There were no awesome Norwegian ladies singing folk songs to us at Gol, and there were TONS of tourists. I find it interesting that the Gol stave church was moved from its original location to the Norsk Folkemuseum / Norwegian Museum of Cultural History in the late 1800s, after its original village replaced it with a more modern church, and the King purchased it with the intent of preserving it. Since the church is in a museum, rather than a historic building being preserved within a small community, I felt more comfortable taking interior photographs. I did take photos in the Reinli stave church, but I was a little uncomfortable doing so. Anyway, here are my photos from Gol:
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gol_Stave_Church
Year Built: 1216 (Source: stavkirke.info)
Odds and Ends
As we visited each stave church, I searched for the oldest headstone I could find. I was hoping I'd find something from the 1300s, but the oldest headstones were from the mid- or early-1800s. What's the deal?! Apparently, Norway lets you have your cemetery plot for free for 20 years. Someone (family, estate, friend, organization) needs to sponsor it after the 20 years are up, or else they'll reuse it for someone more recently dead. While it may be a creepy thought, this article brings a lot more creepy thoughts to mind: Grave Problem, Nothing is Rotting in the State of Norway.
Monday, March 10, 2014
Map: Uzhgorod's Problem Spots
Uzhgorod.in recently shared a map of problem spots that have been identified within the city of Uzghorod. I wanted to share it here because I think it's a great way to engage people in the community, and to have citizens and local government work together to make things better (in this case: poor lighting, potholes, drainage problems, etc).
Here's the map:
Google Chrome should automatically offer to translate the page if your language isn't set to Ukrainian.
If you are in Uzhgorod and would like to suggest an addition/edit to the map, the article on Uzhgorod.in contains a link to do so.
Here's the map:
Google Chrome should automatically offer to translate the page if your language isn't set to Ukrainian.
If you are in Uzhgorod and would like to suggest an addition/edit to the map, the article on Uzhgorod.in contains a link to do so.
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Rusyn Christmas Tree
The Comfort Suites in Bethlehem PA has an exhibit of Christmas trees decorated to represent ethnic groups who have settled in and influenced the city. After hearing that there was a Rusyn tree on display, I decided that a visit was in order.
Given Rusyns' history of being absorbed into larger ethnic and/or political groups, I somewhat was nervous that it would be a Ukrainian or Slovak or even Russian (gasp!) tree, with a mention of "oh yeah, some of these people identify as Rusyns". I was thrilled to find an entire tree dedicated to Carpatho-Rusyn culture!
The tree had a variety of ornaments on it, ranging from cookies to pysanky to religious icons to golden walnuts. It was beautiful!
If you're anywhere near Bethlehem, you should definitely check out this display. There are trees representing a variety of ethnic groups, not just Eastern Europeans. While you're in town you can visit Christkindlemarkt at Steel Stacks (former Bethlehem Steel).
Here's a bonus photo of another tree that really impressed me:
Given Rusyns' history of being absorbed into larger ethnic and/or political groups, I somewhat was nervous that it would be a Ukrainian or Slovak or even Russian (gasp!) tree, with a mention of "oh yeah, some of these people identify as Rusyns". I was thrilled to find an entire tree dedicated to Carpatho-Rusyn culture!
Me + Rusyn Christmas tree. I look even shorter than usual!
That's what you get when a tall person takes your photo!
The tree had a variety of ornaments on it, ranging from cookies to pysanky to religious icons to golden walnuts. It was beautiful!
Cookies & pysanky
Icons, candles, gold-painted walnuts, a cool bird, and the Rusyn flag
Carpatho-Rusyn American!
Another pysanka
Straw angel!
Description of Rusyn Christmas traditions
If you're anywhere near Bethlehem, you should definitely check out this display. There are trees representing a variety of ethnic groups, not just Eastern Europeans. While you're in town you can visit Christkindlemarkt at Steel Stacks (former Bethlehem Steel).
Outside of Christkindlemarkt
Here's a bonus photo of another tree that really impressed me:
The Lithuanian tree was beautiful, with most ornaments made of straw.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Longyearbyen: My Northernmost Experience
I visited the Arctic town of Longyearbyen back in August. Though I've been a blog slacker, I really wanted to write about my visit and some things I learned while in Longyearbyen. So here's a brain dump!
At 78° North, Longyearbyen is well above the Arctic Circle. Destined for the land of the midnight sun, Longyearbyen was about a 3hr plane ride due north from Oslo, Norway. We took off in the dark around 10:30pm and landed in daylight around 2:30am.
Northernmost
As the northernmost city (there are more northern permanent settlements), Longyearbyen is home to the world's northernmost:
Food
There's no shortage of interesting food in the Arctic. We didn't get to try everything, but here are the places we did check out.
→Huset
After a long day of hiking with a newly injured knee, I walked another mile+ from our Hotel to Huset, and back. In the rain. Did I mention the injured knee? Despite my mood by the time I arrived, Huset was a nice dining experience. Food choices had a Norwegian flair, including their delicious reindeer stew.
Outside of Huset at 9pm; it finally stopped raining.
→Barentz Pub (northernmost bar in the world!)
How could I visit Longyearbyen and not have a beer at the northernmost bar in the world?! I chose wisely, and ordered a beer from the northernmost brewery in the world (Macks Bryggeri in Tromsø).
For more information:
→Kroa
For our second dinner in Longyearbyen, we ate at Kroa. Kroa is in the center of town, which meant I could finally buy postcards ($$$) and souvenirs ($$$$) - yay! For dinner the table shared appetizers of smoked minke whale*, which tasted more smokey than like anything else. The day's dinner special was one no one could resist: Arctic char said to be caught yesterday by our waitress' boss. Everyone in our group ordered it!
*Not to rain on Longyearbyen's parade, but I had a minke whale steak in Oslo that was AMAZING. The smoked whale just didn't let the whale's flavor shine through.
Accommodations
We stayed at Mary-Ann's Polariggen. The former company housing for coal miners has been converted into a basic but pleasant hotel. Bathrooms and showers are shared with your hallway, the breakfast is delicious, and the staff is very friendly and helpful. I was a big fan of the artwork in my room:
Polar bears are messy eaters.
Sweet dreams!
Miscellaneous
To read more about the group's adventures in Norway, check out our blog: DU Geography - Norway 2013. There are two articles about Longyearbyen:
At 78° North, Longyearbyen is well above the Arctic Circle. Destined for the land of the midnight sun, Longyearbyen was about a 3hr plane ride due north from Oslo, Norway. We took off in the dark around 10:30pm and landed in daylight around 2:30am.
Northernmost
As the northernmost city (there are more northern permanent settlements), Longyearbyen is home to the world's northernmost:
- ATM
- Airport with scheduled public flights (Svalbard Airport, Longyear)
- Bar (Barentz Pub, more on that shortly!)
- Bridge (Wikipedia cites the northernmost bridge as Havøysund Bridge, but there is a small bridge over the Longyearbyen River. It is much further north, and it totally counts!)
- Church (Svalbard Church)
- Probably some other things; it's REALLY far north.
With the northernmost ATM fees.
Photo by Jimmy.
Outside the airport at 3am.
Bridge over the Longyearbyen River.
Food
There's no shortage of interesting food in the Arctic. We didn't get to try everything, but here are the places we did check out.
→Huset
After a long day of hiking with a newly injured knee, I walked another mile+ from our Hotel to Huset, and back. In the rain. Did I mention the injured knee? Despite my mood by the time I arrived, Huset was a nice dining experience. Food choices had a Norwegian flair, including their delicious reindeer stew.
Reindeer stew with lingonberries.
→Barentz Pub (northernmost bar in the world!)
How could I visit Longyearbyen and not have a beer at the northernmost bar in the world?! I chose wisely, and ordered a beer from the northernmost brewery in the world (Macks Bryggeri in Tromsø).
Approaching Barentz Pub and the Radisson.
The beer I had from the northernmost brewery in the world.
Another northernmost beer.
So tired I can't even smile.
For more information:
→Kroa
For our second dinner in Longyearbyen, we ate at Kroa. Kroa is in the center of town, which meant I could finally buy postcards ($$$) and souvenirs ($$$$) - yay! For dinner the table shared appetizers of smoked minke whale*, which tasted more smokey than like anything else. The day's dinner special was one no one could resist: Arctic char said to be caught yesterday by our waitress' boss. Everyone in our group ordered it!
Inside Kroa!
Smoked minke whale.
Fresh-caught Arctic char.
*Not to rain on Longyearbyen's parade, but I had a minke whale steak in Oslo that was AMAZING. The smoked whale just didn't let the whale's flavor shine through.
Accommodations
We stayed at Mary-Ann's Polariggen. The former company housing for coal miners has been converted into a basic but pleasant hotel. Bathrooms and showers are shared with your hallway, the breakfast is delicious, and the staff is very friendly and helpful. I was a big fan of the artwork in my room:
Sweet dreams!
Exterior of Mary-Ann's Polariggen.
Miscellaneous
- Despite what every online article about Longyearbyen says, it is not "against the law" to leave the city limits without a shotgun. It is, however, a stupid idea to leave the city limits without being prepared, which includes bringing a shotgun for protection.
- If you see something you'd like to buy, buy it! It will not be cheaper on the mainland! I should have purchased that thermos I liked so much...
- The average time most people live in Longyearbyen is 2 years, but there are some people who have made it their permanent home. Our boat's captain has lived there for about 8 years, and his brother has lived there for nearly 20 years.
- Sewer and water pipes are above ground, and have several sources of heat to keep the pipes from freezing.
- Survival suits may keep you from freezing to death for 45 minutes in the Arctic waters, but they may not keep you dry, even if you're just sitting in a boat, rather than floating in the ocean.
- If the boat's captain asks if anyone has a back injury, and your back injury over a year ago, still TELL HIM. Your back WILL hurt after that boat ride, even if you sit in the "least ouchy" seat and brace yourself.
- It was quite rainy during the day. Locals told us that so much precipitation at that point in the year was very unusual, but the entire summer had been that way. It would rain/flurry all day, then around 10PM the sun would come out. Of course, this made it much harder to go to sleep, because we all wanted to explore while the weather was nice. :)
- Take your shoes off when you enter someone's home, hotel, and sometimes restaurant. It's actually pretty pleasant. You feel at home right away!
- I need to visit again. There's so much I still want to do! Plus, the dark season seems like an interesting time to visit.
More On My Adventures
To read more about the group's adventures in Norway, check out our blog: DU Geography - Norway 2013. There are two articles about Longyearbyen:
- Getting Our Feet Wet - Glacier Hike
- When The (Weather) Odds Are Not in Your Favor... - Arctic Boat Ride
Monday, November 25, 2013
Airmail Beacons
If you've been on the internet in the past week or so, you've probably seen one of the following stories:
My first thought? Road trip! Fortunately, there is a great website that catalogs the locations (and former locations) of these beacons. Since I live in Denver, I looked at nearby counties in Colorado and Wyoming, and was pretty happy to find two arrows that still exist nearby, according to Google's satellite view! Here's the map (red = gone, blue planes = still visible):
View Air Beacons Near Denver in a larger map
More Beacons? More Arrows?
Of course since I'm from PA, I had to see if there were any of these concrete arrows still around there. I went back to PlanetZhanna's site and mapped all of the locations in PA. Here's the map (red = gone, yellow = couldn't tell from satellite view):
View Air Beacons - PA in a larger map
Sadly, it appears as though there are no remaining beacon arrows in PA. Several were on roads named "Beacon Rd" or similar. I always wondered where these roads got their names! One of my favorites was KX2026, located on "Old Airport Rd" with no airport nearby. It's fascinating to see how much the landscape can change in 50 years, when many of these were still visible!
- Dead Media Beat: US Mail airmail arrows (Wired)
- These concrete arrows point the way across America (io9)
- This Really Exists: Giant Concrete Arrows That Point Your Way Across America (CN Traveler)
- The 80-year-old concrete arrows hat helped deliver the mail (The Verge)
- The Forgotten Giant Arrows That Guide You Across America (Messy Nessy Chic)
My first thought? Road trip! Fortunately, there is a great website that catalogs the locations (and former locations) of these beacons. Since I live in Denver, I looked at nearby counties in Colorado and Wyoming, and was pretty happy to find two arrows that still exist nearby, according to Google's satellite view! Here's the map (red = gone, blue planes = still visible):
View Air Beacons Near Denver in a larger map
A comment on PlanetZhanna said that MO1218 is on private land, so I figured I'd give MO1245 a try. Not too far off of I-80, and not too far from Denver. Let's go!
Airmail Beacon MO1245
Airmail Beacon MO1245
About 1 mile down a dirt road (W Pilot Peak Rd) and a little further down USFS Road 703B (not 703A!) we found the site.
The site itself was beautiful! The beacon arrow was still there, and though the tower was gone, the generator building was also still standing. Definitely one of the better remaining sites! Very cool!
W Pilot Peak Rd
Where's the arrow?!
Look closely!
Oh, there it is!
Generator building
What a view!!
The site itself was beautiful! The beacon arrow was still there, and though the tower was gone, the generator building was also still standing. Definitely one of the better remaining sites! Very cool!
More Beacons? More Arrows?
Of course since I'm from PA, I had to see if there were any of these concrete arrows still around there. I went back to PlanetZhanna's site and mapped all of the locations in PA. Here's the map (red = gone, yellow = couldn't tell from satellite view):
View Air Beacons - PA in a larger map
Sadly, it appears as though there are no remaining beacon arrows in PA. Several were on roads named "Beacon Rd" or similar. I always wondered where these roads got their names! One of my favorites was KX2026, located on "Old Airport Rd" with no airport nearby. It's fascinating to see how much the landscape can change in 50 years, when many of these were still visible!
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Cloudberries!
I first heard of cloudberries on my recent trip to Norway. What are cloudberries? Let me tell you!
Cloudberries (also known as bakeapples in Canada) are a raspberry-like berry. Unlike raspberries, they're only red before they're ripe, and lighten to an orange/yellow color when they ripen. They primarily grow in colder climates, and are hearty enough plants to survive up to 78°N.
I'd love to tell you what cloudberries taste like, but, as you're about to read, I'm having a hard time finding any.
For more information on cloudberries, including photos and a picking guide, check out My Little Norway's Guide to Cloudberries.
Close Encounters with Cloudberries
My first encounter with this mysterious berry was in a grocery store in Longyearbyen. I came across Arctic Candies while browsing the candy aisle for something cheap. They come in many flavors, one of which is cloudberry. As I said, I was looking for something cheap. At about $6 per tin, I opted for just the cloudberry flavor rather than the 4-pack. They got lost in the bottom of my luggage for the remainder of the trip, and I didn't think much of it. Maybe if I had tried them right then and there I would have bought the 4-pack, but alas I tried them when I got home. They're delicious and sugar free. If you find them somewhere, try them!
Later, while we were near Jotunheimen National Park, we pulled off the road to do a little exploring. There was a small gravel parking area... good enough for us! After stretching and looking at some cool rocks, a few sheep came by. They definitely wanted food, and as luck would have it, someone had left a PILE of couldberries on the ground. So of course we tried to see if the sheep would eat them. (They did, and seemed to want more.) I wish I had thought, 'maybe this pile of berries in a parking lot means that someone was picking them nearby!'. But I didn't. :(
I looked in a few grocery stores to see if I could find actual cloudberries, but they were nowhere to be found. Apparently cloudberries are mostly uncultivated. So if you want cloudberries, go cloudberry picking. Since cloudberries almost definitely won't grow in Colorado (As one website put it, they like mild sun for 22hrs/day. Colorado is intense sun for many fewer hours/day.), what are my options to try this elusive berry?
Cloudberry Products
Cloudberry Jam is available at Ikea.I can pick up some lingonberry jam while I'm there. Cool! You can bet this is on my To Do list. I went to Ikea today and found NO CLOUDBERRY JAM. :( I spoke to an employee who said they sold out extremely quickly and aren't planning on getting anymore at this point. :( :( :( I even ran into another guy who was looking for it. And there wasn't any lingonberry jam either! I did pick up some Gooseberry Jam, so I'm looking forward to trying that. Not the same.
Cloudberry Liquor. It goes by a number of names: Lakka, Lakkalikööri, Chicoutai. This one may be a bit of a challenge, but I'm up for it. Do you remember how I went to the ends of the earth* to find Kvint a few years ago? Psh, this should be easy! All of the countries (plural!) that produce this stuff are totally "real" countries! And one even borders the country I live in! Easy, right? We'll see. A few forums say that Astor Wines & Spirits in NYC may carry one of the Canadian varieties. For now, here are some varieties I found online. Let the search begin!
*"Ends of the earth" != Transnistria. "Ends of the earth" = many liquor stores in PA, NJ, and CO, and many more emails to the company themselves to find out where on earth they sell it in the US. Sadly, I didn't actually go to Transnistria.
Photo from Wikipedia.
Cloudberries (also known as bakeapples in Canada) are a raspberry-like berry. Unlike raspberries, they're only red before they're ripe, and lighten to an orange/yellow color when they ripen. They primarily grow in colder climates, and are hearty enough plants to survive up to 78°N.
Wikipedia's map of where couldberries grow.
I'd love to tell you what cloudberries taste like, but, as you're about to read, I'm having a hard time finding any.
For more information on cloudberries, including photos and a picking guide, check out My Little Norway's Guide to Cloudberries.
Close Encounters with Cloudberries
My first encounter with this mysterious berry was in a grocery store in Longyearbyen. I came across Arctic Candies while browsing the candy aisle for something cheap. They come in many flavors, one of which is cloudberry. As I said, I was looking for something cheap. At about $6 per tin, I opted for just the cloudberry flavor rather than the 4-pack. They got lost in the bottom of my luggage for the remainder of the trip, and I didn't think much of it. Maybe if I had tried them right then and there I would have bought the 4-pack, but alas I tried them when I got home. They're delicious and sugar free. If you find them somewhere, try them!
Photo from LovelyPackage.com
Later, while we were near Jotunheimen National Park, we pulled off the road to do a little exploring. There was a small gravel parking area... good enough for us! After stretching and looking at some cool rocks, a few sheep came by. They definitely wanted food, and as luck would have it, someone had left a PILE of couldberries on the ground. So of course we tried to see if the sheep would eat them. (They did, and seemed to want more.) I wish I had thought, 'maybe this pile of berries in a parking lot means that someone was picking them nearby!'. But I didn't. :(
Mmmm, cloudberries.
I looked in a few grocery stores to see if I could find actual cloudberries, but they were nowhere to be found. Apparently cloudberries are mostly uncultivated. So if you want cloudberries, go cloudberry picking. Since cloudberries almost definitely won't grow in Colorado (As one website put it, they like mild sun for 22hrs/day. Colorado is intense sun for many fewer hours/day.), what are my options to try this elusive berry?
Cloudberry Products
Cloudberry Jam is available at Ikea.
Cloudberry Liquor. It goes by a number of names: Lakka, Lakkalikööri, Chicoutai. This one may be a bit of a challenge, but I'm up for it. Do you remember how I went to the ends of the earth* to find Kvint a few years ago? Psh, this should be easy! All of the countries (plural!) that produce this stuff are totally "real" countries! And one even borders the country I live in! Easy, right? We'll see. A few forums say that Astor Wines & Spirits in NYC may carry one of the Canadian varieties. For now, here are some varieties I found online. Let the search begin!
- Chicoutai Liqueur
- Lapponia Lakka by Pernod Ricard Finland Oy
- Lacenu
*"Ends of the earth" != Transnistria. "Ends of the earth" = many liquor stores in PA, NJ, and CO, and many more emails to the company themselves to find out where on earth they sell it in the US. Sadly, I didn't actually go to Transnistria.
Alternatively, I could try making my own liqueur from the jam. Hmm...
Friday, August 9, 2013
Longyearbyen
This blog isn't quite dead yet! There are new travel posts coming! Travel posts about what/where? Well, Longyearbyen!
In the mean time, check out this article: 12 Facts ... About Longyearbyen: The World's Northernmost City!
In the mean time, check out this article: 12 Facts ... About Longyearbyen: The World's Northernmost City!
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
The Case of the iPhone
As a followup to my post from 2009, "The Case of the iPod", I have decided share my opinions on iPhone cases. I know, exciting!
Cases
iSkin
So here's the deal. I had an iSkin case for my iPhone 3GS that I really liked. I liked it so much that when I upgraded to an iPhone 4S, I decided to stick with iSkin. I also really liked that case!
Cases
- iSkin Solo
- Otterbox Commuter Series
- XtremeMac TuffWrap
- Generic Protective Crystal Silicone Case from China
- Incipio NGP
Basically, I wanted something low profile and not too slippery. Why get a case if you're more likely to drop the phone because the case is hard to hold?!
Here we go!
iSkin
iSkin Solo
So here's the deal. I had an iSkin case for my iPhone 3GS that I really liked. I liked it so much that when I upgraded to an iPhone 4S, I decided to stick with iSkin. I also really liked that case!
Pros:
- Low profile
- Durable (survived a bad car accident with only a scratch, phone was fine)
- Antimicrobial (who knew I wanted that in a phone case?!)
- Easy access to all ports/buttons.
- The volume buttons are covered. Awesome!
Cons:
- The 3GS version had more colors to choose from. Seriously, that's it. Great case!
Color options for 3GS
Color options for 4S
Otterbox
Otterbox Commuter Series
Otterboxes may offer the best protection for your phone, but there's a catch: they're huge. I bought a used Otterbox from a coworker for $10. Good deal, right? I was pretty happy with it! Despite nearly doubling the size of the phone, it was a good case, and easily slid in/out of pockets.
Pros:
- Great protection
- Easy to slide in/out of pockets
Cons:
- Bulky (but potentially worth it)
- Personally, I don't like the cut out for the Apple logo. I don't need to see it, and it just gets dirty. Bleh.
- It broke! :( The outer shell cracked on the corner near the headphone jack. Bummer!
XtremeMac
XtremeMac TuffWrap
I considered XtremeMac's TuffWrap case when I first got my 4S, but ended up sticking with iSkin. When I found myself needing a new case I decided to give it a try.
Pros:
- Low profile
- Pretty protective
Cons:
- Fits the phone so loosely that it sometimes comes off of a corner or two when sliding the phone in/out of a small pocket.
- Volume buttons aren't covered.
Note: it's actually much more of a neon color than the pictures on the website would lead you to believe. Not a pro or con, just something to note.
Generic Protective Crystal Silicone Case
Generic things from China!
Since I wasn't satisfied with the Otterbox or the XtremeMac case, I decided to give a generic silicone case from China a try. It was $1.61 on DealExtreme. Who can argue with that price? Turns out it kinda sucks. Not terribly surprising given the price or sketchiness of it...
Pros:
- Low profile
Cons:
- Volume buttons aren't covered (they are in the picture)
- Doesn't fit the phone very well
- Sticks to the back of the phone and therefore looks cheap (not that it wasn't cheap...)
- I didn't feel that my phone was as safe in it as in the iSkin that everything else has failed to live up to so far.
Incipio
Incipio NGP Matte
I finally found a case that compares to the iSkin!! The Incipio NGP!
Pros:
- Low profile
- Fits the phone perfectly
- Volume buttons are covered!
- Seems pretty durable
- Bonus: it comes with a screen protector!
Cons:
- Nothing yet!
Recommendations
Of the cases I've tried, I prefer the iSkin Solo and Incipio NGP. Both meet my requirements of being low profile, not too slippery, and decently protective. The Otterbox Commuter was a good case, if a bit bulky. I'm sad to say that I can't recommend the XtremeMac Tuffwrap. I really wanted to like it! Obviously I'm not heartbroken or surprised that the generic case that cost <$2 didn't work out.
I hope this was helpful/useful! Hooray for iSkin and Incipio!
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