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.
Monday, March 10, 2014
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!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Albino Redwoods
March 2010
We had stopped at Fernwood Resort in Big Sur for dinner before returning to our cabin up the road at Riverside Campground*. We were talking about potential hikes for the next day when Jimmy mentioned the existence of albino redwood trees. What? No way. Lies! And no way for him to prove it without cell reception**. But Fernwood had wifi! So we looked it up, and it turns out they DO exist. And the nearest one? Yeah, right behind Fernwood, about 100' from where we were eating. It was already dark, so we decided to come back in the morning to check out the rare trees!
Albino Redwoods
They're parasites! Albino redwoods can't produce chlorophyll, so their needles aren't green, they're white. Without chlorophyll the trees cannot photosynthesize. So in order to eat, they leech nutrients from 'host' redwood trees by tapping into their root systems. Even with their stolen nutrients, they don't grow to be nearly as large as normal redwoods. They look more shrub-like.
Photos!
So if you happen to be in Big Sur, stop by the Fernwood Resort and check out the albino redwood! Since the tree is so rare, Fernwood asks that you do not take any souvenir branches, noting that when the needles dry out they just look like normal redwood branches.
Sources
Notes
*We had a 1 bed + bath cabin at Riverside, and it was incredible. Stay there! :)
**No cell service made finding our campgrounds a bit tricky, but it was kinda nice to be phone-less.
We had stopped at Fernwood Resort in Big Sur for dinner before returning to our cabin up the road at Riverside Campground*. We were talking about potential hikes for the next day when Jimmy mentioned the existence of albino redwood trees. What? No way. Lies! And no way for him to prove it without cell reception**. But Fernwood had wifi! So we looked it up, and it turns out they DO exist. And the nearest one? Yeah, right behind Fernwood, about 100' from where we were eating. It was already dark, so we decided to come back in the morning to check out the rare trees!
Albino Redwoods
They're parasites! Albino redwoods can't produce chlorophyll, so their needles aren't green, they're white. Without chlorophyll the trees cannot photosynthesize. So in order to eat, they leech nutrients from 'host' redwood trees by tapping into their root systems. Even with their stolen nutrients, they don't grow to be nearly as large as normal redwoods. They look more shrub-like.
Photos!
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 |  |
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So if you happen to be in Big Sur, stop by the Fernwood Resort and check out the albino redwood! Since the tree is so rare, Fernwood asks that you do not take any souvenir branches, noting that when the needles dry out they just look like normal redwood branches.
Sources
- Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albino_redwood
- Fernwood Resort: http://www.fernwoodbigsur.com/albino.html (includes a few photos)
- Discover Magazine: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/12/08/a-creepy-monster-of-the-forest-the-albino-vampiric-redwood-tree/
- SFGate article: http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/It-s-no-snow-job-handful-of-redwoods-are-rare-2519371.php
Notes
*We had a 1 bed + bath cabin at Riverside, and it was incredible. Stay there! :)
**No cell service made finding our campgrounds a bit tricky, but it was kinda nice to be phone-less.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Limon, CO: That place on all of those I-70 signs in Denver!
All of the I-70 signs in Denver say "I-70 E to Limon". So we decided to go to Limon to see what's there!
View Larger Map
Limon is about 1.5 hours southeast of Denver, and I-70 passes just north of town. Wikipedia states that 1880 people live in Limon (2010 Census), and it is the most populous town in Lincoln County. Before we get too far, here are some photos of the drive out there:
In Town
Limon is apparently referred to as the "Hub City of Colorado", due to many highways (I-70, US-40, US-24, US-287, CO-71, CO-86) and railroads (Union Pacific, Kyle Railroad) passing through the town. Their pride in this is shown via a mural on Main St:
We chatted with a few locals while in Limon, including a nice lady at a gift shop (we bought magnets for some lucky friends!), and a waitress at a local bar/restaurant. Sadly, the bar had violated a liquor law of some sort, and were thus alcohol-less until 2/1/2012. The waitress told us that the local prison was featured in a special on the National Geographic Channel, but that she hadn't seen it yet. Interesting!
The lady at the gift shop told us about the local museum, but that it's only open between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Looks like we'll need to stop in Limon again this summer when we conquer Mt Sunflower, KS! Until then, here are two more photos:
View Larger Map
Limon is about 1.5 hours southeast of Denver, and I-70 passes just north of town. Wikipedia states that 1880 people live in Limon (2010 Census), and it is the most populous town in Lincoln County. Before we get too far, here are some photos of the drive out there:
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In Town
Limon is apparently referred to as the "Hub City of Colorado", due to many highways (I-70, US-40, US-24, US-287, CO-71, CO-86) and railroads (Union Pacific, Kyle Railroad) passing through the town. Their pride in this is shown via a mural on Main St:
We chatted with a few locals while in Limon, including a nice lady at a gift shop (we bought magnets for some lucky friends!), and a waitress at a local bar/restaurant. Sadly, the bar had violated a liquor law of some sort, and were thus alcohol-less until 2/1/2012. The waitress told us that the local prison was featured in a special on the National Geographic Channel, but that she hadn't seen it yet. Interesting!
The lady at the gift shop told us about the local museum, but that it's only open between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Looks like we'll need to stop in Limon again this summer when we conquer Mt Sunflower, KS! Until then, here are two more photos:
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