The rumors have been flying around for a while now... is Cuban dictator Fidel Castro dead or still alive and just in hiding?
Is his absence from public view doing anything to help/harm his cause? Will the regime continue after his death? Will the embargo ever end?
I don't know what to think. What's your take on it?
The following bus trips are planned. For details, call the numbers.
An afternoon with “The Four Coins” at Gennetti’s in Hazleton with the Dover Seniors, Sept. 10. $94. Deadline Sept. 7. 292-6682
King Henry & the Showmen at Penn’s Peak, “Just A Gigolo,” with the West Manchester Mall Walkers, Oct. 18. $75 for members. Deadline Sept. 10. 767-1988.
Kent Moyer of York took the above photograph in Homer Spit, Alaska. The one below was taken in Chugach National Forest in Girdwood, Alaska in July. It must be awfully difficult to enforce the laws in the 49th state...
Pamela Wable of Spring Garden Township snapped this photograph during a trip to London in September 2005.
After reading this story about how airports nationwide are working to incorporate more local restaurants into their food offerings, I got to thinking about what the cuisine at HIA would look like if the trend trickles down to Central Pennsylvania.
You'd have Stolzfus' homemade hogmaw and chicken pot pie with shoofly pie for dessert. Maybe a stand selling slices of Lebanon bologna to snack on as you wait in security lines. Or a gooey whoopie pie to smoosh into your carry-on for an in-flight snack.
Part of the idea behind the trend is to create a sense of place for travelers who want to taste local flavors but are stuck in the airport. I'm not a big fan of national chain restaurants, so I think it's a great idea.
But the other impulse behind the trend is to offer healthier fare.
I'm not so sure how well that would work here... Unless you can convince yourself that you're eating hand-dipped Browns ice cream for the calcium content...
... back in the day (actually, just a few years ago) when you could walk through airport security with your shoes on? Those days may be getting closer to return thanks to a shoe-scanner that's in the works. Unfortunately, it's not ready for widespread use anytime soon.
Read the full story here.
Wouldn't it be great if, one day -- and maybe I'm dreaming here -- you could take a trip where a two-hour flight didn't mean you have to reserve your entire day for travel (ie waiting around in lines, airport lounges, etc.) and can spend more of it at your destination, doing what you're headed there to do?
Have you ever been traveling in another country and found yourself ashamed to be American because of the behavior of some fellow countryman (or woman).
I have.
Their travel tip: Make sure to take washcloths, water and 50-cent Euros for use of restrooms.
Colleen Riffert, 33, of East Manchester Township, took this photo after five days hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro in June.
She wrote that they started the hike at midnight and reached the summit of Stella Point at 6:45 a.m. as the sun was coming up over the glaciers of the mountain.
Riffert's camera froze shortly after taking this shot.
Her travel tip: You need to be in really good shape to climb the mountain because you're hiking eight hours a day and you need to be able to handle camping without running water.
Do you know where Mount Kilimanjaro is? What continent? What country? Post a comment and tell us.
Jack and Jean Hayes of Springettsbury Township pose for a photograph with their grandchildren Jordan and Leah Hayes of Severna Park, Md., outside the Colosseum in Rome in November. They wrote: “The locals are very friendly, the food and wine nothing less than wonderful.”
Their travel tip: Be prepared to see a lot of beggars on the streets and in the subway trains. You have to be able to ignore them.
(Click on photo to see it larger)
Dave Fitzgerald of Spring Garden Township snapped this picture at the urging of parents during a York United Red Devils under-13 boys soccer tournament in Hempfield in November.
Lawrence Kroner, 14, of Shrewsbury Township, took this photo of his mother, Barbara, in July at the Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC. They took a 3.5-mile safari ride through the exotic animal park and saw more than 750 animals from six continents.
Their travel tip: Be sure to visit the giraffee exhibit. Visitors are encouraged to hold a leaf in their mouth and let a giraffee snatch the treat.
Beth and Scott Stambaugh of York Township pose for a photo at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, in June during their honeymoon. While in town they also attended a Beach Boys concert and visited the wax museum.
Their travel tip: Take the Ride the Duck tour bus through town.
Travis Arnold, 12, and his grandfather, Gerald Bortner, both of Lower Windsor Township stop for a break in Moab, Utah, during their 8,000-mile motorcycle journey from Pennsylvania to California in July.
They traveled through 18 states and visited Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, Bryce Canyon, Lake Tahoe and other points of interest along the way. When they were in Montana, Bortner celebrated his 70th birthday on 7-7-07.
Their travel tip: Make sure you have enough gas because some stretches you have to go a long time between gas stations.
Michelle Wenz and Whitney Rufo take a break while climbing up one of the sand dunes in Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado during a July trip. The girls are 16 and live in Chanceford Township.
The sand dunes can reach a height of 750 feet and the park is more than 8000 feet above sea level. The temperature of the sand in the summer can reach 140 degrees. Both factors make climbing the sand dunes an experience to remember. There are over 30 square miles of sand dunes to explore in this little-known national park.
Travel tip: Bring lots of water and good shoes. The sand can get very hot and there is no water in among the dunes. Be prepared for the altitude since you will be hiking at an altitude higher than any point on the East Coast. You will definitely feel it.
Billie Hepner of North Codorus Township took this picture while riding on the back of her boyfriend's Harley through a remote area of Adams County earlier this month. She said some of the best pictures she takes are while traveling.
Her tip: Make sure you secure your camera around your neck or wrist while taking pictures out a window of a moving car or riding on a motorcycle.
Charlotte Studzinski of Stewartstown took this picture at the entrance to a Friendly Farms restaurant in Maryland in June.
(Tip: Click on the picture to see it larger)
Heather Weber of West Manchester Township snapped this picture while in Bangalore, India, in January.
She writes: "We were sitting on the bus outside of our hotel, getting ready to go the airport and spotted the sign. Fortunately, we didn't see any people or dogs taking the sign's advice."
Rev. Charles and Norma Hull of North Codorus Township pose in front of the Grand Cascade fountains at the Peterhof in Russia in July.
Rev. Hull writes, “We never expected to see such beauty not only here at the fountains but in all of the palaces and museums that we visited. We were very impressed!”
His travel tip: Take along plenty of new US dollars in small denominations to make purchases. Also, St. Petersburg is on the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska, so be prepared for long daylight hours and very short nights during the summer months.
For 45 years, it's been law: You cannot travel from the U.S. to Cuba.
I understand why the embargo was put in place. And maybe it made sense 45 years ago, but in recent years, it just seems kind of silly and pretty darn ineffective.
You want to visit the island for a little rum and Coke? To smoke an authentic Cuban cigar? To work on your salsa moves or scope out the culture? You just grab a flight to Mexico and go from there.
But check out this story about how federal regulators fined Travelocity.com $182,760 for booking trips between the two countries. The story also notes that the regulators fined individuals hundreds of dollars for purchasing Cuban cigars through the Internet.
Come on.
Cuba sits fewer than 100 miles off the coast of Florida -- closer than our own Puerto Rico -- yet it's tierra prohibida, or forbidden terrority for Americans. Even for the thousands of Cubans and Cuban Americans whose friends and family are still on the island.
I'm not in favor of supporting Castro or communism, but really, how much good is this embargo doing?
What's your take -- is it time to give it up or is the embargo still effective?
Jack and Mary Elliott of Windsor Township happened across this sign while visiting Knoebels Campground in Elysburg, last August.
Jack writes: "The fact that they needed to post it was a bit scary!"
This sign was photographed at a McDonald's drive-through. Kara Gonzales, daughter of York aritst Carol Oldenburg pointed it out as being a little odd.
... you need to know that it is located in a place named Hell in the Grand Cayman Islands. Jaime Houck of York Township snapped a picture of it while on vacation there Aug. 6.
Have you spotted a funny, weird or puzzling sign recently? If so, e-mail it to me with a subject line of "sign spotting" and we'll post it here for others to enjoy, maybe even use it in the paper at some point in the future!
...Atlantic City, NJ.
The country's first boardwalk was built at the popular vacation spot in 1870 as a way to help keep sand out of hotels along the beach. (Although in my experience, nothing can keep sand from getting into anything and everything that comes near it.)
Today, the Atlantic City boardwalk stretches for nearly 4.5 miles.
And so Carmen upholds her reputation for being a "supergeekknowitall." :) Congratulations!
If you want to know more about the history of the boardwalk in Atlantic City, look here or here.
I wasn't surprised by the Coney Island guesses though... I've never been there, but to me, it seems more legendary that Atlantic City and so an obvious guess.
Tammy Morrison of Dallastown, left, and Becky Tallman of West York pose for a photo outside the convention center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while there for a Creative Memories conference earlier this month. Both women are consultants with the company.
While in town, they dined at the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company in the Mall of America.
Becky's travel tip: Take a run in the park along the river. It's scenic and quiet even though you are in the middle of the city.
Before I give you the answer to yesterday's trivia question (I'll wait till Monday so more of you can post guesses) (see entry below), I'll serve up one last beach-related post to finish off this steamy midsummer week.
This one will be mostly pictures, because it's Friday and reading/writing is such effort. :)
First, any family shore destination worth its salt on the East Coast has an amusement pier. And every good amusement pier has a Ferris wheel. Better yet, one that puts on a spectacular light show while it spins like the one above that enthralled me at Wildwood this weekend.
And then there's skeeball.
Charles Kauffman, Lori Wiltshire and their children, 8-year-old Zack and 6-year-old Lilia, of Springettsbury Township, pose for a photograph at Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state last month.
The shot was taken at an altitude of nearly 7,000 feet. At points on the trail, they had to hike through snow -- in July.
Their travel tip: Stay at one of the several lodges within or just outside the park. This makes for manageable day trips, less driving, and relaxing evenings in nature.
Anyone who frequents the Jersey Shore or Ocean City, Md., knows that besides the sun, sand and waves, the main attraction at the beach is on the boards.
But did you know that the boardwalk wasn't named for the planks of wood the walk is made from?
Of course not. That would be too easy.
Just this weekend, I learned it was named for railroad conductor Alexander Boardman, who got tired of all the sand in his train's seat cushions when passengers took off their shoes on the trip home from the beach.
The country's first boardwalk was built in 1870.
Without doing a Google search, calling a friend or otherwise cheating, post a comment and tell me where it was. Bonus points if you know how long this boardwalk is today.
I know, I am carrying this sign-spotting business a little far. But I was quite entertained by these T-shirts for sale on the boardwalk in Wildwood, NJ, and can't resist sharing.
Leave a comment and tell me which you like best -- or, better yet -- send me a picture of a cool sign/T-shirt/whatever you've seen recently and I'll post it for others to enjoy.
And, finally, a classic. Endorsed, I'm sure, by the New Jersey state tourism board.
... check out this story from USA Today. It includes a searchable database where you can find out how healthy or polluted your favorite shore spot is.
Yes, it's been four days since I posted a new entry. I apologize. But I have good reasons.
I ran away to the beach to escape the news that I am allegedly now 30 years old. (This still has not sunk in -- for some reason, I feel like 27 or 28 is a better fit for the reality of how old I feel.)
Usually, when I go to the beach, it's Ocean City, Md.. This time, I went to Wildwood. It was my first experience at the Jersey Shore, and I was pleasantly surprised.
For one thing, it's about a mile from the boardwalk to the water, which got me thinking a lot about beach erosion, an important issue for many popular shore spots on the East Coast.
It also has more of a nostalgic feel to it. Probably because it's been around longer than OCMD.
Since it's August and nobody wants to read about anything too taxing, I'm going to keep this week's posts shore-related. So even if you're sitting in an office reading this, you can imagine you're by the breakers, digging your feet in the sand, watching the gulls soar.
While you're daydreaming, leave a comment and tell us, what's your favorite beach for summertime slacking?
From left, Jeff Rehmeyer of York Township, Skippy and Janice Rehmeyer of Spring Garden Township, and Jim Rehmeyer of Idaho pose for a photograph in Boise, Idaho. Family from York County flew there in July for Jim’s wedding at the Old Train Depot in Boise.
While in town, they visited the state capitol, the Idaho Botanical Garden, Old Idaho Penitentiary and the open-air market held each Saturday.
Janice's travel tip: Take your camera along because the view of the mountains is breathtaking.
From left, Ded and Joyce Smyser and Vickie Buser of York pose for a photo at the World Trade Center Path stop in New York City during a June bus trip. While in town, they attended a service at the Brooklyn Tabernacle.
Their travel tip: Take some water and comfortable shoes because you’ll be doing quite a bit of walking.
... in U.S. geography after the Friday-afternoon pop quiz of a few weeks ago, let's move south of the equator and see how well you do at identifying South American nations on this map.
If you guys do well enough with South America, maybe we can move to the more challenging Eastern European and African maps?
C'mon, I know you can do it!
After you take the quiz, post your score in the comments section and tell us what was hardest or easiest.
(Yes, I put myself to the test already. I did better with South America than the U.S.! But then again, fewer countries there than states in the U.S. Plus, I lived in Venezuela for a summer, so I got to know those tricky three at the top.)
If you didn't try your hand at the US quiz, you can find that post under the "Quick Quizzes" category of the drop-down menu on the right.
