Eric on The Road

Journeys into the offbeat, off the beaten path, overlooked and forgotten - by Eric Model

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Enchanted by Haida Gwaii (Edmonton Journal)

From The Edmonton Journal via canada.com:

by Joseph Blake
Edmonton Journal

"Haida Gwaii is a magical land of power and peace, a group of islands some have called Canada's Galapagos, on the edge of the continental shelf, ranging 50 to130 kilometres out in the Pacific Ocean from British Columbia's mainland. Haida Gwaii is the name the First Nations originally called the Queen Charlotte Islands, and most people on the islands continue to call them Haida Gwaii".

http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/story.html?id=34cb6609-1acf-4a3f-865b-de26a4c4a5c4

Standing By His Brand (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By JERRY GARRETT
Published: August 29, 2008

Darrell L. Davis retired in 2001 as senior vice president for parts and service at DaimlerChrysler.

Today he remains connected and loyal to the company in a unique way.

In one part of his 9,000-square-foot garage, Mr. Davis has recreated a fully equipped Plymouth dealership showroom.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/automobiles/collectibles/31SHOWROOM.html?_r=1&ref=automobiles&oref=slogin

Also see accompanying slide show:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/08/31/automobiles/collectibles/0831-showroom_index.html

'Like Family,' Then Nothing: Life After U.S. Steel (StoryCorps & NPR)

A Labor Day Remembrance.

From StoryCorps:Recording America through NPR News:

Morning Edition
August 29, 2008

Betty Esper, who worked for U.S. Steel for 36 years, recalls what happened after a plant shutdown.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94068942

Friday, August 29, 2008

A Southern sound check along the 'Music Highway' (LA Times)

From The Los Angeles Times:

By Robert Hilburn
July 21, 2007

From Elvis' Graceland to the Grand Ole Opry, America's legends sing a siren song along Tennessee's fabled Memphis-to-Nashville route.

http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-elvis22jul22

In the Mississippi Delta, B.B. is king (LA Times)

From The Los Angeles Times:

By Kay Mills
August 27, 2008

A museum honoring the blues legend will soon open -- one of many sites in the Delta devoted to the music born of hard times.

http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-tr-mississippi31-2008aug31

Riding Katrina: How St. Bernard Shrimper Survived (NPR)

From NPR News:

by Melissa Block
All Things Considered, August 28, 2008

"Shrimper Ricky Robin rode out Hurricane Katrina on the trawler he built himself nearly 30 years earlier. Over the course of the storm, he helped rescue people from the parish and gave them food and shelter on his boat. Three years after Katrina, Robin's story is the basis of a new book, The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous, by Ken Wells".

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94114066

"A Fake Bavarian Town In Washington" (NPR)

From NPR News:

by Vanessa Romo
Day to Day, August 29, 2008

"What do you do when your railroad station closes along with some big local employers? Why not transform your town into a fake Bavarian village? That's what Leavenworth did. We visit this unusual Washington town".

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94105716

Rockies tea house serves up a view worth the hike (National Post)

From The National Post through canada.com:

by Carrie Tait , National Post

The Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House in Banff, Alberta, a two-storey stone building finished in 1927 and designed to serve as a pit stop between the lake below and the masses of ice above, is the final destination for most hikers along this path. Joy Kimball, who at 78 cruises up the mountain in an hour and a half, still helps out baking homemade chocolate cake, bread and biscuits up here, all without the benefit of electricity. She bought the tea house from the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1959 after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper.

http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/canada/story.html?id=4b42db68-9863-4dae-b665-db61e7f7693a

In Praise Of Drive-Ins And Doris Day (NPR)

From NPR News:

by Anthony Giardina
All Things Considered, August 22, 2008

"Movie Love In The Fifties offers a view of America as it was 50 years ago, a postwar nation whose struggle to understand race and sex and fashion was reflected in films that weren't all pitched to the appetites of teenage boys".

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93874755

In Arkansas, Fiddlers Try To Preserve Local Tunes (NPR)

From NPR News:

by David Greene
All Things Considered, August 28, 2008

NPR goes to Mountain View, Ark., a small town in the Ozark Mountains where musicians are leading an effort to keep the town alive.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94076332

On a Roll in Wisconsin (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By STEPHEN REGENOLD
Published: August 29, 2008

Covering 60 miles a day, riders on the Tour de Trempealeau bike through a rural county in the state’s southwest, sleeping in high schools along the way.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/travel/escapes/29Trempealeau.html?ref=escapes

Deep Roots and the Lure of Food on a Stick (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By FINN-OLAF JONES
Published: August 29, 2008

At the Minneosta State Fair.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/29/travel/escapes/29rituals.html?ref=escapes

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Pittsburgh's Strip District attracts foodies with fresh, unique fare (AP)

From The Associated Press through USA Today:

By Ramit Plushnick-Masti
Associated Press Writer

The historic Strip District is stuffed with mom-and-pop businesses, gourmet food stores and offbeat gift shops.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-27-pittsburgh-strip-district_N.htm

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Ben’s Chili Bowl (CBS News)

From CBS News:

Sunday Morning
August 2, 2008

"Ben’s Chili Bowl has seen it all in Washington, D.C. The 1950s when the area around it was known as "Black Broadway." The 1968 riots following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King when businesses nearby were torched or forced to close. The drugs and crime which followed-driving many customers away. Today, after 50 years in business, Ben’s sits in the middle of a neighborhood revival. In a town often marked by separation of the races, Ben’s is a gathering place for all colors and economic backgrounds. Where "a judge can end up sitting next to a junkie," says Virginia Ali, wife of founder Ben Ali. Correspondent Rita Braver visits a Washington landmark you may not know about-but should"

See:
http://www.benschilibowl.com/

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/09/sunday/main13562.shtml

The Phelps Of Food Canning (NPR)

From NPR News:

All Things Considered
August 23, 2008

Master canner Barbara Schaller preserves everything from tomatoes to "pickled boiled dirt chunks." She tells Jacki Lyden how this nasty sounding concoction — pickled beets, for the uninitiated — has turned her into one of the greatest champions of the Minnesota State Fair.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93914948

New Mexico farm lets visitors pick their own chilis (AP)

From The Associated Press through USA Today:

By Melanie Dabovich, Associated Press Writer

Joe Lujan in Las Cruces, New Mexico started letting customers pick their own chilis to save on labor costs. "The 'you-pick' is the reason I've been able to do this for so long," he says.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-25-new-mexico-chilis_N.htm

Friday, August 22, 2008

Riding Mountain: the undiscovered country (Vancouver Sun)

From The Vancouver Sun:

Manitoba national park a shining jewel in the rough

http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/story.html?id=011fddd4-5b7c-4b1e-9788-10ca4924efe9

5 Things Delegates Should Do In Denver (NPR)

From NPR News:

by Jeff Brady
Morning Edition, August 22, 2008

"When the Democratic delegates descend on Denver for the party's national convention, they should try to see the "real" Colorado — by getting out of town to watch a cattle drive or to climb a mountain. Or, they could hit Denver's oldest restaurant for some Rocky Mountain oysters".

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93771965

In Annapolis, Md., the Past Is Always at Hand (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By STEVE BAILEY
Published: August 22, 2008

From Alex Haley's "Roots" to Alan Shepard's space capsule, a tour of Maryland's capital runs deep into the nation's history.

Also see accompanying slide show and travel guide.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/travel/escapes/22american.html?ref=escapes

Finger (Lakes) Food (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By KIM SEVERSON
Published: August 22, 2008

"A delicious trip winding through central New York State, following the culinary guideposts".

Also see accompanying slide show: A Central New York Culinary Journey, Interest Guide and Travel Guide.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/08/22/travel/escapes/22nyfood.html?ref=escapes

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Civil War Veteran's Widow Dies At 93 (NPR)

From NPR News:

Morning Edition
August 21, 2008

"She was not necessarily the oldest living Confederate Army widow, but she lived a distinctive life. Maudie White Hopkins has died at age 93. Back in the Great Depression, she was a teenage housecleaner. She met an 86-year-old man. He said he'd leave her his land if she would marry and care for him. She agreed, which is how, for his final years, she was the companion of a Civil War veteran from Arkansas".

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93823557

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

New Podcast Posting: Major League Eating

Major League Eating is a sports franchise that oversees professional competitive events and competitive eating television specials.

We first came across a MLE event years ago at the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest, a July 4th tradition at Brooklyn’s Coney Island.

These days it’s more than just hot dogs.

There are contests for the consumption of hamburgers, hard boil eggs, BBQ wings and pounds of rib meat, just to name afew.

It is a sport with its own stars, television specials and big-time cash prizes.

In this conversation, we speak with Ryan Nerz about how Major League Eating got started and just what it does.

At:
http://conversationsontheroad.com

'Amenity Migrants' Alter Life In Resort Towns (NPR)

From NPR News:

by Daniel Kraker
Morning Edition, August 19, 2008

More and more Americans are flocking to resort-like cities, places like Flagstaff, Arizona.

Kenneth Johnson, a senior demographer at the University of New Hampshire's Carsey Institute, has a name for these folks moving in (many retirees): "amenity migrants."

"Like many of us, they would say, 'Boy, when I can, I would really like to live in one of these beautiful, scenic areas,'" Johnson said. "And as they get close to retirement, they can fulfill those wishes" — either in full retirement or by working a more flexible schedule.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93709452

Also see: "Around Resorts, Boomlet Towns Thrive, Too"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93769999

Monday, August 18, 2008

In Montana, a Popular Expression Is Taken Off the Endangered List (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By JIM ROBBINS
Published: August 17, 2008

“The Last Best Place,” a phrase long used by Montanans to describe their state, will soon be protected forever, a U.S. senator says, and anyone will be able to use it without fear of trademark law.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/18/us/18trademark.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

Sunday, August 17, 2008

St. John's inn boasts links to Titanic (Saskatchewan News Network)

From The Saskatchewan News Network through canada.com:

by Peter Wilson

Tradition has it that the staircase and wood panelling in Ryan Mansion in St. John's Newfoundland was constructed by the same craftsmen who built the grand staircase in the ill-fated Titanic.

Owners of the upscale St. John's hostelry, Robert Hall and Kevin Nolan, say that evidence their staircase and the ship's staircase originated out of the same workshops, while circumstantial, is compelling.

http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/canada/story.html?id=b4b07212-330b-49d7-b188-4bce467f72fd

Bill Geist on Cow Chips ("Holy Cow ") (CBS)

From CBS News:

CBS Sunday Morning
August 14, 2008

"When Bill Geist entered the Cow Chip throwing competition at the Iowa State Fair a few years ago, he noticed that Iowa’s cow chips came from Beaver, Okla., and wondered: why would a farm state like Iowa import their cow chips? Well, Beaver is the Cow Chip Capital of the World, claiming a superior chip is created by the grass their cows eat, the water their cows drink, and wind that comes sweeping down the Oklahoma plains to dry their chips. Cow Chips, it seems, also played an important part in Beaver’s history. Bill Geist travels to the Cow Chip Capital where the chips fell at the 37th annual World Cow Chip throwing Contest."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/07/09/sunday/main13562.shtml

Passing: Jack A. Weil, the Cowboy’s Dresser (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By DOUGLAS MARTIN
Published: August 14, 2008

Weil's Rockmount Ranch Wear Mfg. Company has sold millions of shirts, including at least one shipment to Antarctica, since it started in 1946. His shirts were also worn in the movies by teh likes of Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable. He died on August 10 at age 107.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/15/business/15weil.html?scp=1&sq=jack%20a%20weil&st=cse

Passing: Dottie Collins, Star of Women's Baseball League (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN
Published: August 15, 2008

Dottie Collins, who was a star pitcher in women’s professional baseball in the 1940s and later played a major role in preserving the history of the women’s game, died on August 17 in Fort Wayne, Ind. She was 84.

In 1987, Collins helped form an association of former players in the All-American league. She drew on her contacts to provide the Hall of Fame with memorabilia from the league, spurring creation of its Women in Baseball exhibit in 1988. Now an enlarged, permanent collection, the exhibit inspired the 1992 Hollywood movie “A League of Their Own,” a reprise of women’s pro baseball during World War II.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/sports/baseball/17collins.html?adxnnl=1&ref=obituaries&adxnnlx=1218985599-ZU/4gAr/iZuY75Y0unIgNg

Passing: Don Helms, Put Twang in Hank Williams Songbook (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By WILLIAM GRIMES
Published: August 16, 2008

Don Helms, whose piercing, forceful steel guitar helped define the sound of nearly all of Hank Williams’s hits, and who performed and recorded with a long list of other country greats, died on August 9 in Nashville.

Mr. Helms played on more than 100 Hank Williams songs and on 10 of his 11 No. 1 country hits. He provided the dirgelike, weeping notes in songs like “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love With You)” and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” and added a catchy, propulsive twang to up-tempo numbers like “Jambalaya (On the Bayou)” and “Hey, Good Lookin.’ ”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/arts/music/17helms.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin

Friday, August 15, 2008

Portland, Oregon as a hub for the car-free and care-free (USA Today)

From USA Today:

By Laura Bly
USA TODAY

Portland has been a poster child for progressive urban planning for decades. And as lofty fuel prices drive destinations to tout their pedestrian- and biker-friendly attributes, the city's extensive mass transit, green credentials and neighborhood-centric culture are garnering even more attention.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-14-freewheeling-portland-oregon_N.htm

50th Anniversary Marked for Boston's "Freedom Trail" (USA Today)

From USA Today:

by Kitty Bean Yancey
USA Today

Re-enactor Redcoats pitched tents to re-create Brits camping on the Common as they did in the 1775 siege of Boston to mark the 50th anniversary of the city's Freedom Trail.

A weekend of activities (August 15-17) featured free demonstrations of activities in a British 18th-century camp, from musket-firing and cannon drills to a cricket game. For more on the trail, see TheFreedomTrail.org.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-14-boston-common_N.htm

'Dallas' Reunion To Mark 30-Year Anniversary (NPR)

From NPR News:

Morning Edition
August 14, 2008

"Tired of reality television? Nostalgic for the patently unreal world, where glamour is everything and everyone wants to know who shot J.R.? Thirty years after Dallas went on the air, the Ewing clan is having a reunion party in November at Southfork".
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93585719

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Take a swig of Washington's whiskey (USA Today)

From USA Today:

By Chris Gray, USA TODAY

Whiskey created at George Washington's reconstructed distillery near his home at Mount Vernon, Va. is on sale.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/news/2008-08-14-mount-vernon-whiskey_N.htm

Texas throws a birthday party for LBJ (USA Today)

From USA Today:

By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY

It's only fitting that a larger-than-life figure from a state where size matters would rate a colossal 100th birthday bash.

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=23689397

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Maine fair aging but not idling (Boston Globe)

The Skowhegan State Fair is thought to be the world's oldest consecutively running fair. Founded in 1818 to encourage improved breeding of livestock, the 10-day event has never been canceled, even in the World Wars.

http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/maine/articles/2008/08/10/maine_fair_aging_but_not_idling/

New Podcast Posting: Pioneering Auto Centennials Marked in Michigan in “The Year of the Car”

On September 16, 1908, Billy Durant founded General Motors. Two weeks later, Henry Ford sold his first Model T. The “2008: Year of the Car” is a summer-long auto-tourism festival in southeastern Michigan to celebrate these momentous centennials.

Joining us in this conversation is Gary Familian, managing director of the MotorCities National Heritage Area. We speak about the centennials of GM and the Ford Model T, and how MotorCities National Heritage Area is marking the occasion.

At:
http://conversationsontheroad.com/

New Podcast Posting: From the Land of Sky Blue Waters

Picture this:
A bear singing “From the land of sky blue waters…comes the beer refreshing, Hamms the beer refreshing”.

If you’re of a certain age and from a certain part of the country (Upper Midwest heading to the Pacific), you probably recall a classic beer ad about a classic beer (and a classic bear).

Decades later this ad and the beer continue to evoke good feelings.

We speak with Kirk Schnitker from Minnesota. Kirk is President of The Hamm’s Club, and has devoted a website and a club to preserving the artifacts, stories and spirit of Hamm’s Beer, its hey day and advertising.

At:
http://conversationsontheroad.com

Virginia vineyard invites guests to a grape 'stomp-off' (AP)

From The Associated Press via USA Today:

You can make like Lucy at the Irvington Stomp, an annual harvest festival at the White Fences Vineyard in Irvington, Va.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-13-virginia-vineyard-stomp_N.htm

NFL a threat to league, CFL owners say (Montreal Gazette)

From The Montreal Gazette:

Bills in Toronto. 'We're not supportive of it,' Cohon insists.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=6f3adc27-7c7e-47ba-b699-2a576db44c8a



Also See: CFL Fans Protest against Bills' move to Toronto: A small group of Canadian football fans plans to march at Rogers Centre tomorrow as a protest against the National Football League and the Buffalo Bills, who open their unprecedented eight-game series in Toronto that night.
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=879b1dee-0cd2-424c-9960-781fe8c83ebe

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Where buffalo roam (Edmonton Journal)

From The Edmonton Journal through the CanWest News Service (canada.com):

By Elizabeth Withey
CanWest News Service; Edmonton Journal

Grasslands National Park in southwestern Saskatchewan is around 900 square kilometres and protects some of the last undisturbed mixed-grass prairie in Canada.

http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/story.html?id=bc04003c-e581-4fab-be85-0e847b66afe7

Hello, Neighbor: Creating New Bonds In Oregon Community (NPR)

From NPR News:

By Ketzel Levine
Morning Edition, August 12, 2008

A sense of community can be hard to come by, even in thriving areas. In Oregon, a photography project is meant to change that.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93515006

Check out the accompanying Gallery - The 'Hello Neighbor' Project:
http://www.npr.org/multimedia/2008/08/neighbor/index.html

Conventional cities (Boston Globe/AP/USA Today)

DENVER:

A little country, a little glitter, a whole lotta Democrats (Boston Globe):
http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us/articles/2008/08/10/a_little_country_a_little_glitter_a_whole_lotta_democrats/

Convention visitors can explore Denver's wild political past (From The Associated Press via USA Today:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-11-denver-political-history_N.htm


ST. PAUL:
Plenty of niceness, and no ice, for a Grand Old Party (Boston Globe):
http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us/articles/2008/08/10/plenty_of_niceness_and_no_ice_for_a_grand_old_party/

Twin Cities' political landmarks can be hard to spot (From The Associated Press via USA Today):
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-11-twin-cities-political-history_N.htm

Trail leads visitors to Connecticut's best ice cream (AP)

From The Associated Press via USA Today:

MYSTIC, Conn. (AP) — You've heard of winery trails and biking trails and birding trails. But how about an ice cream trail?

Eastern Connecticut has created an official ice cream trail to guide visitors to the best spots for locally produced and often homemade ice cream.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-11-connecticut-ice-cream_N.htm

Saturday, August 09, 2008

The Olympics Are Here

Until today I was paying virtually no attention to the 2008 Summer Olympics.

It was way over in China, it's overly packaged, too corporate, etc.

But once we saw the dazzling opening ceremonies, this all changed.

It's nice to be an armchair traveler to China. See a new place - especially in this summer of our staycation. In any event, we're engaged.

At the same, time something is missing. When we heard the notes of the Olympic theme on NBC (imported in a varied form from ABC), we could not help but think of the late Jim McKay, who died earlier this year. For many years, to us he was the face of the Olympics.

So, yes, we will be watching the track, the swimming, the bike races, etc. But we'll be missing Jim McKay.

An ABC Remembrance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9k5wbdwoR58

Like father, not quite like son (Montreal Gazette)

From The Montreal Gazette:

Howie Morenz jr. Habs junior had trouble living up to his name.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=dc79c42f-3890-474a-b13e-5c6ed36bfdac

Friday, August 08, 2008

Putt-Putting Along the Rails (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By DAVE CALDWELL
Published: August 8, 2008

A caravan of gasoline-powered vehicles, not much bigger than a golf cart, take a picturesque 100-mile trip along the rails of West Virginia.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/travel/escapes/08RAILCARS.html?ref=escapes

Phased out by the railroads 25 years ago, railcars have found a new life taking enthusiasts and collectors for a ride off the beaten rail (A slide show):
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/08/07/travel/0808-RAIL_index.html

Eccentricity Fuels a Revival of Vermont’s River Towns (NY Times)

From The New York Times:

By PAM BELLUCK
Published: August 7, 2008

The entrepreneurial eccentricity of Vermont described in a Depression-era travel guide is resurfacing, as exhibited along the Connecticut River in the southeastern sliver of the state.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/08/us/08vermont.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

Also see accompanying Interactive Feature: An Independent Spirit.

Heard on the Radio: Mississippi River Tugfest

There's a unique tugfest taking place this weekend across the Mississippi River between LeCalire, Iowa and Posrt Byron, Illinois.

It has nothing to do with tugboats. Rather, this tug refers to a tug of war - like one across the river pitting teams from the Iowa and Illinois neighbors.

In this Left Jab, we hear from two competitors - one from Iowa and one from Illinois. They talk about this unique event that brings some 35,000 to an area whose regular population is no more than 5,000 combined.

If you can't hear the segment when it is broadcast on XM Satellite Radio (Saturday at 11 am; Sunday at 1 pm on Channel 167), it will later be available as a podcast at http://www.leftjabradio.com
.

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Black history museum to open in Little Rock (AP)

From The Associated Press via USA Today:

The Mosaic Templars Cultural Center opens Sept. 20 on the site of the Mosaic Templars of America, a fraternal organization founded by two former slaves, John Edward Bush and Chester W. Keatts, to offer insurance to blacks to cover sickness, death and burial.

The organization's headquarters, in the heart of what was then the black business district on Little Rock's Ninth Street, became much more than an insurance office. It provided other black-owned businesses retail space, opened a nursing school, and had a ballroom.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-06-mosaic-templars-museum_N.htm

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

New Podcast Posting: “Pie Capital” celebrates Pie Day

They take their pie seriously in Braham, Minneosta.

Braham was officially named the “Homemade Pie Capital of Minnesota” by Gov. Rudy Perpich in 1990. But the town’s fame for pie goes back to the 1930s and 40s when folks would drive to their lake homes, taking the “shortcut to Duluth through Braham.” After driving from the Twin Cities they would stop at the Park Cafe for pie and coffee.

To honor this aspect of Barham’s community narrative, Pie Day began in 1990 as a pie and ice cream social in July, funded by a tourism grant for festivals celebrating a community focus after the 4th of July.

In 1992 the date was changed to the first Friday in August when the Isanti County Historical Society became the organization in charge of the festival.

Now in its 13th year, the event has grown to include crafters, small quilts display, a pie art show, unique foods, performances and demonstrations from folk artists, story tellers, and musicians. There are also pie baking and pie eating contests, as well as a pie relay race.

The event has drawn over 5,000 people to this small town town (Population 1,276 - 2000 census) and enlisted 150 volunteers to bake and serve 525 baked fruit pies.

We speak with Valerie Errowsmith from Braham, about Braham as “Pie Capital” and its Pie Days that celebrates that distinction.

At:
http://conversationsontheroad.com


Also see: http://www.pieday.com

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Old West trail ride follows historic route in South Dakota (AP)

From The Associated Press via USA Today:

A Fort Pierre-to-Deadwood trail ride, recreating a trek taken by thousands who traveled the route more than a century ago, is underway.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-05-black-hills-trail-ride_N.htm

Milwaukee museum honors Les Paul (AP)

From The Associated Press through USA Today:

Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin has organized an exhibit honoring the 93-year-old, who hails from the area.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-08-05-les-paul-exhibit_N.htm

The Games, they are a changing (CanWest News Service)

From The CanWest News Service via The Montreal Gazette:

by CAM COLE, Canwest News Service

Gone are the days when even an athlete who lost at the Olympics was a hero.

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=1124ae11-66fe-4c50-b9f2-a5690e204072

Monday, August 04, 2008

Passing: Skip Caray, Voice of the Braves

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution and The New York Times:

Skip Caray, a sportscaster whose nasal tone and sometimes playful, sometimes sardonic commentary on radio and television made him familiar to fans as the voice of baseball’s Atlant Braves, died August 3 at his home in Atlanta. He was 68.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2008/08/03/skip_caray_dies.html

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2008/08/04/caray_wife_death.html?cxntlid=homepage_tab_newstab

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/bradley/entries/2008/08/03/skip_caray_did_it_his_way.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/05/sports/baseball/05caray.html

The Best 5 Ice Cream Stands (Yankee Magazine)

From Yankee Magazine:

by Jane and Michael Stern

"Travel and cookbook authors Jane and Michael Stern travel thousands of miles for their popular Web site, roadfood.com, so we asked them for their five favorite places to get scooped".

http://www.yankeemagazine.com/issues/2008-07/travel/icecreamstands

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Inns make for memorable stops (Palm Beach Post)

From The Palm Beach Post via philly.com:

By Mary Thurwachter
PALM BEACH POST

Heading home after a week at Disney World, Miami or the Gulf Coast and dreading the tiresome drive on Interstate 95? Try bend-and-breakfast inns, instead of Motel 6-type rest stops.

http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/20080803_Inns_make_for_memorable_stops.html

British Columbia's Lake O'Hara dazzles the eyes (Oregonian)

From The Oregonian:

By Terry Richard

Ever wonder what's beyond the towering Canadian Rockies that form the backdrop to Lake Louise in Alberta's Banff National Park?

It's Lake O'Hara, one of the world's most beautiful hiking destinations.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/terryrichard/2008/07/lake_ohara_campground.html

Ghost wineries of Napa Valley (LA Times)

From The Los Angeles Times via chicagotribune.com:

By Kevin Garbee Special to The Los Angeles Times
August 3, 2008

These centuries-old vineyards welcome their past. Restored and reinvigorated, they offer a taste of a forgotten era.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/travel/la-tr-ghostwineries3-2008aug03,0,4301366.story

Play the hand you're dealt (Montreal Gazette)

From The Montreal Gazette:

By Stu Cowan:

"Professor (Randy Pausch) has died, but he has left us a life lesson in a lecture on the Internet"

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=246af2a6-1a95-44c2-8ac4-a7a3f55eef8f

New record in lutefisk eating contest

Through prairiehome.publicradio.org:

This posting from Ballard, Washington:

"...If you’re not familiar with lutefisk, well, it’s a gelatinous white fish that’s soaked in lye and reeks to high heaven. A Scandinavian staple..."

“... 'I poured it down like a pitcher of Rainier Beer,” Johannsen told me after the contest. 'It has a wonderful taste.' He said he grew up eating lutefisk as a kid: a clear advantage...."

http://www.myballard.com/2008/07/26/new-record-in-lutefisk-eating-contest/

Guillon family creates a taste of Normandy in Montérégie (Montreal Gazette)

From The Montreal Gazette:

By ROCHELLE LASH , Freelance

When chefs Roland and François Guillon invite you to dine in their quaint country establishment, they do mean country. "We are farmers in the morning, and chefs by noon," said François Guillon, who runs Domaine de la Templerie with his father, Roland.

http://www.canada.com/topics/travel/canada/QC/story.html?id=1b8ffa3c-7599-489d-a6ce-240ade833bfe

Confederate Leader's Mansion Rises Again (NPR)

From NPR News:

By Ron Brown
Weekend Edition Saturday, August 2, 2008

Damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the home of Jefferson Davis is undergoing painstaking renovations.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93159413

A Cross-Country Road Trip Back In Time (NPR)

From NPR News:

Weekend Edition Sunday
August 3, 2008

In the summer of 1973, photographer Stephen Shore set out on a quintessential American adventure. His journey reflects an America when gas was about 43 cents a gallon.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93210794

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Competitive Wood-Chopping In W.Va. (NPR)

From NPR News:

Day to Day
August 1, 2008

You've probably never heard of Webster Springs, W.Va. — unless you're a timber sports fanatic. In which case, the mountain roads, with the treacherous switchbacks and the speeding 4x4s, won't be enough to keep you away.

That's because Webster Springs, a tiny brick village nestled in the lush green heart of the Allegheny mountains, plays host to a first-class annual wood-chopping festival.

The event draws about 100 competitors from a dozen states — and several countries — every year, all of them competing for the title of Southeastern World Championship Woodchopper.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92882234

Friday, August 01, 2008

'Anne of Green Gables' still rules Prince Edward Island (USA Today)

From USA Today:

By Jayne Clark, USA TODAY

CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island — It seems everyone on this Maritime Canadian island has an Anne story.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2008-07-31-prince-edward-island-anne_N.htm

Also photo gallery: The land of 'Anne'

An Ode To Leo, The MGM Lion (NPR)

From NPR News:

Day to Day
July 31, 2008

"Eighty years ago today, movie audiences first heard the roar of the MGM lion. And it's been echoing ever since. What explains this audio logo's multigenerational appeal? And how does it rank within the pantheon of instantly recognizable brands? Alex (Chadwick) talks with Hayes Roth of Landor, a firm that specializes in creating corporate branding and identity".

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93129861