Travel Tuesday and Giveaway

Today is Travel Tuesday. It is also the Wonderland Giveaway Blogfest hosted by Sylvia at Writing in Wonderland as a way to celebrate her achievement of 400 followers. Yay, Sylvia! In order to keep Travel Tuesday in its usual day slot, I have decided to combine the two.

Since my travel memoir takes place throughout the national park system in the lower 48 (see Our Life on the Road for more), I thought I would make the giveaway about the national parks themselves. During our trip, we took more than 18,000 photos. Several are shown below.

 To enter:

1. Be a follower of this blog.

2. Be a follower of Sylvia’s blog.

3. Posted below are photos from national parks within the lower 48 (the last one offers a hint). The person who guesses the most correct national parks will win the book of his or her choice from the following:

 (Which I had won from Gina's giveaway. Thanks, Gina).



4. Fill out the form below with your information and your guesses. I will only use your email address to notify the winner and to obtain a mailing address.

The Travel Tuesday Giveaway ends midnight MDT on Sunday, August 21st and is only open to U.S. and Canadian residents.  In the event there is a tie, my son will be the tie-breaker by drawing names from a hat of his choice.

After you’ve entered, be sure to visit the other participants’ blogs (links found on Sylvia's site) and enter their giveaways.

The Photos:
#1

Mt Rainier National Park

 

#2

Redwoods National & State Parks

#3

Dry Tortugas National Park

 

#4

Mesa Verde National Park

#5

Joshua Tree National Park

 

#6

Olympic National Park

(Think Twilight)

©2007 All photos subject to copyright.

Travel Tuesday: Soundtracks

I find I have a real synergy with the road. Whether as driver or passenger, I find ideas flow as I cruise down a county road or highway. Often driving goes hand in hand with music. In fact, I have soundtracks for many of the places I have been.

The other day, I heard Tiny Dancer by Elton John pipe up on the radio. It instantly took be back to a 2003 month-long road trip my husband and I had taken. We had packed up our Suburban with rock climbing and camping gear. We took an inflatable mattress so we could sleep out of the back of the vehicle. We showered in isolated places out of the view of others.

At the time, we lived in the Phoenix Metro area. We drove to Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and California—mostly to rock climb in places like City of Rocks, Lover’s Leap, Sylvan Lake, and Yosemite (where we didn’t rock climb, but instead hiked the 14-mile trail to and from Half Dome).  

Before getting into the meat of our trip—and in the days where CDs were more prevalent than iPods—we stopped and purchased Elton John’s Greatest Hits, listening to it for a good chunk of the trip. For me, it has become the soundtrack for that journey.

I find myself creating soundtracks for my manuscripts and characters, as well. Music is so inextricably linked to writing, characters, and pop culture in so many ways. In fact, Tiny Dancer—in addition to reminding me of our 2003 road trip—always reminds me of this:

Do you have soundtracks for your life, your travels, or your manuscripts?

Travel Tuesday

One of my favorite National Parks ever.

Sometimes pictures say more than words.

(All photos taken from our 2006-07 road trip. www.ourlifeontheroad.com)

Hydrothermal features and geysers. 

Wildlife.

Landscape.

Us before Zane.

Local beer. But certainly not a commentary on my mood while I was pregnant during the trip.



Travel Tuesday

Where? Creede, Colorado and the Rio Grande National Forest

When? Summer for us. But there’s something to do here year-round.

Why? We had never been there before. I think it replaces Telluride and Ouray for my favorite go-to place in Colorado for outdoor recreation.

Details: Creede is an historic mining town and home to the Creede Repertory Theatre. Located at an elevation of 8,852 feet, the town is surrounded by forest, rugged mountains, and canyons. The Rio Grande River starts in this region of Colorado and snakes along the valley floor. It is the perfect place to fish, hike, horseback ride, play in the river, camp, and even shop.

Remember: Tomorrow is the last day to enter the YA Book Giveaway here.

Travel Tuesday

Another week of Travel Tuesday is brought to you by...
my completed travel memoir, OUR LIFE ON THE ROAD.

Where? City of Rocks National Reserve/Castle Rocks State Park, Idaho

When? Summer. But make sure to drink lots of water.

Why? Amazing rock climbing!

Located in south-central Idaho, the area features granite spires and monoliths that rise out of the sagebrush like a municipality. Granite—the best type of rock to climb, in my opinion—makes the routes thoroughly enjoyable. Even more so than those in California’s Joshua Tree National Park. There is a wide range of classic routes in the park, spanning from 5.7 to 5.11c. Camping is available with reservations inside City of Rocks.

Rock City—a store and restaurant in the town of Almo—edges the park. It has a comfortable and laid-back atmosphere, and offers terrific pizza on certain nights of the week.

If you’re not a rock climber, the area also attracts mountain bikers and birders. But the main appeal is definitely the rock. So, climb on!

Travel Tuesday

I know, I know, it's Wednesday. But I stayed out of the uncomfortable office chair yesterday to nurse my ailing back. So next week, Travel Tuesday will actually be on TUESDAY. I have decided to make this a weekly feature to celebrate the completion of my travel memoir and the fact that it's searching for a home in the world of publishing as I write. So without further ado, I present...

Travel Tuesday

Where? Salzburg, Austria

When? March

Why? At Christmastime (in our pre-kid, two-working-adults, disposable-income days), my husband surprised me with a trip to Europe. We were signed up to go as part of a tour group. Aside from the initial ride into St. Anton where we stayed and the nightly, five-course meal, we didn’t spend time on the bus or with the other American tourists. We explored on our own.

Our main purpose for going was to ski in the Alps. However, we took the train on a couple of occasions to explore Innsbruck and Salzburg. Prior to the trip, I took a self-study in German, which did very little to help us communicate with the locals. Fortunately, many of the young people in Austria speak English.

Salzburg was amazing. With its Baroque architecture and narrow streets reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley, it is a place unmatched (at least anywhere I’ve been). There is so much to see while there: Hohensalzburg Fortress, open markets, and Mozart’s Birthplace.

I would love to go back!