Spring 2020

One of the most celebrated days in a person’s life is the day they are born. Your birthday marks your entrance into the world. Throughout life, your date of birth becomes a part of your identity. And most importantly, it’s the day friends and family use to celebrate you; it is your own personal holiday.

Kamehameha Highway, often shortened to Kam Highway, stretches 66 miles across the Hawaiian island of O’ahu. Traveling along Kam Highway is a great way to experience O’ahu’s beautiful North Shore. With miles of road, there’s plenty to see along this island highway. La'ie Temple Originally built in 1919, the La’ie Hawaii Temple was the first Latter-day Saint temple built in the Pacific. While the general public isn’t permitted inside the temple, its serene grounds and gardens provide a perfect photo opportunity. La’ie Point La’ie Point is the perfect pit stop for the adventurous: many people enjoy the point by jumping off of it. For those who find themselves less adrenaline-inclined, La’ie Point State Wayside is a popular fishing location and a beautiful viewpoint for watching the sunrise. Polynesian Cultural Center The Polynesian Cultural Center, commonly called the PCC, educates visitors and provides them with an authentic Polynesian cultural experience. The PCC introduces visitors to the cultures of Hawaii, Tonga, Tahiti, and many elsewhere. It boasts an amazing luau and island-inspired dinner where visitors can try Kalua pork, poi, and other Hawaiian foods. The final attraction is the evening show “HA: Breath of Life.” Over 100 Polynesian performers from across the Pacific take part in the performance. Waimea Bay and Waimea Valley Waimea Bay is a prime spot for beachgoers. The shape of the bay allows waves to swell up to nearly 20 feet during the winter, but the waters are much calmer in the summer. The calm summer waters are perfect for snorkeling and fishing. Jumping off a small cliff in the bay is also a popular activity. Waimea Valley, not to be confused with Waimea Canyon on the island of Kauai, offers guided tours to educate visitors on the rich history of the land and culture. Shrimp Stops If you’re looking to eat, Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck and Romy’s Shrimp Shack are two perfect stops along Kam Highway. Both are famous for their delectable shrimp—specifically their garlic shrimp. People love the shrimp so much that many are willing to wait in line for over an hour just to get a taste, so plan accordingly! Banzai Pipeline While not ideal for beginning surfers, the waves of Banzai Pipeline have garnered international fame. For a long time, the monstrous waves at Banzai Pipeline were considered impossible to ride consistently. Those who tried to surf the pipeline ended up with broken boards or broken bones. In addition to the massive waves, Banzai Pipeline is known to be dangerous for the shallow break and shark sightings. In recent years, however, Banzai Pipeline has come to host surfing and bodyboarding competitions. The average wave height of the swells is nine feet, but they can grow to over 20 feet under certain conditions. If you’re planning on seeing waves, be sure to stop by in the winter when the waves are at their largest. Matsumoto’s Shave Ice If shrimp isn’t your thing, Matsumoto’s Shave Ice is famous among tourists and locals. Matsumoto’s has been around since 1951, and it boasts several different flavors of shave ice. In addition to shave ice, visitors can also pick up special Matsumoto’s pancake mix. Sunset Beach and Pupukea Beach These beaches are ideal for watching the Hawaiian sunset. In addition, Sunset Beach is a popular surf spot, and Pupukea Beach (and nearby beach Shark’s Cove) is a famous snorkeling spot. Mokoli’i This small, offshore peak is a popular tourist spot and photo opportunity. Due to its strange shape, the small island is more commonly referred to as Chinaman’s Hat. Beyond taking photos from Kam Highway, during low tide, it’s actually possible to hike to Chinaman’s Hat without swimming. Kualoa Ranch The beautiful scenery of this popular destination has been used as a backdrop for many movies and TV shows, including Jurassic Park, Hawaii Five-O, Kong: Skull Island, Jumanji, 50 First Dates, and Lost. The whole ranch is over 4,000 acres and spans three valleys: Ka’a’awa Valley, Kualoa Valley, and Hakipu’u Valley. Kualoa Ranch can be explored via ATV, kayak, horseback, jungle jeep, or trolley.

On a cool fall evening in the Scottish Highlands, a hoary drizzle herds you toward a warm, well-lit tavern. Once inside, you find a seat in a creaky wooden booth, and the server wanders over. He’s tall, red-headed, and wearing a kilt, of course. He asks you what you’re looking for. Comfort food, you tell him, to ward off the chill outside. With a broad Scottish brogue, the server tells you that what you’re looking for is haggis—a savory pudding drizzled with a whiskey-based sauce, served with “neeps and tatties,” or mashed turnips and potatoes. You order it. The server brings it to you. It’s simply delicious—one bite and you’re hooked. But what exactly is haggis? What is haggis? Haggis is offal—sheep’s offal, to be exact. Haggis is a traditional Scottish dish made of sheep “pluck,” or liver, heart, and lungs, mixed with suet (translated as raw, hard mutton fat found around the loins and kidneys), oats, and spices. It’s cooked in a sheep’s stomach—yes, the actual stomach, like a balloon—and usually served with a glass of whiskey. What does it taste like? Haggis is a distant cousin of meatloaf, but the comparison doesn’t do it a bit of justice. Imagine meatloaf, except superior in every way—softer, more flavorful, and a much better comfort food. That’s haggis. It’s best eaten on a particularly dreich day in Scotland, preferably near a castle in the Highlands, but you can substitute any old time and place just fine. Why is it banned in the US? In the 1970s, the USDA banned haggis because it contains sheep’s lung, an ingredient that could possibly contain dangerous microbes if not prepared properly. While the risk is low, mass meat manufacturing in the US makes the process more dangerous here than it is in Scotland. Many Scottish butchers are aware of the risk and take steps to make sure their sheep’s lung isn’t contaminated. Where can you get it around here? While you can’t get real traditional haggis in the US, you have a couple of options for a pretty good substitute. At the end of January, many Scottish clubs host a Burns supper, which often includes American haggis (i.e., haggis without the sheep’s lung). Here in Provo, the Utah Scottish Association holds a BYU Robert Burns Supper every January to commemorate the poet’s famous “Address to a Haggis.” If you can’t wait that long, you can always try out a recipe or two for your own homemade haggis!

Utah County is definitely not the first location that comes to mind when the topic of ghost towns is mentioned. It is, however, a hidden gem of abandoned mines, ghost towns, and other forgotten locations. In addition to these ghost towns, Utah County is also home to several urban legends and supernatural happenings. Thistle, Utah (located in Spanish Fork Canyon) Thistle, dating back as early as 1878, was predominantly a farming community. In 1890, Thistle became accessible by railroad, which brought business to the small town. Disaster struck in 1983; a landslide blocked the river. The river blockage caused flooding and more landslides to bombard the town of Thistle. A mandatory evacuation notice forced residents to abandon their homes and farms. Residents only had a few hours to prepare before evacuating, so many families were forced to leave their belongings. Houses ended up completely submerged, and the railroad and highways running through Thistle were buried under fifty feet of mud. Even after the disaster subsided, Thistle remained abandoned. Today, remnants of old houses, buildings, and farms can be seen where Thistle once thrived. Weeping Widow (Located in Spanish Fork Cemetery) The Weeping Widow is an elegant gravestone carved into the shape of a woman. Located in the Spanish Fork Cemetery, the statue depicts a young woman, crouched down, with her hand near her face. Legend has it that this woman is mourning for her lost baby. During the night, the statue is said to actually cry tears. Some even claim to be able to see the tear stains during the day. Knightsville, Utah (located near East Tintic Mountains) Knightsville was a small mining town, with over 1000 residents in 1907. However, the mining wasn’t a sustainable venture. People began moving out in 1907, and the entire town was deserted by 1940. Today, old foundations make up the majority of the ruins, but Knightsville’s cemetery is still in surprisingly good condition. Rock Canyon (located near Provo, Utah)It is not uncommon for hikers to report hearing heart-chilling screams echoing throughout the canyon. Rock Canyon has an unfortunate history of hikers falling to their death. Several people have reported incidents of seeing a man fall from the cliffs but disappear before hitting the ground. Even more chilling, Andy Weeks wrote in his book, Haunted Utah, that “evidence of satanic rituals and the bodies of murder victims” have also been found in the canyon. Tibble Fork Parking Lot (Located in American Fork Canyon) Rumor has it that if a driver does three loops at the top of Tibble Fork parking lot, a ghost will be summoned. After making all three loops, the sound of another engine can be heard; doing the loops summons a ghostly hearse. Any attempt to leave the parking lot results in a high-speed chase. The ghostly hearse will apparently chase the tail lights, forcing you down the mountain and out of the canyon.

Utah County, nestled on Utah’s Silicon Slopes, has seen rapid growth in recent years, and its offerings and opportunities are bringing ever greater numbers of people to the valley. Every driver on the road will tell you such growth has brought with it certain downsides. Increasing difficulties with traffic, parking, and air quality have raised concerns, but cities like Provo have been hard at work combating the problems and offer ever more appealing solutions. Utah County is making an increasingly convincing case for ditching your car in favor of environmentally friendly methods of transportation that also beat the traffic.

Louis Armstrong, perhaps the most famous jazz musician to come from New Orleans, said “If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know.” Jazz is the human experience. Jazz is change and adaptation, cooperation and battle. Jazz is joy and pain and everything in between. But, most truly, jazz is indescribable. It is, however, experienceable, and one of the best places to soak it in is the very place it was born: New Orleans, Louisiana. History of NOLA Jazz“The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician.”—Louis ArmstrongNew Orleans, Louisiana. NOLA. The Crescent City. This territory ruled by France, Spain, and France again was eventually incorporated into the United States with the Louisiana purchase. By this time people from the city’s three founding countries—as well as immigrants from Cuba, Germany, Haiti, Italy, Ireland, England, and enslaved persons from Africa—had gathered in New Orleans.

Flying into the small airport of Oaxaca (pronounced wah-HAH-kah), Mexico, I noticed the patchwork of farm fields covering the landscape. I travelled to Oaxaca during the warm Christmas season when the temperature averages around 81 degrees Fahrenheit. The people of Oaxaca are proud of their heritage and work hard to protect the fashion, craftsmanship, and foods native to this region.

Go to concerts, the movies say. They’re youthful and fun.But you go to BYU and live in Provo.“Where?!” you scream into the void. “I don’t know any venues!”The movies say nothing. They just laugh in your face, cold and unfeeling. Okay, maybe it’s not quite like that. But it feels pretty similar sometimes. Music is very much a part of our lives; just ask any college admissions essay. That’s why I think it’s worth listening to live music—it hits different than studio recordings. But it’s hard to know where to start in a place like Utah county, especially if you’re moving in from elsewhere (like me!).For a long time, the only interesting music-thing I knew about Utah county was that there’s the Rooftop Concert series that Provo puts on every year. Then it got canceled, and I (along with many others) thought, “Well. What now?”

Did you know that there are US National Parks verified by the International Dark-Sky Association to be some of the best places (with the clearest, least-polluted skies) to view the stars? The individual parks’ webpages even provide charts outlining estimated cloud cover and star visibility as well as information to help you plan your visit. Check out this map and consider a visit to one of these stellar parks! Visit darksky.org for a complete list of the IDA International Dark Sky Parks. Big Bend National Park (Texas) Located in the “Big Bend” of the Rio Grande, on the border between Mexico and Texas One of the largest, most remote, and least-visited national parks Contains some of the darkest skies in North America Big Cypress National Preserve (Florida) Some of the only land without light pollution in the area, with big cities like Miami and Naples close by Home to flora and fauna including orchids, cypresses, mangroves, snakes, black bears, and panthers Capitol Reef National Park (Utah) Actively avoids infrastructure that would detract from stargazers’ rustic experience Very little artificial lighting, meant to be reminiscent of the pioneer era White Navajo sandstone domes and cliffs Joshua Tree National Park (California) Houses two deserts: Mojave and Colorado The darkest skies are found in the eastern part of the park, far from the surrounding cities Has a significant outreach against artificial light at night and overall light pollution Obed Wild and Scenic River (Tennessee) Spans both sides of the Obed River in Tennessee—one of the last free-flowing wild river systems in the eastern US Still similar to how European settlers found the area in the 18th century Permanent outdoor lighting is banned here Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (Canada/US) The first dark sky park spanning an international border Unique species and ecologies in isolated mountain terrain Allocates resources to study and interpret dark sky conservation —Kaytee Johnson

“In books I have traveled, not only to other worlds, but into my own.” —Anna Quindlen There is absolutely no way you can convince me that anything makes travel more fulfilling than reading. For every destination I travel to, I find a book that takes place in that corner of the world. These stories, true or fictional, draw me into the place, making my destinations come alive. Nothing beats the rush of discovering the history of a place or being delighted by a romance set in a foreign city. While you’re packing your bags, consider throwing some of these books into your carry-on. I have curated a list of books that you must read as you travel to these places. If you want to travel to these places but don’t quite have the funds yet, these are perfect for you! As Jhumpa Lahiri said, “That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” Stateside Travel If you’re traveling to New York City read Summer at Tiffany by Marjorie Hart. Summer at Tiffany is the true story of two friends, Marjorie and Marty, who move to New York City in 1945. They become the first women to ever work on the sales floor at Tiffany & Co. This charming book is a homage to friendship, hard work, and the wonder of the city. If you’re visiting the Midwest, read The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. Sara, a timid book-lover from Sweden, makes her way to Iowa to meet a pen pal. The small town of Broken Wheel, Iowa is skeptical of Sara but eventually she wins them over. Asia Travel If you’re traveling to Southeast Asia, read Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwall. Vassar Spore is a sixteen-year-old girl with a ten-year plan. What she didn’t plan on was an eccentric relative forcing her to spend the summer backpacking through Southeast Asia. Join these two on their crazy adventure. If your destination is Russia, read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. Count Alexander Rostov has been sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol Hotel in Moscow during a time of political unrest. This historical fiction is both a romance and a thriller. Europe Travel If you’re vacationing in France, Italy, or England read A Rather Lovely Inheritance by C. A. Belmond. Penny Nichols’s humdrum life is turned upside-down when she is left an unexpected inheritance. This leads Penny on an adventure across Europe, discovering family secrets and protecting her inheritance. Africa Travel If your trip takes you to Morocco or Spain, read A Time in Between by Maria Duenas. Sira Quiroga is a young girl from Madrid who is swept into a life in Morocco. Set in the time of the Spanish Civil War and WWII, Sira’s story is a coming of age story full of espionage, romance, and family. South America Travel If you’re exploring Brazil or the Amazon, read Lost City of Z by David Grann. Lost City of Z is the true story of Percy Fawcett, a British explorer who disappeared in the Amazon while searching for a city of gold. Grann also tells of his own trips and discoveries deep in the Amazon.