Fall 2012

Angela Yarian holding a baby from the village (about year 2003)Throughout most of their childhood, the Yarian sisters’ lives were divided between Togo and the United States. From 1995 to 2004, Rebekah (starting at age eight), her sister Angela (starting at age seven), their younger brother, Daniel, and their parents spent half of each year in a little country town outside of Sykesville, Maryland, and the other half of the year in Dapaong, Togo—a tiny city in a tiny country on the northwest coast of Africa.

My dad instilled a love of travel in me ever since I can remember. In his work, he constantly traveled, mostly to techie conventions and rooms with giant computers and webs of colored wires.

Any person in the United States can tell you that Abraham Lincoln was known for his honesty and that George Washington crossed the Delaware. However, they might neglect to mention that Lincoln is also the only president to ever hold a patent and that Washington was the first breeder of American mules.

The scaled head of a predator drifts through the water like the tip of an iceberg. He wanders closer toward the boat and blinks his beady, black eyes at the passengers. For a moment he lies motionless, and you could mistake him for a brown, misshapen rock. Yet when the tour guide throws a morsel of food toward the water, the alligator rapidly raises his monstrous body and snatches the food out of the air. Then the giant reptile smoothly sinks back down into the murky water and glides away, his tail shifting back and forth behind him like a snake.

Porte des Mortes, or Death’s Door, is the narrow, treacherous patch of water in Lake Michigan between Washington Island and Wisconsin’s peninsula. French sailors bestowed this intriguing name to the strait because of the countless shipwrecks that occurred there. Death’s Door then became the namesake of Door County, Wisconsin. Despite its violent sailing history, Door County has a relaxing seaside atmosphere that is perfect for a weekend getaway.

In autumn, the Tennessee hills blaze with color. Red, orange, and yellow leaves brighten the landscape. The air remains warm but is cooled by a pleasant breeze. It is an enchanting place, buzzing with creative energy. There is little wonder why this region is famous for attracting musicians.Think about it: so many musical genres have roots in Tennessee—blues, gospel, country, and rock and roll. Between Memphis and Nashville you can find memorials celebrating B. B. King, the Reverend Al Green, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the King himself—Elvis Presley.Locals relish their rich musical history. This pride is demonstrated by a state senate bill passed in 1999 that officially designated the region of Interstate 40 between Memphis and Nashville as the “Music Highway.” Today, there are signs along the road celebrating this title and directing travelers to musical landmarks such as murals, monuments, and museums. Just a sampling of sites includes a rich variety of destinations.

We all have one—that little piece of technology we just can’t live without. For the typical person it’s a smartphone or an iPad. But for the real techies out there—the people who get more excited about Apple’s latest project than the presidential election—here are some must-have gadgets for international travel that you’ll be hooked on before your plane makes it down the runway. GPS-enabled Camera “Where was this picture taken again?” It’s a common international traveler’s problem, and we’ve got the solution. Nikon’s new Coolpix AW100 compact digital camera was designed with the traveling techie in mind. It features water-, cold-, and shock-proof design and a GPS microchip that embeds each of your photos with its exact geographical position. Now you can snap away worry-free and easily match your photos to the location once you’re home and ready to post them on Facebook to the envy of all your friends.imaging.nikon.com

Dirt was never on the menu for Kristjana Green and Alexis Hiatt as they planned their summer excursions. But though the dirt wasn’t completely washed out of their well-earned, self-produced meals, they didn’t seem to mind.

Dusty rooms, faded pictures—for many people, the word lace implies old. Recently, though, lace has been making a comeback in a big way.

Perusing the grain section at your local health store, you come across a product labeled Quinoa. KEE-no? Quin-O-a? Keen-o-A? How do you pronounce this curious grain-like food?

Coastlines like Muriwai Beach in New Zealand provide ideal locations for paragliding. Photo by tkw954

With more than 450 spirit sightings reported since 2007, saying that the Winchester Mystery HouseTM in San Jose, California, is haunted may be an understatement. Many of the visitors to the house claim to have seen the ghost of Sarah Winchester, who owned the house in the late 1800s. Her story, even before her house became notorious for its ghosts, is essentially a ghost story.

Antarctica, a barren, frozen desert, supports very little life. There is no indigenous population and very little vegetation. Of all the continents, it has the coldest average temperature, the highest average elevation, and the fewest native species. A tourist nightmare, right?