CONTENTS 5. Editors Block
PARKS & DESTINATIONS 8. Superb State Park Destinations 32. California’s Sequoia Country 34. Mesmerizing Monument Valley 42. Visiting the Pueblos of New Mexico 47. Beautiful & Ancient Bandelier 48. Adventures in Albuquerque 59. Video Spotlight: Chaco Canyon
TRAILS, HIKES & OUTDOOR ADVENTURES 60. Japan’s Kumano Kodo Trail 64. Lost Angel Walkabout 67. America’s Best Day Hikes
HISTORY, CULTURE & THE ARTS 68. Photographer Harun Mehmedinovic 72. Tewa Artist Jason Garcia in Chaco 74. Artist Melissa Weinman in Fort Union 76. New Eyes on New Mexico Exhibit 78. On Display at DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun 81. Hollywood History of Gallup, New Mexico 82. Standin’ on the Corner Park 84. Writer Karle Wilson Baker 85. New Llano Co-operative Colony 86. The Mayflower Celebrates 400 Years
TOURISM & HOSPITALITY 94. Tourism Excellence: Balance 98. New 2020 California Employment Laws PAGE 3
EDITORS BLOCK “When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.” A.A. Milne
Kicking off the new year, this issue showcases state park destinations across the country, and leads you through the spectacular and ancient southwest, and around the world on a whirlwind of outdoor and cultural adventures. It also celebrates the arts of all genres, history and roots travel, and responsible tourism. We’re excited to announce that we have launched our new Big Blend Community, a social site where we can all connect by special interest such as Nature, Parks, Travel, History, The Arts, Food, and much more. Check it out and come join us at https://big-blend-magazines.mn.co/ Visit our travel planning site https://nationalparktraveling.com/ and sign up for our weekly Big Blend e-Newsletter to keep up with all of our new stories and interviews. Here’s to a new decade of adventure! Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith Big Blend’s mother-daughter travel, publishing, and radio team.
FRONT COVER PHOTO: Lower Colorado River at Picacho State Recreation Area in Southern California, by Lisa D. Smith. See our State Park story on Page 8. BIG BLEND MISSION STATEMENT: Big Blend is a company based on the belief that education is the most formidable weapon that can be waged against fear, ignorance and prejudice. It is our belief that education starts at home and branches outward. Education leads to travel, and travel leads to understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of cultures and customs different to our own, and ultimately to world peace. Our company is further based on the principle that networking, communication, and helping others to promote and market themselves leads to financial stability; thus paving the way to better education, travel, and the spirit of giving back to the community. This magazine is developed by Big Blend Magazine™, copyrighted since 1997. No part of it may be reproduced for any reason, without written permission from Big Blend Magazine. Although every effort is made to be accurate, we cannot be held responsible for inaccuracies or plagiarized copy submitted to us by advertisers or contributors.
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11 SUPERB STATE PARK DESTINA Step Back In Time & Out Into Na A Love Your Parks Tour Story by Lisa D. Smith and Nancy J. Reid
From California’s beautiful beaches and gold rush history to Arkansas’s ancient Toltec Mounds and swampy bayous… Louisiana’s scenic lake country and Civil War sites to the wild west history and vast desert landscape of the great southwest… Abraham Lincoln’s ancestral heritage in Kentucky to the recreational playground of northeast Colorado.
Trione-Annadel California State Park PAGE 8
ATIONS ature
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Tomales Bay State Park
State Parks To date, we have visited and explored over 150 parks and public lands on the Love Your Parks Tour, and more than 30 of them are State Parks. Each of them a unique regional treasure, these parks not only interpret local and regional history, but they also provide and protect natural habitat, are a place of leisure, and a quiet respite from the hustle-bustle of daily life. Follows is our list of 11 unique park destinations, many of them near national parks and forests, and part of national historic trails and scenic highways.
Located in Santa Rosa, Trione-Annadel State Park offers miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horse riding. It’s a wonderful spring and summer wildflower destination, and a great place to go picnicking, bird and wildlife watching. Park highlights include Lake Ilsanjo, Ledson Marsh and Vista Point, along with an Environmental Learning Visitor Center, interpretive exhibits, programs, and guided tours. Shooting Star Wildflower at Trione-Annadel SP
Northern California Nature Escapes North of the Golden Gate Bridge, Tomales Bay and Trione-Annadel State Parks make for a peaceful nature escape from the city. Tomales Bay is nestled within Point Reyes National Seashore, near the town of Inverness and the Tule Elk Preserve. Enjoy a picnic overlooking the bay while watching the birds that range from woodpeckers and hawks to goldfinches. The park has hiking trails and four beach areas including the popular Heart’s Desire Beach, as well as a virgin grove of Bishop pine. It’s a lovely place to relax and bask in tranquility. PAGE 10
California Gold Rush Towns & Trains Located in the heart of California’s Yosemite Gold Country, Tuolumne County is home to Yosemite National Park, Stanislaus National Forest, Columbia State Historic Park, and Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. Also known as Columbia Historic District, Columbia State Historic Park is a National Historic Landmark District that preserves historic downtown Columbia. Between the years 18501870, over one billion dollars of gold was mined here, putting Columbia on the map as the “Gem of the Southern Mines.” For a while, it prospered as the second-largest city in California. Columbia became a State Historic Park in 1945 and is recognized as the state’s best-preserved Gold Rush town. Located in the historic gold rush town of Jamestown, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park is home to the historic Jamestown Shops & Roundhouse of the Sierra Railway. Known as “The Movie Railroad” and for being “the most photographed railroad in the world,” this unique park features industrial heritage and railroad history, along with a piece of Hollywood’s film industry. Railtown 1897 and its on-site historic locomotives and railroad cars have been in over 300 films, TV productions, and commercials, including “Petticoat Junction,” “The Wild, Wild West,” “High Noon,” “The Virginian,” “Unforgiven.” and “Back to the Future Part III.” Listen to Steve Schneickert’s Hollywood History Big Blend Radio podcast on Railtown 1897. Listen here in the YouTube player or download it on Spreaker.com.
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Columbia State Historic Park Continued on Next Page… Railtown 1897
San Juan Bautista State Historic Park
State Parks Continued…
San Juan Bautista “The City of History” Known as “The City of History,” San Juan Bautista is located on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail in San Benito County, near the city of Hollister and about a 45-minute drive to the eastern entrance of Pinnacles National Park. Surrounded by organic farms and vineyards, this charming historic village is home to the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park and the Old Mission San Juan Bautista, as well as Fremont Peak State Park. San Juan Bautista State Historic Park represents the blend of cultures and events during the Mexican period when San Juan Bautista served as the military and commercial center of the San Benito Valley. Adjacent to the park is Old Mission San Juan Bautista, which was built in 1797 and is the fifteenth and largest mission church in California, and along with the park, has not changed much since the town’s early history. The park and its Plaza represent what was once the largest town in central California, an important crossroads between northern and southern California.
Castro demanded that Fremont’s group leave Mexico’s territory, which they did after three tense days. Today this site is part of Fremont State Park, a beautiful 162-acre park that encompasses the summit of 3,169-foot Fremont Peak in the Gabilan Range, and is known for its spectacular views of Monterey Bay, San Benito Valley, Salinas Valley, and the Santa Lucia Mountains. The park’s pine and oak woodlands are an ideal habitat for numerous birds and mammals. Along with hiking and biking trails, there are camping and picnic facilities, plus, an astronomical observatory with a 30-inch telescope which is open for public programs.
In 1846, General John C. Fremont and Kit Carson planted the first U.S. flag over California on Gavilan Peak (now Fremont Peak). General PAGE 12
Leucadia State Beach
State Parks Continued…
San Diego’s Beaches, Mountains & Desert Boasting a mild year-round climate, over 70 miles of coastline along with country, mountain and desert areas, numerous historic sites, attractions, parks, and outdoor activities, San Diego County is a popular travel destination. Heading north up historic Coast Highway 101 you can visit five different State Beaches namely San Elijo, Cardiff, Moonlight, Leucadia, South Carlsbad, and Carlsbad. Here you can enjoy beautiful ocean views along with sculpted bluffs covered with coastal flora, bird and marine wildlife watching, and all kinds of recreational activities including volleyball, surfing, diving, swimming, boogie boarding. Of course, there are also those romantic sunset walks along the beach, sunbathing, picnic parties, and sandcastle building contests. Some of the parks also offer camping opportunities. Northeast San Diego County features Palomar Mountain State Park and Rancho Cuyamaca State Park. High up on the west side of Palomar Mountain, the 1,862-acre Palomar Mountain State Park offers nature walks, hiking trails, picnic spots, a fishing pond, as well as a campground. From squirrels and deer to herons,
blue jays and woodpeckers, there’s a variety of bird and wildlife to experience as well as a diverse array of plant life that ranges from wild roses, dogwoods, and thimbleberries to white alder, California black oak and incense cedar trees. Located near the mountain town of Julian, Lake Cuyamaca is a beautiful 110-acre lake surrounded by Cuyamaca Rancho State Park where you can enjoy hiking and nature trails, fishing and boating, camping and picnicking. Located just south of Palm Desert and Joshua Tree National Park, and east of Julian, AnzaBorrego Desert State Park spans 600,000 vast desert acres. The park features spring wildflowers, palm grove oases, a variety of cactus and desert birds and wildlife. The largest state park in California, Anza-Borrego is an anchor in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve, along with being part of the route for the De Anza Expedition, Butterfield Overland Mail, Mormon Battalion, and California Gold Rush. The Park’s Visitor Center is on the outskirts of the small village of Borrego Springs, and along with informative exhibits, features a nature trail through the desert garden, complete with desert pupfish. Continued on Next Page…
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Colorado River State Historic Park State Parks Continued…
Southwest History & Outdoor Fun Along the Lower Colorado River Dubbed ‘The Gateway to the Great Southwest,’ Yuma, Arizona is home to the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area and is on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. The Yuma Crossing NHA runs along the lower Colorado River and encompasses the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park, Colorado River State Historic Park, the restored East and West Wetlands, and historic downtown district. The first inhabitants in the greater Yuma area were the Quechans, Cocopahs, and Mohaves, who gathered along the banks of the lower Colorado River. They used the river as a focal point for farming and trade, and the Yuma Crossing area became a central point for all trade routes.
the most rugged and isolated places in the world. Famed in movies, television, and literature, the Yuma Territorial Prison housed many of Arizona’s most dangerous and notorious criminals. Convicted of crimes ranging from polygamy to murder, 3069 desperados, including 29 women, were imprisoned in its rock and adobe cells from 1876 to 1909. Today you can take a self-guided tour of the historic penitentiary at the Yuma Prison Arizona State Historic Park. Continued on Next Page…
Set in the backdrop of the old Quartermaster’s Depot, the Colorado River State Historic Park showcases the history of the Yuma Crossing from prehistoric times until the present. Through the eyes of the Native Americans, entrepreneurs, steamboat captains, fortune seekers, and the military, it answers the questions of how the early emigrants survived or failed, living in one of PAGE 16
Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park
State Parks Continued…
Picacho CA State Recreation Area
An hour’s drive north of Yuma, Picacho State Recreation Area in Southern California offers a spectacular and dramatic, rugged landscape along with the lush haven of the Colorado River. The park is at the site of Picacho, once a gold mining town. There are trails interpreting the area’s mining history as well as a historic graveyard.
It’s a popular park during the cooler winter and spring seasons, when visitors come out to enjoy the park’s kayaking and boating, fishing, hiking, bird and wildlife watching, and camping opportunities. In fact, a lot of the park’s visitors cruise in by boat.
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Picacho Peak AZ State Park
State Parks Continued…
Tucson & Southern Arizona’s Sonoran Desert Region Through the years, Picacho Peak was used as a landmark by Father Kino and the Mormon Battalion, the California forty-niners, and the Butterfield Overland Stage Route in the late 1850s. It’s also the site of the 1862 Battle of Picacho Pass, which was the largest Civil War clash to take place in Arizona. Located just west of Tucson and featuring the prominent 1,500foot Picacho Peak, Picacho Peak State Park is a beautiful hiking, bird watching, camping, and picnic destination with wildflowers in spring. There are historic markers in the park, as well as a LEED-certified visitors center with exhibits and a gift shop.
The park encompasses 5,500 acres of rugged desert terrain with multi-use and nature trails that lead into the Coronado National Forest. It’s a popular park for spring wildflowers, camping, hiking, biking, and horse riding, and is also host to special ranger programs and events throughout the year.
Located south of Tucson in the historic art village of Tubac near the Tumacacori National Historical Park, Tubac State Presidio State Historic Park is Arizona’s first state park. A prominent destination on the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, the Presidio features the ruins of Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac, the Presidio Museum, and an underground Nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina archaeological exhibit. The onsite 1885 furnished Mountains in Tucson, Catalina State Park is a schoolhouse, Otero Hall, and Rojas House are all nature lover’s paradise that’s home to a wide on the National Register of Historic Places. The variety of desert flora and fauna including 150 park is host to numerous special events and bird species, spring wildflowers, cacti and 5,000 saguaros, known as “The Sentinels of the Desert.” programs. PAGE 22
Pony Express History in Northwest Nevada Fort Churchill and Buckland State Historic Parks are located between Yerington and Silver Springs. Fort Churchill was built as a U.S. Army fort in 1861. The ruins are a popular site for photographers. There’s also a museum and cemetery, picnic spot, and a 1.6-mile interpretive nature trail that runs from the Fort ruins, along the Carson River to historic Buckland Station. Some visitors have seen beaver, fox, mule deer, wild turkey, and Canadian geese while on the trail. Buckland Station is just down the road from Fort Churchill and was a supply center and boarding house. You can tour the house and picnic outside. Both sites are part of the Pony Express and California National Historic Trails, the Overland Stage Route, and, Fort Churchill is also part of the American Discovery Trail. Continued on Next Page‌ Fort Churchill NV State Park Fort Churchill NV State Park
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State Parks Continued‌
St. Vrain CO State Park
Lakes & Mountain Views in Colorado The Centennial State is geographically diverse, encompassing most of the southern Rocky Mountains, the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau, and the western edge of the Great Plains. Just a 45-minute drive from Greeley, Denver and Fort Collins, St. Vrain State Park (formerly Barbour Ponds) is a beautiful family-friendly destination boasting spectacular mountain Canadian Geese at St. Vrain CO State Park views, over 600 acres of terrain, and over 150 acres of ponds. Popular park activities include camping and picnicking, hiking and bicycling, fishing and boating, bird watching and photography, as well as school and educational programs. Bird species range from migrating songbirds and waterfowl to raptors, including bald eagles during the winter months. Fish species include bluegill, black crappie, largemouth bass, red ear sunfish, yellow perch, saugeye, northern pike, channel catfish, and rainbow trout. A year-round park, it also offers ice fishing, snowmobiling and tent camping in the winter. PAGE 24
Eleven Mile State Park Beautiful Eleven Mile State Park is located near Lake George and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Central Colorado’s South Park National Heritage Area. Eleven Mile’s large reservoir is a popular fishing destination for catching rainbow, brown, cutthroat, kokanee and pike. There are five miles of scenic hiking and biking trails, bird watching, and camping opportunities. It’s also a great park for kayaking and canoeing, sailing, windsurfing, and even winter iceboating. Continued on Next Page…
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Sam Houston Jones LA State Park State Parks Continued…
Nature & History Runs Deep in Louisiana’s No Man’s Land The Neutral Strip region, also known as No Man’s The region’s use as an official buffer between Land, hails from the area’s short time as an Louisiana and Spanish Texas lasted roughly from official buffer zone between Spain and the 1806 until the 1819 Adams-Onis Treaty that United States following the Louisiana Purchase. established the Sabine River as the territory’s When the U.S. purchased the territory from western boundary. Today, by visiting the State France, Spain and the U.S. were conflicted over Parks in No Man’s Land, you can dig deep into the boundary south of Natchitoches. In part, this the region’s rich history, explore the natural confusion derived from the region’s long history, beauty, and enjoy a plethora of recreational even before Spanish rule during the 1790s and opportunities. 1800s, as a contested area with unclear boundaries. Spain generally governed the region Boasting over 1,087 acres of natural paradise, with a blind eye, issuing land grants and allowing Sam Houston Jones State Park in Lake Charles in the southwest portion of the state is a wonderful squatters and all manner of self-directed settlers, such as Native Americans who lost lands bird-watching destination boasting tree-filled lagoons and a mixed pine and hardwood forest. during the French-Indian War, to settle there to thwart American expansion. Instead of an armed The park offers short nature trails, boating and clash to decide the new territory’s borders, both disc golf, camping and cabin rentals. It's a great picnic location too. governments agreed to remove all troops from the disputed area until boundaries could be determined, and the official Neutral Strip was born. PAGE 26
South Toledo Bend LA State Park Located north of Lake Charles in Sabine Parish, Toledo Bend’s Lake Country is home to Toledo Bend Reservoir which is is one of the country's largest man-made reservoirs, and nationally recognized as a destination for bass fishing tournaments. Both North Toledo Bend and South Toledo Bend State Parks hug the edges of the Reservoir, offering beautiful views of the lake and islands. While fishing takes center stage, other popular outdoor recreational activities include boating, cycling, hiking, and nature walks. It’s also a haven for wildlife and bird lovers, with species ranging from herons and shorebirds to woodpeckers, osprey, and bald eagles. Amenities include campgrounds and cabins, boat and canoe rentals, a swimming pool, boat launches, and fish cleaning stations.
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Fort St. Jean Baptiste LA State Historic Park
State Parks Continued… Follow the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, once a royal road, east from Many to Natchitoches, the oldest settlement in Louisiana. Stop by and see Fort Jesup State Historic Site (open by appointment only) which was built in 1822 to protect the U.S. border with New Spain, and to return order to the Neutral Strip.
Located south of Shreveport and north of Many and Natchitoches, Mansfield State Historic Site interprets the area’s Civil War history, especially the Mansfield-Pleasant Hill engagement. Highlights include living history events, exhibits, battle reenactments, musket demonstrations, candlelight tours of the battlefield, and more.
Another historic stop is Los Adaes State Historic Site, which was the capital of Tejas (Texas) on the northeastern frontier of New Spain from 1729 -1770. Rich in archaeological finds, it included a mission, San Miguel de Cuellar de los Adaes, and a presidio, Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Los Adaes. Now operated by the Cane River National Heritage Area, Los Adaes has hiking and nature trails, as well as a museum. Located on Cane River Lake in Natchitoches, Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Park is a replication of the original Fort, which was set up just a few hundred yards away, by founder Louis Antoine Juchereau de St. Denis in 1714. Get a sense of the French Colonial life on a tour through the fort, museum, and historic buildings guided by costumed interpreters, and watch the park video sharing the history of the fort and region. The final destination on the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail, this park is one of the many historic sites within the Cane River National Heritage Area. PAGE 28
Pinnacle Mountain AK State Park
Ancient History & Natural Beauty in Little Rock, Arkansas Boasting 52 State Parks all with free admission, the Natural State lives up to its name. Just a 30minute scenic drive from downtown Little Rock, Pinnacle Mountain State Park and Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park each offer a completely different experience, and both rank high on natural beauty.
The park is a wonderful destination for nature enthusiasts, birders, school and educational groups. Destinations include the Visitor Center overlooking the Arkansas River, the Discovery Room showcasing nature displays and exhibits, an Environmental Education pond, Native Plant Gardens, and the Arkansas Arboretum. Continued on Next Page‌
Pinnacle Mountain State Park is home to a diverse landscape that spans 2,351 acres, with a multitude of outdoor recreation opportunities. Standing at around 1,000 feet above elevation, Pinnacle Mountain is on the eastern edge of the Ouachita Mountain range, where the Arkansas, Big Maumelle, and Little Maumelle Rivers converge. It’s a beautiful park with 15 miles of hiking trails for all activity levels, 7 miles of mountain bike trails, water activities including fishing and boating, shaded picnic and barbecue spots, and interpretive programs and special events. Group facilities include a standard pavilion, visitor center meeting room, and scenic overlook. PAGE 29
State Parks Continued‌
Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park
A National Historic Landmark, Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park is the largest and most complex mound site in Arkansas, and one of the most impressive in the Mississippi River Valley. Archeologists believe these mounds were religious and social centers for the Plum Bayou culture, who occupied the area from around 6501050 A.D. You can see these mounds by following the Knapp and Plum Bayou self-guided trails, and if you are in luck, you may even see archeologists doing their research. Other highlights of this unique park include taking a bird walk along the boardwalk over Mound Lake, visiting the museum and visitor center, and taking a stroll the Plum Bayou demonstration garden.
Plum Bayou Demonstration Garden PAGE 30
Lincoln Homestead KY State Historic Park
President Lincoln’s Ancestral History in Central Kentucky
Here’s to planning your next State Park history, nature, or outdoor adventure!
President Abraham Lincoln’s family lived near historic Springfield, in central Kentucky for almost thirty years. The 1816 Courthouse on Main Street preserves the original marriage certificate of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Hanks, his parents. More of the President’s ancestral legacy can be experienced at Lincoln Homestead State Park. Spanning over 120 acres, this park features both historic buildings and reconstructions associated with Thomas Lincoln, as well as the original twostory Francis Berry House where Nancy Hanks lived and worked as a seamstress while being courted by Thomas. The buildings, including a gift shop and museum, are open Thursday through Sunday, May 1 – September 30. Along with picnic sites and a lake where visitors can go fishing, the park includes an 18-hole golf course on the land Mordecai Lincoln once farmed. On the other side of the road from the golf course is the Mordecai Lincoln House, built by Mordecai as an adult. Springfield is just 45 minutes from Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park, the country’s first memorial to President Abraham Lincoln. PAGE 31
Home to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the Giant Sequoia National Monument and Sequoia National Forest, Tulare County is a year-round destination offering a variety of outdoor activities, a calendar full of events and festivals, and an eclectic selection of shopping and dining opportunities in the local gateway communities like Visalia, Three Rivers, Exeter, Tulare, Dinuba, and Porterville. East of Fresno, the area is an easy 4-5 hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area and 3-4 hours from Los Angeles. This episode of Big Blend Radio focuses on winter and spring events and activities in Tulare County, Central California. Featured guests from the Sequoia Tourism Council include: Sintia C. Kawasaki-Yee - Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks; Sandy Blankenship - Exeter Chamber of Commerce; Donnette Silva Carter - Tulare Chamber of Commerce; Suzanne Bianco - Visit Visalia. Listen here in the YouTube player or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com. Plan your California Sequoia Country Adventure at: https://www.discoverthesequoias.com/ PAGE 32
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by Debbie Stone
Reddish hues in sand and rock of the valley are due to iron oxide. PAGE 34
Watch the sun rise and set over Monument Valley John Wayne was right on the mark when he described Monument Valley as, “God’s Treasure.” The iconic actor was taken with the stark beauty of this majestic place when he first laid eyes on it while filming the movie, “Stagecoach,” back in the late 1930s. Directed by the venerable John Ford, the film made The Duke a star and the western, a respected film genre. Hollywood helped shine the light on this distinctive landscape and it became one of the most recognizable images in the country. Monument Valley Park (known also by its Navajo or Diné name, Tsé Bii’ Ndzisgaii, which roughly translates to mean Valley of Rocks) comprises a small piece of the semi-autonomous Navajo Nation, the largest Native American territory in the U.S. The park straddles the Utah-Arizona border and occupies nearly 92,000 acres. It is not a national park, however, like nearby Canyonlands in Utah or the Grand Canyon in Arizona, but one of six Navajo-owned tribal parks. And the valley is not a valley in the conventional sense, but rather a wide flat landscape, interrupted by colossal buttes and otherworldly looking creations.
Listen to Debbie Stone’s Monument Valley Big Blend Radio interview here in the YouTube player or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com What was once a lowland basin became a plateau and the forces of wind and water cut away at the surface of this mass, chiseling rock formations into the unique shapes that can be seen today.
It’s hard not to be awestruck by these formations and their vivid orange and red hues. Fragile pinnacles of rock are surrounded by miles of dramatic mesas, monoliths and buttes, dwarf shrubs and trees, and sandy, windblown desert. Sandstone masterpieces tower at heights of 400 to 1,000 feet, rising from the earth in an effort to The natural sculptures of Monument Valley are a meet the sky. The landscape overwhelms the result of sandstone deposits and the geologic senses and even the most jaded can’t help but be processes of uplift and erosion, transpiring over spellbound by these enduring images of the millions of years. American West. Continued on Next Page… PAGE 35
Monument Valley Continued… Begin your exploration of the park at the Monument Valley Visitor Center and Museum. Here, you’ll find exhibits that focus not only on the valley, but on the Navajo Nation, its size (a whopping 26,000 square miles), census statistics, government and efforts to keep the Navajo language and traditions alive. Additionally, there’s a section devoted to the Navajo Code Talkers of WWII, who provided the most sophisticated, accurate, fast and secure means of military communications within the Pacific. The code baffled the Japanese and greatly helped win the war in the region. Displays not only detail the history of this communication, but also provide examples of the code and photos of some of the Code Talkers.
Three Sisters Rock Formation which you can do via the Valley Drive. This seventeen-mile dirt road starts at the visitor center and heads southeast among the towering cliffs and mesas. It passes eleven numbered stops at the most scenic locales, including the famed Mittens, which look like two enormous mittens, but yet also signify spiritual beings watching over the valley; Merrick Butte and Mitchell Mesa, named after two ex-cavalry soldiers, who were prospectors searching for silver in the valley; The Three Sisters, which resemble a Catholic nun facing her two students; John Ford’s Point, so designated in honor of the Hollywood director who made several films in the valley; and Totem Pole, a thin, tall spire that provides a good example of what erosion can do to a butte. East of the Totem Pole is Yei Bi Chei, a group of rock formations arranged in a crescent shape to appear like a troupe of elegant dancers.
Outside the museum, take in the jaw-dropping view of three of the valley’s most photographed peaks – East and West Mitten Buttes and Merrick Butte – from nearby Lookout Point. This will The crowds often amass at John Ford’s Point, a whet your appetite for seeing more of the park, promontory at the edge of a plateau overlooking PAGE 36
Anthony plays his elk skin drum.
John Wayne's Point
the desert. Here, visitors can recreate the iconic image of a solo rider on a horse near the edge of the viewpoint. And they can truly understand Hollywood’s attraction to the area and how it became fixed in the popular imagination as the archetypal Western landscape.
him the pictures and convinced him that the valley would make the perfect backdrop for his movie, “Stagecoach.” Ford went on to use Monument Valley in nine more films. Other directors came calling and over the years, the location has been featured in numerous movies and commercials.
But, Hollywood would never have known about Monument Valley, had it not been for Harry Goulding. A native of Colorado, Goulding moved to the region in 1925 and opened a small trading post at the northwest rim of the valley. He was well-liked by the Navajo, as he possessed a generous spirit, often extending them credit during difficult times. The Depression was bad enough, but there was also a drought, which hit the Navajo and the trading post hard. So, when Goulding heard on the radio that Hollywood was scouting locations to shoot a western, he jumped at the chance to bring a financial opportunity to the valley.
Though this self-drive route hits many of the park’s major landmarks, a guided tour can enrich your experience tenfold and provide access to restricted areas. All tours are operated by Navajo companies, ensuring that you will get a Navajo guide, who is fully connected with the valley. The tour will take you to ancient ruins, impressive sandstone arches, and massive monoliths, and along the way, you’ll learn countless interesting facts. You’ll be able to cover more ground and immerse yourself in the culture and history of this fascinating place.
I had the good fortune of joining a tour operated Goulding drove to L.A., walked into United Artists by Monument Valley Safari. Our guide Bobby Studios with a portfolio of photos and talked his way into seeing director John Ford. He showed Continued on Next Page… PAGE 37
Monument Valley Continued… was particularly knowledgeable about the geology of the area. He explained the stages of erosion and types of sedimentary rocks, as well as the evolution of the formations. I learned there are four different layers to the monuments: Organ Rock, De Chelly Sandstone, Navajo Sandstone, and Conglomerates. Organ Rock is the oldest layer, dating back 284 million years, while Conglomerates is the youngest at 190 million years. Bobby also told us that the reddish hues in the sand and rock of the valley are due to iron oxide, and the black streaks on the rock walls are manganese oxide or desert varnish.
Anasazi petroglyph of Bighorn Sheep One of the stops we made on the tour was at a traditional Hogan where we watched a woman weaving with stems from the sumac plant and saw examples of handmade baskets, rugs moccasins, and infant carriers, as well as a grinding stone for making cornmeal. The Hogan is the traditional dwelling and ceremonial structure of the Navajo. Early Hogans were dome-shaped constructions with log, or stone frameworks, and covered with mud, dirt or sod. There are male Hogans and female Hogans. The male Hogan is the center of religious and cultural ceremonies, while the female type is larger and able to house a family. It’s a more permanent and practical form of shelter.
He pointed out some of the vegetation that The tour also featured some of the amazing grows in the valley, such as Mormon Tea, a arches in the valley, including Big Hogan, widely used medicinal plant to help asthmatics Moccasin, Sun’s Eye and Ear of the Wind. At Big and those suffering from hay fever. Another is Hogan, we were treated to two very memorable the Juniper tree. This tree’s berries give gin its performances. Bobby showed off his musical distinctive flavor and add spice in cooking. The talent by serenading us with the Native American seeds are made into beads to ward off evil. flute. The melody was very haunting and added There’s also the yucca plant. Its leaves are used to the mystical quality of the scene. Afterwards in weaving, while its roots can be used to make ten-year-old Ayanibaa did a hoop dance for us, soap and shampoo. PAGE 38
Hoop dance by 10-year-old Ayanibaa creating the shapes of a bird, basket, flower, and lightening with her hoops. Her father Anthony accompanied her on a drum made from elk skin. The acoustics were perfect, as Big Hogan is a natural amphitheater. Monument Valley is abundant with Anasazi petroglyphs and pictographs, many that are still very pronounced on the rock walls and alcoves of the canyons. The former are produced by removing or scratching away at the desert varnish, while the latter refers to artwork resulting from the application of plant and animal pigments directly on the walls. Among the most striking petroglyphs we saw on our tour was one of running Bighorn sheep, located in a niche below the Eye of the Sun.
For those who like to hike, the Wildcat Nature Trail and Lee Cly Trail make a scenic 3.3-mile loop around the West Mitten Butte. The path winds through desert country alongside washes and sandy slopes, offering great views of the rock monuments from the valley floor. This trail, however, is not maintained, so it’s important to look for the periodic rock piles and signs that mark the route. Though you can see the highlights of Monument Valley in a day, I recommend spending a night or two in order to truly appreciate its wonders. Opt to stay at The View Hotel, the only hotel built within the park. This Navajo owned and operated property blends in with the environment so as not to detract from its scenic wonders. Each wellappointed room has a private balcony overlooking the glorious landscape, from which you can watch the sun rise and set on the monuments. And the dÊcor is authentic Native American with hand-woven Navajo rugs, pottery, and artwork.
In regards to human occupation, Monument Valley is home to thirty to a hundred residents, depending on the season. These people have deep roots within the valley and have sustained life through simple living. They farm and have livestock, and also create artwork to sell to visitors. And they carve out this existence without running water or electricity. PAGE 39
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West Mitten Butte Monument Valley Continued… If you eat at the hotel’s View Restaurant, you’ll be treated to a menu of Navajo inspired dishes. Try the Navajo Taco Sampler, Red Chile Pork Posole or the Green Chile Stew, accompanied by blue corn fry bread, drizzled with honey. You’ll notice that some of the entrees are named for Hollywood actors who helped make Monument Valley famous. While dining, you’ll have the ultimate view of the valley through the great expanse of windows, so don’t forget your camera! If you go: www.navajonationparks.org www.monumentvalleyview.com www.monumentvalleysafari.com
Amazing Arches
Weaving demonstration in a traditional Hogan
Debbie Stone is an established travel writer and columnist, and regular contributor for Big Blend Radio and Big Blend Magazines, who crosses the globe in search of unique destinations and experiences to share with her readers and listeners. She’s an avid explorer who welcomes new opportunities to increase awareness and enthusiasm for places, culture, food, history, nature, outdoor adventure, wellness and more. Her travels have taken her to nearly 100 countries and to all seven continents. PAGE 40
Watch our Video below!
Article by Linda Kissam, photos by Allan Kissam Cliff Dwelling PAGE 42
San Ildefonso Pueblo buildings
“If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come.” Arapaho Ever been to Santa Fe, New Mexico? It’s a place of light, inspiration, hope, culture, and history. You should definitely go there.
Big Blend Radio interview with travel writer Linda Kissam, Elmer Torres of Passport to Pueblo Country, and Joanne Hudson of Tourism Santa Fe. Listen here in the YouTube player or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com.
My husband and I decided to travel via car from Tucson, Arizona to Santa Fe, New Mexico for an IFWTWA writers conference. As soon as we hit the New Mexico border, we began seeing exit signs for Pueblos. I was soon to understand that name has great significance in the total Santa Fe experience. BACKGROUND There is a difference between an Indian reservation and a Pueblo. An Indian reservation is a legal designation for an area of land managed by a federally recognized Native American tribe under the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs rather than the state governments of the United States in which they are physically located. In the Southwestern United States, the term Pueblo refers to communities of Native Americans, both in the present and in ancient times. The first Spanish explorers of the Southwest used this term to describe the
communities housed in apartment structures built of stone, adobe mud, and other local material. Today there are now 19 pueblos in New Mexico, each with its own government but sharing common prehistory and culture. The Northern Pueblos of New Mexico represent eight of the 19 Pueblo Tribes in the state. They are the oldest tribal communities in the US having descended from the ancestral cultures that once inhabited Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Bandelier. Continued on Next Page…
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Deborah Torres talks about the feast day meal.
Feast Day menu item
Pueblos Continued…
DISCOVERING THE PUEBLOS Let me say that Santa Fe, New Mexico with its glorious and distinctive shopping, historical lodging and culinary delights is a great place to discover on its own. But... there is so much more to discover about this area just a few miles down the road. I was based at the La Fonda Inn in downtown Santa Fe (can you say WOW?!) for 5 days. This place has a history unlike any hotel I have stayed at before. It is the perfect place to serve as a base for your Santa Fe and Pueblo adventure. Part of my conference package included a side trip to one of the Pueblos.
($225 per person) included the following four wondrous components. An energetic guided hike to the Tsankawi section of Bandelier National Monument located on State Highway 4 twelve miles from the main section of the park. At Tsankawi, you take a 1.5-mile walk along a high scenic mesa, viewing cliff dwellings, petroglyphs and the Ancestral Pueblo village of Tsankawi. Surprisingly, ladders are a required part of this trail. If you can’t make the entire 1.5 miles, go as far as you can to immerse yourself in this transcendent hike. I made it to the first Mesa. My husband did the entire 1.5-mile loop.
A pottery demonstration from local artist While you can visit many of the Pueblos on your Madelyn Naranjo. Ours took place within the own, a guided tour is preferable the first time. It host’s home. It was fascinating to not only see was my absolute pleasure to take a side trip with how local pottery is made (with beginning thanks several other writers to the San Ildefonso Pueblo and blessings on the process), but also hear the artist talk about the spiritual aspect of each piece with guide and former governor of the San and her journey to becoming a professional Ildefonso Pueblo, Elmer Torres. The day tour PAGE 44
Ladders are a part of the hike potter. A generous meal at the host’s family feast day home in the plaza of San Ildefonso Pueblo was prepared by Deborah Torres. We were served a traditional feast day menu. It couldn’t have been better. Each dish was a masterpiece of history and love. Served family-style we enjoyed many traditional items such as tasty bowls of chicken in red chile and ground beef in green chile, watermelon, and tamales. The conversation was lively. Certainly, no one left the table hungry.
Madelyn Naranjo pottery demo might just find a tear or two running down her face. Just saying. I highly recommend you take one of the many tours offered by the Torres family. This one exceeded all of my expectations. I suspect all of the tours will be a deep and meaningful quest for you. I’ve decided my next tour will include attending a feast day celebration. As one of our valued readers, Elmer Torres will give you a 10% discount on his tour. Just use the code “Radio10” when booking. Check out the tours here https://passporttopueblocountry.com
A tour of the pueblo. Our tour took place on BE MINDFUL OF YOUR MANNERS foot just outside the host’s home. At first look, Just a reminder. There are rules that go along you might think hmmmm…how can I learn with visiting Pueblos. Each tribe has their own, anything from this space of dirt, trees, but here is a roundup of 10 suggestions to keep traditionally built homes, a church, and school? in mind to avoid misunderstandings or violations Listening closely to the guide, the mind quickly tells the eyes to shift to seeing inspiring cultures of customs while visiting a Pueblo. and traditions that have existed in the region for 1. Each Pueblo operates under its own more than 600 years. Everything from the dirt to government and establishes all rules and the trees to the pueblos represents an regulations for its own village. experiential discovery into values and philosophy so deep and meaningful that a girl Continued on Next Page… PAGE 45
Pueblo Continued…
Expansive park vistas
2. Although many Pueblos are open to the public during daylight hours, the homes are private and should not be entered without an invitation. 3. Do not enter Kivas or graveyards without permission. 4. Stay off structures like walls. Many are several hundred years old and can be damaged easily. 5. Stay with your guide (or by yourself) in the immediate village area. Do not wander. 6. Removing any artifacts or objects, such as pieces of broken pottery or feathers, is not allowed. Not only is it inappropriate behavior it is bad Karma. 7. No pets. 8. Drive slowly and obey posted speed limits at all times which are generally much slower than city speeds. 9. Alcohol, weapons, and drugs are not allowed. 10. Ask before you take photos. Enjoy your experience! Linda Kissam ‘Food, Wine & Shopping Diva’ is a professional travel, food, and wine writer who specializes in easy, breezy destination stories sharing her favorite things about the places she visits. Visit www.AllInGoodTaste.info. PAGE 46
Bandelier National Monument
BEAUTIFUL & ANCIENT BANDELIER Video Spotlight on the Love Your Parks Tour Visit to Bandelier National Monument in Northern New Mexico Located just outside of Santa Fe, Bandelier National Monument protects over 33,000 acres of rugged but beautiful canyon and mesa country, as well as evidence of a human presence that dates back over 11,000 years. The Main Loop Trail led us through the twenty-one different archaeological sites including the Big Kiva, Tyuonyi, Talus House, and Long House. The Visitor Center has a great museum, which is worth visiting before taking the trail. Note, during the summer, except for a few We concluded our experience at the Cottonwood exemptions, you can only access the park by Picnic Area, a shaded and tranquil spot that shuttle bus. allows one to soak up all the history and natural beauty of the park. More at https://www.nps.gov/band/index.htm PAGE 47
Where History Meets Hip & Happening by Debbie Stone
Zuni Dancer PAGE 48
View from the hot air balloon From my perch in the sky, the view is sublime. The iconic Sandia Mountains appear as sentinels of the high desert and the rugged lava escarpments provide a Mars-like topography. Below, the Rio Grande snakes through the expansive landscape, while matchbox size houses and buildings look like Lego constructions.
Debbie Stone talks with Big Blend Radio about her adventures in Albuquerque. Listen to the segment here in the YouTube player or download/listen to it on Spreaker.com.
I’m floating high above this stunning panorama in a Rainbow Ryders hot air balloon. Our pilot in command is Troy Bradley, an experienced balloonist with almost 8,000 balloon piloting hours. He also holds 64 World Records in the sport and has claimed the title of New Mexico State Hot Air Champion four times. We’re in good A hot air balloon ride often ranks atop many hands! travelers’ bucket lists. It’s not hard to understand why, as the experience is magical. It’s an The wind is gently carrying us up, up and away, unmatched way to provide a unique perspective as the ground unfolds before our eyes. Minutes of the environment. And what better place to ago, the sun rose, streaking the valley with red embark on this enchanting journey than and orange hues. We are joined by other Albuquerque, the “hot air balloon capital of the balloons, which provide pops of bright color world.” against a now bluer than blue New Mexico sky. A few hover above, some below, and one even Home to the famous International Hot Air momentarily “kisses” our balloon. Another dips Balloon Fiesta, Albuquerque has long been a down into the river for a “splash and dash.” magnet for hot air balloonists and fans of the sport. The annual festival, which recently marked All too soon, the ride ends and we’re on terra its 48th anniversary, draws almost a million firma once again. Upon landing, we indulge in a people from across the globe. What started as a post-flight celebration with a champagne toast to quaint launch of thirteen balloons is now a our aeronautical journey. We also receive proof massive nine-day celebration with nearly 600 of our ascension in the form of a certificate. balloons participating, representing forty-one Something to frame along with all the picturestates and seventeen countries. Continued… perfect images! PAGE 49
Albuquerque Continued… It’s a veritable feast for the senses, with the sound of balloon burners simultaneously igniting, the aroma of fresh doughnuts and breakfast burritos, the roar of the crowd as the balloons take to the sky and the look of awe on thousands of upturned faces, as they gaze at the stunning op-art canvas in the sky. To complement your hot air balloon ride in the Land of Enchantment, stop in at the AndersonAbruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum. Exhibits explore the past, present and future of ballooning, as well as subjects related to the science, engineering and technology of lighter-than-air aviation and other innovative forms of flight.
Murals bedeck the streets of Albuquerque. As you explore Albuquerque, you might hear it affectionately called “Burque,” by the locals. It’s an easy way to shorten the town’s rather cumbersome name. You may also hear it referred to as “Duke City.” And although you might think this moniker has to do with John Wayne, aka, “The Duke,” think again. It actually refers to Spain’s Duke of Alburquerque (the extra “r” was eventually dropped), Viceroy Francisco Fernandez de la Cueva, whom the city was named for back in 1706 when it was formally established. A great way to get a broad overview of the town is to take the Best of ABQ City Tour with Albuquerque Tourism & Sightseeing Factory. It’s a fully narrated and entertaining experience that hits all the highlights, including the University of New Mexico campus, Old Town, Nob Hill, the BioPark, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, Route 66 and film locations of major motion films and T.V. shows, such as the critically acclaimed and awarding winning series, “Breaking Bad.”
Ballooning is only one of many fun experiences visitors can have in Albuquerque. The city is a culturally rich and naturally beautiful metropolitan area with deep, historical roots. It boasts an exciting food and wine scene, a vibrant public arts program (responsible for bedecking the city with nearly a thousand Though modern and forward-thinking, paintings, sculptures and murals), fifteen Albuquerque still retains its connections to the museums, several hundred parks and past. Make sure you visit Petroglyph National greenspaces, shops and galleries galore and an Monument on the city’s west side to see the abundance of outdoor pursuits to appeal to designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks adrenaline seekers of all kinds. PAGE 50
Historic Old Town. by Native Americans and Spanish settlers some 400 to 700 years ago. The monument protects an estimated 24,000 images and serve as a link to the area’s ancient history, both cultural and geological. Drive down historic Route 66, now Central Ave., for a flash-from-the-past view of vintage neon Route 66 signs and other artifacts lining the street. Fun fact: Albuquerque is one of the only places in the U.S. where the “Mother Road” intersects with itself (at Central Ave. and Fourth St.), thanks to a 1937 realignment quirk. Stroll around Old Town, the heart of the city since its founding centuries ago. Listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties as the Old Albuquerque Historic District, this charming site contains ten blocks of historic adobe buildings surrounding Old Town Plaza. Among them is San Felipe de Neri Church, a Spanish colonial church originally constructed in 1793.
preserving the art of the American Southwest and the history of Albuquerque and the Middle Rio Grande Valley, this beloved institution features everything from conquistador helmets and Georgia O’Keeffe landscapes to Cochiti pottery and the display case from Fred Harvey’s Alvarado Curio Shop. Leave time to roam the sculpture garden, which includes 53 works of art by many of the important sculptors of the region. The large scale, multi-piece, “La Jornada,” which occupies an entire corner of the property, is hard to miss. Reactions are varied to this controversial sculpture that presents a juxtaposition of Native and Western world views. Further down the street is the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. You’ll know the place by the two life-size dinosaurs stationed at the entrance. Exhibits take visitors on a journey through time, detailing the formation of the universe, major geologic changes and the age of the dinosaurs.
Old Town today is a mecca of shops, restaurants, galleries and museums, one of which is the popular Albuquerque Museum. Dedicated to PAGE 51
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Albuquerque Continued…
Explora
Additionally, there’s a planetarium with a fulldome theater, featuring multimedia presentations on astronomy and space science. Kids and kids-at-heart will enjoy Explora, a hands-on learning center with interactive exhibits and activities to spur imagination and creativity in the fields of science, art and technology. Also nearby is the BioPark, home to the aquarium, zoo, botanic garden and Tingley Beach. Yes, Virginia, there’s a beach in the middle of Albuquerque! Well…it’s actually a few ponds for fishing and boating, flanked by walking and cycling trails. Nevertheless, this urban recreation area is a favorite oasis for residents and visitors alike. Many travelers to New Mexico are interested in Hispanic and Pueblo Native American cultures, as both have been integral to the development of the state and continue to have an effect on the fabric of its character. The National Hispanic Cultural Center is dedicated to the study, advancement and presentation of Hispanic culture and offers music concerts, theater performances and film screenings throughout the year; while, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center preserves and perpetuates Pueblo Native American culture, history and art. Exhibits at the latter represent all nineteen pueblos in New Mexico, with displays documenting prehistoric times to the present.
Turquoise Museum
from the various pueblos, accompanied by live music and narration. And if you want to taste authentic cuisine, the top-rated onsite Pueblo Harvest restaurant incorporates traditional Pueblo flavors into contemporary cooking. The menu includes a Pre-Contact section with entrees emphasizing the flavors found in indigenous diets before Europeans colonized the Americas. Featured are such dishes as bison flank steak, New Mexico trout, elk pot roast and green chile stew. Albuquerque is also proud of its niche museums. Race car enthusiasts will want to check out the Unser Racing Museum, which celebrates the accomplishments of multiple generations of New Mexico’s native racing family, the Unsers. And if you’re a herper, you’re in luck, as the International American Rattlesnake Museum houses the largest collection of different species of live rattlesnakes in the world. In fact, it has more types than the Bronx, Philadelphia, National, Denver, San Francisco and San Diego Zoos, all combined!
The Turquoise Museum, a personal favorite, is a trove of treasures for those interested in learning everything there is to know about this sought after gem. Housed in an 8,500 squarefoot castle (once a private residence), smack dab in the middle of downtown Albuquerque, this fifth generation, family-owned and operated museum is chockful of exhibits detailing the formations and geology of turquoise, its mining The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center also offers techniques, history, mineralogy, lapidary and demonstrations of traditional native dances PAGE 52
Turquoise Death Mask from Mexico
Huevos Rancheros at El Pinto
Fortunately, Albuquerque knows food, and you’d be correct to assume it dominates when it comes to New Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. Dishes feature a unique blend of Native American and Spanish flavors with preparations emphasizing the signature ingredients of red and green chiles. Chiles are the backbone of New The museum has fifteen of the most collectible Mexican cooking and you’ll find them smothered pieces of turquoise art from cultures all over the and atop of just about everything, and I mean globe on display, including the famed George everything. They’re mixed in sauces, soups and Washington Stone, along with turquoise samples stews, ice cream, chocolate, jam and even sushi. from over 100 mines, 400 pieces of drool-worthy When ordering, make sure to specify green or jewelry and an exquisite turquoise chandelier red, or if you want both, do as the locals do and comprised of 21,500 pieces of turquoise. say “Christmas.” more. You’ll learn how turquoise forms, which cultures are famous for the gem, why some pieces are blue and others are green, how the stones are shaped and polished, what are the most prolific mines and how much it’s worth, among other fascinating facts.
One of the biggest eye-openers in the museum is the Imitations Gallery. The art of imitating turquoise has been around for many years and you’ll be shocked to learn that ninety-five percent of all turquoise on the market is imitation. Exhibits detail the various imitation processes and explain how other stones and materials may contain dye to look like turquoise. A section on reconstituted or “stove-top” turquoise shows how very small turquoise stones are mixed with a binding agent, then poured it into a mold and dried, before being cut into slabs and finally used as natural turquoise in jewelry production. You’ll definitely require nourishment while exploring this fascinating destination.
El Pinto has long been the go-to spot for locals and visitors wanting authentic New Mexico cuisine. The family-run business still uses the recipes of the owners’ grandma and features a wide selection of choices that include flavors from the kitchen’s homemade green chile sauces and salsas. The food is plentiful and filling with the usual suspects, including tamales, carne adovada, huevos rancheros, burritos, enchiladas and more. There’s also a health conscious section on the menu and gluten-free options as well. El Pinto’s bar is noteworthy, as it serves up over 160 Continued on Next Page…
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Albuquerque Continued… different Blue Agave tequilas and several dozen types of Mezcals. To top it off, you’ll be dining in a charming old, multi-room hacienda surrounded by lush gardens. You’ll discover, however, that there’s more to Albuquerque’s food scene than chiles. Options abound, from Mediterranean and Indian restaurants to Vietnamese and even African, with a slew of steakhouses, pizzerias, bbq joints and vegan-centric eateries to round out the multitude of offerings. Farm-to-fork, seasonal, local and organic are descriptions you’ll often find on the menus. Many chefs here believe in supporting area farmers and sustainable agriculture. They source their ingredients from growers and producers in Albuquerque and throughout New Mexico, as well as the Southwest region.
CAMPO at Los Poblanos Ranchos area. This lovely inn and organic farm, not only has beautiful grounds, but a top rated restaurant, CAMPO, which is located in a renovated dairy building. James Beard Awardnominated Chef Jonathan Perno heads up the wood-fire kitchen. He’s a culinary artiste, who creates dishes indigenous to and inspired by the richness of the Rio Grande Valley. The menu evolves with the seasons and is dependent on the daily harvest. I waxed poetic over the Crab and Grits and Forbidden Porridge at a recent brunch. And the lavender latte was the perfect accompaniment.
Another special place is MÁS Tapas y Vino. Tucked inside the historic Hotel Andaluz, where Conrad Hilton once proposed to Zsa Zsa Gabor, this stylish restaurant is known for its tasty tapas. Food is inspired by the bold flavors of Spanish cooking, with creative reinventions of One of the city’s favorite breakfast, brunch and traditional Spanish cuisine. Get the party started lunch gathering spots is the Grove Café & with the Mezze, followed by such small, sharable Market. Sate your appetite with the sweet potato plates as the Patatas Bravas (very addicting!), hash, avocado toast or Croque Madame. On the King Oyster Mushrooms, Crispy Brussel Sprouts sweeter side, try the French style Grove and Honey Bacon Wrapped Dates. It’s easy to Pancakes with fresh fruit, local honey and crème make a meal out of a succession of the tapas fraiche. You can’t go wrong at the Grove! and they add greater variety to your dining experience. For a truly memorable farm-to-table experience, point your car north to Los Poblanos in the Los PAGE 54
Casa Rondeña Albuquerque also knows wine, which may come as news to some folks. But, the word is finally getting out about New Mexico varietals. People are discovering what others have known for a long time – that the state’s unique combination of sun, high altitude, dry climate and soil are ideal conditions for growing premium grapes. And with a talented group of vintners at the helm, New Mexico wines are gradually making their mark on the scene. Put Casa Rondeña on your list, not only for a great wine tasting experience, but for the ambiance. Owner and award-winning vintner John Calvin is regarded as a pioneer of premium winemaking in the state and has helped to increase the popularity and knowledge of high desert wines. His winery is a picturesque estate in pastoral Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, where you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported to Tuscany.
for tasting fine New Mexico award-winning wines. There’s also the added bonus of being able to pair your libations with some great chow from the bistro’s epicurean style menu. Lescombes is a sixth generation French winemaking family, whose lineage has spanned three continents: France, Africa and North America. Hervé Lescombes, the father, ran a successful winery in Burgundy. He was drawn to New Mexico due to its similar climate as his native Algeria, where he and his ancestors grew grapes and made wine for many years. The family’s 200-acre vineyard is located near Deming, in the southern part of the state. One of the newer kids on the block is Sheehan Wines. Founder and winemaker Sean Sheehan worked eleven years at other wineries before opening his own place in December 2015. His boutique “backyard winery,” which is actually located next door to his house, currently
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Albuquerque Continued… produces thirty-five different wines, mostly reds, using one hundred percent New Mexico grown grapes. Sheehan has already begun to rack up the awards. His Chambourcin was the 2017 Gold Medal Winner in the New Mexico State Wine Competition. Though the winery is only open one day a month, you can find his wines around town and at festivals across the state. Beer drinkers don’t despair, as Duke City has you covered. For two years running, the town has made Travelocity’s top ten beer destinations. And with more than fifty breweries and taprooms, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to experience the town’s craft culture.
Sheehan Winery This folkloric tradition is not only celebrated and supported by the community, but it is also a noted field of study. The University of New Mexico in Albuquerque actually boasts the only dance program in the world where one can receive B.A. and M.F.A. degrees with a concentration in flamenco. There’s also the renowned National Institute of Flamenco, where mere mortals can get an introduction into this thrilling art form. Each year, Duke City plays host to the week-long Festival Flamenco Alburquerque (the spelling is a nod to the 18th century Spanish viceroy of the same name). It features flamenco artists from Spain, workshops and classes for flamenco artists of all levels and a variety of performances. This is the single largest gathering of flamenco performance, dance, music and education in North America, and the most important flamenco event outside of Spain.
Where there’s food and wine, there must be entertainment. Music and theater opportunities abound, but it’s the city’s flamenco scene that really sizzles. You might be surprised to learn that Albuquerque is the North American capital of flamenco. The art form is an integral part of One of the best flamenco shows in town is New Mexico with roots that stem from the Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque. extensive Spanish influence in the region. PAGE 56
It’s a hot ticket that consistently elicits rave reviews. Be prepared for a mesmerizing and exhilarating performance of this passionate, dramatic dance and music spectacle. There’s strumming and drumming, singing, clapping, tapping, stamping and plenty of swirling and twirling. Dancers command the stage with a fiery intensity. Their smoldering magnetism draws the audience in and refuses to let go until the last flick of the wrist. It’s impossible to take your eyes off these gifted performers, as their feats of movement and the speed at which they perform them is jaw-dropping impressive. Also remarkable is the fact that as a tablao, the show is mostly improvisational, demanding close communication between dancer and musician.
tones. Guests are in for a sensory treat as soon as they enter this special property and find themselves surrounded by unique and beautiful pieces of art. The hotel houses one of the most prominent collections of original contemporary Native American and New Mexican artwork in the world. More than twenty-three, highly celebrated Native American artists from ten Southwestern pueblos and tribes are represented.
The front doors, designed by artist Tammy Garcia of the Santa Clara Pueblo, are a modern interpretation of the black on black pottery renowned from this particular pueblo. Inside the lobby, there are several sculptures; the centerpiece is a striking bronze, entitled, Finding a place to lay your head down at night is “Oneness,” by Joe Cajero of the Jemez Pueblo. It’s never an issue in Duke City. Accommodation a representation of the connection of one with options range from high-end properties and nature and the mind/body/spirit. Above the front historic hotels to cozy inns and B&Bs, along with desk is a ceramic piece called, “The Guardian,” by the proverbial chain brands. Relatively new to Roxanne Swentzell of the Santa Clara Pueblo. It’s the lodging scene is Hotel Chaco, a Heritage intended to watch over the hotel like a spiritual Hotel & Resort. This boutique, luxury property on guardian angel. Paintings on the walls evoke the edge of the Old Town District is a standout. elements involving sacred symbols, petroglyphs, iconic Southwestern images, ceremonial Inspired by the ancient civilization at Chaco architecture, seasonal features and more. Canyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the hotel seamlessly blends traditional and contemporary Continued on Next Page… styles, using a color palette of soothing organic PAGE 57
Albuquerque Continued… The hotel is amenity-rich with a full-service restaurant, bar, wine tasting room, outdoor pool and fitness center. Rooms are spacious, perfectly appointed and tastefully decorated. The rugs above the beds are particularly eyecatching. They were woven by Navajo weavers on native style looms in the traditional manner of their ancestors.
Hotel Chaco As the sun begins to set, grab a seat on the deck, along with a specially crafted cocktail, and admire the breathtaking view of the Sandia Mountains. The word “sandia” means watermelon in Spanish and you’ll quickly understand why this is the perfect name for these peaks. When the sun shines against the western face of the mountains at the golden hour, they take on a rosy pink hue. It’s a divine sight that resembles an Impressionist painting. One for the memory books, for sure.
The hotel’s restaurant, Level 5, is on the fifth floor and rooftop of the building, and is named in homage to Chaco Canyon’s Pueblo Bonito, which had five levels. The rock and beam design For all things Albuquerque: and framed views of the mountains give the www.visitalbuquerque.org place a canyonesque feel, creating an atmosphere that is both cozy and expansive. Debbie Stone is an established travel writer and The food is equally impressive with dishes that columnist, and regular contributor for Big Blend reflect local, regional and specialty ingredients Radio and Big Blend Magazines, who crosses the from partner farmers and growers. Recent globe in search of unique destinations and offerings included Watermelon-Guava BBQ experiences to share with her readers and listeners. Glazed Chicken Breast, Miso Steam Chilean Sea She’s an avid explorer who welcomes new Bass and House Made Agnolotti Pasta with opportunities to increase awareness and Hatch Green Chile, Sweet Corn and Ricotta enthusiasm for places, culture, food, history, Cheese. Save room for the Chaco Lime Curd nature, outdoor adventure, wellness and more. Her Tartlet or New Mexico Yerba Buena Semitravels have taken her to nearly 100 countries and Freddo. to all seven continents. PAGE 58
CHACO CANYON
Great Kiva in Chaco Culture National Historical Park
Video Spotlight on the Love Your Parks Tour Visit to Chaco Culture National Historical Park in Northern New Mexico Comprising of eleven beautifully preserved pueblos or ceremonial structures, Chaco Canyon is the premier site to experience the amazing and mysterious Chacoan culture. This beautiful and isolated complex is the historical trace of the More on NationalParkTraveling.com. sacred ancestral culture to many of the existing pueblos of the southwest. The park is also a Dark Skies certified location, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
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Temples, Shrines and Mountain Blessings Without UNESCO Crowds By Elaine Masters
Kumano Nachi Taisha Temple with waterfall
An ancient network of trails, shrines, and temples lace through the Kii mountains of Japan's Wakayama Peninsula. Thousand-year-old pilgrimage routes grew out of nature worship and later melded with Buddhist practices, but the landscape is what drew the area out of the mundane. Gods and goddesses, myth and legend overlap here in over 4,000 sacred sites as modest as a stone marker or multi-storied like the shrine next to Japan's highest waterfall. Today hikers can follow the well-marked and maintained Kumano Kodo trails; stepping where Imperial processions, samurai warriors, Buddhist and Shinto clergy walked.
Listen to Elaine Masters on Big Blend Radio here in the YouTube player, or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com.
Trek planning begins at the Kumano Travel website (tb-kumano.jp,) a bilingual communityIn the 7th century the beloved first Emperor of based reservation system run by the Tanabe City Japan, Jimmu Tenno, was lost in a tangled Kii Tourism Bureau. As with a pilgrimage, you need forest where poisonous centipedes, snakes, and patience here. This is not a high-tech experience wild boar roamed. According to legend, a great but a site full of up-to-date information on the crow helped liberate him. Current pilgrims different routes, lodging suggestions, and marvel at crow statues, purchase souvenir bells, itineraries. Tourism has evolved here over and t-shirts imprinted with the Yatagarasu, generations. Some of the guesthouses remain three-legged crow emblem. As mascot, he internet free but the Kumano Tourism group inspires the national soccer team to victory. works with them to assure that Japanese and There are many explanations for the three legs foreign visitors get the most out of their time on but a good place to start is with the Kumano the trails. A handful of independent companies Sanzan, the three UNESCO temples and shrines also offer packaged trips that run from a few on the Nakahechi Imperial Route. days to weeks. There are books and maps of the PAGE 60
Stairs from river to temple. most popular routes and different levels of difficulty from beginner to intermediate, but the wisest are strong walkers.
Kumano Preparations Medieval pilgrims wore cloth or wooden-soled shoes on their journeys through the forests. Today, worn-in hiking boots with lug soles and waterproof gear make it easier to take in the beauty and power of the scenery. The trails are diverse from paved roads through villages, cobblestone stairways to uneven surfaces. Preparation is key and much depends on which season and the difficulty of your chosen route. The trails are open year-round and often rainy, not only in early fall and spring. Temperatures are moderate with scattered snow at the summits in the coldest months. Dress in layers, carry a day pack with food and water and watch for trailside stands to pick up fruit and nuts, even green tea leaves.
lodging, and the Tourism Board office; and the final place to gather supplies or last-minute gear. On the east side of the peninsula, visitors can begin their adventures from a choice of villages to the Kumano Sanzan sites by bus.
Nakahechi Route - The Gateway to the Kumano Kodo The Tokei shrine in Tanabe is a launching point for many pilgrims. At the Tori gate entrance, traditional rituals begin with a pause as you leave the physical world and enter the spiritual. Inside wooden ladles balance over a quiet trough of spring water. These are found at temples and shrines across Japan for a purification rinsing of the hands. Even the sound walking over gravel paths is designed to ward off evil spirits. These practices began over 1,000 years ago.
In the 12th century, the head of the Tokei shrine and commander of the Kumano navy, Betto Tanzo, changed history during a great civil war The Wakayama peninsula is simple to reach by JR between two clans. Unsure which side to favor, Tanzo asked the Kumono gods for help and held trains which run along the coast from Osaka. a cockfight between seven roosters. Those with Another access line runs along the east coast red feathers supported the Heike clan. White from Nagoya. Most pilgrims reach the heart of feathers symbolized the Genji Clan. In the end, the Kumano by local bus from the station in Tanabe. It's the central trail town with shops, Continued on Next Page‌ PAGE 61
Hosshinmon-Oji Trail Shrine
Japan Continued‌ his fleet of 200 ships and 2,000 soldiers helped win the battle of Dannoura, for the Genji. Today, a massive statue of Tanzo and his famous son, the warrior Benkei, holds court in the shadow of a massive Camphor tree. Offerings to the 1,200year-old are said to bestow long life and freedom from illness. The bus route from Tanabe follows the river valley before rising into the mountains. There are elective stops along the way and nonJapanese speakers can follow their progress from an illuminated sign over the driver's shoulder. Stop to soak sore muscles at Japan's oldest hot spring town Yuomine Onsen, or in season, the river hot springs at Kawaya.
A glimpse of the roofline’s gilded tips rising above the trees announces your arrival at the Kumano Hongu Taisha. In this Kumano district, sacred crows are said to be messengers of God. Inside the temple grounds, crows are memorialized in stone and stamped on souvenirs near the temple entrance. A great staircase leads down from the temple to the riverbank and the tallest Tori gate in the world, built where the original temple was washed away by a flood in 1886.
Nachisan Mist and the Kumano Culmination The Daimon-zaka slope stairway winds past hundred years old cypress trees and stone Oji, shrines. Lined with granite, the walk climbs
One trail route begins at Hosshinmon-oji, known as the gate of awakening of the aspiration to enlightenment, and the outermost entrance to Kumano Hongu Taisha's sacred area. Pay your respects at the small shrine and follow the marked trail along the road through villages, past the water shrine, Mizunomi-oji. In season, enjoy tea and traditional sweets at the outdoor cafe near the Fushiogami-oji stairs. It marks the lookout where early pilgrims enjoyed their first glimpse of their goal, the Kumano Hongu Taisha in the hills below. PAGE 62
Daimon-zaka slope trail
Yatagarasu at Daimano River stop gently from the riverbank to the shrines and the Nachi waterfall, tallest in Japan. There are resting benches along this part of the pilgrim route and at the paved section before arriving at Nachisan on the top slope. Two temple faiths merged at the temples of Kumano Hayatama Taisha, and Kumano Nachi Taisha in the 10th century. Buddhist gods were embraced as the embodiment of the Shinto nature spirits. Here broad views of the mountain valleys, the iconic falls meet the quiet power of the wooden and red temple architecture. Stairs lead down to the Nachi falls where the mist is said to carry blessings. It's a fitting end to a pilgrimage quest and more practically, close to a bus leading back into the valley and the urban complications of our current age.
Temple Dancers Temple Purification
Worm discussed in podcast.
Ever curious and hungry for adventure, Elaine Masters is a freelance travel writer and digital storyteller. Since founding www.Tripwellgal.com in 2010, her weekly stories and travel tips have been encouraging Boomer gals and their pals to go far, often and do it well. Her stories include urban to soft adventures, culinary explorations, cultural exchanges, and sustainable travel. With over 300 dives in International tropical waters, Elaine’s passionate about taking pictures and video, above and beneath the surface. PAGE 63
By Linda Ballou
California - John Muir Wilderness My travel memoir Lost Angel Walkabout contains my most meaningful outdoor adventures. It opens with “Raven’s River.” I chose this story because rafting the Tatshenshini River through one of our last truly wild places in the shadow of the magnificent Fairweather Range was a lifechanging event. My family went to Alaska from California to homestead 5 acres of land when I was 13. They remained in Haines, the prettiest little town in all of Southeast Alaska, but I returned to California when I was 18. My pioneering mother rafted the “Tat” with Chilkat River Guides headquartered in Haines when she was 65 and raved about this magical experience.
Listen to Linda Ballou’s Big Blend Radio “Lost Angel Walkabout” interview here in the YouTube player, or download/listen to it on Spreaker.com.
flooded with poison killing all the flora and fauna depending on the water. This environmental Meanwhile, in 1993 a huge Canadian consortium battle was hugely overlooked by people in the lower 48, while then Vice-President, Al Gore, was was applying for permits to shave off the top of working to halt the mine. I decided I needed to Windy Craggy Mountain to stage an elaborate see the place firsthand. I began the river run in copper mine and install a toxic tailings lake on roiling rapids, settling into rockabilly wave trains, what is one of the most active seismic areas in and then mellowing into a serene glide through the world. This plan threatened the 140-mile Tatshenshini-Alsek river corridor from the Yukon glacier fields calving chunks of apartmentbuilding-sized ice. Something happened to me Territory of Canada that ends at Dry Bay in the then. I realized I wasn’t just on a joy ride; I was in Gulf of Alaska. The salmon-rich river would be PAGE 64
Sloth in Costa Rica
Taggart Lake, Wyoming
one of the last places that grizzly, moose, eagles, and many others roam and soar with abandon. The entire river corridor is devoid of the human footprint. The Tlingit Indians once used the river as a trade route and had a village here, but it was washed away when an ice dam broke in 1852. This immersion in the pulsing heart of mother earth made me feel the need to preserve what remains of our wilderness areas. I was no longer a happy-go-lucky adrenaline junkie. I was an environmentalist. This fact caused a major rift between me and my family in Haines where the proposed copper mine meant jobs for the locals.
“Look Both Ways on Small Islands,” set in Tahiti, and “Irish Mist,” in Ireland, were published before I was formally a travel writer. “Look Both Ways,” appeared in an anthology titled I Should Have Stayed Home. “Irish Mist” is in Why We Ride, a collection published by Seal Press. Both experiences were a test of my character and played a big role in my becoming who I am today. I included an interview with Tim Cahill in Lost Angel Walkabout because he is my travel writing hero. Tim raised the bar for outdoor writing by using fiction-writing techniques to enhance responsible journalism. I have read and admired the work of many other respected travel writers. Still, Tim’s well-researched stories delivered with a self-deprecating, conversation style never fail to make me smile. I continue to emulate him. It is gratifying to know that I have received accolades for my own writing from my peers.
Since then I have had the good fortune to visit New Zealand, Costa Rica, Mexico, The British Virgin Islands, and many parts of North America and Hawaii. Everywhere I have gone there are threats to the environment, the wildlife, and often the people. Today global warming is exacerbating these problems around the world. At the end of the chapters in Lost Angel “Lost Angel Walkabout by Linda Ballou takes Walkabout where the problem was so striking the reader out of their armchair and into the that I could not ignore it, I included eco-alerts Continued on the Nest Page… highlighting a situation uncovered in my travels. PAGE 65
Mud Bay in Haines, Alaska
Lost Angel Continued‌ vast world as few travel writers can. Her eye for detail combined with intimate knowledge of her surroundings sets Ms. Ballou heads above most of the travel writing pack. In this age when everyone with a backpack proclaims him or herself a travel writer, it takes a book like this one to re-define the genre. The stories are personal and inviting, giving the reader not only a feeling of participation but leaving them with a memory of where they have just visited. This is just plain great travel writing.� James M. Dorsey – Vanishing Tales from Ancient Trails
region. We must be vigilant and not look the other way from the actions of the extractive industry because we are tired from the assault. It seems daily that environmental safeguards that it took years of struggle to get into place are being removed. We must continue to fight to save our planet from rapacious greed. I hope that if people enjoy a little armchair travel with me they will feel as I do, compelled to care. We must work together to save our wilderness areas from development. Not just for the children who are rising up in protest, but for all living creatures great and small. More at www.LostAngelAdventures.com
On reviewing my files for this article, I found a letter from Vice-President Al Gore dated 1993, thanking me for my efforts to stop the Windy Craggy Copper Mine. He reached across international lines to join hands with Mike Harcourt, then Premier of British Columbia, to form a 24-million-acre World Heritage Area that includes parts of Canada and the U.S. Together they stopped the mining company from getting permits to drill. Today, there is another Canadian mining company threatening the PAGE 66
On this episode of Big Blend Radio, hiking enthusiast, landscape photographer, and author Derek Dellinger discusses his new book, “America’s Best Day Hikes: Spectacular Single-Day Hikes Across the States.” Listen to the interview here in the YouTube player or download/listen to it on Spreaker.com. The United States is filled with thousands of beautiful hikes, but knowing where to start can be overwhelming. In “America’s Best Day Hikes,” author Derek Dellinger creates a bucket list of the 50 best day hikes in major regions throughout America. When you’re only spending a couple of days in a location, trying to figure out which of the hundreds of local hikes is the best can cause information overload. Here, Derek aims to give you a concise list of hikes that are achievable to anyone in decent shape and willing to do a small amount of planning. After exhaustive research and consulting with countless opinions, Derek compiled a list of the very best day hikes based on their beauty, accessibility, and representation of the area’s local wonders. He provides you with all the information needed to maximize your experience and gives important advice on how to prepare for your hike. He includes What to Bring on Your Hike, Bear Safety, and even a section on Trail Etiquette.
America’s Best Day Hikes: Spectacular SingleDay Hikes Across the States by Derek Dellinger Derek doesn’t limit himself to one hike per each state—rather, he focuses on the most spectacular sights in each region and the best hikes to experience them. The chapters are divided into the Northwest, Southwest, Midwest, Mountains, Southeast, and Northeast. By dividing the sections into regions, Derek said he was able to, “pinpoint more exceptional hikes in areas with particularly memorable terrain,” which allowed him to explore America as one vast and incredible landscape. From Devil’s Hall in Texas to Ricketts Glen Falls Loop in Pennsylvania, Mount Elinor in Washington to Elk Mountain in Oklahoma, Derek provides you with a beautifully photographed, informative guide to the best hikes in America, and provides you with all the information to make your trip accessible, fun, and memorable. Derek Dellinger is the author/coauthor of several Countryman hiking titles, including “50 Hikes in the Catskills” and “50 Hikes in the Upper Hudson Valley.” He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.
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Photographer Harun Mehmedinovic in Death Valley National Park
Listen to Harun Mehmedinovic’s Big Blend Radio conversation here in the YouTube player or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com. In November 2019, the National Parks Arts Foundation hosted Arizona based videographer Harun Mehmedinovic in Stovepipe Wells, Death Valley. He is one of the world’s top twilight and night sky videographers, and through this unique residency, he spent a month working at various locations around the wide-ranging park complex. Mehmedinovic is a graduate of the film and video program of the University of Southern California and holds a master’s degree from the American Film Institute. He has often shot in Death Valley and the Mojave. The origin of SKYGLOW, his ongoing feature documentary project to film the night skies of the world, owes its beginnings to his early explorations of Death Valley National Park.
videography, and also to raise awareness of the encroaching light pollution on natural areas globally, and show how different parks are combating this problem.
The title SkyGlow refers both to the human Says Harun: “In 2012, Death Valley was the first electric footprint on the night sky as well as the National Park where we began photographing natural darkness and stellar phenomena. “Since the night sky, and we have continued to do so ever since, trying to gather footage from all parts 2012, we have visited over 100 National Parks, of the park.” The SKYGLOW project functions on National Monuments, Preserves and other areas two levels — to showcase the amazing beauty of to capture light pollution impacts on those areas, the state of their night skies, and to capture the night sky through high definition time lapse PAGE 68
Death Valley National Park Super Bloom He is a regular video and photography contributor to BBC Earth and has contributed photographs and videos to Vogue Italia, National Geographic, Astronomy Magazine, BBC Travel, In addition, Harun is the cinematographer and Discovery Science, and Blindfold Magazine. Harun’s co-producer on “Ice on Fire,” a Leonardo photography work has been featured by various DiCaprio-produced feature documentary for HBO which premiered in the Official Selection at media outlets, including The New York Times, Wired, Time, Forbes, NPR, CNN, Gizmodo, Slate, Los Cannes Film Festival 2019, and a coAngeles Times, LA Weekly, Vice, and The Washington cinematographer on “Akicita,” a documentary Post. The SkyGlow project has also been the film which premiered at Sundance Film Festival subject of a TEDx Talk. in January 2018. Continued on Next Page… PAGE 69 what parks have been doing to protect their night skies,” adds Harun.
Harun Continued… Harun is the author of three books, portrait series Seance and Persona, as well as the Astrophotography Book and Timelapse Series: SKYGLOW. His videos have been used at various events, most notably by the Rolling Stones on their ZIP CODE tour & 2016 Tour, Pink Floyd's Roger Waters 2016 Tour, Desert Trip Concert, Paul Simon's 2018 Farewell Tour, and Cosmic Gate music video "am2pm," and National Park Service’s “100 Years” centennial video; among others. You can keep up with Harun’s work at https://skyglowproject.com/
landscape “Death Valley” upon finally finding a pass through the Panamint mountains and reaching western California. On the heels of the Gold Rush, silver and gold were discovered in the Valley in the 1850s and borax discovered in the 1880s. Mule-drawn wagons and fortune seekers flooded the Valley to extract these precious resources. In 1925, an entrepreneur built the original hotel at Stovepipe Wells. In 1933, President Hoover declared Death Valley under federal protection as Death Valley National Monument. In 1994, it was re-designated Death Valley National Park and expanded to its current size of three million acres. For more information on the history of Death Valley, visit: http://www.nps.gov/deva/historyculture/index. htm
Stovepipe Wells is centrally located in the heart of Death Valley, and across from the legendary dunes of the park. Death Valley was first inhabited by the Timbisha tribe with villages located in different areas of the Valley. One Timbisha village called the Valley maahunu, hunu meaning canyon. Another called it tumpisa or rock paint, so named for the red ochre paint that NPAF is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the was made from a particular local clay. promotion of the National Parks of the U.S. through creating dynamic opportunities for One group of miners during the 1849 California artworks that are based on our natural and Gold Rush dubbed the searing, waterless historic heritage. Artists may apply with their PAGE 70
Bishop proposals for this residency and find additional information at the National Parks Arts Foundation. The AiR program is made possible through the philanthropic support of donors of all sorts ranging from corporate sponsors, small
businesses, and art patrons and citizen-lovers of the Parks. NPAF is always seeking new partners for its wide-ranging artist-in-residence programs.
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Tewa Artist Jason Garcia in Chaco
Listen to Jason Garcia’s Big Blend Radio conversation here in the YouTube player or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com. Jason Garcia (Okuu Pin) does what great artists have been doing since the beginning of time: he carefully examines and interprets life around him and then shares those uniquely personal observations with the rest of the world. In his finished work, most often clay tiles that are created in the traditional Pueblo way with handgathered clay, native clay slips, and outdoor firings, he transforms materials closely connected to the earth into a visually rich mix of Pueblo history and culture, comic book superheroes, video game characters, religious icons and all things pop culture. The son of well-known Santa Clara Pueblo potters John and Gloria Garcia (known as Golden Rod), and the great-grandson of the equally revered Santa Clara potter Severa Tafoya, Garcia notes he has been an artist all his life. He says, “I really don’t know much else...”
Priest Killer Pueblo,” for instance, Garcia replaced the illustrations from the cover of the video game Grand Theft Auto with scenes from Pueblo life, deftly joining worlds that may, to outsiders, seem unrelated. Since that time, he has participated in several significant exhibitions including Comic Art Indigene at both the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC and Native Pop! at the New Mexico Museum of Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Garcia has also received numerous awards and However, in 2002, when he created his first honors including a Ronald N. and Susan Dubin “graphic tile,” he secured this calling while Fellowship at the School for Advanced Research, simultaneously expanding the norms of and both the coveted Best of Classification and contemporary Pueblo pottery. His creative Artist’s Choice awards at the world-famous Santa experimentation seamlessly blended ancient Pueblo designs, stories, and scenery with images Fe Indian Market. Important museums have purchased his work for their collections, as well, taken from Western popular culture. In his including the Heard Museum in Phoenix, seminal piece “Grand Theft Auto – Santa Clara PAGE 72
Arizona, and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC. With a number of artistic accolades already under his belt, Garcia shows no signs of slowing down. His work continues to evolve with opportunities to experiment in other mediums (like printmaking via the Map(ping) Project at Arizona State University) and with series such as “Tewa Tales of Suspense,” where Garcia documents important Pueblo events in a narrative, comic book style on clay tiles (a nod to both his fondness for “Love and Rockets” by Los Bros. Hernandez, as well as Santa Clara Pueblo artists such as Pablita Velarde and Lois Gutierrez de la Cruz). While it’s hard to predict exactly what direction Garcia’s art will go in next, since, as Garcia says, he is inspired by everything around him, one can be sure that his love for storytelling, appreciation for the methods of his craft and ability to blend the ancient with the present will continue to both inspire and inform. More at http://www.okuupin.com/
Fury in the Tower
Chaco Culture National Historical Park was established as a national monument by presidential proclamation in 1907. This beautiful and isolated complex preserves the historical traces of the sacred Ancestral Pueblo culture. The park is also a Dark Skies certified location, one of the ideal places for astronomy and astrophotography. The Monument expanded to its present boundaries and park designation in 1980. The park is located in the open plains of Northwestern New Mexico, sharing borders with the Navajo Nation and BLM land. More at www.NPS.go/chcu NPAF is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the promotion of the National Parks of the U.S. through creating dynamic opportunities for artworks that are based in our natural and historic heritage. Artists may apply with their proposals for this residency and find additional information at www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org. PAGE 73
Corn Maiden
Artist Melissa Weinman in Fort Union National Monument degrees in art from Maine to Southern California, she has 17 years of college teaching. Weinman also has an extensive list of group and solo art shows dating back to 1983.
This episode of Big Blend Radio features artist Melissa Weinman and Lorenzo Vigil, superintendent of Fort Union National Monument. Listen here in the YouTube player or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com.
Melissa grew up in her mother’s painting and ceramic studio on the prairies of southwest Minnesota where buffalo and prickly pear cactus are native. As a child her mother would beckon her to look at the beauty of things and to notice, simple, but elegant phenomena, such as dust motes floating in a swath of brilliant sunlight.
Whether painting near the mountains, or rivers of Washington or New Mexico, she is enthralled with their dramatic majesty. While painting Melissa Weinman is a member of Oil Painters of outdoors, the weather is unpredictable, and a cloud could pass and show something not seen America, and presently teaching in her studio in before by the sun peeking through. Ruston, Washington. After receiving many PAGE 74
Currently, Melissa says of her work, “I’m attracted to all subjects that are translucent and changing, therefore I’m drawn to paint fruit and flowers, water and clouds, and the figure. I aim to capture my subjects through a palpable sense of atmosphere, masterful drawing, and luscious paint handling.” She visited Fort Union National Monument in June 2019 to get a feel of the ruins. She wanted to know what treasures were there and soaked up the amazing, beautiful environment. She was even more excited about
Melissa Weinman in Fort Union National Monument
depicting the deep expanse of the Mora River Valley and the Santa Fe Trail that ran through it. “That kind of space running for miles to the horizon, coupled with the dramatic cloudscape pushing an equally deep space into the vertical dimension” is her kind of challenge in plein air painting, she said. Fort Union National Monument impressed Weinman as artistic material with its power of presence. Adds Weinman, ”They stand like sentinels against the elements, guarding the memory of the men and women who stood guard there one hundred and fifty years ago.” A successful residency, in her view, is one that mutually benefits the National Parks Arts Foundation, the park, and the artist, she said. The ingredients are the quality of the artwork and artist’s participation in the AiR. “I want everyone involved to say “Wow!” says Weinman. More at http://www.melissaweinman.com/ “National Parks have always welcomed artistic interpretations in support of land advocacy” said Lorenzo Vigil, superintendent of Fort Union National Monument. “We are pleased to host artists who communicate complex and contemporary issues through their chosen medium.”
Fort Union National Monument, located in Mora County near Watrous, New Mexico, was the largest frontier military post and supply center of the southwest. It also was the hub of commerce, national defense, and migration at the final stretch of the Santa Fe Trail. The richly evocative remnants of a post-civil war era adobe fort became a National Monument in 1954 under the Eisenhower administration. More at www.NPS.gov/foun This artist-in-resdience program is a successful cooperative venture between the National Park Service and The National Parks Arts Foundation (NPAF), and brings a variety of artists to work and live at the monument, and make public presentations during their stay. This program, implemented with great success by NPAF at other National Parks, allows visitors to see the Monument through the eyes of world-class artists and visionaries. The AiR program is made possible through the philanthropic support of donors of all sorts ranging from corporate sponsors, small businesses, and art patrons and citizen-lovers of the Parks. More at www.nationalparksartsfoundation.org
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Down By the Rio Grande
Red Cat
NEW EYES ON NEW MEXICO Victoria Chick Exhibit from February 7- March 21, 2020, at the Richardson Gallery of the Branigan Cultural Center, Las Cruces, New Mexico. This is an opportunity to show a large group of paintings that are related in theme, something I appreciate doing because it makes my reason for doing the paintings clearer to the viewer. Southwest New Mexico was a surprise to me geologically. It was also a surprise in the kinds of animals I encountered for the first time, as well as plants that were new to me. For many years I did psychologically grounded paintings using cat images to express human situations and emotions. At the Santa Ysabel Gallery in California, a lady in the Mesa Grande Tribe saw my work and the Gallery owner later told me the lady said the cat must be my totem. That was a new term in reference to me personally. But, when I thought about it, what I paint as my alter ego, is not too far removed from the totem idea. As I have gone through life, cats have always shown me something new, sometimes fleetingly and sometimes as companions. In this case, my preconceived ideas about New Mexico changed the more I saw.
Listen to Victoria Chick’s Big Blend Radio interview here in the YouTube player or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com
viewers the sense of discovery of things unique to my Southwest New Mexico experience and the pleasure I have living here. Seeing things through animals is not limited to cats. One of the joys I have is discovering seldom -seen places on horseback. These adventures find their way into my work too. This limited exhibit of a dozen paintings has some gaps and, no doubt, those visiting the exhibit will point out things that In the NEW EYES ON NEW MEXICO exhibit, cats aren’t here that mean New Mexico to them. are the narrative vehicle for me to share with PAGE 76
Prowling Peccary Possible Prickly Poppy
Somewhere Near Buckhorn
That is a good thing because it gets conversation going and we can express appreciation for this great and fascinating southern part of New Mexico. The Branigan Cultural Center is located at 105 Main St. Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Passage to the Past
Victoria Chick is the founder of the Cow Trail Art Studio in southwest New Mexico. She received a B.A. in Art from the University of Missouri at Kansas City and awarded an M.F.A. in Painting from Kent State University in Ohio. Visit her website at www.ArtistVictoriaChick.com
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ON DISPLAY AT DEGRAZIA GALLERY IN THE SUN Nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains in Tucson, Arizona, DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun is a 10-acre National Historic District designed and built by acclaimed Arizona artist Ted DeGrazia.
Big Blend Radio segment with Lance Laber, Executive Director, who discusses the new exhibits at DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun. Listen in the YouTube player here, or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com. Ted DeGrazia is most likely the most reproduced artist in the world, and the Gallery showcases six permanent collections of his paintings that trace historical events and native cultures of the Southwest. Rotating exhibitions display some of the 15,000 DeGrazia originals housed at the gallery, including oils, watercolors, sketches, serigraphs, lithographs, sculptures, ceramics and jewelry. A consignment room displays DeGrazia originals available for purchase, while the gift shop offers a wide selection of reproductions.
permanent exhibitions of his work for generations to come. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and included on the National Geographic Map Guide of the Sonoran Desert. This is a must see gallery for those interested in art and Mexican, Native American and southwest history.
TED DEGRAZIA EXHIBITS ON DISPLAY UNTIL JANUARY 29, 2020
“DeGrazia Paints the Jungle” – Tucson artists Ted DeGrazia and Marion Sheret DeGrazia were married in a jungle wedding chapel in Oaxaca, Mexico in 1947. Ted came prepared to paint on their honeymoon, and was inspired by the lush tropical jungles and primitive native cultures of The grounds also feature the recently reopened Southern Mexico, which provided him with and restored Mission in the Sun, the artist’s exciting new subject matter featured in original home, his gravesite, and the Little Gallery “DeGrazia Paints the Jungle”. This wildly colorful that hosts visiting artists during the winter selection of paintings from the 1940’s and early months. 50’s features a dozen paintings on display for the first time. DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun is maintained by the DeGrazia Foundation, which was established by “DeGrazia Downtown” – From lively but remote the artist before his death to ensure the Indian trading posts, to the traffic jams and preservation of his beloved gallery and Continued on Next Page… PAGE 79
Degrazia Continued… skyscrapers of New York City, “DeGrazia Downtown” showcases a collection of street scenes dating from 1940 to 1974. “Arizona Highways and Ted DeGrazia” – The exhibit commemorates Ted DeGrazia’s relationship with editor Raymond Carlson and Arizona Highways Magazine, and includes selections of artwork featured in the magazine.
TED DEGRAZIA EXHIBITS ON DISPLAY FROM FEBRUARY 1, 2020 You are invited to the free opening reception for these three exhibits at DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun, held from 5-7 pm on Friday, January 31st, 2020. “DeGrazia’s Saguaro Harvest” - The giant saguaro cactus of the Sonoran Desert casts a long shadow over the career of Tucson artist Ted DeGrazia. From his depictions of the traditional saguaro harvest of the Tohono O’odham people, and his use of the iconic cactus as both a regional landscape element, and as an abstracted symbolic design, saguaros were an enduring source of natural inspiration. "DeGrazia’s Saguaro Harvest" features a selection of saguaro drawings, paintings and jewelry that spans 25 years of his career. On display until September 2, 2020.
station where Jesus arises in glory," the artist explained on a 15-minute audiotape that accompanies the exhibition.
VISITING ARTISTS IN THE LITTLE GALLERY
Jan. 2-10: Lynn Sakellar - Gekas, Pencil & Ink Wash Jan. 12-24: Robin Miller-Bookhout - Watercolor & Oil Pastel Jan. 26-Feb. 7: Tana von Isser - Mixed Media “DeGrazia’s Circus” - Tucson artist Ted DeGrazia Feb. 9- 21: Geri Niedermiller - Mixed Media lived in Southern Italy from the ages of eleven to Feb. 23-Mar. 6: Julie Rose - Mixed Media fifteen, where the Italian circus left a strong Mar. 8-20: Lynn Waltke & Muriel Timmins - Mixed impression on him. "DeGrazia’s Circus" features Media a selection of paintings created more than For more about DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun visit twenty years later, inspired by his childhood DeGrazia.org memories of circus horses and clowns. On display until September 2, 2020. “The Way of The Cross” - The annual showing of Ted DeGrazia's "The Way of the Cross" is on display through Lent with 15 original oil paintings that depict the suffering and crucifixion of Christ. Instead of the traditional 14 Stations of the Cross, DeGrazia's collection culminates with the resurrection. "I never thought the cycle would be completed unless we had the 15th PAGE 80
WESTERN MOVIES FILMED IN GALLUP, NEW MEXICO From breathtaking sunsets to fabulous local cuisine, enchanting New Mexico has it all. With its location in the heart of Native American lands, and the presence of Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, and other tribes, Gallup, New Mexico is sometimes called the “Indian Capital of the World.” Gallup’s rugged terrains were a preferred location for filmmakers of the Western genre movies of the 1940s and 1950s. The proximity of Gallup to the Four-Corners region, to the Native American reservations as well as vast terrain, were attractive features for Western movie directors.
On this episode of Big Blend Radio, Steve Schneickert recalls the Hollywood History of Western Movies filmed in Gallup, including: “Pursued,” “A Distant Trumpet,” and “The Hallelujah Trail.” Plus, he shares some of the famous movie stars that stayed in the historic El Rancho Hotel!
The American Film Institute says that Western films are those “set in the American West that embody the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier.” All filmed in Gallup, New Mexico, this struggle is exemplified in some great Westerns. Listen to Steve’s podcast here in the YouTube player or download/listen to it on Spreaker.com.
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A Love Your Parks Tour Music & PortoVino with a View Story by Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith, assigned by Rob Ridgeway, creator of Spontuneous “The Song Game,” and Marisa and Gunnar Hammerbeck, founders of PortoVino.
Trompe-l’œil mural by John Pugh, a life-sized bronze statue of a musician by Ron Adamson named “Easy,” and a life-size bronze statue of Glenn Frey. More at https://standinonthecorner.org/
On our road trip from Yuma, Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico, we just had to make a stop at the iconic Standin’ on the Corner Park. Priscilla (our pink sock monkey travel mascot) wanted her selfie taken with her favorite party gear PortoVino (don’t worry, there’s only water in that PortoVino silicone glass), and the board game Spontuneous. Winslow was once one of the largest towns in Northern Arizona. That was until Interstate 40 came along and disrupted the tourism scene along iconic Route 66. In the early summer of 1997, the Standin’ on the Corner Foundation came together to create a downtown park that would commemorate the Eagles’ first single “Take it Easy” which features the lyrics, “Standin’ on the corner in Winslow, Arizona.” The goal was to bring visitors off the interstate and to once again drive the Mother Road and visit downtown Winslow. In just two years, the Standin’ on the Corner Park was established, and today thrives as a public art destination and selfie location that features a PAGE 82
children. Their daughter Charlotte Baker Montgomery also became a writer. Karle taught contemporary poetry at local Stephen F. Austin University, when her poem "The Pine Tree Hymn" became the school song. Karle became one of the Lone Star State’s most talented writers and received the most recognition and honors of any female poet in Texas during the 20th century. She was also the first female and third person to be named a Fellow of the Texas Institute of Letters and was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her last collection of poetry “Dreamers on Horseback” in 1931. Some of her other books and poetry collections include “The Garden of the Plynck,” “The Burning Bush,” “Old Coins,” “The Birds of Tanglewood,” “Family Style,” and “Star of the Wilderness.” Her poem “Growing Old” is found in many poetry anthologies.
A Love Your Parks Tour Literary Story, assigned by the literary publicist team at JKS Communications As part of our adventures in Nacogdoches, “The Oldest Town of Texas,” we decided to follow its statue trail that interprets the lives and works of its notable residents, such as Stephen F. Austin “The Father of Texas.” We found poet and author Karle Wilson Baker’s statue with her poem “Thrushes,” as featured in her 1919 collection, “Blue Smoke.” Karle was born in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 13, 1878. She was educated at the University of Chicago and studied under poet William Vaughn Moody and novelist Robert Herrick. Along with her fiction writing and poetry, she taught school in Nacogdoches. She fell in love with the natural beauty of this East Texas community and moved there permanently in 1906. She married her future husband Thomas Ellis Baker in 1907 and together had two PAGE 84
Did Your Ancestors Live in the Llano del Rio Co-operative Colony
Listen here in the YouTube player or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com. This episode of Big Blend Radio showcases the Museum of the New Llano Colony in Vernon Parish, Louisiana with featured guests museum director Mary Ann Fussell and Marci Cook of Vernon Parish Tourism Commission. The interview was recorded on-location as part of the Love Your Parks Tour Family History Story series assigned by Holly T. Hansen of FamilyHistoryExpos.com.
lawyer and Socialist politician. It lasted more than 20 years and is considered by many to have been America’s most successful socialist Utopia. The Museum of the New Llano Colony is committed to preserving the legacy of the Llano del Rio Co-operative Colony and aims to share the untold stories of the colonists and their efforts to prove that a co-operative lifestyle was superior to that of a capitalistic society of the early twentieth century. Learn more about the museum at https://www.newllanocolony.com Learn more about Vernon Parish at https://www.vernonparish.org/
New Llano, Louisiana was founded in 1917 by Job Harriman, a former U.S. Vice-Presidential candidate from California, and former Labor PAGE 85
Map of the Colony
THE MAYFLOWER CELEBRATES 400 YEARS Family History Connections between England, Holland and America Article by Glynn Burrows, Norfolk Tours
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Austerfield Church There is much written about the arrival and subsequent settlement of the people on board The Mayflower but I visited several of the places connected with them this year and found out about their lives before they set off. The Pilgrims had three offers of sponsorship from companies in America, as they were desperate, needing workers in the colonies. The opportunity wasn’t as good as it could have been as it amounted to slavery for The Pilgrims. They left their homes in July 1620, deeply in debt to the Merchant Adventurers Company, who had been responsible for financing the group, at a high-interest rate and due to be repaid within seven years. The Pilgrims set sail from Leiden in Holland, aboard the Speedwell, a small ship intended to be part of a fishing fleet in America, but the vessel proved to be unfit for the long journey and, after two false starts, The Mayflower set out from Plymouth alone, leaving The Speedwell and twenty passengers behind.
Mayflower Church Window On this episode of Big Blend Radio family history experts Holly T. Hansen and Glynn Burrows discuss the historic Mayflower and its family history ties between England and America. Listen to the segment here in the YouTube player or download/listen to it on Spreaker.com.
So, who were some of these people and where did they come from? William Bradford was born in Austerfield and, had a very turbulent childhood; losing his father, moving in with his grandfather who died two years later, moving back with his mother who had remarried, losing his mother soon after, and then being placed with his uncles.
Little did the group on board that ship, which sailed out of Plymouth in 1620, know just how important they and their journey would become and how they would be remembered four years later. PAGE 87
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Mayflower Continued‌
Scrooby Church
Bradford was a sickly child and, as he couldn’t work on the family farm, he studied the Bible and other intellectual writings, becoming interested in the separatist movement at a very early age. By the time he was twelve years old, he was already going to meetings and mixing with others in the movement, later becoming friendly with William Brewster from nearby Scrooby joining in with secret, illegal meetings. Several of the attendees were imprisoned, some fined and others were kept under close watch.
Henlow William Brewster was from Scrooby and had studied in Cambridge. He worked in the Netherlands in the late C16th and returned to Scrooby in 1590, later using his home as a meeting house for puritan ministers before organising the move to Holland in 1608. (After the unsuccessful attempt in 1607.) By 1620, Brewster was in hiding, after several run-ins with the Dutch and English authorities and joined the group to sail to the new world aboard the Mayflower. Gainsborough Old Hall. William Hickman and his mother, Rose, who owned the Old Hall from 1596, were outside the norm when it came to their religious beliefs.
In 1608 many of the Scrooby congregation escaped persecution and fled to Leiden in Holland and Bradford was among them. After turning 21, he received his inheritance, set up William and Rose were Puritans in the firmly business and in 1613 married Dorothy May, who protestant England of Queen Elizabeth I, but they was originally from Wisbech. were unhappy within the Church of PAGE 88
Fenstanton England. The English Church was considered by many as still too Catholic in practice and as Puritans, they wished to reform it. They became sympathetic to the more radical “Separatists” – a group of dissenters who were considered to be enemies of the Crown. Separatists formed covert networks to worship in secret and to help those trying to flee the country to escape fines, prison or worse. Allowing the Separatist congregation to worship in secret was a very dangerous thing to do and meetings are believed to have taken place in the Old Hall. Although leaving England without permission was illegal at the time, both the Gainsborough and Scrooby congregations decided to flee religious persecution and head to Holland in search of a place to worship freely. Further south, I visited Fenstanton, the home of John Howland and Henlow, the home of Elizabeth Tilley and her parents, as well as Henry Samson. There are lots of other places to visit in the UK, which are connected to the passengers of the Mayflower and most of them have information, PAGE 89
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"Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor," by William Halsall, 1882 at Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA
MAYFLOWER FAMILY HISTORY RESOURCES By Holly T. Hansen, founder of www.FamilyHistoryExpos.com
Memory Plaques
Commemorating 400 years of shared history beginning in the UK, see: https://www.mayflower400uk.org/
Mayflower Continued‌ natives. Some places will even have relatives of the families concerned, so, if your ancestors came on the Mayflower, you may even find some cousins too. I am looking at arranging a coach tour of some of the places connected to this great ship and, if anyone is interested in joining this great trip, please do contact me as soon as possible. Glynn Burrows is the owner of Norfolk Tours in England. For help or advice about tracing your family history, or if you are thinking about taking a vacation to England visit www.Norfolk-Tours.co.uk
400th anniversary of the Mayflower in the U.S., See: https://www.boston.com/culture/events/2019/03/16/400t h-anniversary-mayflower-events The Great Migration Study Project: By 1642, some 20,000 settlers had arrived in the New England area. The Great Migration Project identifies many of these settlers for the first time and traces them to their origins in England and other parts of the British Isles. Combined research of many expert genealogists is fueling this project, so that all early settlers will be included. This is one of the most important immigrant projects ever conceived. For full details and updates visit the New England Historic Genealogical Society website. You will be able to keep up on new discoveries and publications connected to the project. The project’s published works contain thousands of sketches, many of which are also included in Great Migration databases, available to NEHGS members. They are necessary resources for any genealogist, historian, or descendant with early New England interests and connections. See: https://www.americanancestors.org/browse/publications/ ongoing-study-projects/the-great-migration-study-project PAGE 90
TOURISM EXCELLENCE: BALANCE By Nancy J. Reid & Lisa D. Smith
Build a sustainable and responsible community. Consider everything that is meaningful and important to your community, and steadily grow with that vision. A community is a personification of the people who live within it.
Listen to the Tourism Excellence Big Blend Radio segment with Bobbi DePorter, cofounder of SuperCamp, here in the YouTube player, or download/listen to it on Spreaker.com.
“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create.” – Jana Kingsford Responsible and balanced tourism can become the major economic base of a town or region, but it doesn’t just happen. The public sector, private sector, and non-profit organizations need to work together with residents to design a sustainable tourism strategy. No one likes living in, or visiting, over-crowded, unkempt or neglected places – thus every improvement made for better tourism should also benefit the community. Once established, a good tourism strategy can last far longer than large industries that can come and go. Planning and setting realistic goals, can help ensure your community meets both the visitors’ and residents’ needs. A list of suggested
improvements, based on input from residents, local business owners, educational facilities and visitors can lead to a solid plan of action. Everything from widening streets, adding more community parks and attractions, to having ample parking spaces, clean-up crews, and emergency facilities may be needed. Being flexible and willing to make needed
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changes according to an agreed plan can improve tourism-based revenue, as well as reduce any possible negative effects of unbalanced and unmanaged tourism. The plan must include room for growth, with an outlook to the longevity of both tourism based-businesses and local attractions. Once an agreed plan is in place, dividing large projects into smaller tasks and adding deadlines, can help a community steadily move forward with a goal of addressing the most important needs of the community first. The makeup of the government agencies, private businesses, and non-profit organizations working together, will have much to do with the success of the tourism strategies and products offered. As visitors use a destination, the nature of the destination will change according to how the areas of natural beauty, museums, historical treasures, and shopping areas are managed. Continued on Next Page‌ PAGE 95
Balance Continued‌ A balanced strategy needs to look at more than dollars and cents. It needs to look at the social net benefit. This means deriving the most benefit from the products offered while causing the least amount of environmental and social damage. This is always a delicate balancing act and all those who are part of the planning process will need to recognize that individual business success will rely heavily on the protection of the resources. Careful coordination and cooperation of those making decisions will need to look at long-term needs while taking care of short-term needs and be dedicated to preserving and improving resources for the future. Balancing occurs in the tourism business in several ways: 1. There must be a balance between the business owners and the guests. If the products are too expensive, few visitors will return or recommend the destination. If the products and activities are too inexpensive, there is no profit to be made.
3. The tourism business is about creating memories and building relationships. While efficiency is necessary, there needs to be a balance between efficiency and being hospitable and welcoming. Uniqueness is important, too. The more everything looks alike, the less memorable it becomes. 4. Crime can destroy a successful tourism industry and visitors must perceive the destination as safe or customers will be lost, as well as possible investors into the region. A regional approach to tourism allows several communities to work together so that between them all there is enough for at least a 3-day stay for the visitors. However, it is important that each attraction and commodity maintains its identity.
2. Many governments tax those in the tourism industry, like room or bed tax. The cost of the taxes is passed down to the visitor which, if too high, can result in diminishing visitors and loss of businesses. The business owner needs to make a profit and the visitor needs to feel the product is a good value. PAGE 96
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NEW CALIFORNIA EMPLOYMENT LAWS FOR 2020 Hospitality and Tourism Industry News He and his firm litigate cases that have been filed in many different parts of California. Visit www.BestEmploymentAttorneySanDiego.com
Listen to Ward’s Big Blend Radio segment here in the YouTube player or download/listen to the podcast on Spreaker.com. On this episode of Big Blend Radio, San Diego employment attorney Ward Heinrichs discusses the new California employment laws for 2020, including: AB5 ABC Test, Minimum Wage and Salary, Sexual Harassment Training, Lactation Policy, Discrimination, Paid Family Leave, and Employment Arbitration. Read Ward’s article outlining the laws on our sister site, BlendRadioandTV.com. Based in San Diego, California the Employment Law Office of Ward Heinrichs represents both employers and employees in almost all areas of labor law. PAGE 98
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