Tuesday Travels: Free Admission to America's National Parks

During the course of my travel-writing career, I've often been surprised to find that many of America's national parks, such as Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles Tennessee and North Carolina, charge no entrance fee. Well, this weekend, even those that do will be waiving such fees, according to the National Park Service. So, if you have the time, head to your nearest national park unit. For me, the closest one is lovely Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula. Of course, my favorite national park is Kentucky's Mammoth Cave, the inspiration for my first-to-be-completed and soon-to-be-revised novel. Although I wish I were headed there this weekend, I'm excited about my upcoming getaway to Saugatuck, a resort community alongside Lake Michigan, where the hubby and I will be venturing with some old friends of his.

Naturally, if you can't make it to a national park this weekend, you can always vie for the free annual National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass that Moon Travel Guides is giving away. As one of their authors, I'm sadly not eligible (sniff, sniff), but most of my blogalicious friends are, so good luck, everyone!

Monday Munchies: Scratched Legs and Stained Fingers

Perhaps you're wondering what sort of “munchies” would involve scratched legs, stained fingers, and potential bug bites. Well, here's a riddle for you... what is black and bulbous, grows on thorny bushes, and makes delicious jam, scones, muffins, and cobbler? Why, blackberries, of course! That's the reason that, despite the prevalent pitfalls, Dan and I ventured out yesterday afternoon to explore the tangled blackberry bushes along a particular country road in northern Michigan. Early August is usually a prime time for such a rewarding activity, and given the fair amount of rain and sunlight that we've received this summer, we were hopeful about our prospects.

As it turned out, our hopes were well-founded. Although several bushes lay on the other side of a no-trespassing fence, and many of the available berries were still red and unready, plenty were black and ripe for plucking... which is exactly what we did. While the sunshine warmed our backs, and bumblebees hovered above the purple and yellow wildflowers that surrounded us, we picked a veritable heap of berries, even sampling a few along the way. After about an hour of picking, we managed to fill a large plastic bag with delicious, perfectly ripe blackberries. Ultimately, there were more to be picked, but frankly, we had tired of the prickly thorns – because, yes, as expected, we had succeeded in scratching most of our limbs. Perhaps it didn't help that we'd worn shorts and short-sleeved shirts, but it was simply too warm for denim and flannel... at least for me.

So, the question is... were the two pounds or so of yummy blackberries that we picked yesterday worth all the war wounds? Well, in my humble opinion, our hard-fought battle with sudden depressions, thorny vines, and annoying insects just made the berries even tastier, which is usually the case with anything worth having. It's almost always worth more when it takes a little effort to achieve or attain. So, what do you think? Would we – and our limbs – have been better off with store-bought blackberries instead?

Tuesday Travels: My Dream Guide

Despite the fact that maintaining my American Nomad travel blog and working on back-to-back travel guides tends to stymie other beloved interests – such as playing my guitar, reading books on the hammock, writing this blog, and revising my novel – I'm grateful for my travel-writing career and delighted that my English degree has been put to good use. Frankly, I'm proud of the way my latest guide, Moon Florida Keys, is turning out, and I'm excited to be working on the fourth edition of Moon Michigan. Reflecting on my career thus far, I'm even happy with the work I did for Insight Guides, a London-based company for which I updated and revised several books, including ones about Los Angeles, San Diego, and America's national parks. Still, there's one place that I have yet to cover in book form, and given some of my previous posts – which explore everything from Cafe Du Monde to king cake season – I'll bet you can guess which one... Although nothing's carved in stone yet, it looks like I might be writing the third edition of a guide I've long wanted to write. Let's just hope that Avalon likes my book proposal!

So, what about you? Any good news?

Monday Munchies: Better Than Sex

As I lamented last Thursday, breaking bad habits is not an easy task, especially when you're enduring a so-called diet – or, as my mother says, a healthy lifestyle change – and you find yourself fantasizing about yummy treats from the past. True, the past that concerns me now happened fairly recently – only six months ago, in fact, when Dan and I were exploring Key West in preparation for my Moon Florida Keys guide. You see, it was at that time that we ventured into Better Than Sex, a bordello-style dessert lounge and wine bar just a block from Duval Street, the city's main drag.

Back in April, I wrote about our sensual experience on my American Nomad blog – an experience that I won't easily forget. In fact, every time I sit down to eat my perfectly proportioned bowl of oatmeal and blueberries, I dream about the tempting delectables we consumed that night, and I try to take small comfort in the fact that I'm a little lighter than I was then, so at least this diet – I mean, healthy lifestyle change – is good for something. Still, at my most desperate moments, I gaze at the photos we took during our memorable meal, and I try hard not to salivate at the thought of my Kinky Key Lime Pie, a fluffy, tangy lime chiffon mousse pie covered with macadamia nuts.

It might seem like pure torture – just as Dan torments himself by watching Giada, Paula, and his other favorite Food Network stars – but I actually find it comforting to remember how delicious the Peanut Butter Perversion was that night. At least, it gives me something to anticipate on our next trip to Key West. Besides, we've come to realize that deprivation is no way to modify our eating habits. Frankly, neither of us is ashamed to admit that we relish food – so I suppose it's just moderation that we need...

...and a white chocolate-rimmed glass of sparkling red Dolce Stilnovo Moscato – otherwise known as Kelly's Klimax – wouldn't hurt either.

Thoughtful Thursday: The Trouble with Habits

It's hard for me to believe that I haven't posted here in over two months. It's even harder to believe that it took that long for me to finish my last travel guide.

Last summer, when I started this blog, I had every intention of posting six times a week – no matter that everyone, from my hubby to my online pals, thought I was delusional. At the time, I believed that, by forcing myself to post something nearly every day, I could form a solid habit – and for a while, that logic seemed to work. After a few months, posting here had indeed become a near-daily habit – one that I thought would be difficult to break, especially since I really enjoyed writing my “simple pleasure” posts and interacting with my fellow writers. In my warped little brain, I thought that a positive habit like that would stick for a good long while.

Little did I know, however, that work would interfere with my well-intentioned plans. Back in January, I was so busy traveling and researching for my Moon Florida Keys guide that I was lucky to post once a week, much less six times. It didn't take long for my positive habit to become a regular burden – especially since I had more pressing blogs, like American Nomad, to maintain – and once I fell off the proverbial wagon, it was hard to make it a priority anymore. Hence, my recent two-month absence.

But, despite my reluctant absence, I've missed it greatly – not to mention my buddies in the blogosphere. Now that I've finished the Keys guide – and have only the copy-editing and proofing stages left – I hope to be a little more consistent with this blog. Of course, I now have a new edition of Moon Michigan to write, but I'm hoping that I'll be able, with my hubby's help, to manage my time better this time around. Still, in the wake of this harried first half of 2010, I can't help but wonder... Why is it so easy to break a good habit like blogging, but difficult to break bad ones, like smoking cigarettes or, in my case, eating chocolate?

Whimsical Wednesday: How Did This Travel Thing Happen Anyway?

Wow. I can't believe three weeks have transpired since my last post. Boy, when a once dedicated blogger falls, she really falls. Sadly, my only excuse is work... of the travel variety, of course. Over the past few weeks, I've finally finished my Moon Florida Keys travel guidebook, signed a contract for the latest edition of Moon Michigan, discovered that some of my travel secrets were included in a cool collaborative project intended to benefit a global clean water initiative, compiled a list of America's top 15 budget-friendly destinations, and participated in a 20-station satellite radio tour about said budget-friendly destinations. During this curious radio tour, several hosts asked me how I ended up in my present travel-writing career. Without hesitation, I blamed – I mean, thanked – my mom for my current endeavors. It was she, after all, who took me on my most memorable road trips as a kid – to places as far afield as San Antonio, the Rocky Mountains, Washington, D.C., even Canada. No wonder I do what I do for a living – albeit, a meager one. If only I could make room for some time to finish my novel – and check in with my ol' blogosphere pals. 'Cause, boy, do I miss keeping up with their thoughts and adventures.

So, that said, I'm just curious... what have y'all been up to lately?

Tuesday Travels: More Trouble for the Gulf Coast

While Dan and I enjoy moving around the country as we do, there's a danger that we'll sometimes long for a place we've just vacated or, in the case of New Orleans this spring, skipped altogether. Although northern Michigan is absolutely beautiful right now, we can't help but long for southern Louisiana, where we'd normally be right now, wandering the historic streets of the French Quarter, munching on raw oysters, visiting with my mom and grandma in Baton Rouge, or fishing with my dad in the waters south of New Orleans. Of course, with the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, fishing might not be a possibility for a while anyway – not that that's much consolation. I'd much rather be missing a good fishing season right now than wondering about the negative effects that this spill is bound to have on Louisiana's fisheries and tourism industry – only four and a half years after Hurricane Katrina and the Army Corps of Engineers caused their own share of problems.