Mountains of lost bags, canceled flights, frustrated travelers and a public relations fiasco
The dedicated website for Heathrow Airport's new Terminal 5 cooed into cyberspace, "At London Heathrow Terminal 5 we’ve created a natural, logical journey that’s so calm, you’ll flow through. It shouldn’t take long to get from Check-in to Departures. Transferring and arriving are just as simple and calm. Spend the time you save enjoying the excellent range of shops, cafes and restaurants. Or simply relax and be wowed by the world class architecture."
Instead, travelers using the new £4.3 billion ($8.7 billion) T5 were wowed by utter chaos that began almost as soon as the new facilitiy. In its first four days of operations, at least 250 British Airways flights were canceled, stranding thousands of passengers. At least 15,000 and perhaps 20,000 pieces of luggage that reportedly were not loaded onto the planes need to be "repratriated" to their owners who had, in fact, taken off while their bags were still on the ground. Computer problems were blamed.
In a story called "Flight Club at Heathrow T5," the Sun newspaper reported of a brawl among 30 baggage handlers. BA could be libel for compensation up to a stunning £5,000 per passenger, it was further reported. At the very least, the airline had to arrange for and pay for emergency accommodations for armies of stranded passengers. Image-conscious Brits are have a cow, and the tabloids are having a field day.
Long-haul flights were said to be operating close to schedule today (Sunday). Domestic (i.e., within the UK) flights and flights to the European continent have been most affected. "We are endeavoring to do everything we can to get the operation back to normal," said an unnamed but clearly beleaguered spokeswoman for British Airways. Of course. The airline claimed that 400 employees volunteered to work on Sunday to help with what the BBC described as "mountains of suitcases stacked up in the terminal after passengers were unable to reclaim them or were forced to fly on to their destinations without their luggage, and which the BBC continued "could take weeks to sort out."
The flying public will have to take their word for it, because BBC also said that "it had been banned from filming at the terminal, where hundreds of passengers were facing long delays. Sky News television also said it had been locked out." Go to the Telegraph's online story, scroll down to "In Pictures" and we wowed by the slide show of the mess.
Even when the chaos has been straightened out and T5 is humming as promised, Heathrow will remain an incredibly congested airport. It is the world's third-busiest airport (after Chicago/O'Hare and Atlanta/Hartsfield) and has just two runways, meaning that delays are endemic, even without a snafu like T5's opening days. In wisdom that matches US automakers' foresight, US-based Delta, Continental Airlines, Northwest and United began flights into London's chronically constripated Heathrow Airport on Mar. 30, even as their BA brethren were still struggling under mountains of luggage. At least the American carriers won't be using T5.
Addendum from the Monday, March 31, report in the Telegraph:
"The debacle, which is estimated to have cost BA £20 million already, will mean the airline has been forced to scrap more than 450 flights since the opening of the £4.3 billion Terminal last week. The chaos would have been even worse had the airline not decided to continue operating the bulk of its long-haul operation from Terminal 4."
30 Nisan 2011 Cumartesi
European Airline Consolidation Continues
You can't tell the airlines without a scorecard anymore. Mergers, consolidations, bankruptcies, start-ups, alliances and code shares make the airline industry very confusing -- more so with each day's headlines. The US led the way, and Europe is recently followed.
In the US, airline consolidations go back a long way, but consolidation fever . The present Continental was forged from an agglomeration of old carriers such as the original Frontier, Eastern, People Express and New York Air. Merger fever, economies of scale, Wall Street paper moving and so on have essentially left us with United and its current partner, U.S. Airways (that long ago took over the old Mohawk and Allegheny and recently AmericaWest), Delta (including Northwest) and American (which absorbed TWA) -- plus fast-growing, customer-friendly Southwest that currently seems to be the smartest carrier in the American skies. Along the way, other legacy domestic carriers disappeared. Think Pan Am (which had previously absorbed National) and Braniff. And these are just the ones that came to mind.
Similar consolidations, mergers and takeovers have raked European flag carriers too, but there, things are dicier because national pride is emblazoned on fuselages that are hard for airlines to relinquish, even as they are in dire financial straits. A merger between Belgium's SABENA and the former Swissair imploded or exploded after the national airline of Switzerland not only had its own financial problems by mismanaged SABENA. Brussels Airlines rose from its ashes but is a shadow of its predecessor
Air France and KLM (above right) are part of the same Dutch-controlled operating group that also owns 25 percent of Alitalia. Lufthansa, Germany's airline, owns SWISS, which succeeded Swissair after that carrier's bankruptcy; is a large stakeholder in Brussels Airlines and could take it over completely by 2011; bought BMI, and has just announced their takeover of Austrian Airlines. I could make a tasteless joke about an Anchluss in the air, but let's pretend that I didn't. There's also talk that Lufthansa might buy or merge with SAS -- or something. Stay tuned.
Avis Uses Bait, Switch and Upsell Tactics
Car rental firms jack up rates when using AmEx points
I use frequent flyer miles for flights whenever possible, expedient and/or wise, but I've been hoarding American Express points for car rentals for a long time. We are soon going to Hawaii -- first to Maui for a wedding and then to the Big Island for a vacation. Two rental car opportunities seemed like a good use of points. I started with the Big Island, because that will be the longer stay.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the Avis website trying to figure out what promotion/coupon codes I could use for Avis, so I finally phoned. The AmEx system is that I could redeem points for several coupons to be used toward (but not in full payment for) the rental, which for one week with Avis was going to be more than $450. I was too shocked to write down the exact quote, but it was high. The reservation agent told me that I would be better off not using the coupon at all. He quoted an economy car rate of $242 for seven days, with unlimited mileage and no extra charge for the second driver. Sold.
Then he told me about a service that Avis offers which would net me a $20 gas coupon and 5 percent cash back on the rental. I asked whether this happens automatically when renting, and instead of answering, he switched me to a fast-talking sales type who "upgraded" the service which I could try for a month for "only one dollar" and "cancel any time." The carrot he dangled over the telephone was a $20 gas coupon plus that 5 percent rebate, but first, he said, I had to sign up. When I balked, he told me that he "has been authorized" to raise the gas coupon to $40. I told him my name, address, etc., but when he asked for my date of birth, I refused and said I wasn't interested in providing personal information. He huffed, "I'm not asking for your Social Security number." I said I didn't want to provide any more personal information, so he hung up on me.
Avis indeed seems to be trying harder -- trying harder to sell a "service" that I didn't really want (although a $40 gas coupon would be nice). No matter what they tried, they succeeded in annoying me. Because I knew that the AmEx coupons would not make sense for Maui either, I simply made the reservation online and ignored the "offer" for the same service that the phone folks tried to force on me.
I use frequent flyer miles for flights whenever possible, expedient and/or wise, but I've been hoarding American Express points for car rentals for a long time. We are soon going to Hawaii -- first to Maui for a wedding and then to the Big Island for a vacation. Two rental car opportunities seemed like a good use of points. I started with the Big Island, because that will be the longer stay.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the Avis website trying to figure out what promotion/coupon codes I could use for Avis, so I finally phoned. The AmEx system is that I could redeem points for several coupons to be used toward (but not in full payment for) the rental, which for one week with Avis was going to be more than $450. I was too shocked to write down the exact quote, but it was high. The reservation agent told me that I would be better off not using the coupon at all. He quoted an economy car rate of $242 for seven days, with unlimited mileage and no extra charge for the second driver. Sold.
Then he told me about a service that Avis offers which would net me a $20 gas coupon and 5 percent cash back on the rental. I asked whether this happens automatically when renting, and instead of answering, he switched me to a fast-talking sales type who "upgraded" the service which I could try for a month for "only one dollar" and "cancel any time." The carrot he dangled over the telephone was a $20 gas coupon plus that 5 percent rebate, but first, he said, I had to sign up. When I balked, he told me that he "has been authorized" to raise the gas coupon to $40. I told him my name, address, etc., but when he asked for my date of birth, I refused and said I wasn't interested in providing personal information. He huffed, "I'm not asking for your Social Security number." I said I didn't want to provide any more personal information, so he hung up on me.
Avis indeed seems to be trying harder -- trying harder to sell a "service" that I didn't really want (although a $40 gas coupon would be nice). No matter what they tried, they succeeded in annoying me. Because I knew that the AmEx coupons would not make sense for Maui either, I simply made the reservation online and ignored the "offer" for the same service that the phone folks tried to force on me.
29 Nisan 2011 Cuma
Airlines Report Profits and Spend Millions on Mergers
The current cost of doing business as airlines consolidate
Repainting planes, merging headquarters, introducing new uniforms, ordering new stationary, integrating staffs....these are some of the issues that came to mind when airlines merge. Associated Press reported good news/bad news related to Republic Airways' takeover first of Midwest and then of Frontier last year. The good news was that second-quarter revenues grew by 113% to $683.3 million; the bad news is that income fell by 82%. Republic's merger-related costs were reportedly close to $20 million in items that hit the bottom line related to merger costs. "They ranged from $18.5 million of expenses related to the integration of the branded businesses and return of leased aircraft, $6.4 million in negative adjustments for fuel hedges and prior period fuel excise taxes; and a $5.2 million positive adjustment due to a reduction in lease obligations for Midwest aircraft and office facilities," according to AP, which also noted that Republic now owns Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Lynx Aviation, Midwest Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America.
Republic's numbers are small potatoes compared with the imminent Continental-United merger, which is expected to be consummated this fall. According to an annotated report on Wikinvest.com, "For the second quarter of 2010, the company reported its first quarterly operating profit since 2007 of $430 million, an improvement of $751 million since year ago second quarter." Continental, meanwhile, Thursday posted second-quarter earnings of $233 million, reversing a similar loss of $213 million loss a year ago. Comparing revenues with profits is an apples-and-oranges mix, but those are the numbers that I found -- but in a sense, they do demonstrate the differences in scale. If Republic's merger costs were $20 million, imagine what the United-Continental union will cost.
Merging or not, US carriers, which have been aggressively trimming costs, mothballing aircraft and charging passengers for formerly free services, are reporting second-quarter profits almost across the board. Three big legacy carriers -- Delta, United and US Airways -- among them earned a cool $1 billion in the second quart (April through June). At Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest, revenues also rose and black showed on balance sheets. Among the biggies, only AMR, American's parent company, bucked the trend ans was down compared with 2009.
With revenues rising and on the ledgers showing profits for the first time in three years, I still wonder how the cost of big mergers will impact the balance sheet, and down the road, whether more monopolistic merged companies will keep the money rolling in with continued add-ons. I don't know what the second-quarter revenues were, but in "Lawmakers Consider Taxing Airlines' Fees" regarding a Congressional hearing on these add-ons, the Wall Street Journal reported, "Airlines collected $1.3 billion from fees for checked baggage and reservation changes in the first three months of this year, a 13% increase over the same period in 2009, government data show."
Silly me. Why am I even asking the question. What will probably happen is that the add-ons will be locked in or perhaps even increased to help the airlines cover the merger costs and their top exectives' bonuses -- and the payment to law and accounting firms for effecting the mergers.
Repainting planes, merging headquarters, introducing new uniforms, ordering new stationary, integrating staffs....these are some of the issues that came to mind when airlines merge. Associated Press reported good news/bad news related to Republic Airways' takeover first of Midwest and then of Frontier last year. The good news was that second-quarter revenues grew by 113% to $683.3 million; the bad news is that income fell by 82%. Republic's merger-related costs were reportedly close to $20 million in items that hit the bottom line related to merger costs. "They ranged from $18.5 million of expenses related to the integration of the branded businesses and return of leased aircraft, $6.4 million in negative adjustments for fuel hedges and prior period fuel excise taxes; and a $5.2 million positive adjustment due to a reduction in lease obligations for Midwest aircraft and office facilities," according to AP, which also noted that Republic now owns Chautauqua Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Lynx Aviation, Midwest Airlines, Republic Airlines and Shuttle America.
Republic's numbers are small potatoes compared with the imminent Continental-United merger, which is expected to be consummated this fall. According to an annotated report on Wikinvest.com, "For the second quarter of 2010, the company reported its first quarterly operating profit since 2007 of $430 million, an improvement of $751 million since year ago second quarter." Continental, meanwhile, Thursday posted second-quarter earnings of $233 million, reversing a similar loss of $213 million loss a year ago. Comparing revenues with profits is an apples-and-oranges mix, but those are the numbers that I found -- but in a sense, they do demonstrate the differences in scale. If Republic's merger costs were $20 million, imagine what the United-Continental union will cost.
Merging or not, US carriers, which have been aggressively trimming costs, mothballing aircraft and charging passengers for formerly free services, are reporting second-quarter profits almost across the board. Three big legacy carriers -- Delta, United and US Airways -- among them earned a cool $1 billion in the second quart (April through June). At Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and Southwest, revenues also rose and black showed on balance sheets. Among the biggies, only AMR, American's parent company, bucked the trend ans was down compared with 2009.
With revenues rising and on the ledgers showing profits for the first time in three years, I still wonder how the cost of big mergers will impact the balance sheet, and down the road, whether more monopolistic merged companies will keep the money rolling in with continued add-ons. I don't know what the second-quarter revenues were, but in "Lawmakers Consider Taxing Airlines' Fees" regarding a Congressional hearing on these add-ons, the Wall Street Journal reported, "Airlines collected $1.3 billion from fees for checked baggage and reservation changes in the first three months of this year, a 13% increase over the same period in 2009, government data show."
Silly me. Why am I even asking the question. What will probably happen is that the add-ons will be locked in or perhaps even increased to help the airlines cover the merger costs and their top exectives' bonuses -- and the payment to law and accounting firms for effecting the mergers.
Lady Liberty's Crown to Reopen
Closed since 9/11, the crown again will welcome a limited number of visitors
Especially after the recent ill-conceived recent photo op of a "spare" Air Force One flying low over New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty, it is refreshing that the crown will reopen to visitors on July 4. It has been closed since September 11, 2001. The official reason was given as "fire safety," but most of us believe that it was part of the previous administration's promoting an ongoing climate of fear. The airport threat level, after all, has been "orange" since this silly recorded alert was introduced.
Former Colorado senator and now Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced,“This Statue of Liberty really is about hope and optimism for America, it’s also about jobs that come with tourism all over this country, and it’s about President Obama’s agenda. So today we’re announcing that on the Fourth of July, we will open up the crown of the Statue of Liberty here in New York and New Jersey to the entire people of America in a way that we’ll be able to manage the crowds that come into this place."
Just to cover bases staked out by the paranoid, he said,“We have conducted a very comprehensive life-safety review for the statue itself and for the pedestal and there are improvements that are gonna have to be put in place. We’ll put some of those in place before we open it up on the Fourth of July. We’ll then go through a two-year period where the crown will be opened up, where the public — it will be about 30 people an hour that can come up here, it will be managed. And then following that, we’re going to go through a more major rehabilitation that ultimately will increase the number of people who can come up here to about 200,000.”
Timed passes will be distributed on a lottery-style basis, and access is ranger-guided. Even access to the statue's pedestal has been seriously limited to those who have a applied in advance for free monument pass and pick up the morning of the visit. Call 866-STATUE-4 or 212-269-5755. Oh, how unfortunately different this is from my childhood in Connecticut and young adult years in New York, when access to the pedestal and the statue was limited only by visitors' willingness to stand in line and climb a lot of stairs.
The ferries to Liberty Island board their last passengers well before the park's daily closing. There is no entrance fee to the park, which is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Park Service passes are not good for ferry fares. Due to the park's security procedures, visitors are advised to allow ample time for their visits. Ferry ticket prices from Battery Park are adult, $11:50; senior (62 and over), $9:50; child (4-12), $4.50, under 4, free.
Former Colorado senator and now Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced,“This Statue of Liberty really is about hope and optimism for America, it’s also about jobs that come with tourism all over this country, and it’s about President Obama’s agenda. So today we’re announcing that on the Fourth of July, we will open up the crown of the Statue of Liberty here in New York and New Jersey to the entire people of America in a way that we’ll be able to manage the crowds that come into this place."
Just to cover bases staked out by the paranoid, he said,“We have conducted a very comprehensive life-safety review for the statue itself and for the pedestal and there are improvements that are gonna have to be put in place. We’ll put some of those in place before we open it up on the Fourth of July. We’ll then go through a two-year period where the crown will be opened up, where the public — it will be about 30 people an hour that can come up here, it will be managed. And then following that, we’re going to go through a more major rehabilitation that ultimately will increase the number of people who can come up here to about 200,000.”
Timed passes will be distributed on a lottery-style basis, and access is ranger-guided. Even access to the statue's pedestal has been seriously limited to those who have a applied in advance for free monument pass and pick up the morning of the visit. Call 866-STATUE-4 or 212-269-5755. Oh, how unfortunately different this is from my childhood in Connecticut and young adult years in New York, when access to the pedestal and the statue was limited only by visitors' willingness to stand in line and climb a lot of stairs.
The ferries to Liberty Island board their last passengers well before the park's daily closing. There is no entrance fee to the park, which is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Park Service passes are not good for ferry fares. Due to the park's security procedures, visitors are advised to allow ample time for their visits. Ferry ticket prices from Battery Park are adult, $11:50; senior (62 and over), $9:50; child (4-12), $4.50, under 4, free.
28 Nisan 2011 Perşembe
Eat, Pray, Love -- and Watch Your Tail
Travel journalist Bruce Northam urges intuition when soloing
Julia Roberts is all over the tube these days promoting the movie, "Eat, Pray, Love," based on Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling bookabout her soul-searching odyssey to mend a broken heart. My travel-writer colleague Bruce Northam (left) wrote "Eat Pray Love, and Be Cautious," as the title implies, a cautionary but not paranoid piece on Huffington Post. He began, "The book Eat Pray Love issued no travel warnings; nor does the movie. However, somebody needs to remind women traveling alone that Halloween-night-style caution is always necessary. I'm the only guy I know who read Eat Pray Love, Elizabeth Gilbert's wildly successful travelogue-cum-romance novel that's now a movie starring Julia Roberts portraying the lovesick and soul-searching editor who met her second husband in Bali."
I'm not paranoid when it comes to travel, and I don't advocate that travelers always leash themselves to a tour guide either, but caution and precautions make sense -- not just for women traveling solo but sometimes even for men as well. Northam is a believer in following your instincts about what is safe and what is a silly flirtation with trouble. Read his piece and the practical tips he includes from two well-traveled women writers, Carla King and Lisa Alpine. The more adventurous and out there the traveler, the finer line between reasonable caution and folly. Northam is just sayin'
I'm not paranoid when it comes to travel, and I don't advocate that travelers always leash themselves to a tour guide either, but caution and precautions make sense -- not just for women traveling solo but sometimes even for men as well. Northam is a believer in following your instincts about what is safe and what is a silly flirtation with trouble. Read his piece and the practical tips he includes from two well-traveled women writers, Carla King and Lisa Alpine. The more adventurous and out there the traveler, the finer line between reasonable caution and folly. Northam is just sayin'
Two High Points on a Short Road Trip
Very teensy town and very large statue along Interstate 80
This past weekend four of us did a short road trip -- Boulder-Cheyenne-Laramie-Snowy Range-Boulder. Of Interstate 80's 2,909 miles between the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and New York-New Jersey's George Washington Bridge, the 47 modest miles from Cheyenne to Laramie contain two places that are worth stopping at. They are lliteral and figurative high points along a stretch of freeway that passes through a lot of wide-open country.
Buford, Wyoming - Pop. 1
How could we not stop in Buford, Wyoming -- population 1 and its own zip code. It is purportedly the smallest town in America and also the highest town between along I-80's entire route. Just south of the Exit 335 off the Interstate. road, we found a gateway to a ranch and Buford-- the signs below, one house, the Buford Trading Post and a bunch of gas pumps.
Buford was not always so tiny. Its population was purportedly about 2,000 as the transcontinental railroad was being built westward across Wyoming.
Lincoln Monument
The Lincoln Memorial is, of course, in Washington, DC, but the Lincoln Monnument is just of Exit 239. It is visible from the Interstate that closely follows the historic Lincoln Highway (US 30), the first auto road to cross the country.To honor this achievement as well as the president who most fervently believe in a union of all the states, Robert Russin, a University of Wyoming art professor and a Lincoln admirer, sculpted a monumental, 13 1/2-foot Lincoln head resting on a 35-foot stone base.
It originally stood at Sherman Summit, at 8,878 feet above sea level and the highest point on old Lincoln Highway, but when when I-80 was opened in 1969, the head was moved about 1 mile to this highpoint on the Interstate. It too is visible from the highway, but its worth a stop.
Pull into the Summit Rest Area and go into the visitor center, not just to use the restroom and have adrink of water, but also to watch a short interpretive film and look into the small museum room with exhibits about Wyoming and its natural and human history.
Buford, Wyoming - Pop. 1
How could we not stop in Buford, Wyoming -- population 1 and its own zip code. It is purportedly the smallest town in America and also the highest town between along I-80's entire route. Just south of the Exit 335 off the Interstate. road, we found a gateway to a ranch and Buford-- the signs below, one house, the Buford Trading Post and a bunch of gas pumps.
The sole resident wasn't manning the store, but his photograph graced the counter. Regretfully I neglected to ask his name, but I took a picture of his picture.
Buford was not always so tiny. Its population was purportedly about 2,000 as the transcontinental railroad was being built westward across Wyoming.
Lincoln Monument
The Lincoln Memorial is, of course, in Washington, DC, but the Lincoln Monnument is just of Exit 239. It is visible from the Interstate that closely follows the historic Lincoln Highway (US 30), the first auto road to cross the country.To honor this achievement as well as the president who most fervently believe in a union of all the states, Robert Russin, a University of Wyoming art professor and a Lincoln admirer, sculpted a monumental, 13 1/2-foot Lincoln head resting on a 35-foot stone base.
It originally stood at Sherman Summit, at 8,878 feet above sea level and the highest point on old Lincoln Highway, but when when I-80 was opened in 1969, the head was moved about 1 mile to this highpoint on the Interstate. It too is visible from the highway, but its worth a stop.
Pull into the Summit Rest Area and go into the visitor center, not just to use the restroom and have adrink of water, but also to watch a short interpretive film and look into the small museum room with exhibits about Wyoming and its natural and human history.
If you too are road-tripping through Wyoming in I-80, eachof these attractions is worth a stop.
Tattered Cover to Welcome Arthur and Pauline Frommer
Father-daughter team of budget travel authorities launching book tour in the Denver area this week
The first post-World War II generation of young, independent travelers boarded their cheap-o charter flights equipped with the essentials: passport, student ID, Eurailpass and Arthur Frommer's Europe on $5 a Day. That iconic how-to travel book not only inspired young people to travel then, but to keep on traveling as they got older. It also spawned an empire. Arthur Frommer begat books (Frommers Travel Guides and other series), a magazine (Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel), a website, a radio gig (Arthur Frommer's "Travel Minute" on New York's WOR and podcast), a blog and a daughter, Pauline, who has followed in her dad's world-roaming, publishing footsteps.
Father and daughter are launching a book tour for Ask Arthur Frommer -- And Travel Cheaper, Better, Smarter at the Tattered Cover on Colfax on at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 8. They are offering a related mini-seminar, “Making Travel Work in Tough Economic Times.” Admission is free, and all Frommer's Guides will be 20 sold at off during this event --
and you can probably get them to sign the books too. The store is at 2526 East Colfax Avenue (at Elizabeth Street, directly across the street from East High School and the City Park Esplanade), Denver; 303-322-7727.
and you can probably get them to sign the books too. The store is at 2526 East Colfax Avenue (at Elizabeth Street, directly across the street from East High School and the City Park Esplanade), Denver; 303-322-7727.The following day, May 9, the Frommers will speak at the College Hill branch of the Westminster Public Library from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The library is at 3705 West 112th Street, Westminster. The event is also free, but the library would appreciate a call to register: 303-404-5104. If you want to buy a book there, it's cash or check only. Refreshments for the Westminster event will be provided by Cruise Holidays at the Ranch.
Arthur will continue the book tour at the Book Passage (51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, near San Francisco) at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, May 11; Distant Lands (56 South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena), at 7:30 p.m. on Monday May 13; and at the Borders bookstore in Century City (10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles) at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14.
Arthur will continue the book tour at the Book Passage (51 Tamal Vista Boulevard, Corte Madera, near San Francisco) at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, May 11; Distant Lands (56 South Raymond Avenue, Pasadena), at 7:30 p.m. on Monday May 13; and at the Borders bookstore in Century City (10250 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles) at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 14.
27 Nisan 2011 Çarşamba
International Travel Is a Laughing Matter...
...in the eyes of a clever cartoonist
My friend and travel writer colleague Reed Glenn sent me the link to the New York Times' "Abstract City" and Christoph Niemann's "Red Eye," a spot-on pen-and-ink commentary on long-haul flights.I laughed till I cried as I was scrolling through the whole thing, so you might want to grab a tissue before you look at the whole thing. It gets better page by page. I may be walking a copyright tightrope by posting the opening page of his commentary here, but I'm treating it as if it were a short excerpt used as a quote from a longer article.
My friend and travel writer colleague Reed Glenn sent me the link to the New York Times' "Abstract City" and Christoph Niemann's "Red Eye," a spot-on pen-and-ink commentary on long-haul flights.I laughed till I cried as I was scrolling through the whole thing, so you might want to grab a tissue before you look at the whole thing. It gets better page by page. I may be walking a copyright tightrope by posting the opening page of his commentary here, but I'm treating it as if it were a short excerpt used as a quote from a longer article.
Aircraft-Bird Encounters Rise
One bird strike made headlines, but many occur -- including Denver
The surprise water landing of a US Airways plane in the Hudson River last January. Investigations revealed that a major bird strike had knocked out at least one engine. All 155 passengers and crew survived, with few injuries, and Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger became an instant hero, making the talk-show circuit and landing a book contract. It turns out that the very aircraft the Sullenberger ditched in the frigid Hudson,
Associated Press reporter Michael J. Sniffen has been looking into bird strikes and has unearthed some amazing figures -- ones we don't generally think about when we fasten our seatbelts low and tight about ourselves and make sure that are seats and tray tables are in their full upright positions. Sniffen reported:
Whenever I've felt a jolt when taking off from or approaching DIA, I have assumed that it was turbulence of some sort. Next time, I'll speculate (to myself, not to my seatmate) that it might be due to a bird strike.
The surprise water landing of a US Airways plane in the Hudson River last January. Investigations revealed that a major bird strike had knocked out at least one engine. All 155 passengers and crew survived, with few injuries, and Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger became an instant hero, making the talk-show circuit and landing a book contract. It turns out that the very aircraft the Sullenberger ditched in the frigid Hudson,
Associated Press reporter Michael J. Sniffen has been looking into bird strikes and has unearthed some amazing figures -- ones we don't generally think about when we fasten our seatbelts low and tight about ourselves and make sure that are seats and tray tables are in their full upright positions. Sniffen reported:
"Airplane collisions with birds or other animals have destroyed 28 aircraftAlysia Patterson filed a Denver-specific AP report, in which she recounted that DIA "led the nation in bird and wildlife strikes last year" -- 318 during the first 11 months of 2008. Of some comfort to passengers, Patterson was told by the FAA's Mike Fergus that DIA has "an aggressive wildlife mitigation program, [and] pilots are more aware of the problem and more apt to report a strike."
since 2000, with New York's Kennedy airport and Sacramento International
reporting the most incidents with serious damage, according to Federal Aviation
Administration data posted...The FAA list of wildlife strikes, published on the
Internet, details more than 89,000 incidents since 1990, costing 11 people their
lives. Most incidents were bird strikes, but deer and other animals have been
hit on runways, too.
"The situation seems to be getting worse: Airplane collisions with birds
have more than doubled at 13 major U.S. airports since 2000, including New
Orleans, Houston's Hobby, Kansas City, Orlando and Salt Lake City. Wildlife
experts say increasingly birds, particularly large ones like Canada geese, are
finding food and living near cities and airports year round rather than
migrating.
"The figures are known to be far from complete. Even the FAA estimates its
voluntary reporting system captures only 20 percent of wildlife strikes. The
agency, however, has refused for a decade to adopt a National Transportation
Safety Board recommendation to make the reports mandatory.
"...The Federal Aviation Administration says there were about 65,000 bird
strikes to civil aircraft in the United States from 1990 to 2005, or about one
for every 10,000 flights....air traffic control towers routinely
alert pilots if there are birds in the area."
Whenever I've felt a jolt when taking off from or approaching DIA, I have assumed that it was turbulence of some sort. Next time, I'll speculate (to myself, not to my seatmate) that it might be due to a bird strike.
26 Nisan 2011 Salı
Medicine Bow Peak: Strike Three
Weather deterred us once again from climbing iconic mountain in southern Wyoming
Wyoming's highest mountain is 13.804-foot Gannett Peak in the Wind River Range, and the 13,775-foot Grand Teton, the centerpiece of spectacular Grand Teton National Park is runnerup. At 12,013 feet, Medicine Bow Peak is not even in the same elevation league. Still, with a location in the scenic Snowy Range of south-central Wyoming, it has lured my husband, Ral, and me three times in th past few years. The first time, we left Boulder in the pitch-dark, began climbing early from the Lake Marie Trailhead but were only about half-way across the flat broad mountaintop before being spooked by lightning visible in every direction and retreated. The second time, we spent the night in Fort Collins and thought we had a head start, but again, the weather closed in when we were crossing the top, and again we turned around.
Lakes Trail from Lewis Lake
From the trailhead at Lewis Lake (below), we passed lakes and tarns, lingering snowfields and spectacular wildflowers that filled meadows and seasonal marshes, poked up through willows and coniferous shrubs, and magically grew on tiny ledges on rock cliffs. I'm afraid my little camera can't do justice to the splendid displays.
Pale yellow Indian paintbrush, aster, elephantilla (that's the stalk) and one of the senisios or some other yellow composite.
Queen's crown is light pink in the Snowy Range but in the Colorado Rockies is usually dark red.
As we were discussing these options, up from the Mirror Lake side came a man carrying -- not skis, not a snowboard, but golf clubs. Surely, a mirage. The "mirage," named Ed Woods, travels a huge Rocky Mountain territory for Caterpillar. If you're on Facbook, you might be able to see Ed's golf images by clicking here.
Of course, we started chatting. And after we exchanged the usual pleasantries and questions of fellow hikers, Ed told us about what Caterpillar has been doing. As card-carrying, environ-conscious Boulderites, we were gratified to hear the company's heavy equipment is burning cleaner and more efficiently. While this doesn't make the enormous open-pit mines in Wyoming and elsewhere any easier on the eyes, at least the equipment is less polluting and using less fuel than in the past. Ed, his golf clubs and his companion headed up to the summit, while we turned back and drove around to the Mirror Lake Trailhead to check out the Lakes Trail.
Lakes Trail from Mirror Lake
The flowers were, if anything more abundant than on the first trail, but again, my modest camera in no way captures it. Below, avalanche lilies (aka, glacier lilies). This is a small cluster. We also saw large expanses carpeted in these lovely yellow blooms that come up in the wake of melting snow.
Parry's primrose, a gorgeous wildflower that loves moist areas, appeared in rivulets from recently melted snow and on moist slopes above the lake.
Across the valley, we saw a single snowboard track down the center of this lingering snowpatch. It's not clear on the image below, but it was visible to the naked eye.
Wyoming's highest mountain is 13.804-foot Gannett Peak in the Wind River Range, and the 13,775-foot Grand Teton, the centerpiece of spectacular Grand Teton National Park is runnerup. At 12,013 feet, Medicine Bow Peak is not even in the same elevation league. Still, with a location in the scenic Snowy Range of south-central Wyoming, it has lured my husband, Ral, and me three times in th past few years. The first time, we left Boulder in the pitch-dark, began climbing early from the Lake Marie Trailhead but were only about half-way across the flat broad mountaintop before being spooked by lightning visible in every direction and retreated. The second time, we spent the night in Fort Collins and thought we had a head start, but again, the weather closed in when we were crossing the top, and again we turned around. This past weekend, accompanied by our Boulder friends Andrea and Dana, we wanted to try for a third time. To be closer to the trailhead, we spent the night at the Old Corral Hotel in Centennial, Our plan was to ascend via the shortest, steepest route from Lewis Lake to reach the highest point -- roughly 1,200 feet of elevation gain in considerably less than 2 miles. Heavy clouds filled the sky, even in the morning, so it wasn't looking good. Our immediate destination was the junction with the trail to the summit -- just in case the clouds lifted and the sun emerged. They didn't.
Lakes Trail from Lewis Lake
From the trailhead at Lewis Lake (below), we passed lakes and tarns, lingering snowfields and spectacular wildflowers that filled meadows and seasonal marshes, poked up through willows and coniferous shrubs, and magically grew on tiny ledges on rock cliffs. I'm afraid my little camera can't do justice to the splendid displays.
The three-from-one conifer below is just a few hundred feet from the Lewis Lake trailhead.
The last of winter's deep snow still lingers on August 1, but its steady melting is what makes the flowers so dazzling.
Below, death camas, which also goes by wand lily and several other names.
Pale yellow Indian paintbrush, aster, elephantilla (that's the stalk) and one of the senisios or some other yellow composite.
Queen's crown is light pink in the Snowy Range but in the Colorado Rockies is usually dark red.
I can't identify the two small flowers below from this photo, and I didn't have my tundra book with me to look them up at the time. Still, I loved seeing the tough, low-growing blue and pink blossoms side by side, literally between a rock and a hard place.
After about 1 1/4 miles, we reached a three-way trail junction and had another decision to make. We had already discarded thoughts of the the steep ascent to the summit. A second option was to continue down to Mirror Lake and return the way we came, but if the skies opened, we'd be miles from the car. The third was to retrace our steps to Lewis Lake and drive to the Mirror Lake Trailhead and start up from there.
Of course, we started chatting. And after we exchanged the usual pleasantries and questions of fellow hikers, Ed told us about what Caterpillar has been doing. As card-carrying, environ-conscious Boulderites, we were gratified to hear the company's heavy equipment is burning cleaner and more efficiently. While this doesn't make the enormous open-pit mines in Wyoming and elsewhere any easier on the eyes, at least the equipment is less polluting and using less fuel than in the past. Ed, his golf clubs and his companion headed up to the summit, while we turned back and drove around to the Mirror Lake Trailhead to check out the Lakes Trail.
Lakes Trail from Mirror Lake
The trail begins through the trees but soon Lookout Lake comes into view. Set against Medicine Bow Peak's steep eastern and rocky face where snow packed onto gullies even on the first day of August, it is a immensely scenic route.
The flowers were, if anything more abundant than on the first trail, but again, my modest camera in no way captures it. Below, avalanche lilies (aka, glacier lilies). This is a small cluster. We also saw large expanses carpeted in these lovely yellow blooms that come up in the wake of melting snow.
We saw very few blue columbines but many white ones, some with a yellowish cast, others a tad pink.
Parry's primrose, a gorgeous wildflower that loves moist areas, appeared in rivulets from recently melted snow and on moist slopes above the lake.
Across the valley, we saw a single snowboard track down the center of this lingering snowpatch. It's not clear on the image below, but it was visible to the naked eye.
A jumble of enormous quartzite boulders are landmarks along the most dramatic section of the 2.7-mile-long Lakes Trail.
The rugged scenery and the fabulous flowers chased away our initial disappointment. As my husband commented, if we had succeeded in climbing Medicine Bow Peak, we probably would never return and do these lake hikes. Now, maybe, just maybe, we will come back one more time.
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, 2468 Jackson Street, Laramie, WY 82070; 307-745-2300.
Colorado Ski License Plate Approved
Long-anticipated snowsports license plate should be available this coming fall
A few years ago, I was one of some 4,500 Coloradans who signed a petition requesting the introduction of an optional ski/snowboard license plate. Late on Thursday, April 30, the Senate approved Bill 161 authorizing this plate (the House had already passed it), and it is now awaiting Governor Bill Ritter's signature. According to Colorado Ski Country USA, which helped organize and promote the petition effort, the plate "should be available in time for next ski season." It will cost $50 in addition to the normal fee and will carry the tagline, "Ski Country USA." I'm planning to request one.
Images like the one below tend to be pretty corny, but I post this one of the quartet of VIPs smilingly posing with the plate prototype as thanks for shepherding the bill along. The photo from the Colorado Senate Majority Press Office shows CSCUSA public policy and communications manager Ari Stiller-Shulman; bill sponsor Senator Dan Gibbs, CSCUSA President and CEO Melanie Mills, and Hertz Corporation’s Southwest fleet manager Brent Lessing. The caption that came with this photo identifies the foursome "from left to right," but there are two rows, so I don't know exactly who's who. Sorry. I am guessing that Lessing's presence means that car-rental agency will order them for its Colorado fleet. After all, the company has been promoting its "skierized" cars for years.
A few years ago, I was one of some 4,500 Coloradans who signed a petition requesting the introduction of an optional ski/snowboard license plate. Late on Thursday, April 30, the Senate approved Bill 161 authorizing this plate (the House had already passed it), and it is now awaiting Governor Bill Ritter's signature. According to Colorado Ski Country USA, which helped organize and promote the petition effort, the plate "should be available in time for next ski season." It will cost $50 in addition to the normal fee and will carry the tagline, "Ski Country USA." I'm planning to request one.
Images like the one below tend to be pretty corny, but I post this one of the quartet of VIPs smilingly posing with the plate prototype as thanks for shepherding the bill along. The photo from the Colorado Senate Majority Press Office shows CSCUSA public policy and communications manager Ari Stiller-Shulman; bill sponsor Senator Dan Gibbs, CSCUSA President and CEO Melanie Mills, and Hertz Corporation’s Southwest fleet manager Brent Lessing. The caption that came with this photo identifies the foursome "from left to right," but there are two rows, so I don't know exactly who's who. Sorry. I am guessing that Lessing's presence means that car-rental agency will order them for its Colorado fleet. After all, the company has been promoting its "skierized" cars for years.
25 Nisan 2011 Pazartesi
World's Best Airports
The Airports Council International recently released its annual lists of the world's best airports, based on customer satisfaction surveys conducted on-site. Some 200,000 such surveys are regularly conducted throughout the year. Asia took the top four spots, with Halifax, Nova Scotia, finishing the top five list:
THE WORLD'S TOP FIVE
1) Incheon, South Korea (ICN)
2) Singapore (SIN)
3) Hong Kong (HKG)
4) Central Japan (NGO)
5) Halifax (YHZ)
BEST AIRPORT BY REGION
Africa
1) George (GRJ)
2) Port Elizabeth (PLZ)
3) Cape Town (CPT)
4) Johannesburg (JNB)
5) Durban (DUR)
Asia-Pacific
1) Incheon (ICN)
2) Singapore (SIN)
3) Hong Kong (HKG)
4) Central Japan (NGO)
5) Taipei (TPE)
Europe
1) Zurich (ZRH)
2) Southampton (SOU)
3) Porto, Portugal (OPO)
4) Keflavik, Iceland (KEF)
5) Moscow Domodedovo (DME)
Latin America & Caribbean
1) Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE)
2) Cancun (CUN)
3) San José, Costa Rica (SJO)
4) Mexico City (MEX)
5) Lima (LIM)
Middle East
1) Tel Aviv (TLV)
2) Abu Dhabi (AUH)
3) Doha, Qatar (DOH)
North America
1) Halifax (YHZ)
2) Ottawa (YOW)
3) Austin (AUS)
4) Houston Hobby (HOU)
5) Jacksonville (JAX)
BEST AIRPORT BY SIZE
fewer than 5 million passengers
1) Halifax (YHZ)
2) Ottawa (YOW)
3) Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE)
4) George, South Africa (GRJ)
5) Southampton (SOU)
5 – 15 million passengers
1) Central Japan (NGO)
2) Tel Aviv (TLV)
3) Austin (AUS)
4) Houston Hobby (HOU)
5) Jacksonville (JAX)
15 – 25 million passengers
1) Taipei (TPE)
2) Zurich (ZRH)
3) San Diego (SAN)
4) Moscow Domodedovo (DME)
5) Vancouver (YVR)
25 – 40 million passengers
1) Incheon (ICN)
2) Singapore (SIN)
3) Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP)
4) Detroit Metropolitan (DTW)
5) Shanghai Pudong (PVG)
more than 40 million passengers
1) Hong Kong (HKG)
2) Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
3) Beijing (PEK)
4) Denver (DEN)
5) Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK)
THE WORLD'S TOP FIVE
1) Incheon, South Korea (ICN)
2) Singapore (SIN)
3) Hong Kong (HKG)
4) Central Japan (NGO)
5) Halifax (YHZ)
BEST AIRPORT BY REGION
Africa
1) George (GRJ)
2) Port Elizabeth (PLZ)
3) Cape Town (CPT)
4) Johannesburg (JNB)
5) Durban (DUR)
Asia-Pacific
1) Incheon (ICN)
2) Singapore (SIN)
3) Hong Kong (HKG)
4) Central Japan (NGO)
5) Taipei (TPE)
Europe
1) Zurich (ZRH)
2) Southampton (SOU)
3) Porto, Portugal (OPO)
4) Keflavik, Iceland (KEF)
5) Moscow Domodedovo (DME)
Latin America & Caribbean
1) Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE)
2) Cancun (CUN)
3) San José, Costa Rica (SJO)
4) Mexico City (MEX)
5) Lima (LIM)
Middle East
1) Tel Aviv (TLV)
2) Abu Dhabi (AUH)
3) Doha, Qatar (DOH)
North America
1) Halifax (YHZ)
2) Ottawa (YOW)
3) Austin (AUS)
4) Houston Hobby (HOU)
5) Jacksonville (JAX)
BEST AIRPORT BY SIZE
fewer than 5 million passengers
1) Halifax (YHZ)
2) Ottawa (YOW)
3) Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE)
4) George, South Africa (GRJ)
5) Southampton (SOU)
5 – 15 million passengers
1) Central Japan (NGO)
2) Tel Aviv (TLV)
3) Austin (AUS)
4) Houston Hobby (HOU)
5) Jacksonville (JAX)
15 – 25 million passengers
1) Taipei (TPE)
2) Zurich (ZRH)
3) San Diego (SAN)
4) Moscow Domodedovo (DME)
5) Vancouver (YVR)
25 – 40 million passengers
1) Incheon (ICN)
2) Singapore (SIN)
3) Minneapolis St. Paul (MSP)
4) Detroit Metropolitan (DTW)
5) Shanghai Pudong (PVG)
more than 40 million passengers
1) Hong Kong (HKG)
2) Dallas Fort Worth (DFW)
3) Beijing (PEK)
4) Denver (DEN)
5) Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (BKK)
24 Nisan 2011 Pazar
Denver International Airport Unveils Calatrava Addition
$650 is the current price tag for Phase I and $950 for finishing DIA's original concept
Come 2016, assuming a dramatic proposal is approved, Denver International Airport (DEN) should have what travelers to and from many (if not most) major world airports take for granted: a hotel attached to the terminal and a rail connection with the downtown core of their respective cities and, in countries with decent train service, beyond -- all wrapped up in a dramatic sweeping new-for-Denver international style designed to complement the existing main terminal topped with a little Teflon range of peak-like tents..
It's about time, considering that DIA is the 10th-busiest airport in the world and the fifth-busiest in the US. Officials have revealed the conceptual design of what will be called the South Terminal designed by superstar architect Santiago Calatrava. The rail link is to be via RTD’s FasTracks East Corridor, which is also to be built. Calatrava's shop has designed a train station, a signature rail bridge (below) and a plaza. A 500-room hotel and conference center (probably to be branded by Westin) connected to Jeppesen Terminal is also part of the plan, which was originally part of DIA concept when the airport was still on the drawing boards some two decades ago.
The hotel, the landmark bridge and the train station, known as Phase I of the South Terminal Redevelopment Program Phase I, are estimated to cost $650 million. Phase II includes another new parking structure and renovations to the Jeppesen Terminal Great Hall, which was designed before the age of haute security with screening area clutter imposed on what was originally envisioned as an expansive, soaring futuristic space. Maybe in the process of renovating the terminal, someone will also figure out what to do with the terminal's center design element that had been a fountain of dancing waters and an indoor planter. It has been plagued by leaks and other flaws, which are inconsequential to the airport's operations but do impact on the passengers' aesthetic experiences. Phase II, if/when implemented, could cost an additional $250 million.
Calatrava has designed visually stunning and instantly recognizable structures such as the Sundial Bridge in Redding, California, the TGV Railway Station in Liège, Belgium, the new Sondica Airport terminal in Bilbao, Spain, and the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. With Calatrava's name attached to so much of the project, the name of the hotel architect, "Gensler," kind of gets lost in the wash. It too is a global design and architecture firm.
The projected timetable is for the signature rail bridge to be finished by early 2013, the terminal station two years later and RTD’s train itself scheduled begin carrying passengers between Denver Union Station and the airport in 2016. The 22.8-mile airport corridor is the first for RTD to use commuter rail technology, with larger and heavier cars than the existing light rail system. Click here for more information,including the project description and additional renderings.
Come 2016, assuming a dramatic proposal is approved, Denver International Airport (DEN) should have what travelers to and from many (if not most) major world airports take for granted: a hotel attached to the terminal and a rail connection with the downtown core of their respective cities and, in countries with decent train service, beyond -- all wrapped up in a dramatic sweeping new-for-Denver international style designed to complement the existing main terminal topped with a little Teflon range of peak-like tents..
It's about time, considering that DIA is the 10th-busiest airport in the world and the fifth-busiest in the US. Officials have revealed the conceptual design of what will be called the South Terminal designed by superstar architect Santiago Calatrava. The rail link is to be via RTD’s FasTracks East Corridor, which is also to be built. Calatrava's shop has designed a train station, a signature rail bridge (below) and a plaza. A 500-room hotel and conference center (probably to be branded by Westin) connected to Jeppesen Terminal is also part of the plan, which was originally part of DIA concept when the airport was still on the drawing boards some two decades ago.
The hotel, the landmark bridge and the train station, known as Phase I of the South Terminal Redevelopment Program Phase I, are estimated to cost $650 million. Phase II includes another new parking structure and renovations to the Jeppesen Terminal Great Hall, which was designed before the age of haute security with screening area clutter imposed on what was originally envisioned as an expansive, soaring futuristic space. Maybe in the process of renovating the terminal, someone will also figure out what to do with the terminal's center design element that had been a fountain of dancing waters and an indoor planter. It has been plagued by leaks and other flaws, which are inconsequential to the airport's operations but do impact on the passengers' aesthetic experiences. Phase II, if/when implemented, could cost an additional $250 million.
Calatrava has designed visually stunning and instantly recognizable structures such as the Sundial Bridge in Redding, California, the TGV Railway Station in Liège, Belgium, the new Sondica Airport terminal in Bilbao, Spain, and the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. With Calatrava's name attached to so much of the project, the name of the hotel architect, "Gensler," kind of gets lost in the wash. It too is a global design and architecture firm.
The projected timetable is for the signature rail bridge to be finished by early 2013, the terminal station two years later and RTD’s train itself scheduled begin carrying passengers between Denver Union Station and the airport in 2016. The 22.8-mile airport corridor is the first for RTD to use commuter rail technology, with larger and heavier cars than the existing light rail system. Click here for more information,including the project description and additional renderings.
Travel Thumbnail: Terry Bison Ranch
Tourist attraction attached to serious working ranch
This is the ninth of a series of periodic reports on specific places I've visited -- and which you might want see to as well.
The Place: Terry Bison Ranch, south of Cheyenne, Wyoming
The Backstory: Often when we have visitors from overseas or the East Coast, I or we take them to Cheyenne for a better glimpse of a real Western town to show how it resembles and how it differs from the Wild West they've read about and seen on large and small screens. Just after crossing the Colorado-Wyoming border, I generally pull off the Interstate at the Terry Bison Ranch exit. We drive into the visitor part of the ranch and almost always spot some bison, This is actually pretty easy to do, since the "tickler herd" is kept nearby for visitors to look at and photograph. Still, it is always a thrill to see the shaggy beasts, and then we move on. A few days ago, during a Frontier Days visit to Cheyenne, I did some of the touristy things the Terry Bison Ranch offers and learned more about this impressive operation. Sure, the ranch is touristy, but it does provide a predictable bison-viewing opportunity that doesn't exist in too many places -- and considering how many accents I heard and T-shirts from other parts of the country I spotted on the train, predictability is a good thing. A squadron of pink T-shirted day campers was also on the train, and although are little locals, they were excited to be on the train and thrilled to be able to toss food to the bison.
The Story: Chris Terry established the ranch 1881 and built the original ranch house was built four years later. Eventually, Terry sold it to Senator F.E. Morgan, whose elegant city home in the heart of Cheyenne is now a bed-and-breakfast called the Nagle Warren Mansion, where I stayed. Click here for the report on my stay. This huge ranch rambles across the high plains under the big blue dome.
The Place: The tourist part (properly called Terry Bison Ranch Resort) is an adjunct to the enormous 27,000-acre Iron Mountain Bison Ranch where thousands of bison graze to become such meat products as ribs, chuck roast, steaks, brats, buffalo chili and nuggets marketed under the Great Range Bison label. I think of this set-up like the front and back of the house in a restaurant or theater -- the resort is the front of the house that the public sees and the back is the working part. Two brothers, Ron and Dan Thiel, respectively own the public and working-ranch operations. Taken as a whole, the ranch is so intertwined with the history and important people of southern Wyoming that its sign (above left) bears more than passing resemblance to the Wyoming state flag.
The Experience: Summer is high season at the Terry Bison Ranch Resort, which is family-friendly and also accommodates groups. You'll find a general store stocked with souvenirs and basic groceries, trail rides, a small rodeo arena, a tiny fishing pond, old-time photo studio and assorted accommodations for people (cabins, 13-room bunkhouse, RV sites, tent camping sites) and horses (boarding stalls indoor and outdoor stalls, with or without hay). You'll also find Kid Corral, a rustic children's playground with old-style, non-plastic apparatus, pony rides, small Ferris wheel and a little barrel train (tickets required).
The main attraction for casual visitors is the Terry Town Rail Express (adults $12, children , which rambles along a two-mile loop track to the small show herd, passing corrals housing such exotic animals as ostriches, llamas and camels. Guests ride in open cars in summer and in a smaller, heated enclosed one in winter. Bags of feed pellets cost $1, and children of all ages from tots to grannies enjoy tossing them out to the animals in the bison pasture. The herd lumbers over during the lengthy stop, because they like the pellets. Even in this controlled situation, you can see alpha bulls chasing others away from a good pellet drop zone.
Most people like to look at the animals, and others like to shoot them. Looking at this tender Terry Mountain Ranch scene of a mother bison and her calf, it is hard for those of us who don't hunt to envision raising a rifle and shooting one like here at the neighboring Iron Mountain Ranch. But for those who thrill at going for big game, Iron Mountain offers guided hunts for $500-$5,000.
The train respectfully passes the grave of Tinker the Bull, the ranch's majestic stud bison who died earlier this year of old age at 35. In 1986, Ron Thin bought Tinker, a champion bull of the North Dakota Bison Association, to be the breeding bull for Terry Bison Ranch. Visitors marveled at this 2,300-pound bison bull who, in his 31 years of breeding, is estimated to have sired about 1,200 calves.
Dining: The Senator's Steakhouse and Wild Buffalo Saloon near the Terry Bison Ranch entrance has a barn-like atmosphere, with high ceilings, lots of wood, red-checked tablecloths and lots of Western antiques and artifacts. "Taste Ticklers" and lunch items are served from 11:00 a.m. to closing, and dinner items are also available beginning at 5:00 p.m. Bison is available in numerous forms, and even people who could never shoot one enjoy eating the meat. Bison burgers, bison bratwurst, bison rib eye, bison short ribs and buffalo meatloaf. The restaurant also offers beef, chicken (called "Yardbird"), seafood and even vegetarian options. Appetizers and side dishes are heavy on fried items. Also available are a soup and salad bar, good TBR beans, a kids' menu, desserts and a full bar.
Location and contact information: 51 I-25 Service Rd East (Wyoming Exit 2), Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007; 307- 634-4171
This is the ninth of a series of periodic reports on specific places I've visited -- and which you might want see to as well.
The Place: Terry Bison Ranch, south of Cheyenne, Wyoming
The Story: Chris Terry established the ranch 1881 and built the original ranch house was built four years later. Eventually, Terry sold it to Senator F.E. Morgan, whose elegant city home in the heart of Cheyenne is now a bed-and-breakfast called the Nagle Warren Mansion, where I stayed. Click here for the report on my stay. This huge ranch rambles across the high plains under the big blue dome.
The Place: The tourist part (properly called Terry Bison Ranch Resort) is an adjunct to the enormous 27,000-acre Iron Mountain Bison Ranch where thousands of bison graze to become such meat products as ribs, chuck roast, steaks, brats, buffalo chili and nuggets marketed under the Great Range Bison label. I think of this set-up like the front and back of the house in a restaurant or theater -- the resort is the front of the house that the public sees and the back is the working part. Two brothers, Ron and Dan Thiel, respectively own the public and working-ranch operations. Taken as a whole, the ranch is so intertwined with the history and important people of southern Wyoming that its sign (above left) bears more than passing resemblance to the Wyoming state flag.
The Experience: Summer is high season at the Terry Bison Ranch Resort, which is family-friendly and also accommodates groups. You'll find a general store stocked with souvenirs and basic groceries, trail rides, a small rodeo arena, a tiny fishing pond, old-time photo studio and assorted accommodations for people (cabins, 13-room bunkhouse, RV sites, tent camping sites) and horses (boarding stalls indoor and outdoor stalls, with or without hay). You'll also find Kid Corral, a rustic children's playground with old-style, non-plastic apparatus, pony rides, small Ferris wheel and a little barrel train (tickets required).
The main attraction for casual visitors is the Terry Town Rail Express (adults $12, children , which rambles along a two-mile loop track to the small show herd, passing corrals housing such exotic animals as ostriches, llamas and camels. Guests ride in open cars in summer and in a smaller, heated enclosed one in winter. Bags of feed pellets cost $1, and children of all ages from tots to grannies enjoy tossing them out to the animals in the bison pasture. The herd lumbers over during the lengthy stop, because they like the pellets. Even in this controlled situation, you can see alpha bulls chasing others away from a good pellet drop zone.
Most people like to look at the animals, and others like to shoot them. Looking at this tender Terry Mountain Ranch scene of a mother bison and her calf, it is hard for those of us who don't hunt to envision raising a rifle and shooting one like here at the neighboring Iron Mountain Ranch. But for those who thrill at going for big game, Iron Mountain offers guided hunts for $500-$5,000.
The train respectfully passes the grave of Tinker the Bull, the ranch's majestic stud bison who died earlier this year of old age at 35. In 1986, Ron Thin bought Tinker, a champion bull of the North Dakota Bison Association, to be the breeding bull for Terry Bison Ranch. Visitors marveled at this 2,300-pound bison bull who, in his 31 years of breeding, is estimated to have sired about 1,200 calves.
Dining: The Senator's Steakhouse and Wild Buffalo Saloon near the Terry Bison Ranch entrance has a barn-like atmosphere, with high ceilings, lots of wood, red-checked tablecloths and lots of Western antiques and artifacts. "Taste Ticklers" and lunch items are served from 11:00 a.m. to closing, and dinner items are also available beginning at 5:00 p.m. Bison is available in numerous forms, and even people who could never shoot one enjoy eating the meat. Bison burgers, bison bratwurst, bison rib eye, bison short ribs and buffalo meatloaf. The restaurant also offers beef, chicken (called "Yardbird"), seafood and even vegetarian options. Appetizers and side dishes are heavy on fried items. Also available are a soup and salad bar, good TBR beans, a kids' menu, desserts and a full bar.
Location and contact information: 51 I-25 Service Rd East (Wyoming Exit 2), Cheyenne, Wyoming 82007; 307- 634-4171
National Trust's Endangered Places List
Mid-century hotel, crumbling hangar, historic bridge all make "the list" of threatened places
One of the saddest lists to be issued annual is the National Trust for 
Historic Preservation's annual list of the country's most endangered places. Some are considered obsolete, in need upgrading or replacing. Sometimes historic places are falling apart due to remoteness, neglect and a lack of money or caring to maintain them. Sometimes it's just the opposite because the land is deemed more valuable to developers than as a physical link to our past. Here are the 11 most endangered places on the 2009 list -- the Trust's 22nd annual list:
Century Plaza Hotel - Los Angeles (right)
Miami Marine Stadium - Miami
Dorchester Academy- Midway, Georgia
Lāna'i City - Lanai, Hawaii
Unity Temple - Oak Park, Illinois
Ames Shovel Shops - Easton, Massachusetts
Memorial Bridge- between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine
Mount Taylor - Grants, New Mexico
Human Services Center - Yankton, Sout Dakota
Cast-Iron Architecture - Galveston, Texas
The Manhattan Project's Enola Gay Hangar -Wendover, Utah
Historic Preservation's annual list of the country's most endangered places. Some are considered obsolete, in need upgrading or replacing. Sometimes historic places are falling apart due to remoteness, neglect and a lack of money or caring to maintain them. Sometimes it's just the opposite because the land is deemed more valuable to developers than as a physical link to our past. Here are the 11 most endangered places on the 2009 list -- the Trust's 22nd annual list:Century Plaza Hotel - Los Angeles (right)
Miami Marine Stadium - Miami
Dorchester Academy- Midway, Georgia
Lāna'i City - Lanai, Hawaii
Unity Temple - Oak Park, Illinois
Ames Shovel Shops - Easton, Massachusetts
Memorial Bridge- between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Kittery, Maine
Mount Taylor - Grants, New Mexico
Human Services Center - Yankton, Sout Dakota
Cast-Iron Architecture - Galveston, Texas
The Manhattan Project's Enola Gay Hangar -Wendover, Utah
23 Nisan 2011 Cumartesi
Mexico: Swine Flu Fears
Outbreak in Mexico sets off pandemic in cyberspace impacts travel to Mexico
Associated Press headline: "Mexico swine flu deaths spur global epidemic fears." About one thousand cases (and 81 deaths) in Mexico, mostly in Mexico City, the capital, "where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in the capital on Friday to try to contain an outbreak that has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.The worrisome new virus — which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before." Eight cases, more or less (but no deaths), in California and Texas.
Associated Press headline: "Mexico swine flu deaths spur global epidemic fears." About one thousand cases (and 81 deaths) in Mexico, mostly in Mexico City, the capital, "where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in the capital on Friday to try to contain an outbreak that has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.The worrisome new virus — which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before." Eight cases, more or less (but no deaths), in California and Texas.
- People photographed wearing face masks.
- Caution to "avoid hospitals" in Mexico City, since they are breeding grounds for contagions. Caution against handshaking or cheek-to-cheek kissing as a greeting.
- Pasesengers at Mexico City's international airport questioned to try to prevent passengers with flu symptoms from boarding airplanes and spreading the disease.
- Concern at the World Health Organization, which is "convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic alert level or issue travel advisories. It might already be too late to contain the outbreak, a prominent U.S. pandemic flu expert said late Friday. Given how quickly flu can spread around the globe, if these are the first signs of a pandemic, then there are probably cases incubating around the world already, said Dr. Michael Osterholm at the University of Minnesota," according the AP report.
For travelers, where's the line between reasonable precautions and unreasonable fear? Everyone has to make his or her own decision, but for my part, I can think of a lot of reasons to avoid the congested and confusing airport in Mexico City if at all possible. I traveled to China in 2003, not long after SARS hit there. And, I attended the Society of American Travel Writers convention in Houston last October, where many of my colleagues came down with similar symptoms (mostly fever, vomiting and diarrhea). I didn't contract SARS in China in '03 or turista in Texas in '08, so I'm probably no yardstick.
Travel to Mexico has already been slammed by the recesssion and by reports of drug-related violence in border cities, far from tourist destinations. Now this. Bottom line, again, is that each traveler has to assess the decision, but there are great values to be had. And, for what it's worth, the American Medical & Health Tourism Conference is going on right now in Monterrey, according to a report on the Mexico Vacation Travels blog site. Click here for the New York Times report on steps Mexico is taking to curtail the spread of swine flu.
22 Nisan 2011 Cuma
Cheyenne Frontier Days Evokes the Old West
"The Daddy of 'Em All" provides a lot of rodeo action and bang for the buck
I've been to the National Western Stock Show any number of times. I've also seen rodeo action at the Greeley Stampede, in Steamboat Springs, Snowmass and elsewhere in Colorado and Wyoming. And in late in winter, I've visited the Old West Museum in Cheyenne's Frontier Park with its wonderful carriage collection and celebration of the rodeo lifestyle. But until yesterday, I'd never been in Cheyenne for Frontier Days, the world's largest outdoor rodeo -- which is kind of embarrassing to myself since I live just 90 miles away and have intended to go for years.
Finally, that situation was rectified at yesterday's opening of the 114th Cheyenne Frontier Days, whose slogan is "The Daddy of 'Em All." The day began with a terrific parade highlighted by horses, carriages, wagons, vintage autos, marching bands and more. Elected and appoint officials, as well as the Frontier Days committee chairs, paraded on horseback or in antique carriages to validate Wyoming's nickname, "the Cowboy State."
Then off to Frontier Park for a behind-the-chutes tour and a chance to walk on the soft earth of the rodeo grounds, see the chutes up close and hear a good explanation of rodeo events. Yesterday's rodeo, played before an audience that nearly filled the 17,000-seat stadium featured three rounds each of steer wrestling, team roping and bareback bronc riding. Last night, Brooks and Dunn played during their final tour, and later in the week, the bull riders (below) take over for two nights of adrenalin action.
I was impressed with the Indian Village. The dancers were wonderful, and the emcee, Sandy Ironcloud, a Northern Arapaho who teaches at the Wind River Indian College, not only introduced the Little Sun Drum and Dance Group (many of whom are her relatives), but also explained the dances, the symbolism and the costumes. The Indians (and they don't appear to want to be called Native Americans) bring what Sandy Ironcloud calls "our babies" to dance and carry on the traditions and share them with us too. Her words were very inclusive, embracing and inviting. Click on the arrow below to see a short video, one of a series of eight that I found on YouTube.
From a consumerist viewpoint, I was also so taken with how much at Frontier Days is free or inexpensive that, when I came home yesterday evening, I wrote a post for MileHighOnTheCheap.com, a site in partner, citing all the free and bargain activities and attractions. Click here for that post.
Cheyenne Frontier Days continues through Sunday, August 1 this year. I will have lived in Colorado for 22 years on August 15, and you can bet that it won't be another 22 years before I return to Frontier Days.
I've been to the National Western Stock Show any number of times. I've also seen rodeo action at the Greeley Stampede, in Steamboat Springs, Snowmass and elsewhere in Colorado and Wyoming. And in late in winter, I've visited the Old West Museum in Cheyenne's Frontier Park with its wonderful carriage collection and celebration of the rodeo lifestyle. But until yesterday, I'd never been in Cheyenne for Frontier Days, the world's largest outdoor rodeo -- which is kind of embarrassing to myself since I live just 90 miles away and have intended to go for years.
Finally, that situation was rectified at yesterday's opening of the 114th Cheyenne Frontier Days, whose slogan is "The Daddy of 'Em All." The day began with a terrific parade highlighted by horses, carriages, wagons, vintage autos, marching bands and more. Elected and appoint officials, as well as the Frontier Days committee chairs, paraded on horseback or in antique carriages to validate Wyoming's nickname, "the Cowboy State."
Then off to Frontier Park for a behind-the-chutes tour and a chance to walk on the soft earth of the rodeo grounds, see the chutes up close and hear a good explanation of rodeo events. Yesterday's rodeo, played before an audience that nearly filled the 17,000-seat stadium featured three rounds each of steer wrestling, team roping and bareback bronc riding. Last night, Brooks and Dunn played during their final tour, and later in the week, the bull riders (below) take over for two nights of adrenalin action.
I was impressed with the Indian Village. The dancers were wonderful, and the emcee, Sandy Ironcloud, a Northern Arapaho who teaches at the Wind River Indian College, not only introduced the Little Sun Drum and Dance Group (many of whom are her relatives), but also explained the dances, the symbolism and the costumes. The Indians (and they don't appear to want to be called Native Americans) bring what Sandy Ironcloud calls "our babies" to dance and carry on the traditions and share them with us too. Her words were very inclusive, embracing and inviting. Click on the arrow below to see a short video, one of a series of eight that I found on YouTube.
From a consumerist viewpoint, I was also so taken with how much at Frontier Days is free or inexpensive that, when I came home yesterday evening, I wrote a post for MileHighOnTheCheap.com, a site in partner, citing all the free and bargain activities and attractions. Click here for that post.
Cheyenne Frontier Days continues through Sunday, August 1 this year. I will have lived in Colorado for 22 years on August 15, and you can bet that it won't be another 22 years before I return to Frontier Days.
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