1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
|
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html dir="ltr" lang="en-US">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<title>Luxagraf | Travel Writing from Around the World -- Page 2</title>
<meta name="description"
content="Travel writing, essays and dispatches from around the world Page 2">
<meta name="author" content="Scott Gilbertson">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
<!--[if IE]>
<script src="/js/html5css3ie.min.js"></script>
<![endif]-->
<link rel="alternate"
type="application/rss+xml"
title="Luxagraf RSS feed"
href="https://luxagraf.net/rss/">
<link rel="stylesheet"
href="/media/screenv8.css"
media="screen">
<!--[if IE]>
<link rel="stylesheet"
href="/media/css/ie.css"
media="screen">
<![endif]-->
</head>
<body id="writing">
<div class="wrapper">
<div class="header-wrapper">
<header role="banner">
<h1><a id="logo" href="/" title="home">Luxagraf</a></h1>
<h2>Walk Slowly</h2>
</header>
<nav role="navigation" class="bl">
<ul>
<li id="stories"><a href="/writing/" title="An archive of writings from around the world">Writing</a></li>
<li id="photos"><a href="/photos/" title="Photos from travels around the world">Photos</a></li>
<!--<li id="guides"><a href="/travel-guide/1/" title="Travel Guides, Tips, Tricks and Recommendations">Guides</a>,</li>-->
<li id="notes"><a href="/notes/" title="Shorter thoughts, sometimes syndicated to twitter">Notes</a></li>
<li id="maps"><a href="/map" title="Maps and miscellanea">Map</a></li>
<li id="projects" ><a href="/projects/" title="Luxagraf: Projects">Projects</a></li>
<li id="etc" class="last"><a href="/about" title="About Luxagraf">Etc</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
</div>
<ul class="bl" id="breadcrumbs" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Breadcrumb">
<li><a href="/" title="luxagraf homepage" itemprop="url"><span itemprop="title">Home</span></a> → </li>
<li>Writing </li>
</ul>
<main role="main" id="writing-archive" class="archive">
<h1 class="hide">Writing Archive </h1>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd first">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2010/07/why-national-parks-are-better-state-parks" title="Why National Parks Are Better Than State Parks"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2010/palodura.jpg" alt="Why National Parks Are Better Than State Parks" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2010/07/why-national-parks-are-better-state-parks" class="u-url" title="Why National Parks Are Better Than State Parks">Why National Parks Are Better Than State Parks</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2010-07-15T10:00:00">July <span>15, 2010</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Amarillo</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Texas</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="35.18854030957816"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-101.9194793559329"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
There are many reasons, but here's the one I currently consider most important: National Parks never close. Take Palo Dura State park outside of Amarillo, Texas. Were it a National Park, I would be there right now. But it's not, it's a state park and so I'm sitting in a hotel room in Amarillo because everyone knows nature closes at 10PM.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even second">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2010/07/legend-billy-the-kid" title="The Legend of Billy the Kid"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2010/billythekidmuseum.jpg" alt="The Legend of Billy the Kid" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2010/07/legend-billy-the-kid" class="u-url" title="The Legend of Billy the Kid">The Legend of Billy the Kid</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2010-07-11T18:00:00">July <span>11, 2010</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Hico</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Texas</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="31.981920692582488"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-98.03087709969479"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
History rarely offers neat, tidy stories. But the messier, more confusing and more controversial the story becomes, the more it works its way into our imaginations. The legend of Billy the Kid is like that of Amelia Earhart or D.B. Cooper — the less we know for sure, the more compelling the story becomes.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd third">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2010/07/dixie-drug-store" title="The Dixie Drug Store"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2010/nopharmacymuseum01.jpg" alt="The Dixie Drug Store" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2010/07/dixie-drug-store" class="u-url" title="The Dixie Drug Store">The Dixie Drug Store</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2010-07-08T17:00:00">July <span>8, 2010</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">New Orleans</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Louisiana</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="29.955903613807074"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-90.06511865792525"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
New Orleans is it's own world. So much so that's it's impossible to put your finger on what it is that makes it different. New Orleans is a place where the line between consensus reality and private dream seems to have never fully developed. And a wonderful world it is.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even first">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2010/07/begin-the-begin" title="Begin the Begin"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2010/gulf_port_beach.jpg" alt="Begin the Begin" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2010/07/begin-the-begin" class="u-url" title="Begin the Begin">Begin the Begin</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2010-07-05T22:00:00">July <span>5, 2010</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Gulf Port</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Mississippi</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="30.380400296597216"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-89.03081058216594"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
It's travel time again. This time I'm driving my 1969 Ford truck out west, to Texas, Colorado, Utah and more — a road trip around the western United States. The first stop is Gulf Port, Mississippi. It's hard to believe, sitting here on the deserted beaches of Gulf Shore, watching the sun break through the ominous clouds, but soon this beauty will be gone. The BP oil spill is somewhere out there, blown slowly ashore by the storm hovering over us, waiting to drown the beaches in crude.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd second">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2010/05/los-angeles-im-yours" title="Los Angeles, I'm Yours"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2010/launionsubway.jpg" alt="Los Angeles, I'm Yours" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2010/05/los-angeles-im-yours" class="u-url" title="Los Angeles, I'm Yours">Los Angeles, I’m Yours</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2010-05-17T16:43:18">May <span>17, 2010</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Los Angeles</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">California</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="34.05582387432624"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-118.23588250455148"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
Los Angeles is all about the car. Shiny, air-conditioned comfort, gliding you soundlessly from one place to another without the need to interact with anything in between. But I have discovered that if you abandon the car for the subway and your own two feet, the illusion that L.A. is just a model train set world — tiny, plastic and devoid of any ground beneath the ground — fades and you find yourself, for a time, in a real city.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even third">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2010/04/death-valley" title="(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2010/deathvalley.jpg" alt="(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2010/04/death-valley" class="u-url" title="(There'll Be) Peace in the Valley">(There’ll Be) Peace in the Valley</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2010-04-24T11:45:59">April <span>24, 2010</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Death Valley</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">California</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="36.42090257717807"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-116.80985925955854"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
Sometimes you ignore the places close to home because, well, there's always next weekend. Which is why I never made it Death Valley in the twenty-five years I lived in California. It took being all the way across the country to get me out to Death Valley. Which might explain why I actually got up before dawn just to watch the sunrise at Zabriskie Point.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd first">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2010/03/so-far-i-have-not-found-science" title="So Far, I Have Not Found The Science"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2010/okeefenokee.jpg" alt="So Far, I Have Not Found The Science" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2010/03/so-far-i-have-not-found-science" class="u-url" title="So Far, I Have Not Found The Science">So Far, I Have Not Found The Science</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2010-03-13T12:50:48">March <span>13, 2010</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Okefenokee Swamp</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Georgia</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="30.913415518451895"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-82.1832228795993"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
A canoe trip through the Okefenokee Swamp down in the southern most corner of Georgia. Paddling the strange reddish and incredibly still waters. Begging alligators, aching muscles and the kindly folks of Stintson's Barbecue all getting their due.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even second">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2009/05/how-to-get-your-butt-and-travel-world" title="How to Get Off Your Butt and Travel the World"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2009/traveltheworld.jpg" alt="How to Get Off Your Butt and Travel the World" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2009/05/how-to-get-your-butt-and-travel-world" class="u-url" title="How to Get Off Your Butt and Travel the World">How to Get Off Your Butt and Travel the World</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2009-05-03T19:39:16">May <span>3, 2009</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Athens</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Georgia</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="33.95763520280544"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-83.40871809752001"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
How do you make the leap from cubicle daydreams to life on to the road? You want to travel the world, but, like me, you have a million excuses stopping you. How do overcome the inertia that keeps you trapped in a life that isn't what you want it to be? Here's a few practical tips and how tos designed to motivate you to get off your butt and travel the world.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd third">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2009/04/strangers-on-a-train" title="No Strangers on a Train"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2009/strangersonatrain.jpg" alt="No Strangers on a Train" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2009/04/strangers-on-a-train" class="u-url" title="No Strangers on a Train">No Strangers on a Train</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2009-04-13T19:36:13">April <span>13, 2009</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Athens</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Georgia</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="33.95818694160937"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-83.40824602873336"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
We mythologize trains because they harken back to an age of community travel, a real, tangible community of travelers, not just backpackers, but people from all walks of life, people traveling near and far together in a shared space that isn't locked down like an airplane and isn't isolated like a car; it's a shared travel experience and there are precious few of those left in our world.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even first">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/12/leonardo-da-vinci-and-codex-bunnies" title="Leonardo Da Vinci and the Codex on Bunnies"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2009/codexofbunnies.jpg" alt="Leonardo Da Vinci and the Codex on Bunnies" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/12/leonardo-da-vinci-and-codex-bunnies" class="u-url" title="Leonardo Da Vinci and the Codex on Bunnies">Leonardo Da Vinci and the Codex on Bunnies</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-12-09T18:18:33">December <span>9, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Birmingham</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Alabama</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="33.521441993672646"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-86.81079982502803"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
A few pages from Leonardo Da Vinci's notebooks make a rare trip outside Italy, to Birmingham, AL, of all places. But the Birmingham Museum of Art is home to far more alarming works of art, works which depict the eventual, inevitable, bunny takeover, after which all the elements of our reality will be replaced by bunnies. Seriously. You heard it here first.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd second">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/10/elkmont-and-great-smoky-mountains" title="Elkmont and the Great Smoky Mountains"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/reflectedtrees.jpg" alt="Elkmont and the Great Smoky Mountains" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/10/elkmont-and-great-smoky-mountains" class="u-url" title="Elkmont and the Great Smoky Mountains">Elkmont and the Great Smoky Mountains</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-10-31T15:16:13">October <span>31, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Great Smoky Mountains</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Tennessee</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="35.680446234758236"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-83.65024565485956"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
Pigeon Forge is Myrtle Beach in the mountains. Redneck weddings cascade straight out of the chapel and into the mini golf reception area. Pigeon Forge is everything that's wrong with America. But we aren't here for Pigeon Forge, it just happens to have a free condo we're staying in. We're here for the mountains. Smoky Mountain National Park is just a few miles up the road.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even third">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/07/rope-swings-and-river-floats" title="Rope Swings and River Floats"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/chestateeriver.jpg" alt="Rope Swings and River Floats" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/07/rope-swings-and-river-floats" class="u-url" title="Rope Swings and River Floats">Rope Swings and River Floats</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-07-27T20:14:49">July <span>27, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Mountain Cabin</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Georgia</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="34.53463159921271"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-83.90280245566663"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
Two weekends ago we went up to the mountains, just outside of Dahlonega GA, and floated the Chestatee River using inner tubes, various pool toys and one super-cool inflatable seahorse. Unfortunately, proving one of my travel mottos -- you can never go back -- a return trip proved disastrous.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd first">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/07/our-days-are-becoming-nights" title="Our Days Are Becoming Nights"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/daysnights.jpg" alt="Our Days Are Becoming Nights" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/07/our-days-are-becoming-nights" class="u-url" title="Our Days Are Becoming Nights">Our Days Are Becoming Nights</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-07-06T23:30:25">July <span>6, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-region">León</span>, <a class="p-country-name country-name" href="/writing/nicaragua/" title="travel writing from Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="12.436482242903942"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-86.88458203059939"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
A short thought on the eve of our departure from Nicaragua: Everywhere I go I think, I should live here... I should be able to not just visit places, but in habit them. Of course that isn't possible, which is too bad.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even second">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/07/tiny-cities-made-ash" title="Tiny Cities Made of Ash"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/citiesmadeofash.jpg" alt="Tiny Cities Made of Ash" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/07/tiny-cities-made-ash" class="u-url" title="Tiny Cities Made of Ash">Tiny Cities Made of Ash</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-07-03T23:21:22">July <span>3, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-region">León</span>, <a class="p-country-name country-name" href="/writing/nicaragua/" title="travel writing from Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="12.435654551658532"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-86.88220022899453"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
The church bells of León have become a constant cacophony, not the rhythmic ringing out of the hours or tolling from Mass that the human mind seems to find pleasant, but the atonal banging that only appeals to the young and dumb. But Francisco is entirely unperturbed; He's too fascinated with the tattoo on Corrinne's shoulder to bother with what slowly just becomes yet another sound echoing through León.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd third">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/06/you-cant-go-home-again" title="You Can't Go Home Again"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/nohomeagain.jpg" alt="You Can't Go Home Again" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/06/you-cant-go-home-again" class="u-url" title="You Can't Go Home Again">You Can’t Go Home Again</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-06-30T17:49:43">June <span>30, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-region">Little Corn Island</span>, <a class="p-country-name country-name" href="/writing/nicaragua/" title="travel writing from Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="12.289688381766881"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-82.97098158635038"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
The first time we came to Little Corn Island it was April, the tail end of the dry season. It rained once or twice, but never for more than five minutes and always followed by more sunshine. This time it's the end of June, just well into the wet season, and the island is an entirely different place.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even first">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/06/returning-again-back-little-corn-island" title="Returning Again &mdash; Back on Little Corn Island"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/littlecornagain.jpg" alt="Returning Again &mdash; Back on Little Corn Island" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/06/returning-again-back-little-corn-island" class="u-url" title="Returning Again &mdash; Back on Little Corn Island">Returning Again — Back on Little Corn Island</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-06-26T13:21:17">June <span>26, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-region">Little Corn Island</span>, <a class="p-country-name country-name" href="/writing/nicaragua/" title="travel writing from Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="12.290694745245395"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-82.97132490910438"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
Generally speaking, the world seems so huge and so full of amazing destinations that repeating one never struck me as a judicious use of my short allotment of time. But for Little Corn Island I'm willing to make an exception and of course, the universe being what it is, our second trip to Little Corn Island has been unpredictable and entirely new.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd second">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/06/love-with-a-view-vagabonds-responsibilty-living-we" title="In Love With a View: Vagabonds, Responsibilty and Living Well"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/wrong.jpg" alt="In Love With a View: Vagabonds, Responsibilty and Living Well" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/06/love-with-a-view-vagabonds-responsibilty-living-we" class="u-url" title="In Love With a View: Vagabonds, Responsibilty and Living Well">In Love With a View: Vagabonds, Responsibilty and Living Well</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-06-07T14:45:29">June <span>7, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Athens</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Georgia</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="33.944877470043906"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-83.38860689432926"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
Why all the vitriol about a seemingly innocuous concept -- that traveling doesn't have to cost a lot of money, isn't all that difficult and hey, you can even go right now? People like us, who feel tied down by responsibility, find the suggestion that we actually aren't tied down patronizing and yes, elitist.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even third">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/04/little-island-sun" title="Little Island in the Sun"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/coconutsun.jpg" alt="Little Island in the Sun" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/04/little-island-sun" class="u-url" title="Little Island in the Sun">Little Island in the Sun</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-04-05T23:31:15">April <span>5, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-region">Little Corn Island</span>, <a class="p-country-name country-name" href="/writing/nicaragua/" title="travel writing from Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="12.297403736673346"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-82.97458647526604"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
We arrived on Little Corn Island around sundown and met Ali, whom I at first took to be a tout, but he showed us the way to our guesthouse and, after settling in and getting a feel for the island, I realized that Ali, wasn't a tout, he was just a really nice guy who enjoyed doing favors for tourists, just beware the Yoni beverage he offers.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd first">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/04/return-sea" title="Return to the Sea"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/sanjuansunset.jpg" alt="Return to the Sea" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/04/return-sea" class="u-url" title="Return to the Sea">Return to the Sea</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-04-02T20:22:29">April <span>2, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-region">San Juan Del Sur</span>, <a class="p-country-name country-name" href="/writing/nicaragua/" title="travel writing from Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="11.254384499067603"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-85.8734750628141"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
Southwestern Nicaragua is a very small strip of land with Lago Nicaragua to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The main town in the area, Juan Del Sur, is nestled around a well protected harbor with a mediocre strip of sand. For the nice beaches you have to head up or down the coast to one of the many small inlets.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even second">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2008/03/ring-bells" title="Ring The Bells"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/ringthbells.jpg" alt="Ring The Bells" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2008/03/ring-bells" class="u-url" title="Ring The Bells">Ring The Bells</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2008-03-30T23:37:40">March <span>30, 2008</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-region">Granada</span>, <a class="p-country-name country-name" href="/writing/nicaragua/" title="travel writing from Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="11.932062265861589"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-85.95813630814854"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
The Church, which dates from the 1600s has the the narrowest, steepest, circular concrete staircase that I've ever encountered. It had a low railing and circled up four stories worth of precipitous dropoffs before you hit solid ground. From the top was a views of Granada's endless sea of mottled pink, orange and brown hues -- terra cotta roof tiles stretching from the shores of Lago Nicaragua all the way back toward the hills.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd third">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2007/11/fall" title="Fall"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/fall.jpg" alt="Fall" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2007/11/fall" class="u-url" title="Fall">Fall</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2007-11-14T02:25:17">November <span>14, 2007</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Athens</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">Georgia</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="33.9448641194789"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-83.38856934340312"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
The trees are in full technicolor swing. The land is slowly dying, and not just because it's Fall, we're also in the middle of a prolonged drought and this year the leaves are opting for a James Dean-style, leave-a-good-looking-corpse exit. If you're a leaf and you've got to go, do it with class.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even first">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2007/07/other-ocean" title="On The Other Ocean"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/sailing.jpg" alt="On The Other Ocean" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2007/07/other-ocean" class="u-url" title="On The Other Ocean">On The Other Ocean</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2007-07-23T11:24:44">July <span>23, 2007</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Catalina Island</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">California</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="33.46191438592164"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-118.52130172987002"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
Consider what would happen if your house were tilted 30 degrees to the left, how this would complicate ordinary activities -- like say walking. Now throw in a bouncing motion that lifts the floor five or six feet up and down in a seesaw-like motion on a perpendicular axis to the 30 degree tilt -- things become more like riding a seesaw that's attached to a merry-go-round which is missing a few bolts. That's sailing.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry odd second">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2007/06/being-there" title="Being There"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/myrtlebeachcrap.jpg" alt="Being There" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2007/06/being-there" class="u-url" title="Being There">Being There</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2007-06-17T02:18:54">June <span>17, 2007</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Myrtle Beach Airport</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">South Carolina</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="33.683925130931456"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-78.92835615966725"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
Myrtle Beach does not exist. Nearly everything in Myrtle Beach is a paltry derivative of some original form. For instance, most of the country has golf courses, in Myrtle Beach there are endless rows of putt-putt courses, where most towns attempt to draw in big name musical acts for their tourist venues, Myrtle Beach is content with impersonators.
</span>
</p>
</article>
<article class="h-entry hentry even third">
<div class="post--image">
<a href="/2007/06/sailing-through" title="Sailing Through"><img src="https://images.luxagraf.net/post-images/2008/charlestonships.jpg" alt="Sailing Through" class="u-photo post-image" /></a>
</div>
<h1 class="p-name entry-title post--title"><a href="/2007/06/sailing-through" class="u-url" title="Sailing Through">Sailing Through</a></h1>
<p class="p-author author hide">Scott Gilbertson</p>
<time class="dt-published published dt-updated post--date" datetime="2007-06-15T00:15:43">June <span>15, 2007</span></time>
<p>
<span class="p-location h-adr adr post--location">
<span class="p-locality locality" itemprop="geo" itemscope itemtype="http://data-vocabulary.org/Geo">Charleston</span>, <a class="p-region region" href="/writing/united-states/" title="travel writing from the United States">South Carolina</a>, <span class="p-country-name">U.S.</span>
<data itemprop="latitude" class="p-latitude" value="32.835570335240995"></data>
<data itemprop="longitude" class="p-longitude" value="-79.82256172976372"></data>
</span> –
<span class="p-summary hyphenate">
The rumors are true. I moved back to the south; Athens GA to be exact. But I hate staying in one place for too long, so after a month or two in Athens I headed up to Charleston to visit a friend. The south is curious place. If you've never been here I couldn't hope to explain it, but it's not so much a place as an approach. A way of getting somewhere more than anywhere specific. Perhaps even a wrong turn.
</span>
</p>
</article>
</main>
<nav class="pagination">
<ul class="pages">
<li><a href="/writing/1/" class="prev"> Newer</a></li>
<li><a href="/writing/1/" class="page">1</a></li>
<li class="current page">2</li>
<li><a href="/writing/3/" class="page">3</a></li>
<li><a href="/writing/4/" class="page">4</a></li>
<li><a href="/writing/5/" class="page">5</a></li>
<li><a href="/writing/3/" class="next">Older</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
<footer role="contentinfo">
<nav class="bl">
<ul>
<li><a href="/rss/" title="RSS feed">Subscribe</a></li>
<li><a href="https://twitter.com/luxagraf" rel="me" title="follow luxagraf on Twitter">@luxagraf</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/luxagraf" rel="me" title="luxagraf on Flickr">Flickr</a></li>
<li><a href="/contact/" title="contact luxagraf">Contact</a></li>
</ul>
</nav>
<p id="license">
© 2003-2014
<span class="h-card"><a class="p-name u-url" href="https://luxagraf.net/">Scott Gilbertson</a><data class="p-nickname" value="luxagraf"></data><data class="p-locality" value="Athens"></data><data class="p-region" value="Georgia"></data><data class="p-country-name" value="United States"></data></span>, except photos, which are licensed under the Creative Commons (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/" title="read the Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 deed">details</a>).
</p>
</footer>
<script src="/media/js/hyphenate.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">var _gaq=_gaq||[];_gaq.push(['_setAccount','UA-1186171-1']);_gaq.push(['_trackPageview']);(function(){var ga=document.createElement('script');ga.type='text/javascript';ga.async=true;ga.src=('https:'==document.location.protocol?'https://ssl':'http://www')+'.google-analytics.com/ga.js';var s=document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga,s)})();</script>
</body>
</html>
|
