Travels in the 2nd half

  When you travel across eastern Arizona, there is one must see attraction - the Petrified Forest National Park. It is an amazing place, full of things that found almost no where else. The Petrified Forest National Park is a thin ribbon of a park, that stretches forty miles north to south, while varying from one to twelve miles in width. The north entrance of the park sits along Interstate 40, about 70 miles west of Gallup, NM. When you come into the park from this entrance, the first thing you will find is the Painted Desert. This part of the park is particularly beautiful.  225 million years ago, this part of North America was covered by a sea. Over millions of years minerals and silts were carried into the water, where they settled out. The weight of the new sediment caused those below to change from mud to rock, but they kept the color of the minerals that they were made of. Today, that sea has disappeared, but the rocks it formed are still here. As you drive through the ...

  One problem with driving the old Route 66 is that, in some places, it has been completely swallowed up by the interstate. That is true as you cross the state of Arizona, especially between Flagstaff and Gallup New Mexico. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t still cool stuff. In 2014, I took a trip across the state, and open most of day in the area around Winslow AZ, where I found a lot to see. Winslow AZ Winslow, Arizona was incorporated in 1900, primarily as a stop and fuel depot for Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. It became a main stop along Route 66 sitting about 130 miles west of Gallup NM, and 220 miles east of Kingman AZ. The La Posada hotel in town was built as a “Harvey House,” and the town served as a full service station for steam engines in the early 20th century. Today, Winslow is probably best know from the song “Taking it Easy” by the Eagles, which includes the line “Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.” A corner in the center of town has been made in...

  Recently, the NY Times ran an article that celebrated something I have saying for months - MUSEUMS ARE EMPTY! Between limited entry, timed tickets, and a lack of tourists, new York city museums now offer the chance to see their artwork up-close and personally, without having to jostle for space. I took advantage of the chance to visit the Museum of Modern Art to see the new Alexander Calder exhibit. Alexander Calder (1898-1976) is probably best known for his large kinetic sculptures, also known as mobiles. However, he worked in many different mediums. This exhibit offers examples of his paintings, wire sculptures, and smaller pieces. Here are some of the pieces I loved most. The first gallery has several larger metallic statues. I particularly liked “Black Beast” which is there in its full size, along with the maquette he made in planning the work. Black Beast Black Beast - maquette Calder made wire sculptures throughout his career. He twisted single pieces of wire to form face...

Cross River Reservoir Spillway   When I travel I always look for small, interesting museums. I have also been doing the same thing in New York City, where I live. But recently, I started looking north, to Westchester Country, where I have found a new group of places to visit. This week, let’s travel to two museums and take a quick hike. Horace Greeley House - Chappaqua NY Horace Greeley House Horace Greeley (1811 - 1872) was a progressive newspaper editor and founder. He lived a life at the center of American politics in the middle of the 19th century. He was born in New Hampshire, and grew up in Vermont. As a youth, he apprenticed to a local printer, learning the trade. At the age of 20, he moved to New York City, where he worked at several print shops. He also started working with the state’s Whig Party. In 1834 he began publishing a literary magazine called The New-Yorker (not connected to the current magazine of the same name). He used this forum to promote the Whig party’s po...