Spelunking, Light: The Allure of Luray Caverns, Deep Beneath Virginia's Shenandoah Valley
by Nancy Carey
The walkway spiraled deeper into the enormous cavern. We strolled from one softly lit chamber to another, awestruck by the magnificence: Titania’s Veil, a shimmering white formation of pure calcite; Pluto's Chasm, an underground rift that spans the length of nearly two footballs fields and rises to a height of almost ten stories; Saracen’s Tent, the most perfectly formed drapery structures in the world; and Double Column, towering stone columns, shimmering draperies, and crystal-clear pools.
Reaching for the Clouds on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway
by Marilyn J. Carroll
You don't need an ice pick or crampons to ascend Colorado's most accessible "fourteener." Just outside of Colorado Springs, an hour south of Denver, Pikes Peak towers 14, 110 feet above sea level and lures visitors to its summit year-round on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway.
Water Adventures in Cabo San Lucas, Where the Sea of Cortez Meets the Pacific Ocean
by Robert Horne
I’m terrible at golf, not much better at tennis and I would rather spend an afternoon at the dentist than shop. If you're anything like me, you'll like Cabo San Lucas. At the southern tip of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean, the sun shines 350 days a year. It's weather best enjoyed in the water.
Daft Tourists in Search of Ruins in Tiryns, Greece
by Helen Ellis
The town of Nafplio, in the Peloponnese, Greece, is a place the Gods smile upon. An aura of decaying antiquity haunts the Old Town, a breath of crass modernity pervades the New, and the Gods hang around just to see what the tourists are going to do next.
Misadventures with Chinese Cucumbers
by Steenie Harvey
I’m eyeing my dinner, and all appetite has vanished. Faced with a plate of chunky brown objects, yours might vanish too. Stippled with warts, these culinary relations of what could easily be A Thing From Outer Space have a shudderingly slippery texture. In fact, they’re so slithery it’s almost impossible to capture one with chopsticks.