United States dominates list of places to visit in 2016

If you're wondering where to go in 2016, the New York Times has some idea. It recently published a list of places to visit in the coming year. The United States dominated the list, with more places than any other country in the world. Mexico City topped the list.

The American buffalo

North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park ranked the highest of the 10  places in the United States that made the list. It came in at No.5 because  the former president did more than anyone to preserve this area, starting with a cattle ranch he founded in 1974. It's a good place to see badlands and, buffalo grazing on prairies. Remote, but well worth the trouble to get there.

No. 12 on the list is Park City, Utah, which is home to the United States' largest ski\resort at 7,300 acres when Park City Mountain Resort merged with nearby Canyons ski resort. The mega resort is known as Park City; the two resorts are linked by an eight-passenger gondola.

It may surprise some that Grand Rapids, Michigan, is on the list. It is, after all, famous for making furniture and Gerald Ford. But the Times chose it because of its dramatic transformation via urban renewal and its burgeoning art scene. Cornerstone of the revival is the Grand Rapids Downtown Market, 138,000 square feet devoted to food; the building itself was made of materials from the rundown buildings it replaced.  The city also is famous for ArtPrize, an annual competition of contemporary art that awards a half-million dollars in prizes. Not to be missed is the Frederik Meijer Garden & Sculpture part, which features work by famous artists, such as Rodin. Grand Rapids ranked 20th on the list.

No. 26 Washington, D.C., is already filled with historic monuments and museums. with the Times picking it this year before of a new museum opening in the fall. The Smithsonian, already famous for its outstanding collection of museums, is adding the National Museum of African American Museum this fall.

The Times calls Providence, Rhode Island, the East Coast's answer to Portland, Oregon. It's got famous new restaurants and the Creative Mile that is lined with sculptures that end in a new development that includes a riverfront park. It ranked No. 33 on the list.

East Bay, California, ranked No. 39 on  the list because of its fast-growing population as well as its fast-growing arts and food scene.  In Oakland, one of the East Bay communities, more than 300 restaurants and a dozen wineries have opened in recent years. Be sure to check out Spirits Alley where old Navy air hangers have been turned into breweries and wineries.

Most people have probably never heard of Rosine, Kentucky, No. 42; after all, it's only got 113 residents. It is, however, famous as the birthplace of bluegrass music. Jam sessions are held every Friday from March to December in an old barn that is a national landmark because it's said to be the place where bluegrass was invented by Bill Monroe. The small community hosts an annual bluegrass festival.

No. 46, St. Louis, Missouri, will open the National Blues Museum later this spring, the times noted, focusing on this music as the foundation for other music genres in this country. The city also is focusing on making its famous arch more accessible to the public in a major project that refreshes parks and promenades in the area.

Like the rest of Texas, Marfa, No. 48, does things in a big way. Take for instance, the Chinati Foundation, which showcases gigantic works of art by contemporary artists. To be unveiled this year is a 10,000-square piece by Robert Irwin. Other cultural events include music and film festivals.

Last on the list is scenic Beaufort, South Carolina, made the list because of its many amenities that range from restaurants and galleries to bike trials and benches overlooking the water. It also is noted for the reopening of a 250-year-0ld house, the Anchorage 1770, that in the 19th century was home to a literary club that focused on drinking, dancing and gambling.

Good eatin' in Yuma, Arizona

Everyone gets hungry when they’re traveling. Eating new foods is part of the enjoyment of a trip. Even when you’re traveling in your own home, as we did for two years in our travel trailer, cooking in a tiny kitchen can be frustrating.

We spent seven months in Yuma, Arizona, and here’s a list of some of the restaurants we ate at frequently:

Martha's Gardens makes great milk shakes from
 dates grown in the on-site orchard.

·       Yuma Palace, 350 East 32^nd Street, is the Asian restaurant that we ate at the most when we were in the mood for Chinese. Good food, good service, reasonable prices.

·       Lim’s Grand Buffet, 2135 East 16^th Street, is a Chinese restaurant that is very popular with Yumans, with lines that frequently stretched out the door at meal times. They serve a wide variety of Chinese dishes, plus French fries, pizza and the best enchiladas I ate in Yuma. They offer a senior discount.

·       Da Boyz, 11274 South Fortuna Road, loads their pizzas with cheese and other goodies.  They frequently offer discount coupons on local shoppers.

·       Pita Pit, located in the Yuma Palms Mall, offers healthy pita sandwiches with a variety of fillings.

·       Martha’s Gardens can be hard to find, tucked away in rural Yuma at 9747 South Avenue 9-3/4 E, but their date shakes make it worth the trouble.  These milk shakes, made from medjool dates grown on their organic farm, are simply the best.  There’s almost always a line of people waiting for one. The snack bar also makes some pretty good sub sandwiches, too. The snack bar accepts only cash, while the store accepts debit and credit cards for other purchases. Martha’s is closed from late spring through early fall.

Arizona remembers silent movie star Tom Mix

Tom Mix's horse, Tony, tops the memorial

Silent movie star Tom Mix was born in Pennsylvania and died in the Arizona desert. His love of fast cars led to his death.

Mix was speeding in his Cord Phaeton on Highway 80 (now Highway 79) between Tucson and Phoenix. He failed to stop for barriers warning of a washed out bridge, and went through them into a ravine. A heavy suitcase came loose, hit him on the head and broke his neck. The ravine is now known as Tom Mix Wash.

Tom Mix memorial

A simple memorial to Mix can be found about 20 miles south of Florence near where he died on October 12, 1940. The memorial features a two-foot high statue of his horse, Tony, that he rode in the movies and his circus acts after he left the film industry. The inscription on the memorial plaque reads, “TOM MIX January 6, 1880 - October 12, 1940 Whose spirit left his body on this spot and whose characterization and portrayals in life served to better fix memories of the old west in the minds of living men." He was 60 years old.

Tom Mix worked at a variety of jobs, including bartender and ranch hand, before becoming a megastar during the silent movie era. He was the first cowboy star to achieve this status. He starred in around 370 films from 1905 to 1935; a few of the movies were talkies. Along the way, he served as a pall bearer at Wyatt Earp’s funeral.

Mix, who was married five times, was a deserter from the Army in the early 1900s. He kept this a secret, which only came out after he died. He was never court martialed. Because of his immense popularity, the Army did not object to his having a military funeral. Rudy Vallee sang at the services.

Goldfield: Once Nevada's largest city

With a courthouse built in 1907, Goldfield is
 the county seat for Esmeralda County.

Some say Goldfield, Nevada, is a ghost town.  Tis true, it’s past its prime, but there’s still some life kicking in this old mining town.

Goldfield’s prime was 1905 to 1910 when it was roaring with activity due to gold mining operations. According to the Goldfield Chamber of Commerce, the town had everything a resident could want, from restaurants to saloons, from theatres to red light districts, and from casinos to athletic clubs. It even had a church. It was the largest city in Nevada.

Today, it has a few cafes, a church, gem and gift chops, and a saloon or two, including the Santa Fe Saloon and Motel. The saloon was established in 1905 and is one of the oldest continuously operating saloons in the state. It also has lots of abandoned buildings.

Gold was discovered here in 1902, with major mining operations taking place until about 1940.  During this time, about $86 million worth of gold was mined, leading the Goldfield Historical Society to describe Goldfield as the “world’s greatest gold camp.” The town quickly reached a population of 20,000 and just as quickly dropped to under 5,000 souls in 1910. Today, it has less than 300 people, which is probably why it’s referred to as a ghost town.

Antique mining equipment on display in Goldfield

During its heyday, some famous people lived in Goldfield, including Wyatt and Virgil Earp and Mark Twain.

The historical society offers a brochure outlining a walking tour of the old town. Mining equipment also can be viewed on city streets.

 

Goldfield is located on U.S. Highway 95 about 26 miles south of Tonopah, which is the nearest gas station.

Westward ho! The Calfironia Trail



California Trail crosses through northern Nevada

For decades, pioneers traveled the Oregon Trail from the East to new lives in the West. It is indeed the most prominent of all roads leading to Pacific Ocean Country.

But another trail was equally important in carrying hundreds of thousands of pioneers to greener pastures: the California Trail.

Map of the California Trail

Most emigrants traveled the Oregon Trail through to southern Idaho when California-bound travelers cut away to head for the Golden State. Their route took them across northern Nevada before turning south to California.

Because crossing the lofty Sierra Nevada Mountains was difficult, some early travelers went as far south as Bakersfield, California. The first few groups of pioneers had to abandon their wagons in what is now Nevada; this was as early as 1841. In the next several years, guides searched for new routes across the Sierra Nevadas, finally finding one that was doable by wagon when there was no snow on the ground.

The Donner party learned the hard way that wagons couldn’t make it across the pass with snow on the ground. Today, modern travelers can cross what is known as Donner Pass in just a few minutes of freeway driving.

Rest area lies on California Trail

The California Trail attracted growing numbers of pioneers every year, but trail traffic really escalated with the discovery of gold in California in 1848. That year, 25,000 people traveled by wagon train to California; this was more than had come in all the years previously.

Soon, 50,000 people were coming to California this way.

Travelers can follow the California Trail in comfort by driving Interstate 80 across northern Nevada, dipping south to Reno and then continuing on to San Francisco via Donner Pass.

 

Tucson gardens showcase desert landscapes

Pima County demonstration garden at Tucson

Visitors to Tucson who have green thumbs may want to check out the Pima County Cooperative extension demonstration gardens for ideas to incorporate into their gardens at home. A myriad of ideas for all garden settings can be gleaned in just a few minutes’ walk.

Cooperative extension offers two demonstration gardens in Pima County. One is located at 4210 N. Campbell Avenue, Tucson, which is the one we visited. The other can be found at 1100 Whitehorse Canyon Road in Green Valley, south of Tucson on Interstate 19. The Green Valley garden is open from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday, while the Tucson garden is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. There is no admission charge to wander through the gardens.

The Tucson garden is the biggest, showcasing 11 garden settings while Green Valley has only four types of gardens. The Tucson garden has been named an All American Selections Display Garden since it shows how plans from all over North America can be adapted to grow in the desert southwest.

Other gardens in Tucson are:

·       Basin edible garden, which grows fruits, veggies and herbs in basin, with most of the produce donated to local food banks.



Pima County demonstration garden
 at Tucson



·       Cactus and succulent garden that shows the use of cactus and succulents in patios or as accent decorations.

·       Color garden that showcases flowering plants and decorative ground covers.

·       Container garden, which shows how to use a variety of containers, either singly or in groups, as decorative accents.

·       Grass garden, which concentrates on Arizona’s native grasses.

·       Habitat garden, which uses logs, rocks and plants to provide food and shelter for wildlife. The National Wildlife Federation has certified this garden for wildlife habitat.

·       Pollinator garden.

·       Raised edible garden

·       Rose garden showcases roses that grow well in Arizona.

·       Small space garden, which uses dwarf plants appropriate to the climate.

·       Xeriscape garden that uses plants native to the Sonoran Desert that grow well in dry climates.

 Green Valley features vegetable, xeriscape, ornamental and cactus gardens.

 

 

Small Arizona town has Hollywood appeal

Longhorn Grill

Amado, Arizona, is a small town about 40 miles south of Tucson at Exit 48 off Interstate 19, which links Tucson with the Mexican border.

 It has a few hundred residents and a miniscule business district, so townsfolk most likely to north to Green Valley or south to Nogales when they need to go shopping.

The town’s main claim to fame apparently lies with filmdom.

This is the place Gordon MacRae sang. “Oh! What  beautiful mornin’” in in Rogers and Hammerstein's  Oklahoma. Additionlly, the Longhorn Grill is where a scene in Alice doesn’t live here anymore was filmed.