Red Bud Isle: Austin, Texas

by Elizabeth Seward on

Within my first week of owning my dog in Austin, several people had recommended that I take her to Red Bud Isle. It sounded far away, being an isle and all. It wasn’t until a few months later that I finally researched the place and began to understand what it is in full: a half-mile long island in the middle of the Colorado River (Lady Bird Lake) intended for and used primarily by dogs and their owners. The parking lot sits adjacent to a field, which is surrounded by thick woods on every side, split only slightly by the dirt path that encircles the island. Much smaller paths dart off through the trees and toward the surrounding water, providing a dozen or so beaches and swimming holes that are dog friendly. These pools are, no doubt, my dog’s favorite part of Red Bud. But my favorite part is the scenery.

%Gallery-161016%Densely wooded areas are something I’ve been missing since moving to Texas. Impressively steep and lush hills are another thing I’ve been missing since moving to Texas. Red Bud offers me both of these. Dramatic cliffs outline the shores across the water. If you look hard enough, you’ll see hidden stairs leading to the water from the peaks of the hills. If you look even harder than that, you’ll see elaborate mansions dotting the hazy hilltop horizons. Meanwhile, green and waxy tropical leaves brush your shoulders as you wade into the water, in which you’re apparently not supposed to wade (but since many other people are swimming, it seems alright). The image is that of blue-green water lapping in softly beneath umbrella-spread trees that shade you from the oppressive sun. Some of the waters hug dirt beaches; some of the waters splash on cement stairs. At the tip of the island, on the opposite side of the parking lot, the waters crawl between stiff, exposed and braided roots of trees.

Dogs are allowed to be off-leash at Red Bud. As you trek the island’s perimeter and interior, you’ll find yourself approached by dogs of all colors and sizes. In my experience, these dogs tend to be well behaved. Perhaps this is indicative of the kinds of owners that take the time to visit Red Bud in the first place. Ebullient and prancing, these dogs are having their best day ever when at Red Bud. The proof is in their tongue-dropping, wide-mouth smiles. And there’s something infectious about dog happiness if you ask me. Dogs are these loving creatures created, more or less, by us. We bred them for sport and help, but also for love, and here they are now, needing us for food, water, shelter and play. When their basic needs are met, especially that last one, they are a testament to the fact that we too don’t need much to live. We don’t need much to be happy, either.

Where Do US Travelers Go During Summer?

by Jessica Festa on

Do you want to know what the most popular travel destinations in the United States are for summer? To help relay that information and inspire people with trip ideas, Mapquest has created a “Summer Travel” infographic, which has been shared by Daily Infographic.

By looking at what searches were performed on their website in 2011 as well as doing some factual research, Mapquest was able to gather data on various summer travel topics. Here are some of their findings:

  • The top five national parks searched included Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier National and Zion
  • The 10 most searched U.S. travel sites included Times Square in New York, The White House in Washington D.C., Disney World in Florida, Graceland in Tennessee, Legoland in California, Disneyland in California, The Golden Gate Bridge in California, Hoover Dam on the borders of Arizona and Nevada, Mall of America in Minnesota and Navy Pier in Chicago
  • Mondays at 9 a.m. is the best time to fill up your gas tank


Exploring Orkney: Scotland’s Rugged Northern Isles

by Sean McLachlan on


In my school library in Canada, there was a curious old volume printed in 1909 called “The Orkney Book.” It was written for schoolchildren living in the Orkney Islands off the north coast of Scotland and told them about their land, culture and history.

This book fascinated me with its stories of Viking warriors and mysterious stone circles. I studied the grainy black and white photos of those remote islands and dreamed of going there. Last week I finally did.

Orkney, as Orcadians call their home, is a group of about 70 islands between the North Sea and North Atlantic. The exact number is a matter of dispute because in addition to the numerous inhabited islands, some with a population as low as one, there are many more uninhabited islands and skerries. When is an island really an island and not just a rock sticking out of the sea? I suspect this has been the subject of many long conversations in Orcadian pubs.

My wife, 6-year-old son and I landed in the tiny airport at Kirkwall, Orkney’s capital. With a population a little above 7,500, it’s not exactly a booming metropolis, but it does account for more than a third of Orkney’s population. What Kirkwall lacks in size it makes up for in history and character. In the broad harbor are moored numerous fishing and pleasure boats and a few larger vessels. Beyond can be seen other islands, green humps rising out of the gray sea.

Dominating the Kirkwall skyline is the 12th century St. Magnus Cathedral built of red sandstone. It was built in 1137 by Earl Rognvald, a Viking at a time when most Vikings were nominally Christian. He built it to house the remains of his uncle Magnus, who had become a saint after having his head split by an axe in traditional Viking fashion. Magnus had been an Earl of the Orkneys, ruling for the Norwegian king along with Magnus’ cousin Hakon, who was Earl of another part of Orkney. This co-rulership led to trouble and when Magnus and Hakon met to sort things out, Hakon betrayed him. Hakon didn’t want his own hands soiled by a kinsman’s blood and called on his cook to perform the foul deed. Soon miracles started happening around Magnus’ grave and he was proclaimed a saint.

Kirkwall also has an excellent museum tracing Orkney’s history from the surprisingly active prehistoric period to the modern day. There’s also a cool Wireless Museum filled with a huge collection of old radios; one from 1912 actually works and on another set you can practice your Morse code. My son was more interested in the old TV where you could play Pong, a video game from an era that must seem as remote to him as the Neolithic.

%Gallery-160901%Our next stop was Stromness, a half-hour bus ride from Kirkwall. As we got off and gazed over the cluster of gray stone buildings huddled around the harbor, my son asked, “Is this the other place they call a city?”

Well, after growing up in Madrid, I guess it doesn’t seem like much of a city to him, but with a little over 2,000 people it’s the second biggest town on the islands. It has a thriving artistic community and many artists display their work at the Pier Arts Centre. There’s also a large museum about the lives of the hardy local sailors, whalers, and explorers of days gone by. Many of the displays are of the things they brought back from their travels, everything from artwork from Niger and Greenland to whalebone scrimshaw and necklaces made from human teeth.

The highlight of our visit to Stromness was walking along the shore and around a promontory. Soon we left the town behind us and looked out over the cold waves. Seals popped their heads out of the water to study us. “Look, a seal! Look, a seal!” my son kept shouting as he spotted another and another. A few rocks became identified as seals too, and spotting more seals took on the uncertainty and excitement that adults generally reserve for UFOs. We clambered over the remains of a World War II gun emplacement, one of many on the islands, and admired the high hills of Hoy island, shown in the photo above.

Both Kirkwall and Stromness are on Orkney’s main island, which Orcadians call the Mainland even though mainland Scotland is barely twenty miles from its southern shores. For those wanting a base from which to get out and about on the islands, either of these two cities is a good bet. Many of Orkney’s top attractions are on the Mainland and Kirkwall and Stromness have regular ferry services to other islands. While we stayed in Kirkwall, my wife and I found Stromness more attractive. Its old architecture and quieter streets had a more traditional feel.

We’d only been on Orkney for 24 hours and we were already hooked. I was looking forward to seeing the countryside and the smaller islands.

This is the first in my series “Exploring Orkney: Scotland’s Rugged Northern Isles.”

Coming up next: “The Heart of Neolithic Orkney!”

How To Sleep In Your Car In (Relative) Comfort

by Laurel Miller on

Since it’s peak camping and road tripping season and I’m in the midst of moving from Seattle to Boulder, using my car as a motel room, I decided it’s time for an update on car crashing (of the slumbering variety).

Last year, Gadling contributor and musician Elizabeth Seward provided useful tips she’s picked up during her years on the road touring. Like Elizabeth, I feel eminently qualified to discourse on this topic, but for different reasons.

In my mid-20s, I lived in my car for a summer. Not by choice – unless you take into account the fact that I chose to follow my recent ex-boyfriend, at his suggestion, to San Diego, despite my lack of a job, friends or housing. These situations seldom have a positive outcome, which is how I ended up living in my aging Volvo sedan and peeing into a Big Gulp cup at 3 a.m. – more on that in a minute.

I was in good company, however. The cul-de-sac where I parked was located just off a prime surf break, so each night the street would host a line-up of battered VW buses and surf-rack-bedecked, decrepit cars, as homeless surfers pulled in to roost.

The point of this anecdote is that I have a long, if somewhat cramped, history of sleeping in my car. It helps that I’m 5’2″, but I’ve known many men who have also resided in their automobiles (my brother once lived in his pickup for an entire semester of college). I’ve also logged a lot of zzz’s in cars because I travel a lot. I frequently road trip on assignment, but I’ve also made numerous drives to and from the West Coast to the Rockies over the years, for long-term moves and seasonal work.

For the most part, I enjoy sleeping in my car for the spirit of adventure it conjures. Sure, I own a tent, but when I’ve logged 10 hours behind the wheel and the weather is vile, I’d rather just bust out my sleeping bag, tuck a thick blanket over the console between the front seats (if the back seat and rear of my Honda CRV are loaded) and pass out.

For a more restful car-sleep, here are my non-negotiables (Elizabeth covered the need for adequate padding and a sleeping bag in her post):

LED headlamp and extra batteries
Not only is this helpful for middle-of-the-night bathroom trips if you’re in a campground, but it will also save your sanity if you like to read and/or are an insomniac (I fall into both categories). It also prevents draining your car battery by using the overhead light, and won’t attract attention should you be parked somewhere public but not necessarily legal for overnights.

Reading material
See above.

Sleep aid
I’m not advocating pill popping, but it can definitely be helpful to take something if a good night’s rest is crucial. If an iPod does it for you, use that. Drinking alcohol just means having to get up to pee more often, and a dehydrated, puffy-faced morning after.

A large cup
How do I put this delicately? Sometimes, you’re just not parked in a place where it’s feasible, as a woman, to pop a squat. I learned this while “living” in San Diego. All of the homes in the cul-de-sac had motion sensor lights and a lack of shrubbery, making bladder relief extraordinarily complicated. After complaining about my issues peeing in a spotlight, a fellow car-dweller told me, “Dude, you totally need to get a Big Gulp cup.” Dude, it totally solved the problem. Just remember to dump it down a storm drain, and not on someone’s landscaping. You’re not an animal.

A shower plan of action
Depending upon your situation, you can often shower for free at the beach (skip the soap and shampoo or ask a ranger or lifeguard if biodegradable products are okay to use), or pay at a rec center, gym or campground. I confess I’ve snuck into campgrounds before and poached a shower but I try to avoid such nefarious behavior (mainly because I’m afraid of getting caught). Tip: Baby wipes and skin-cleansing towelettes are your best friends on the road. And be sure to keep a clean bath towel in your car at all times for these situations.

Extra supply of drinking water

Do your research
If you’re somewhere urban, be sure to scope out signage so you don’t end up ticketed or towed. It’s a fairly well known fact that most Walmarts allow overnight RV parking; there’s even a locator app for it. It ain’t the Ritz, but it works in a pinch.

Lock your doors, but crack your windows
Don’t compromise your safety, but you do need fresh air.

Be sure your cellphone is charged and within reach
This is useless if you’re in an area without service (if you have an inkling that’s going to be the case, call, text, or email a family member or friend with your approximate location for the night before you get out of range). A phone can prove invaluable if you run into trouble.

[Photo credits: napper, Flickr user miss pupik; car, Flickr user russelljsmith; cup, Flickr user Bruce W Martin II]

Climbing Mount St. Helens Just One Activity At National Park

by Chris Owen on

If climbing Mount St. Helens sounds like a good idea, you’ll have to wait. Permits are sold out for the summer. Still, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument offers a variety of recreational activities including many trails, cycling, fishing, camping and more.

“Every $22 permit to climb Mount St. Helens is sold out through mid-September. Reservations for peak summer hiking days began hitting the 100-people-per-day limit in early spring,” reports The Daily News in Longview, Washington.

Everyone must have a climbing permit to be on their own above the 4,800-foot elevation on Mount St. Helens. Those may be sold out but Guided Climbs ($150) are still available in August through the Mount St. Helens Institute.

Mountain bikers will like the Ape Canyon ride, which begins on the south side of Mount St. Helens. One of the Northwest’s premier mountain biking treks, the Ape Canyon ride boasts varied landscapes on the shoulder of an active volcano.Hikers like the varied and diverse trail offerings in the area. The 10-mile round-trip Badger Peak Trail has an elevation gain of 1,600 feet that earns a dramatic view of the volcano and blast zone. Hamilton Butte Trail is a short 1.5 mile round-trip hike with a 900 feet elevation gain and a high point of 5,772 feet.

One of America’s greatest treasures, visitors come from around the world to visit the volcano that last erupted in 1980.



Flickr photo by SoulSoap