More reasons to head to South Dakota: The Black Hills

by Jamie Rhein on

Catherine’s already told us about South Dakota having the geographical center of the United States. I thought of this last night when a friend was telling me about her road trip by herself to Montana from Ohio. There are many reasons to head here. My friend mentioned the Black Hills and the Badlands as high points. I’ve been through this part of the U.S. a few times myself and can say, it is truly spectacular and worth a trip or two. Both my friend and I said that this is a part of the U.S. to visit more than once. You can’t possibly take in all that’s fantastic in one sweep.

There’s a new blog to help travelers plan out their trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. It’s easy to remember the name of it. The Black Hills Travel Blog is one of those that shines. Here you’ll find info about the attractions, tips, traveler’s tale and features.

I remember after we left Mt. Rushmore (I recommend it. There’s a reason why it’s a National Park), I thought that the area around it would be a fine place to park for a few days of exploring. Nice to know there’s another resource to help plan a trip. This is a slick, well done Web site with lush photos and videos.

Palin explores former Soviet Bloc

by Neil Woodburn on

I’m not sure how I missed this, but it looks like our good friend Michael Palin has gone and done it again, this time traveling through the former Soviet Bloc while filming and writing about his adventures along the way.

Palin’s New Europe series kicked off in the Julian Alps (Slovenia) and then continued through 19 other countries–all of which have seen dramatic changes since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. 123 days later, Palin finds himself in Berlin itself, where the whole domino effect of revolutions began.

In usual Palin style, the ever-productive author/traveler has once again blessed us with a book of the adventure, as well as a three-disc DVD of the BBC series. I haven’t had the opportunity to watch it yet, but I think we can all assume that it will be just as excellent as his other travel programs.

TODAY Show team travels to the Ends of the Earth

by Kelly Amabile on

About this time tomorrow, the ever-adventurous TODAY Show team will take part in a historic first-ever live simultaneous broadcast from the top, bottom and middle of the earth’s surface. As part of NBC’s “Green Is Universal” initiative, the news anchors have been dispatched to the Ends of the Earth to report on climate extremes, wildlife and the limits of human exploration. It’s the very first time that a TV network has linked locations live around the entire circumference of the planet in a single program.

So, of course, you’re wondering, Where in the World is Matt Lauer going to be? It’s no surprise this time — he’s headed to the Arctic, and will broadcast from the Greenland ice sheet. Ann Curry is in Antarctica, and will be broadcasting from the McMurdo Research Station and other extreme locations. And weather guru Al Roker will travel to the Equator and broadcast from the middle of an endangered cloud forest in Mindo, Ecuador. Meredith Vieira picked the shortest straw — she gets to “connect the global dots” from the studio back in New York.

Matt’s yearly whirlwind adventures always leave me wondering why? But at least this team-effort groundbreaking expedition is grounded with the goal of green.

Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival Spans the Globe

by Kelly Amabile on

Want to voyage around the world and back? The offerings at next weekend’s Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival promise to transport viewers to all corners of the globe. Opening night begins with Sleepingwalking Through the Mekong, a rock ‘n’ roll documentary that follows California combo Dengue Fever as they tour Cambodia. The musical journey focuses on the “historical reality of artists under the Khmer Rouge regime.” The three day festival, held at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, includes films about the digital revolution in China, sexuality issues in Iran and the genre of African horror movies. In conjunction with the museum’s new exhibit H2O = Life (that opens today) the festival will showcase several films related to water, including pieces that examine water-related issues in India and Mexico.

Several films explore aspects of cultural tourism: Grito de Piedra (Scream of the Stone) depicts a Bolivian miner and his son, who is a tour guide to the silver mines in Potosi. Once the source of great colonial wealth, these destitute mines have been re-opened as a tourist destination. And Nomadak Tx showcases nomadic peoples around the world, while following the journey of two Basque musicians who play a tandem percussive instrument (the txalaparta) during their travels to remote locales.

If you can’t catch any films next weekend in New York, be sure to check out the festival’s extensive travel schedule. The annual event is the longest-running premiere festival for international non-fiction media in the United States.

The Amazing Race, season 12, starts Sunday

by Jamie Rhein on

My best friend from college wants us to be in the The Amazing Race. She made it as far as having an actual interview for Survivor once, so who knows? Perhaps we’d have a shot at it if we could ever find out when the tryouts are. This coming Sunday, November 4 at 8 pm is the premiere of the 12th season.

I had never watched The Amazing Race until my friend said we should give it a shot. I’m always a bit wary when I look to see how cultures are portrayed by the mainstream media, but I have to say, from what I’ve seen, I’m pretty impressed. Instead of making fun of countries, it seems the show is fairly earnest about portraying them in a positive light. Considering the pressure and stress of trying to win by negotiating the details required to travel the 50,000 miles in 28 days, I’m also happy with the way the people on the show behave while traveling. Perhaps saying nasty things about the places does happen, but this seems edited out.

I’ve looked at the video of this year’s contenders and am not sure who I’m rooting for. I’m drawn to the grandson/grandfather team, but the Goth team looks like they’ll create a bit of a stir and might be fun to watch while they travel about the world.