Forgot your tent? Rent a yurt

by Josh Lew on

Want to find the biggest collection of yurts outside of Mongolia? Head to Oregon’s state parks. Since the early 1990s, the state park system has installed 190 yurts in its campgrounds. 170 of those are in coastal areas where the weather can get nasty, especially during the winter. The sturdy, circular, canvas-covered structures provide a more comfortable experience than the average tent. Rental costs run about $30 per night.

Yurts remain an extremely popular option long after the novelty should have worn off. More than 15 years in state parks and still in high demand. In fact, the main problem with the Mongolian tents: they are usually booked months in advance, meaning that a spur-of-the-moment yurt excursion is out of the question. Oregon has been building cabins at some coastal state parks in an effort to draw more campers who don’t want to pack a tent. However, the wooden structures cannot compete with the canvas ones in terms of popularity.

[Via Seattle Times]

Big Bone Lick State Park

by Annie Scott on

Who names these parks?

There’s me, road tripping through Indiana, minding my own business, when bam! I’m at some park called Big Bone Lick.

Technically located in Kentucky, Big Bone Lick calls itself “the birthplace of American paleontology.” I didn’t know American paleontology was into that!

Apparently, they found pleistocene megafauna fossils there. Yeah, I don’t know what that means either, but they say that mammoths and other prehistoric creatures were drawn there by a natural salt lick.

Okay. Bones. Salt lick. It get it. It still sounds like a porno, though, and is probably the #1 state park gift shop in America that I’d like to raid for mildly inappropriate gifts. Next stop, French Lick, Indiana, home of Larry Bird and a lot of happy people.

Should they change it to Freedom Lick? …nah.

Idaho State Parks Plug In

by Josh Lew on

Idaho State Parks are seeking to redefine camping. The places where Ernest Hemingway used to pitch his tent and cast his fly rod is going wireless. At least, some of them are.

Park officials are looking closely at an experimental program that currently connects five state parks to the internet. The parks in question are Bruneau Dunes, Harriman, Henrys Lake and Ponderosa.

So far feedback has been good; though purists are obviously a bit miffed at the combination of nature and tech. After all, state parks are one of the last remaining places where you can go to get away from those who compulsively check their email or MySpace friends list.

A survey conducted as part of the pilot program shows that most people are in favor of campground WiFi. Campers claimed that they would use the service for practical reasons like checking weather reports, contacting family, looking up information about the park, and making arrangements for future camping expeditions.

But who are these survey respondents? If you are thinking that most are the type who consider camping parking bus-sized RVs somewhere with lots of trees, you’re right. Kind of. Many of those in favor of the WiFi were representing the old school: tent campers. So, like it or not, it seems the marriage of tech and nature is going to go ahead in Idaho.

Hidden Gems: Key West, Florida

by Nick Vagnoni on

On an island that measures roughly four miles by two miles, it’s hard for anything to really be called
"hidden." Still, there are places in Key West that are a little quieter, a little less likely to show up on
the average tourist’s radar. As someone born and raised in Key West, these are the spots I always recommend to my
friends when they visit.

Being a foodie at heart, Five Brothers
Grocery, at the corner of Southard and Grinnell Streets, is usually the first place I send people. This unassuming
Cuban grocery serves up what most locals agree to be the best coffee and sandwiches in town. Order a cafe con
leche, or, even better, a buchi, a single shot of sweet Cuban espresso. You can’t really go wrong with
any of the sandwiches, but a Cuban mix or a midnite (like a Cuban but on a sweet roll) might be your best bet. A side
of bollitos, blackeyed pea fritters with garlic, and a bottle of Malta Hatuey, and you’re all set.


Just around the corner from Five Brothers is
perhaps my favorite spot in town, the Key West Cemetery. The main entrance you see here is at the intersection of
Margaret and Angela Streets and Passover Lane. Sure, there are a couple of other public parks on the island, but this
is by far the most tranquil area you’ll find.


Since everything in town is pretty close to sea
level, most of the graves in the cemetery are above ground, similar to New Orleans. Since space is so precious, they’ve
taken to stacking people, as you can see on the right.


If you didn’t eat your lunch from Five
Brothers on one of the benches outside, take it over to the cemetery. In the eastern corner, near the intersection of
Frances and Olivia Streets, you’ll fine some shaded benches.

These benches are also conveniently located
near what is perhaps one of the most frequently photographed epitaphs in the world:

If you leave the cemetery
and hang a left on Southard Street, you’ll eventually come to Truman Annex and the entrance to Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park
(coincidentally, this route also takes you by The Green Parrot Bar). Ft. Zach is
home to the best beach on the island. While you probably won’t be all alone on the beach, the park is large enough that
you won’t have to scramble for a spot in the sun or in the shade of the Australian Pines.


The park closes at
sunset, which is when it’s at its best.


Once the sun is down, a great place to survey
the town is the top of the city parking garage, at the corner of Caroline and Grinnell Streets. The Lighthouse Museum and the top of the hotel La Concha are also good for a
bird’s eye view, but the garage is much quieter. There’s a rear stairwell on James Street (also the site of Finnegan’s Wake, another good watering hole).

For those of you
coming to Key West to shop, I suggest Bésame Mucho, a small boutique
at 315 Petronia St. It’s a great mix of classy little imports, from soap to chocolate, linens to jazz. Truly, a breed
apart from most of the schlock shops in town.

Lastly, a spot I don’t see nearly enough of,
but still one I suggest everyone visit, is Nancy Forrester’s Secret Garden. Located at 1 Free School Lane, on Simonton
Street, between Fleming and Southard Streets, this enormous garden occupies the center of a city block and features an
incredible variety of palms, fruit trees and orchids.
Admission is $6, I believe.

As I said,
these are the places I usually send people. Overall, my advice to anyone visiting Key West for the first time would be
to spend an evening away from Duval Street and just wander around the streets and lanes of Old Town.

[All
photos taken by Nick Vagnoni except Bésame Mucho and Ft. Zachary Taylor, taken by John Vagnoni]