Tagged With "Klondike Gold Rush"
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Re: Iceland: 'No we're not Disneyland'
Now that Rekyjavik is on the European Budget Airlines destinations list its hard to avoid a rush. It was one of those places you wouldn't visit unless you had a business interest and an expenses account. They're still advertising Iceland on TV, so someone must be pleased with the extra income tourism brings.
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Re: Is Porto worth the trip?
Much as I loved my time in Porto...it's NOT a day trip. Much too much to do there, including evening stroll along the Douro, port-wine tasting across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia and more. I'd say take the advice above and save Porto for another trip. Of the recommended day trips above, I'd vote for Sintra. It's an easy trip--trains run about every 30 minutes, more frequently in rush hours, The town itself is interesting, the Moorish Castle up on the mountain and the Pena Palace above that...
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Re: Frommer's New EasyGuides: A Future for Print
A review for London ? Haven't been there for 40 years Paul. Really don't like big Cities and the "too busy to care attitude of people who live there" It's just my personal opinion. On the Tube Train into London people don't make eye-contact or talk to strangers. Here in Liverpool you'll be in conversation with 3 or 4 strangers and share a few laughs on the journey ! Someone falls on the street here ( and most of Northern England ) and folks rush to help. London they step over you. Rant over...
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Re: Frommer's New EasyGuides: A Future for Print
Like GarryRF, I'd rather be in wide open places. But that said, I do love snippets of big cities. A week at a time is about enough to satisfy my need for hustle and bustle for awhile. I know others can't live without the constant adrenaline rush of a city. The beauty of a free world is that everyone can pick what they want.
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Re: Minneapolis in the winter
The Mall's more interesting than you might think - besides the shopping there are the restaurants, amusement venues, and events going on. Here some info about stuff to see at the Mall http://www.mallofamerica.com/attractions To get to the Mall of America you Take Metro Transit (easy and clean) From Minneapolis Hiawatha Light Rail (Route 55) - The Hiawatha light-rail line offers fast, frequent service from downtown (5th Street) to Mall of America. Hiawatha light-rail trains leave every 7.5...
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Re: Up, Up and Away: Airline miles cards with big bonuses
I have a Delta American Express Platinum card that has served us well. The fee is higher than the gold card, but we can check two bags free, priority boarding, and a free companion pass yearly. We fly two or three times a year and the value of the waived baggage fee and the companion pass far exceed the $150 annual fee. The card also accrues one mile for each dollar spent and lately has offered cash back incentives. For example: spend $15 at Panera's using the card and receive $5 credit on...
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Re: April 24, 2018: Thirsty?
And not the first time for a toilet as a museum exhibit. The Guggenheim in New York last year had a solid-gold working replica by Maurizio Cattelan, entitled America, that could be used by visitors. And, famously, in 1917, Marcel Duchamp challenged concepts of art and esthetics by exhibiting a 'readymade,' a standard urinal turned on its edge, signed as if by an artist, and labeled... Fountain.
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Re: Visiting historic Skagway, Alaska
I had never realized that this was the only successful way in...and I think most of my images of the whole thing come from old silent movies showing would-be miners strugglng over that pass. Seems so peaceful now...
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Re: Visiting historic Skagway, Alaska
I enjoyed this piece, Tom, and find the little town of Skagway charming if there's no cruise ships around. Make sure if you visit that you also go to the town's little cemetery and see if you can find the grave marker of the villainous Soapy Smith. There was a different way to reach the Klondike in addition to those Tom writes about, which while safer was not very successful. That involved sailing all the way up the coast of Alaska, entering the mouth of the Yukon river and navigating...
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Re: Welcome to the town of Dawson City, Yukon
It's hard for me to imagine the short arc of Dawson's heyday. In 1902 some of the most important buildings were going up, obviously reflecting a future of growth and wealth—and yet, within the same year, the population shrank to an eighth of what it had been only a year or two earlier!
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Re: Welcome to the town of Dawson City, Yukon
That's the nature of gold boom towns, PHeymont. I believe another gold vein had been found in Alaska near the mouth of the mighty Yukon River, and most of the Klondike prospectors flowed downriver to it. I've been fascinated by the Klondike gold rush since I was a school boy in Canada, reading the writing of Pierre Burton (famous Canadian author, former resident of Dawson City, whose father was one of those who came here during the Klondike Gold Rush and unlike most stayed in Dawson). On the...
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Re: Spring Time on Table Mountain
I have spent whole days hiking Table Mountain and haven't even covered half of it. The top of the mountain is divided by the single two lane road that cuts up and over it. This day was spent on the West side of the divide. I couldn't find any information on the square mileage, but as a rough estimate I would say "huge". There are also caves, which I have never found, but then again I have never found Phantom Falls, either. Just North of this spot there is a "ghost town" called Cherokee.
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Re: Gallery: The View From Home
I got these just in time. It's been raining every day since, not that I'm complaining, we need it badly. But waiting for a day now when I can do more for "Gold Country".
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Re: Happy Birthday, Eiffel Tower!
I like her tips, especially the advice not to rush past the second level, which too many people regard as just a place to change elevators. I also like that up-from-under shot of the tower...It reminded me to go and find my darker version of that view from 1960, on my first visit to Paris.
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Re: Impression about Perth, Australia
" considering they're all descended from convicts " Very cruel DrF ! With the discovery of gold just outside Bathurst in 1851, the nature of Australian migration changed completely. People arrived in far greater numbers and from more varied backgrounds than ever before. Between 1851 and 1861 over 600,000 came and while the majority were from Britain and Ireland, 60,000 came from Continental Europe, 42,000 from China, 10,000 from the United States and just over 5,000 from New Zealand and the...
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Re: The Berkeley Pit, Butte, Montana (Where Gumbo was #130)
Thanks for your comment, HistoryDigger. The tailing pond is relatively shallow and I don't believe is anywhere near as contaminated as the pit water. But I still wouldn't swim in it (not that you could, the entire area is sealed off except to workers) The pit water really is not accessible to anything except birds flying in, and hopefully their natural fear of flying into a hole would keep them away. There's enough rivers and lakes nearby that they have a lot of options -- not like trying to...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo (#114)
I'm confused about the photo with the candle, but the photo on the first page of the building with the gold-leaf dome is the Secessionist Building in Vienna. Best regards, Jude Bell
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Re: Florence, Italy: A city made for walking
Just there myself. Phone's battery running low, so pix are limited. A shop's window. On the way to Ponte Vecchio with a friend who bought two enormous gold rings.
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Re: Exploring Liverpool's 300 years as a port
Another one of Liverpool's great museums with free entrance! I learned a lot about slavery from that museum and later from GarryRF as he showed me some more sights in town . When I was in Charleston, SC, I asked at the Slavery museum if they had any slaves coming to Charleston that had a Liverpool connection. I was basically made fun of for asking the question. The worker was totally unaware of the Triangular Trade that Liverpool was doing. The BBC describes it: "In Liverpool ships were...
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Re: Visiting and Then Moving to Sunny Brisbane
Brisbane truly is an amazing city. I was there at Christmas time when the weather is really HOT. The beach is illuminated so the kids can have fun after sunset without burning their skin. The Drive Thru Bottle Shop. Santa Claus and his helpers all arrived on Harley Davidson motor bikes. Surfers Paradise and the Slots everywhere ! The Meter Maids in their Gold Bikinis rolling around on their skates adding quarters to Parking Meters about to run out. The Gold Coast is one of those places you...
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Re: Walking the Burgundy Canal
Every walk is different, of course, so planning, for someone like me who isn't a distance walker, is essential. I can walk comfortably up to about 10 miles with my little pack, more if I must but try to avoid it, so there's no rush in the morning to be out early. I enjoy a leisurely breakfast and head out mid-morning. I'm never in the position of looking for a place to overnight because I've reserved in advance, either well in advance or at least a day or 2, knowing where I'll be. In France...
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Re: Hong Kong Airlines gets its first North America route
With a catchment area covering Auckland, Gold Coast, Shanghai, Sanya, Bangkok, Bali, Tokyo, Sapporo, Beijing and Okinawa. Hong Kong Airlines has a lot to offer travellers to the American continent.
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Gold Crest Holidays
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Re: Buddhas of Bagan
PortMoresby, it looks like some of these are gold, or at least gold-leaf covered? Do you recall if that's the case?
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Re: Buddhas of Bagan
Your guess is as good as mine but I assume they are. Gold leaf has a distinctive look that can't be replicated any other way and it's my assumption that it is, indeed, gold.
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Re: Weekend getaways. Where's your favorite spot
There is always something to do here in Redding. This part of California is known for its natural setting and Gold Rush history. We like to picnic at Shasta Lake or visit the Gold Rush ghost town at Shasta State Historic Park. Hiking at Lassen Volcanic park is always invigorating. In the Spring, you cannot beat a visit to the 220 acre arboretum at Turtle Bay.
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Re: Where in the World is Gumbo? #8
Well, I thought I had one that would stump the experts...but apparently there's no doing that! The boat is, in fact, at anchor off Akerbrygge, near the Radhus in Oslo, Norway. My comments about Rumpelstiltskin to the contrary, it's obvious the Gumbo gang know how to weave straw into gold, and tiny glints into answers. Honors this time go to GarryRF with his specific ID, to WorkerBee for a partial (Oslo) and to Port Moresby for the other partial (Norway). The answer, with more pictures, will...
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, August 16, 2014: Graceland's Walls, Memphis
I think Elvis touched a lot of people in one way or another, Dr F. When we visited Graceland we had mixed emotions and enjoyed the tour immensely. I am a fan from way back and appreciate the contribution he made to the music industry. I also get a little ticked off when people who maybe don't know a lot about his private life ridicule him and put him down. The man had a heart of gold and was very misunderstood in many ways. He was born poor and when he came into wealth all he wanted to do...
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Re: Where in the World is TravelGumbo? #68
I have seen that little gold flag before. Part of me wants to say Prague, but I am really not sure.
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Re: Help with Provence Itinerary
Good point, and sent me scurrying back to the Airbnb details page—and fortunately, there's on-premise parking. That's good, because we're picking up the car at Avignon TGV at about 8:40. An earlier train would be more expensive and less pleasant... We're staying at a hotel in Marseille that's just at Gare St-Charles, and considered picking the car up there...but decided that leaving central Marseille in the rush hour might not be our favorite thing...and also adds about 54€ to the rental for...
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Re: Gold Country, California: Nevada City
I LOVE when this happens! In the midst of my series on the Gold Rush towns in California and coinciding with our discussions of early photography in 'Gumbo's World' on the homepage, I read this morning of an exhibit of photographs at Stanford University. From the gallery site: "...Carleton Watkins (1829–1916) ventured west in 1849 to strike it rich. But instead of prospecting for gold, Watkins developed a talent for photography—a medium invented only 22 years before." Read more here . I will...
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Re: Gold Country, California: The Empire Mine
Pheymont, that question was also asked on the tour. The answer is no, because the town of Grass Valley was already a thriving community very nearby, housing and services were available to the miners already, making it unnecessary for the mine to provide them. In general, mining in the vicinity was started by individuals, lots of them, and the communities grew organically, with some making fortunes, not from the gold by mining it, but by taking it in payment from miners in exchange for...
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Re: Gold Country, California: The Empire Mine
The company towns in the coal territories had another function as well...they made the miners dependent on the company for housing, paid in scrip redeemable at the company store (remember "Sixteen Tons"?). That not only gave the company a second profit from the miners' labor through high prices; it also gave the company a great deal of control over miners' lives—because striking or being fired meant a total uprooting and expulsion. I guess the model didn't take root in the gold camps!
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Re: Gold Country, California: The Empire Mine
Fascinating tour! I know a lot more about the Klondike gold rush than this one, but gold rushes do make for entertaining reading and sightseeing!
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Re: Don't Expect Things to Work Like Home
Sounds like the unplanned cultural excursion that I prefer. I hate being shoulder to shoulder when its peak time. So like you I go the opposite way to the rush. Good pix too ....
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Re: Gumbo's Pic of the Day, April 12, 2014: Mokelumne Hill, California
I find stories of Gold Rushes to be absolutely fascinating! One that always gripped me was the Klondike Goldrush in the late 1800s. This was the last major one because after this telegraph and eventually phone lines change the world by providing more accurate information in a timely way, but in the late 1800s, everything was still word of mouth. It was at a time when stories of gold made 100s of thousands of people give up their lives, sell everything they owned, and head out to get their...
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Visiting historic Skagway, Alaska
Skagway, Alaska owes its existence to the Klondike Gold Rush in the late 1800s. There were three main routes to the Klondike. One route was across Alaska. A second was the all-Canadian route starting at Edmonton and...
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Memphis, Tennessee: 1) Graceland
3764 Elvis Presley Blvd. It’s an address most Elvis fans know by heart because that’s where you’ll find Graceland . Graceland is THE place every Elvis must visit at least once in their lifetime. Not only was...
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Memphis, Tennessee 2) The King's chariots
Elvis loved cars and mechanical toys of all types, including motorcycles and airplanes. He had the money to indulge his passions, and you can see many of his favorites right across the street from Graceland . The Elvis...
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The National Museum of Ireland: Archaeology, Dublin: Where Gumbo was #78
Seems not even the master Gumbo travel sleuths were able to crack our last puzzle. Gumbo was visiting the fascinating Museum of Ireland, Archaeology division, situated on Kildare Street in Dublin. The Archaeology Museum is housed...
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Update: Loyalty Programs and Credit Cards
For some of us, credit cards are more than a convenient way to pay—they are the lifeline to free travel through loyalty programs. Between points for purchases and bonuses for opening or upgrading credit card accounts, it's possible to get quite...
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Arctic Birds on Migration: Saskatchewan
Many of the Arctic birds are large white birds such as geese and swans but also include smaller and different coloured sandpipers and other birds. Where is the best place to see these magnificent Arctic birds? The most...
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A Visit to Ireland: Part 1) An overview of the Country and its People
I remember being in Wales several times and looking across the sea to the west, thinking that I needed to get to Ireland. Well I finally made it, completing this journey with my brother on our annual "getaway trip"! It was a trip we really...
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Spirit's New Plan: Higher 'Rush Hour' Bag Fees!
Spirit Airlines--the one that sometimes makes Grinch seem like a good guy--is planning a new revenue-squeezer. It's planning to raise checked bag fees at high-travel times such as Christmas and other holidays. Spirit already has some of the...
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Visiting Western Greenland. Part II – Western Greenland on Foot!
Part I covered three Greenlandic towns I have visited but my real passion is being out in West Greenland’s wilderness. So this part is about what it has to offer those willing to get out there on foot and under canvas! I...
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Silver Plume, Colorado
I love going on leisurely road trips -- the kind where you've several spare hours to pull over somewhere and explore. If a place seems interesting, I like to check it out. So it was this past summer while we were visiting...
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Road Trip, Day 1: City of Ten Thousand Buddhas and The Skunk
Gateway to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas March 9, 2015 In the late ‘80s, I lived in L.A. for a couple of years. My S.O. knew lots of cool L.A. stuff. One of those was something he’d read that...
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Road Trip, Day 3: A Sunny Day in Sonoma
March 11, 2015 The drive down California Highway 1, along the Mendocino and Sonoma County coast, was a bit of a bust. It started to rain as I arrived at Point Arena and Fort Ross was closed, it turned out, on weekdays, so I...
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Major Cruise Lines Expanding Adventure Travel Options
According to a George Washington University study,adventure travel is a $263 billion market that is growing at a rate of 65% annually .Major cruise lines are jumping on the trend by expanding their adventure travel options. Princess Cruises,...
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Barcelona: Sometimes TOO many tourists at market
Barcelona, which continues to be one of the hottest European cities for visitors, has locals who sometimes feel a little crowded out...especially at their favorite food market, La Bouqueria. The result: during the Friday and Saturday shopping rush...