MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK -- Christy Kinney was well equipped for this August backcountry ski trip.

Boots and skis. Check.

Ski poles. Check.

Inflatable raft. Check.

Warm clothing. Check.

Sunglasses. Check.

Cheerleader costume. Check.

A costume may seem unusual for a ski trip. But this IS NOT an ordinary ski trip. This is the annual Slush Cup.

In the Tatoosh Range -- a group of mountains just south of Mount Rainier -- lies a mountain ... Read More

BLACK HISTORY

CAPE CANAVERAL-They speak the language of Zero-G and payload. They travel to their off-earth assignments in spacecrafts. Some have walked in space.

They are United States astronauts, and on June 5, four of them, including the first African American to go on a mission to space, were inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame during an outdoor ceremony at the Kennedy Space Center visitor Complex.

Guion "Guy" Bluford Jr., a four-time Mission Specialist ab ... Read More

Nov 22, 2009

When you see some of the holidays masquerading as ecotourism you'd be forgiven for thinking the term "greenwash" was invented for the tourism industry. Oh, it was. In fact this pejoratively used hybrid was coined in the 1980s by American environmentalist Jay Westervelt, who was incensed by the way hotels put signs up pleading with guests to reuse their towels thus "saving the environment" when they were doing nothing to promote recycling elsewhere and really, he suspected, ... Read More

By Cindy Clayton

The Virginian-Pilot

The Coast Guard is planning to step up patrols during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend .

During the holiday, which will be preceded by National Safe Boating Week, the agency is asking boaters to be cautious and get a free boat safety check before heading out on the water.

The Coast Guard also is reminding boaters that consuming alcohol while operating a boat is illegal.

Always check the weather before a boating trip ... Read More

WHY QUEENSCLIFF? I'm from Melbourne, but Queenscliff - a 90- minute drive away - is my town away from town. Quiet, and with little traffic, even in summer, it's a place that time forgot - a 19th-century appearance with an early Sixties atmosphere.

WHAT DO YOU MISS MOST WHEN YOU ARE AWAY? The space, the quiet and the smell of the sea air; the town's colonial history, still visible in the architecture; and the beach walks, especially to Point Lonsdale.

WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU D ... Read More