AprilEdition

Travel Locally
By: Stu Cooper / Happy Adventures
As I write this, COVID infection rates are
falling all over the country. However, the
world political situation, (meaning the war in
Ukraine), is deteriorating. In light of these latest developments,
what then is the state of travel for Americans? Here’s my view.
Moving around the
United States is beginning
to return to pre-pandemic
levels. I can personally attest
that airplanes, no matter
where you go, are back to full
capacity. I’ve flown from New
York to Las Vegas and Los Angeles a few
times and there was not an empty seat.
“Road trips” by car are also approaching prepandemic
levels as well. And this is in light of
raising gas prices.
Even future cruise reservations are trending towards all-time highs.
Cruising in the near future, however, remains a bit low, as folks are
waiting for new modified vaccine and testing requirements to cruise.
I just returned from a Mexican Riviera cruise, and the ship sailed
at less than 50% capacity. It was wonderful - no crowds, no lines, and
plenty of deck chairs by the pool. It was one of the best cruises I’ve ever
been on.
European travel has been
affected by political events. It is
understandable that there is a
reluctance to visit Europe. It is
really a “wait and see” mentality
concerning European travel.
What should you do? I say,
“Get out there.” See the USA.
Perhaps Alaska, Canada or
New England - or anywhere
along the United States coasts.
Visit the National Parks or do a
Mississippi River cruise.
It is time to put the pandemic behind us. But, as I always
say, travel smart. Don’t leave your brain at home when you go on
vacation and do your research before you go.
Please don’t hesitate to call me at 516/485-3200 with any question
you might have. Happy and safe adventures to all.
By: Kathy Manney / Around Our World
In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed
a bill setting aside more than two-million
acres as America’s
first national park – Yellowstone.
Yellowstone National Park is planning
its 2022 Sesquicentennial with new
focus and signage illuminating the story
of Native American tribes with historic
connections to the land. Thousands of
years ago, Yellowstone’s roads and trails
were Native American trails.
More than 11,000 years ago, Native
Americans inhabited this land. When
the park was established however, Native
Americans were driven out. The public
was led to believe Native Americans never occupied the area.
The earliest people in Yellowstone may have been the Clovis people,
arriving in the summer to harvest indigenous plants and hunt. Clovis
people coming here were hardy hunters whose prey included wooly
mammoths and other animals that are now extinct.
Due to White hunters, bison numbered only two dozen in Yellowstone
by 1902. Today the herd has grown to 5,000 and more than 600 grizzly
bears live in the park, as well as more than 300 bird species, including
many owl varieties.
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Yellowstone Celebrates Native American Tribes
April 2022
The Cody people in Yellowstone primarily hunted bison and bear, but
occasionally elk and deer. Their square-stemmed projectile points and
asymmetrical knives were first discovered in Cody, Wyoming, though
more than 70 Cody points and knives have
been found in Yellowstone. The greatest
concentration is near Yellowstone Lake.
At twenty miles long and 14 miles
wide, Yellowstone Lake is North America’s
largest natural high-elevation lake.
The park’s Yellowstone River was first
named Elk River by Native Americans.
Noteworthy, Yellowstone has never been
farmed or logged.
Other native peoples seasonally
migrating across Yellowstone were the
Nez Perce. Relocating from Idaho’s Snake
River, east to the Great Plains, they too
have an ancient association to Yellowstone. And with forty mountain
peaks above 10,000 feet, many are considered Native American
religious sites.
Yellowstone’s 2022 Sesquicentennial signage telling about the lives
of the first inhabitants, their work and spiritual knowledge is welcome
and past due.
Kathy Manney enjoys visiting interesting places and being an
Adventure Diva. Her “Must See” travel journeys continue - always
with enthusiasm.