It was so fun to finally be enveloped in the beauty that I had only seen in photographs. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon on Navajo land in Page, Arizona. Only accessible by tour, my group of 11 people was guided by local Dylan A. Throughout the day there were hundreds of people going in and out of the canyon for their 1-hour tour, which was run by Ken’s Tours. I was impressed by how well-run and strict the operation was to preserve the Navajo treasure. Didn’t steal that  one, White Man. Suckas!

I have a printout of the seven modern wonders of the world, seven ancient wonders, and seven natural wonders. There’s also a list of five miscellaneous natural wonders of the world. I’m working on seeing all of them. As for the miscellany: 1) giant sequoia trees of California, 2) Rainbow Natural Bridge of Utah, 3) Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park, 4) Crater Lake and Wizard Island in Oregon, and 5) Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico. Having just visited Rainbow Bridge National Monument, I finished seeing the 5 miscellaneous natural wonders. I took a three-hour boat ride (tour) on Lake Powell in Page, Arizona, and then we passengers hiked a mile to the bridge. It was so beautiful. I felt so fortunate to be there. Of course I had to perform my signature pose.

Seven, no six more US national parks to see—out of 63. National Park Service, don’t add any more parks to the list before next year or else I’ll never finish seeing them all. I have five more national parks to see in Alaska (eight total there), and American Samoa is a national park. California has the most national parks—nine.
Yesterday I visited Voyageurs National Park, which is on the Minnesota-Canada border. It is about a third water with few hiking trails. I hiked, while nearly everyone else—locals and tourists—were on boats. It seems like everyone in Minnesota owns a boat, whereas in Alaska it seems like everyone owns a plane.

Another US national park visited; seven more to go. Another new adventure; countless to come. I visited Isle Royale National Park in Michigan’s Lake Superior. I went on my first sea plane ride to get to the park from Hancock in Michigan’s upper peninsula. I was so excited to experience the ride that I didn’t care about the destination. Isn’t that what life should be?! The ride, take-off, and landing were smooth—all feeling like floating. Pilot Billy of Isle Royale Sea Planes was skilled, professional, and personable. I highly recommend this adventure and company. What a fun way to get around! I am utterly smitten with sea planes, now. Isle Royale was one big, dense forest. I hiked and sat at the water’s edge. My favorite part of the island was the tap water, which was the best I’ve ever had—right up there with natural springs in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Moab, Utah. When I was putting on my life jacket to board the plane back to the mainland, a lady adjusted my life jacket. It turned out that she worked with special needs adults. That fits.

Finally! 30 out of 30. Four years ago, I flew to New York for the sake of seeing the NY Mets baseball team. Since I had already been to New York, I didn’t have much other reason to be there. The game was rained out, and my trip wasn’t padded to go another day. Grrr. Four years later, I finally finished seeing all of the Major League Baseball parks. How long did it take me to see all 30? Let’s just say I was born before the Nixon administration.
On my way to and from Boston, I traveled through Connecticut, stopping in Mystic, Groton, and New Haven. My unimpressive hotel in an unimpressive part of Stamford, Connecticut, was connected to an unimpressive restaurant. Well, celebrity chef Guy Fieri thought otherwise. I saw him outside of The Stamford Diner taping an episode of his show.
I ended my New England trip with another Serial Good Samaritan act. When I was about to board the plane at Logan Airport, I heard THUMP. I looked behind me and saw that an old lady walking by my gate took a nose dive, landing on both knees. After I determined that she didn’t break a bone, I performed Reiki to eliminate the pain and assess soft tissue damage. I told her that she was OK and then I lifted her to her feet; we walked to a chair. “You’re OK,” I assured her. While I was helping the old lady, I kept looking back at my gate. They better keep the door open for me. I want a free upgrade, too. Yes on the former. Fat chance on the latter.

Reading a sign—“pre-season sale”—as I walked into a store, I coined a new term: pre-season traveler. Avoiding crowds, I am afforded sites all to myself (truly or seemingly).
I love Boston! What a great city, and now my favorite US big city.
The Freedom Trail led me to a piano, which I played. People gathered and recorded videos. One lady sheepishly asked me if she could give me a tip. She handed me a dollar. I said, “That’s all?!” Just kidding. The dollar was my first payment for playing music. I am now officially a professional musician. Although, a year ago I was hired to teach piano. Does that make me a professional musician?
The beautiful lady who took my photo was down on her luck. So, I had her sit next to me on the bench while I performed Reiki. Channeling Spirit is extraordinary. Afterward, the lady floated off with a smile on her face. While I was in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I diagnosed a tumor in a couple’s dog. The couple already new about it. The couple and the beautiful lady encouraged me to move to New England. No, thanks, but I am definitely for hire.
Contact me to order a print on archival paper or canvas.

Although it’s been five years since I finished seeing all of the states, I’m just now ranking the best sense of humor—the residents of Massachusetts. It must be because of the large Irish population. I found my tribe outside of Ireland. It seemed like every conversation I overheard was hilarious. So far, my favorite was watching two guys talk with a stranger who was in the middle of a sneeze attack. The guys were watching the stranger as though the stranger were an athlete about to score the final point for the championship.
Martha’s Vineyard is considered, by mainlanders, as commercialized, but I found it to be quite lovely.
Contact me to order a print on archival paper or canvas.

If only I could see a Cape Cod house in person. Where should I go? Boston, Massachusetts! No, farther. Cape Cod. No, farther. Nantucket. I took a ferry from Hyannis to the island. The day before, I drove on the cape until I couldn’t go any farther—Provincetown. For you Californians, “P-Town” reminded me of a cross between Los Osos/Montaña de Oro and Balboa Island. Add Hillcrest (San Diego), and you have a gay community in a charming town built on a sand dune.
Contact me to order a print on archival paper or canvas.