Category Archives: New York

National Geographic’s 7 Natural Wonders of America

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Wide view of the Grand Canyon showing layered red, orange, and tan rock formations under a clear blue sky. A green tree frames the right side, and sunlight highlights the canyon’s depth and geological details.”

Photo Credit Deb Neumann

What Wonders Await When You Dare to Explore

National Geographic has named seven Natural Wonders of America. It made me pause for a moment and ask myself: Have I explored any of them? As it turns out, I’ve been fortunate enough to experience many of these extraordinary places firsthand.

On the South Rim, Grand Canyon 2008

1. The Grand Canyon — “The Big Ditch”

This destination of a lifetime cannot be fully described. It can be photographed, painted, and praised by poets, but nothing prepares you for the awe of seeing it in person — whether for the first time or the fifth. Eighteen miles wide and over a mile deep, its scale is almost more than the mind can grasp.

I’ve seen it. I’ve stood at the edge and felt that dizzying thrill of peering into the vastness. It takes your breath away every single time.

2. Coastal Redwoods

I have not yet explored the giant sequoias and redwood forests that stretch along the misty northern California coast. I’ve seen enormous trees in other places — including the sprawling banyan trees of Hawaiʻi — but a trip to California’s Redwood forests still waits on my list.

3. Niagara Falls

Truly one of the Wonders of America, Niagara Falls straddles the border between Canada and the USA — a cathedral carved by water and time. The Maid of the Mist heroically plunges into the wild waters at the base of the falls, where the world becomes wind and spray. Down there, the air itself is alive, whipped into motion by the thunderous plunge of millions of gallons of water. Gusts rise and swirl like invisible wings, tugging at your clothes and reminding you that nature still knows how to roar.

If this sounds like I’ve been there, it’s because I have. I’ve seen and felt the power of the falls up close and personal. It is truly a Natural Wonder and one not to be missed.

4. Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian Mountains stretch roughly 2,000 miles from Alabama to Canada. I grew up in the Adirondack Park, on the shores of Lake George, never realizing that the mountains around me were part of a story far older and wider than my childhood. The Appalachians form a quiet backbone across the eastern states — through the soft Berkshires, the misty Catskills, the deep greens of the Smokies, and the sharp granite of the White Mountains.

The Appalachian Trail threads through many of these ranges, a long wandering line that eventually reaches Maine. When you grow up surrounded by mountains, you don’t always see them as wonders. They’re just there — the shape of your horizon, the backdrop of your summers, the steady presence behind every memory. Only later do you understand that you were living inside an ancient world without ever needing to look for it.

People travel from all over to experience these unspoiled mountain parks. But I grew up in them.

 

5. The Everglades

The Everglades is a slow — very slow — moving river in subtropical Florida. It’s a mix of fresh and salt water and home to an astonishing diversity of wildlife: wading birds with enormous wingspans, prehistoric reptiles like alligators and crocodiles, and rare creatures such as sea turtles, the Miami-blue butterfly, and the elusive Florida panther.

What most people don’t realize is that the Everglades is not just a national park — this ecosystem covers one-third of the entire state. It encompasses nine distinct habitats, from mangroves to sawgrass prairies.

Today, the Everglades faces threats from invasive species like Burmese pythons, which thrive in the warm climate and have no natural predators. Still, I’ve been there. I love it — even in the heat and humidity — and I would go back in a heartbeat. It’s wild and beautiful.

Old Faithful Erupts6. Yellowstone National Park

Another of my favorite places. When you realize you are walking, hiking, and driving inside the caldera of an enormous volcano, it can boggle the mind. Hot springs, bubbling mud pots, steaming geysers — everywhere you turn, you’re surrounded by nature’s raw power.

And then there’s the wildlife: deer, elk, bison, pronghorn, wolves, bears, coyotes, and foxes. If you love wild creatures, you are in the right place.

 

I’ve been to Yellowstone, and even after a week of exploring, I only scratched the surface of its wonders.

7. Hawaiʻi Volcanoes

I love all the places on National Geographic’s list, but Hawaiʻi’s volcanoes hold a special place in my heart. From Haleakalā — the House of the Sun — to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park with the very active Kīlauea, these landscapes take my breath away.

Haleakalā is a beautiful moonscape of ochre and red cinder cones. Often a shifting layer of clouds lies between you and the valley floor.

Kīlauea erupted almost continuously for 35 years, reshaping the island with lava flows and glowing lakes of molten rock. I’ve missed most of her dramatic displays — she’s been quiet during my visits — but I’ve walked through a lava tube and seen the red glow from the crater. Maybe someday Pele will show herself when I’m there.

A Grateful Journey

And that’s the list, according to National Geographic. Writing about these places has been a wonderful trip down memory lane. I have so much to be thankful for — to have visited so many of America’s most wondrous landscapes.

Egret, Florida

 

Golden Tempo Wins Belmont!

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Welcome to Saratoga, NY — known for health, history, and horses. And today’s Belmont Stakes did not disappoint!

Golden Tempo. He did it again — from last place to first in the Belmont Stakes.

For three‑quarters of the race he just loped along at the back, unbothered, unhurried, almost lallygagging. Then he hit the far turn, straightened into the homestretch, and unleashed it. That breathtaking surge — that rocket‑launch from last to first — is why this horse has a grip on my heart.

Golden Tempo surges across the Belmont finish line ahead of his rivals on a dirt track.

 

He didn’t just pass rivals. He blew by them.

Congrats to Golden Tempo and his team.

From underdog to GOAT. You just gotta love this horse.

Saratoga: From Mineral Springs to Racing Royalty

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The iconic entrance to Saratoga Race Course, complete with jockey statues and the flowered fountain that signals you’ve arrived at racing season.

Growing Up North of Saratoga — Where the Springs Smelled Like Rust and Trouble

I grew up just north of Saratoga, in the quieter world of Bolton Landing — close enough to feel the pull of the big summer scene, far enough away to keep our own identity. Saratoga was a big deal in my youth. The crowds, the buzz, the racing, the whole ritual of it. And of course, the smell.

Before I ever cared about who was closing on the outside, Saratoga meant mineral springs, bathhouses, and that unmistakable tang of iron and carbonation rising from the ground. People came to “take the waters,” to stroll the grand hotels, to sip from springs that tasted like everything from crisp seltzer to rusty nails.

I’ll be honest: I always thought Saratoga stunk. That sulfur‑metal smell hit you long before you ever saw the water. Some people swore it was healing; I just wanted to get upwind.

But Saratoga didn’t stay just a spa town. As the crowds arrived for the waters, they wanted entertainment — and the entertainment they wanted was horses. By the 1860s, racing had taken root, and the town evolved into something bigger: a place where the elegance of the spa era met the electricity of the racetrack. Health, history, horses wasn’t just a slogan; it was the rhythm of the region I grew up in. And somewhere in that mix, the seeds of my own love for horse racing were planted.

How the Triple Crown Actually Became the Triple Crown

The Races Existed Long Before Anyone Connected Them

Gallant Fox Triple Crown Winner

We talk about the Triple Crown today like it’s some ancient, sacred tradition, but the truth is far messier — and much more interesting.

  • Belmont Stakes: first run in 1867
  • Preakness Stakes: first run in 1873
  • Kentucky Derby: first run in 1875

For decades, they were just three important races on the calendar. No one thought of them as a set. No one talked about a sweep. No one whispered the words “Triple Crown.”

That didn’t happen until the 1930s, when a sportswriter used the phrase after Gallant Fox won all three in 1930. Only then did the idea catch fire. Before that, a horse who won all three was simply… a horse who won three big races.

The Schedule Wasn’t Always Set in Stone

Even after the Triple Crown became “a thing,” the races weren’t always run in the same order or on the same timeline. The spacing we think of as traditional — Derby in early May, Preakness two weeks later, Belmont three weeks after that — is really a mid‑20th‑century standard, not a sacred commandment.

Which brings us to today’s debate.

Why This Year’s Triple Crown Conversation Is Different

Golden Tempo comes from behind to win the Kentucky Derby

Golden Tempo, Napoleon Solo, and a Missing Middle Jewel

Napoleon Solo wins the Preakness

This year’s storyline took a sharp turn right after the roses were handed out. There will be no Triple Crown in 2026. The Kentucky Derby winner, Golden Tempo, did not run in the Preakness — leaving the second jewel wide open for Napoleon Solo (yes, like The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) to swoop in and take Baltimore.

With no sweep on the line, the conversation shifted from “Who will win all three?” to “Should the series itself change?”

The Modern Debate: Is Two Weeks Too Short?

Trainers say today’s horses need more recovery time.
Traditionalists say the tight spacing is the whole point — the test of stamina, grit, and resilience that makes the Triple Crown so rare.

Some want the Preakness pushed back to three or even four weeks after the Derby.
Others argue that changing the spacing would rewrite the very identity of the series.

Either way, the debate is louder than ever, and it’s rolling straight toward the Belmont Stakes in June, even if the crown itself is already out of reach.

Closing Thoughts: A Bolton Landing Kid With Saratoga in Her Bones

Even though I didn’t grow up in Saratoga, it loomed large from my little perch in Bolton Landing — close enough to feel the excitement, close enough to know when something big was happening, and definitely close enough to smell those springs whether I wanted to or not. I may not have loved the scent, but the place itself worked its way into me anyway. Those early trips south planted the seeds for a lifelong fascination with horse racing — a fascination that still pulls me back every spring, every Derby, every Preakness, every Belmont. Even now, all these years later, Saratoga remains a big deal in my world… smell and all.

See You June 6 in Saratoga for The Belmont Stakes!

The Whitehall Bigfoot

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The Whitehall Bigfoot: A Hometown Legend That Refuses to Fade

If you’ve been following my recent posts about Colorado and the curious Bigfoot sighting near the Durango & Silverton railroad, you already know I’ve been deep in a cryptid rabbit hole. Maybe it’s just that Bigfoot stories make excellent comfort reading, but my mind drifted back to a place much closer to home: Whitehall, New York.

For anyone who grew up in that corner of the Adirondacks, Bigfoot isn’t just a campfire tale — it’s practically local history. And one night in 1976 cemented Whitehall’s place on the cryptozoology map forever.

A Quiet Town, a Strange Night

Whitehall is the kind of small town where people know each other’s dogs, never mind each other’s business. But in late August 1976, something happened on Abair Road that no one could quite explain.

Multiple witnesses — including law enforcement officers — reported seeing a tall, broad, hair‑covered figure standing near the tree line. Not a bear. Not a prankster. Something… else.

The creature was described as:

  • Around 7–8 feet tall
  • Covered in dark hair
  • Broad‑shouldered and muscular
  • Moving with surprising speed

Officers later said the encounter left them shaken in a way they couldn’t easily dismiss. When seasoned police officers admit they were rattled, people tend to listen.

Why the 1976 Sighting Still Matters

Plenty of Bigfoot reports fade into folklore, but the Whitehall incident has staying power. Here’s why:

  • Multiple credible witnesses
    This wasn’t one person seeing something in the dark. Several individuals — including trained observers — reported the same thing.
  • Consistent descriptions
    The accounts line up in uncanny ways, even decades later.
  • Ongoing activity
    Whitehall still gets sightings. Enough that the town now hosts an annual Sasquatch Festival.
  • Cultural identity
    Whether you believe or not, Bigfoot is part of Whitehall’s personality. It’s woven into the local storytelling tradition.

 

A Personal Connection

Growing up near Whitehall, the 1976 sighting wasn’t just a story — it was the story. Kids whispered about it on school buses. Adults mentioned it with that “I’m not saying it was Bigfoot, but…” tone. It was part of the landscape, like the mountains and the fog.

So after writing about Colorado’s mysterious figure, it feels natural to circle back to the place where my own fascination began.

Want to See More?

There’s a great YouTube video that breaks down the 1976 incident with interviews and reenactments.

 

If you’ve ever driven down Abair Road at dusk, you know how easy it is to imagine something watching from the trees. Whether Bigfoot is flesh and blood or folklore, Whitehall’s legend endures — and it’s one I’ll always have a soft spot for.

Where Were You That Morning? A Tribute to September 11

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🕊️ A Morning Like No Other

Do you remember where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001?

📺 “Is This a Movie?

I remember it vividly—not in the way you recall a birthday or a vacation, but in the way your body remembers shock. I turned on the news, expecting the usual hum of morning chatter. Instead, I saw flames, smoke, and chaos. For a moment, I thought it was a movie trailer. Something surreal. Something scripted. But it wasn’t.

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Internet

🧊 Numbness and Silence

It was horrifying.

I remember how I felt. Numb. Just stunned. My mind couldn’t catch up to what my eyes were seeing. The towers—those iconic pillars of the New York skyline—were collapsing. Lives were being lost in real time. And across the country, hearts were breaking in unison.

🤝 A Nation United in Grief

In the days that followed, grief settled over us like a heavy fog. But so did something else: unity. Strangers became neighbors. Flags waved from porches and overpasses. First responders ran toward danger with a courage that defied comprehension. And in the quiet moments, we lit candles, whispered prayers, and held each other close.

Twenty-four years later, the pain hasn’t vanished. But neither has the resilience. Every September 11, the Tribute in Light rises over Manhattan—twin beams piercing the night sky, echoing the towers that once stood tall. It’s a symbol of remembrance, of hope, of the promise to never forget.

🚒 Heroes in the Ashes

To the families who lost loved ones, to the heroes who gave everything, and to the millions who carry the memory of that day in their hearts—you are not forgotten. Your stories live on in our reflections, our ceremonies, and our quiet moments of pause.

Fred George, Ash Wednesday, Dusk, 9/12/01, New-York Historical Society, Gift of Here is New York

Today, I remember. And I honor.

 

Raising the Flag at Ground Zero - Wikipedia

Raising the Flag at Ground Zero- Wikipedia