CORNWALL, ENGLAND: Long Lost Kings, Mermaids, Pirates and Cream Teas, Guest Post by Gwen Dandridge

Zennor, Cornwall

My friend Gwen Dandridge and her husband recently returned from a trip to Cornwall and sent me this post.  Gwen has many talents ranging from fantasy writing to gardening to Morris dancing.  She is the author of The Stone Lions which received the Gold Seal of Excellence from Awesome Indies. You can find out more about her at her blog. Here is her post:
 

Last month my husband and I roamed the farthest southwestern edge of England. It was March, a month known for wild and wet weather in a land that is wild and wet.

Celtic Cross at St. Just, Cornwall

We started in Plymouth, Devon to hear golden-throated Mary Black and the Irish musicians/song writers, Clannad. That evening wrapped us in the magic of England’s southern lands giving us a proper welcome.

Gwen at Dartmoor

From there we headed to Dartmoor, climbed some tors and listened through the howling winds for the hounds of Baskerville. We didn’t hear any but nevertheless enjoyed the climb in the wind and rain to view the distant green fields.

Tintagel, legendary home of King Arthur

A short drive later, a drive on the left side of narrow hedged roads, we arrived at Tintagel, possible castle home of the legendary King Arthur. While its history waxes and wanes between fact and lore, certainly it was the remains of a fortification from the Roman-British era, and further developed during the 1100’s--Arthur’s time. In the 1200’s a rich Earl, enamored by the Arthur story, remade Tintagel into a seat of power. 

Whoever inhabited Tintagel, they picked well. The fortress sits on a prime promontory to defend the harbor. No ships or army can approach unseen. The site also feeds the eye as it overlooks the Celtic sea across to Ireland, with views of crashing waves and open skies.

The Eden Project

From there we meandered south, combing the countryside stopping at the Eden Project, working cider mills, forgotten gardens and quaint seaports. Each seaport had it’s charms: St. Mawes,  St. Just, St. Michael Mount, the equivalent of Mont Saint-Michel in Normandy, and Zennor, if you seek mermaids.

Mousehole

The seaside town of Mousehole lived up to its name, a tiny town with a single carriage road leading in and out, overlooking a small harbor. We had a proper cream tea there: tea and scones served with clotted cream and strawberry preserves.

Lizard Head

While the farthest south point on the western edge, Land’s End, is disappointingly touristy, Lizard Head, the south-eastern most point is a jewel worth walking.

Glendurgan Garden and Maze, near Falmouth

If you are so inspired, there is a footpath that goes from one point to the next, sixty-nine miles. A slow leisurely walk in the Cornish countryside surrounded by sea, pasture and moor.

St. Michael's Mount at Low Tide

This may be the perfect way to explore this region, on foot with the sea and sky surrounding you. And perhaps if you watch carefully, you might see a mermaid sunning on the shore.

All text and photos copyright Caroline Arnold.

 

Maxo Vanka’s Murals, Millvale, PA, photos by Joanne Rocklin

Mural of Christ and St. Peter by Maxo Vanka in St. Nicholas Catholic Church, Millvale, PA

On Easter morning, April 5th, 1942, the Bishop came to bless the newly completed murals by Croatian artist Maxo Vanka that filled the walls and ceilings of St. Nicholas Catholic Church in Millvale, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh.  Begun in 1937 and finished in 1941 and 1942, the spectacular tempera paintings depicted Christ and Mary, saints and apostles, life in Croatia, and social commentary on war and poverty. The brilliant colors and mixture of traditional iconography and scenes of daily life make the images memorable and moving. Many Croatians worked in the mines and steel mills in and around Pittsburgh. Murals painted before the war depict Croatian immigrants coming to America to seek a better life, grateful to have escaped the slaughter taking place in their homeland. Their strong sense of pride in their heritage is evident.

Women in Croatia weep over the coffin of a young, dead soldier.

One of the murals is an homage to labor while another documents the tragedy that occurred when one of the mills burned and collapsed. There are a total of twenty murals in the church. Murals painted after the war are much more striking and vivid with very dark and haunting themes. Maxo Vanka was a committed pacifist and the intensity of his beliefs are depicted clearly in these murals. Maximilian Vanka, also known as Maxo Vanka, was born in Croatia in 1889, came to the United States in the 1930's, and died in 1963. Maxo Vanka and his family lived in New York at the time that he painted the murals in Millvale.  To read about his life and other work click HERE.

Altar with Pieta, the Mother of Sorrows weeping over her dead son. 

My parents, Les and Kay Scheaffer, who were graduate students at the University of Pittsburgh in the 1940s, made regular visits to Millvale to watch Maxo Vanka work.  In his retirement, my father wrote about their experience. I posted his story on October 29, 2012.  It is a window on Maxo Vanka's personality and process of painting. Although I was born in Pittsburgh, I have never seen the murals myself.  Last summer, when my friend, writer Joanne Rocklin, went to Pittsburgh to research her new book for children, I asked her if she would be interested in visiting St. Nicholas Church and in sending me pictures of the murals.  She did and has graciously allowed me to post them here.

St. Matthew (left) and St. Mark (right)

Joanne Rocklin’s new book is FLEABRAIN LOVES FRANNY, a middle grade novel, and is the story of Franny, a young polio victim with an unusual soul mate, Fleabrain. It takes place in 1952-53, just before Salk announced the results of his groundbreaking vaccine research, which he did in his lab at the University of Pittsburgh. The book is also an homage to CHARLOTTE'S WEB by E.B. White which was published in 1952, after a summer of the worst polio outbreak in U.S. history, in which 53,000 were stricken. FLEABRAIN LOVES FRANNY will be published next August. Find out more about Joanne Rocklin and her books at www.joannerocklin.com .

Visiting the Murals
A 60-minute docent-guided tour of the murals is a fascinating glimpse into Vanka's art and the experiences that shaped his ideas. Docents discuss Vanka's early life, his success in Europe and his life in America.
Docent-led tours on Saturdays: 11:00am, 12:00noon and 1:00pm. For special arrangements, please call the Docent Manager at 412-407-2570. Weekend masses at St. Nicholas Church are at 6:00pm on Saturday and Noon on Sunday.
The church is located at 24 Maryland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15209, minutes from downtown, just off Route 28 at the Millvale exit.

For more about Maxo Vanka’s murals in Millvale go to www.vankamurals.com . The Society to Preserve the Millvale Murals of Maxo Vanka, founded in 1990, is dedicated to preserving the murals for the future.

WHERE IN THE WORLD? Celebrating the Third Anniversary of The Intrepid Tourist

Greenwich, England, Prime Meridian

From the time I was young and followed the progress of our family road trips on the map as I sat in the back seat of the car, I have always been fascinated with geography–both the actual places that we drove through and the lines on the map marking arbitrary divisions between towns, states and countries. I love reading atlases and finding geographic markers on the globe. In celebration of the third anniversary of The Intrepid Tourist I would like to share a few photos that mark some of the geographic points I have personally visited.

My parents and three brothers at the Continental Divide, 1958

The oldest is a family photo at the Continental Divide I took with my Brownie camera on our trip in 1958 from Minneapolis to California.  That trip was the first time any of us had seen mountains–Minnesota, by comparison, being a relatively flat state. We were all suitably impressed.  At Monarch pass, elevation 11,312 feet, we read that water flowing to the east ended up in the Gulf of Mexico and water flowing to the west, in the Pacific.

Standing on Four States at once at the Four Corners, 1990

On that same trip our family camped for several days at Mesa Verde in Colorado. As we headed south we drove through the four corners area where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah meet.  Many years later I was in southwestern Colorado again researching my book, The Ancient Cliff Dwellers of Mesa Verde, with Richard Hewett, the photographer of the book.  On our way back to Los Angeles, we stopped at the Four Corners marker and took pictures.

Caroline in the Northern Hemisphere, Jennifer in the Southern Hemisphere

Another historic photo is the picture of me and my daughter Jennifer taken on the Equator in Uganda in 1971.  Two things impressed me about being on the Equator. I had expected it to be hot, but, in fact, due to the elevation, the climate in Uganda was quite comfortable even in summer. As expected, the sun was almost directly overhead at noon. What surprised me was how quickly it became dark when the sun set.  Conversely, at dawn the sun just seemed to pop over the horizon, and suddenly it was day.

When I was in Turkey two years ago, I crossed the bridge that links Asia and Europe in Istanbul. On our return, we passed a similar sign welcoming us to Europe.

Welcome sign on the Asian side of the Bosporus

In 1999, while spending three months in Australia when Art was on sabbatical, we traveled to Alice Springs where we made a point to visit the marker for the Tropic of Capricorn.  Visiting the Tropic of Cancer is still on my bucket list.  We were relatively close last summer while vacationing in the Yucatan, but not close enough to make it a destination.

At the Tropic of Capricorn, near Alice Springs, Australia 1999

I still have many geographic points I would like to visit. Who knows, perhaps they will become subjects for The Intrepid Tourist someday.  As I begin this fourth year of the blog, I thank all of my friends and family who have contributed to The Intrepid Tourist and all of you who have been my faithful readers.
To another year of Happy Traveling!

DEATH VALLEY: Sunrise to Sunset, Guest Post by Owen Floody

Death Valley, sunrise in the dunes

Last September, our friend Owen Floody went on a photo tour of Death Valley National Park in the California desert.  Owen recently retired from a career of teaching and research at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. He has always been an avid photographer and in his retirement has taken several trips that allow him to pursue his passion. Here is a short reflection on his trip to Death Valley and a few of his excellent photographs.

Death Valley Badlands

Early September is probably not the ideal time to visit Death Valley National Park.  But I was in nearby Las Vegas to attend a family wedding and making a quick 4-day tour of Death Valley was too convenient to pass up.  However, the impressive heat (often of 110-120° in the shade) did have a major impact on my schedule of activities, forcing a retreat to my books and the motel pool in the middle of each day, when anything much more vigorous would have been unpleasant. 

A view of the valley from Dante’s View in the course of a sunrise. 

After a very early start, I always attempted to catch an attractive sunrise at one of several vantage points, including the Mesquite Flat sand dunes, the Badwater Basin salt flat, and Dante’s View, overlooking much of the entire valley.  Later in the morning, when it was beginning to heat up, I would look for some shade in one or more of the many canyons in the Furnace Creek or Stovepipe Wells areas.  

A lucky shot of a sandstorm at sunset in the Mesquite Flat dunes

Then, after my siesta, I would return to the canyons and badlands in the late afternoon before beginning the search for a good sunset, usually in or near the sand dunes. 

A moment shortly after sunrise in the salt flat.

Though this strategy was a matter of choice only in part, it worked out well, yielding pleasant experiences and some good photo ops, especially in the dunes and on the salt flats. Also, even if sunrises had not been a priority, early morning was by far the coolest and most pleasant part of each day.  As a result of my relatively brief visit, I was only able to pay one visit to the salt flats and never did catch a sunrise at the famous Zabriskie Point.  

 

One of the many canyons in Death Valley

Finally, my access to some parts of the park was limited by a series of temporary road closures prompted, surprisingly enough, by recent heavy rains.  This contributed to my failure to see some sights, most notably the mysterious and relatively remote Racetrack, where large rocks seem to be blown across a flat and slippery surface when observers are absent and the conditions just right.  In truth, even more time and clearer roads might not have reversed this failing, as I was strongly advised that a trip to the Racetrack requires 4-wheel drive and tires with puncture-resistant sidewalls, neither of which came with my rental.  The net effect, though, is not an entirely unwelcome one: A return trip to Death Valley clearly will be required, perhaps even timed to exploit the more congenial temperatures of the late fall - early spring. 

Sunrise on dunes

Read more about Owen's travels in these posts at The Intrepid Tourist.

Iceland: 8/26/13

Nepal: 5/20/13

Tanzania: 5/6/13

CAPE LEEUWIN LIGHTHOUSE, AUSTRALIA: Where the Southern and Indian Oceans Meet

Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, Western Australia

At a recent meeting of my book club we discussed The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, a story that takes place at a lighthouse station on an island off the coast of Western Australia just after the First World War.  The story is fiction but the setting is based on real towns and lighthouses on the Australian coast, and reminded me of our visit to Australia’s extreme southwestern corner in 2007.

The lighthouse, built of limestone, is 128' (39 m) tall.

We were visiting a friend who lived in Augusta, not far from Cape Leeuwin and its famous lighthouse.  One day we went to visit the lighthouse and nearby Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park.

Looking north from the top of the lighthouse. The buildings along the strip of land going to the mainland are used by the lighthouse keepers.

It was a beautiful day so we climbed the steep lighthouse steps for a view from the top. One can look south to the ocean--next stop Antarctica!-- or north to the mainland. Opened in 1895, the lighthouse has since been automated. The lighthouse, besides being a navigational aid, serves as an important automatic weather station.

Cape Leeuwin  is the most south-westerly mainland point of the Australian Continent, in the state of Western Australia. It got its name from the Dutch sailors who first came to the area in 1622.

And, of course, we couldn’t resist having our picture taken next to the sign marking the place where the Indian Ocean and Southern Ocean meet. In Australia, the Cape is considered the point where these two oceans meet; however most other nations and bodies consider the Southern Ocean to only exist south of 60 degrees South.

Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park has extensive heath vegetation and thick scrub which supports a high number of plant and bird species that utilise this coastal habitat.

Rottnest Lighthouse

On that same trip to Western Australia we also took a day trip to Rottnest Island near Perth.  Originally built as a penal colony, it is now a tourist destination.  No cars are allowed on the island, but one can rent bicycles, which we did, and rode to the Rottnest Lighthouse.  On our way we met numerous quokkas–small marsupials extinct everywhere in Australia except on Rottnest.  They were remarkably fearless and approached us hoping for a handout.

For more about the Cape Leeuwin Lighthouse, click HERE.
For more about Rottnest Island, click HERE.

Quokka

WILL ROGERS STATE HISTORIC PARK, Los Angeles, California

Will Rogers House, Will Rogers State Park

When I have visitors in Los Angeles, one of my favorite places to take them is Will Rogers State Historic Park, the former home of the famous cowboy, humorist, film star and commentator of the 1920s and 1930s.  Tucked into the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains just north of Sunset Boulevard, the ranch style home looks out over a broad lawn (once used by Will’s friends to practice golf) and a large field where Will and his friends played polo. The field is still used for weekend matches and occasionally we take a picnic and sit on the sidelines and watch. A short walk from the house leads to the stables where Will once kept his horses.  According to Will, “A man that don’t love a horse, there is something the matter with him.” Today one can go for horse riding lessons and trail rides in the park.

Horses in one of the corrals

On a recent Sunday when my brothers were in town, we spent an afternoon at the park.  We began at the small museum adjacent to the house.  People of our parents' generation have fond memories of listening to Will Rogers on the radio, seeing him in movies, and reading his newspaper columns, but for most of us today Will Rogers is a historical figure. Will was born in 1879 of Cherokee and European descent. He was raised on a ranch in Oklahoma where he learned to ride and rope, skills that led him to perform in Wild West shows, and eventually brought him to Hollywood. He died in an airplane crash in Alaska in 1935. In the museum are photographs and exhibits and a wonderful video showing his amazing rope tricks and clips from some of his speeches. 

At Christmas time the house is decorated by volunteers

Thursday through Sunday, volunteers lead free tours of Will Rogers’ house, providing an opportunity to see his collection of Western art, hear some of the many stories about his life, and get a sense of the casual and comfortable style of life he preferred.  Despite his fame and wealth, Will did not live the glamorous life of other movie stars of the time. Instead, he entertained with casual barbecues and sing-a-longs and decorated his house in a homey, ranch style. 

View of Los Angeles from Inspiration Point, Will Rogers State Park

After our tour we set out for a walk on the loop trail up to Inspiration Point.  Following the dirt path past the stables, we wound our way uphill.  As we passed the corrals, a few friendly horses came over for a pat on the nose. Although the trail is not strenuous, I chose to loop the other way and met the rest of the group on their way back down.  I have been to the top many times and the view of the city and Pacific Ocean is impressive.

Will Rogers lived on the ranch from 1926 to 1935

Perhaps Will Rogers’ most famous quip was: “I never met a man I didn’t like.” His house and ranch reflect his generous spirit and love of the outdoors. After Will Rogers died, his daughter donated the house and ranch to the state of California so that it would be preserved as a state park. We are lucky she did.
For directions and information about visiting the park go to www.parks.ca.gov/willrogers .

California’s PYRAMID LAKE and VISTA DEL LAGO VISITOR CENTER

The Vista Del Lago Visitor Center is a cool and refreshing stop along I-5

Along Interstate 5 an hour north of Los Angeles Pyramid Lake lies nestled between the steep hills of the southern California mountains.  The Vista Del Lago Visitor Center sits on a scenic overlook of the lake. The lake and dam are part of the California State Water Project. Most of the time as Art and I travel this route between northern and southern California we zoom by the lake, eager to get home. But on a recent trip, we decided to make the visitor center a rest stop and ended up spending considerable time looking at the many exhibits.

A zigzag line was the Egyptian symbol for water

Water has been important since the dawn of time. The exhibits begin with dioramas depicting the history of water use in ancient civilizations ranging from Roman aqueducts, to the Egyptian Shadouf and Nilometer, to China’s Dujiangyan Irrigation Canal, to the Stepwells of India and Pakistan.



A stepwell is a stairway into the earth, leading to an underground pool. Invented in the late sixth century, these ingenious devices allowed people to collect water at various levels, depending on the height of the water table at different times of year. Stepwells were both practical sources of water and beautiful structures. They were widely used for hundreds of years.  Then, during the mid-nineteenth century, as modern water pumps and plumbing replaced the need for open wells, most stepwells were abandoned and fell into disrepair.  Today, some have been restored and preserved as historic sites. 

Another exhibit is a video display projected on a map of the state of California. As you listen to the narration, bright lights illuminate various parts of the state water project (SWP), including Pyramid Lake and the dam.  According to the brochure I picked up at the desk, the SWP spans more than 600 miles from Northern California to Southern California and includes 32 storage facilities, 17 pumping plants, 3 pumping-generating plants, 5 hydroelectric power plants and approximately 660 miles of canals and pipelines.  I now have a new appreciation of the many canals that we see as we drive along I-5 between the Bay Area and southern California!

Another room provides a time-line of the development of water resources in California during the last century.  The doorway into the exhibit is the actual diameter of the pipe that carries water from the Castaic power plant at the end of the lake!

Pyramid Lake and Dam.  Completed in 1973, they were named after the pyramid shaped rock carved out by engineers building the Old Highway 99, now replaced by I-5.  Water stored in this man-made reservoir flows through the Castaic Power plant and generates electricity for the Los Angeles area.

After we finished looking at the exhibits we went outside to take in the view and watch the boats on the lake below.  Someday, we’ll stop longer and visit one of the picnic areas along the lakeshore. 

For more information about Pyramid Lake and the Vista Del Lago Visitor Center, click here.

Note:  Unlike many of California's reservoirs which are severely depleted because of the drought, Pyramid Lake is nearly full.