"Here are no lofty peaks seeking the sky, no mighty glaciers or rushing streams wearing away the uplifted land. Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the receiver of it. To its natural abundance we owe the spectacular plant and animal life that distinguishes this place from all others in our country." With these words, Truman formally dedicated Everglades National Park. This event culminated years of effort by a dedicated group of conservationists to make a national park in the Florida Everglades a reality. For a fascinating and comprehensive history of this amazing wetland, check out Michael Grunwald's The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise. Thinking of visiting the park? Check out Hidden Florida Keys and Everglades or Adventure guide to the Florida Keys & Everglades National Park.

Day of the Dead

Join us on Tuesday, Dec. 9 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm for a fascinating look at some of Mexico's most colorful celebrations! Stephanie Schneiderman of Tia Stephanie Tours returns to AADL with pictures and stories from her journeys to Mexico. Whether it's Night of the Radishes, Day of the Dead, Christmas in different parts of Mexico, or the "velas" of Tehuantepec, Schneiderman's tours always capture the unique local flavor of the festivities. This event will be held Downtown in the Multi-Purpose Room.

Whether you are a well-seasoned traveller with a mangled passport, or someone who rarely leaves your spot on the couch, it's likely you will find inspiration in A Rough guide to the world : Make the most of your time on earth. This hefty book is crammed full of amazing travel experiences grouped according to global areas, starting with Britain & Ireland, and finishing with The Polar Regions (you didn't think they'd forget the North and South Pole, did you?). Seeking a natural miracle? Visit Iguazu Falls in Argentina - more than two hundred cascades thundering over an eighty meter cliff, all surrounded by lush tropical forest. Seeking an event to remember? Try April 30th/Queen's Day in Amsterdam (police are forbidden to interfere with any activity, no matter how outrageous). Seeking a wonder of the ancient world? Try the unparalleled Roman archaeological site of Baalbek in Lebanon. (In the words of Robert Byron, it "dwarfs New York into a home of ants".) Seeking a journey closer to home? Grab your bike and ride the Slickrock in Moab, Utah. Personally, I am inspired to plan a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lalibela in Ethiopia. I'll share my injera with you if you'll pay for my plane ticket!

olympics

If you are heading to Beijing to support our atheletes, you might want to check out this blog site before packing your bags. Globespotters offers urban advice from reporters who live there.

Beijing Basics are for smart travelers who plan ahead - with information from airports, getting into town, using the subways, to finding an English-speaking doctor.

If your travel plans include other equally exotic locales such as Mumbai, Bangkok, Moscow or Istanbul, you will be glad you did you homework. Travel safe.

superior

July 20 was Lake Superior Day and it extends into the week making it Lake Superior Week. A whole week dedicated to a superior lake in a superior state! For those of us not lucky enough to venture off into the wild and enjoy the great lake in all its splendor, we can enjoy tales of the lake. For a historical point of view there’s Around the shores of Lake Superior : a guide to historic sites, for the hiker there’s Gentle hikes of upper Michigan : upper Michigan's most scenic Lake Superior hikes under 3 miles, and for those who want to read about the spirit of the lake there’s Lake Superior : story and spirit. Let’s not forget about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald and other shipwrecks and ghost stories of the Great Lakes. Yes, Michigan!

Magazine 2

Check out Good, a magazine available downtown on the second floor. On page 68 of the July/August issue there is an article entitled Beautiful Messes: A Travel Guide to Man-Made Disasters. The destinations are educational and often times more affordable than the more conventional vacation... except in the case of the private yacht you'd need to tour the floating plastic triangle in the Pacific Ocean. Instead of paying to wait 2 hours for a single roller coaster ride at Disneyland in California you could head south to the beautiful man-made Salton Sea.

I'm not much of a "foodie" but I do love to travel and was intrigued by the title Around the world in 80 dinners : the ultimate culinary adventure 50,000 Miles, 10 Countries, 800 Dishes, and 1 Rogue Monkey. In 2005 culinary experts Cheryl and Bill Jamison, known for award winning titles like The big book of outdoor cooking and entertaining, used their giant stash of frequent flier miles to head off on a three month vacation around the globe in search of food and adventure. In March they published this book, offering readers the chance to live vicariously through their journeys in Bali, Australia, New Caledonia, Singapore, Thailand, India, China, South Africa, France and Brazil. This is not a cookbook, although they do provide authentic recipes from their destinations, as well as travel information about hotels, restaurants and points of interest (like the National Elephant Institute in Lampang, Thailand). If you're looking for a literary masterpiece, this is not the book for you - due mainly to the quirky flip-flopping between first and third person narrative. However, if you seek some light, insightful and humorous reading, filled with enthusiasm for food and travel, this will make a great choice for summer.

Reading Waterwalk: A Passage of Ghosts and coming to our program Friday, June 6 at 7 PM might be enough summer adventure to keep you satisfied until fall. Steven Faulkner, an English professor at Longwood University in Virginia, wrote this book about the 1,000-mile canoe trip he and his son took through the heartland, retracing the routes of French explorers.

passport

Beginning today, travelers crossing into the United States via land will be required to show identification documentation. Also effective January 31, 2008, U.S. and Canadian citizen children ages 18 and under will be expected to present a birth certificate issued by a federal, state, provincial, county or municipal authority. The Dept. of Homeland Security website includes an FAQ for travelers.

street corner

There are a lot of factors that make a city cool and pedestrian-friendly streets and neighborhoods is one of them. The public is invited to the City of Ann Arbor's annual Traffic Calming Informational Session on Wednesday, January 30, 2008, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. Engineers, police and traffic consultants will be on hand to discuss the city's 10-step process to initiate traffic-calming procedures on streets in Tree Town. You can review the Traffic Calming Guidebook online or at the Downtown Branch Library.