Grand Canyon

Top Bucket List Items: What’s Number One?

Published October 7, 2016 | By Clark Norton

The Northern Lights, best viewed above the Arctic Circle,took the top spot on this Bucket List survey

While I prefer the term “Life List” to “Bucket List” — it just has a more positive ring to it — Bucket List has become the generally accepted phrase for delineating those often-challenging, mostly travel-related experiences you want to do before you, uh, can’t do them any more.

As a baby boomer, I’m acutely aware that I won’t have as much time or perhaps physical capacity as a millennial to, say, climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, which has recently slipped off my Bucket List until I can work myself into better shape. A few more years on the treadmill should do it, if my knees haven’t collapsed in the process.

The good news is, Bucket List items don’t have to involve super-strenuous exertion. In fact, according to a recent TotallyMoney.com survey of 1,000… Continue reading →

Posted in Baby boomer travel, Boat travel, Bucket Lists, Cruises, National Parks, Natural wonders, Wildlife | Tagged Abisko Nafional :Park, Aurora borealis, Badaling, China, cruises, cruising, El Tovar Lodge, Grand Canyon, Great Wall of China, Kenya, Northern Lights, Safaris, Serengeti, Sweden, Tanzania, Wildlife safaris | 5 Comments

The Most Visited U.S. National Parks

Published September 26, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Bison roam Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Dennis Cox/WorldViews

Cotopaxi, a company that makes backpacks, jackets and other outdoor gear — and donates a percentage of its earnings to worthy causes around the world — has come out with an infographic in celebration of this year’s 100th anniversary of the U.S. National Park Service.

It shows the top five U.S. National Parks in terms of annual visitation, plus five “Hidden Gems” that are far less visited.

The top five visited National Parks, in order, are Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains, Arizona’s Grand Canyon, Colorado’s Rocky Mountain, California’s Yosemite, and Yellowstone, which extends over parts of three states: mostly Wyoming, but also Montana and Idaho.

I’ve visited all of the most popular ones at one time or another, but have to admit I’ve never been to any of the Hidden Gens: Washington’s North Cascades, Florida’s Dry Tortugas, South Carolina’s… Continue reading →

Posted in Arizona, Baby boomer travel, California, educational travel, Family travel, Hiking, National Parks | Tagged Cotopaxi, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountain National Park, U.S. National P:arks, U.S. National Park Service Centennial, Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite | 2 Comments

Experience the Majesty of Arizona’s Red Rock Country

Published June 14, 2016 | By Clark Norton

Horseshoe Bend in Arizona’s photogenic Red Rock Country. Photo by Michael Madsen.

When I moved to Tucson in late 2015, one of the first people I looked up was Mitch Stevens, who runs a tour company called Southwest Discoveries, which specializes in hiking and walking tours in some of Arizona’s most spectacular scenic areas.

While Southwest Discoveries is relatively new, Mitch is an old hand at leading hikes and tours, with an extensive background at the helm of Sierra Club outings. He’s particularly interested in drawing baby boomers to his tours, which is how we originally connected.

Mitch has lived in Arizona for decades and is a walking encyclopedia in the geology, archaeology, history, and culture of the Southwest.

Arizona’s searing summer heat levels off in Autumn, with October and November ushering in perfect hiking weather that lasts throughout the winter and into spring.

Red Rock Country

Mitch has… Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure travel, Arizona, Baby boomer travel, cultural travel, Deserts, Eco-tourism, Hiking, History, National Parks | Tagged Arizona, Arizona wineries, Buckskin Gulch, Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Mitch Stevens, Native Americans, Red Rock Country, rock art, Sedona, Southwest Discoveries, The Wave, Verde Valley wine country, Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness | 2 Comments

According to government and private surveys:

Leading-edge baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and seniors account for four out of every five dollars spent on luxury travel today.
Roughly half the consumer spending money in the U.S.--more than $2 trillion--is in the hands of leading-edge baby boomers and seniors.
Baby boomers (born 1946-1964) travel more than any other age group.
When asked what they would most like to spend their money on, baby boomers answered “travel” more than any other category, including improving their health or finances.