Posts by Charmaine Hallmark

BALLOONS, BATS AND BURRITOS Our fly-drive holiday to New Mexico started with an encounter with the American police and a reminder of the strict speed limits! But things soon improved and within a couple of days we were down to the Colorado/New Mexico border enjoying a whole-day trip on the spectacular Cumbres and Toltec narrow…

SWEET CAROLINE Carolina… most people ask: Where exactly is that?  Well, it’s on the East Coast and part of the ‘Deep South’ of the United States of America.  The most well known town is Charleston. It’s just 8 hours from London and beautiful to visit in the spring or fall. I went to Asheville via Charlotte.…

ALASKA, THE LAST FRONTIER Three years ago I sailed a small ship on the “pan handle” of the state of Alaska. I have dreamed ever since of going back to that far corner of the world, and in June my wish came true. This time I travelled from Anchorage to Fairbanks on the historic Alaska Railroad.…

ALIVE IN DEATH VALLEY I wonder why they call it Death Valley? Because it is, in fact, teeming with all sorts of life ~ plants, animals and insects ~ they’ve all evolved and adapted to live here … one of the hottest places on earth. 282 feet below sea level, and plains of flat salt…

CLAM CHOWDER, CHURCHES AND A KALEIDOSCOPE OF COLOUR Ten thousand feet below, the long sweeping arc of Cape Cod reached out into the Atlantic Ocean. We were commencing our approach into Boston’s Logan International Airport at the start of a three-week holiday to New England. Before travelling north to the mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont…

FLORIDA, BUT IT’S NOT ALL DISNEY, DAREDEVIL RIDES AND ADRENALIN I left the screaming madness of Miami and made off south to the beautiful Florida Keys. Life in the Keys is a far cry from hustle and bustle – boating, fishing and messing about on the water are the order of the day. A couple…

WILLIAM PENN’S CITY OF LIBERTY AND LOVE If you don’t know the answer to any questions about Philadelphia just say Benjamin Franklin and 10/1 you’d be right! In his own words he said: “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things…