McKinney Falls State Park: Urban adventure, otherwise underwhelming. So, once again, not every day can be overwhelmingly good. I visited McKinney Falls State Park hot off of visits to places like Enchanted Rock and Balcones Canyonlands, so maybe I would have been hard-pressed to be wow-ed by the place no […]
Travel Words
Besiktas Football Stadium in Istanbul
Given my predilection for both soccer and Istanbul, is it any surprise that when I finally found myself in the city mid-season that I made a determined effort to see a game? Indeed if anything, the surprising thing here is that I haven’t been to more futbol matches around the […]
Nasher Sculpture Garden and Museum
Nasher Sculpture Garden and Museum I know I mentioned this when I was talking about the Fort Worth Stockyards, but I was really pleasantly surprised by Dallas/Fort-Worth. Not only was the area sort of culturally-interesting (see: Stockyards) but there was also a bit of Culture to be found. I think […]
Reimers Ranch State Park: The Other Hamilton Pool
Reimers Ranch State Park: The Other Hamilton Pool ♪ You can always depend on the recommendations of locals. ♪ Not quite the same ring to it, huh? Truer advice has never been told in these pages, though. Take, for example, Reimers’ Ranch County Park. The Aunt and I had set out for […]
The Warm Embrace of Tajik Hospitality
Real, honest, open hospitality is a truly amazing thing. This tradition runs deep through the cultures of most of Central Asia, but in my experiences nowhere near as much as Tajikistan. Though there are some really well-run and welcoming homestays in Tajikistan’s Fan Mountains, they don’t quite cover the whole […]
Dinner With a Local Family – My Favorite Istanbul Guided Tour
My Favorite Istanbul Guided Tour – Dinner With a Local Family I know I’ve only recently decried the ‘proper-tourist-trail’ thing, but one experience in Istanbul left me thinking about whether or not a guide can be a good thing on occasion. After all don’t we oftentimes need a translator? Someone […]
Hey there! I'm Stephen, this is my travel blog, and that's me in the poofy hat.
I'm a photographer / writer traveling since 2008, and I've been doing my best to visit amazing places.
My current focus is Central Asia, because for a hiking and camping enthusiast it's as good as it gets.