Zebra photo: Andreas Strinberg/Photonica
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The World at Your Doorstep
By Susan Goodman, March & April 2005
Sip wine in France, safari in Africa, visit the Holy Land—all without ever leaving the U.S.A.
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The Serengeti in Texas
When Texans say it's "a jungle out there," they're usually
referring to the oil biz. Then there's Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, a
1,650-acre wildlife conservation center in northern Texas Hill Country.
Sure, you can settle for a traditional drive-through wildlife park
experience. Fossil Rim has that, but we're hunting for something more
safari-authentic. And this is where to find it: spending the night in one of
seven cabin tents smack in the middle of the wildlife reserve.
There's air conditioning and a private bath, and an eight-foot fence
keeps wildebeests from sneaking up on you. Still, at dusk, you can sit in a
lounge chair and watch through binoculars as the nearby lake becomes a watering
hole. And after the critters have turned in for the night, you can adjust your
AC and do the same. Cabins run $200 a night (and rooms at the lodge are $150
and up), but that's a lot cheaper than a flight to Kenya.
If you prefer a day visit, drive 10 miles through the preserve, stopping for
close encounters of the animal kind as giraffes and aoudads approach to see if
you've brought alfalfa pellets. Prerecorded guides help you identify the
animals, from addaxes to zebras. The wildlife center's 59 species include
13 endangered ones (Fossil Rim works with the government and zoos nationwide to
breed some threatened animals). For $35, you can also take a two-hour
behind-the-scenes tour with a naturalist.
Getting There: 75 miles southwest of Dallas-Fort Worth on U.S. 67.
254-897-2960; www.fossilrim.org.
Ancient Egypt in Silicon Valley
You know the Rosicrucians—they run those one-column ads in magazines
promising answers to life's big questions. Turns out one of life's big
questions is: what would happen if you reconstructed the grounds of a Fifth
Dynasty Egyptian palace—plus a meticulous reproduction of a Middle
Kingdom Egyptian noble's tomb—just south of San Francisco?
The answer to the question is the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum and
Planetarium in San Jose, California. The Rosicrucians are nuts about
Egyptology, and it shows in the museum's massive pylon walls, dramatic
peristyle court, and massive bronze doors. It's one of the few places on
earth where you can stand in one place and see nothing but classic Egyptian
architecture—more than, in fact, in Egypt, where the stuff is all falling
apart.
Besides the buildings and gardens, you'll find thousands of Egyptian
artifacts—most authentic, some replicas—collected by the society
over 90 years. Trust us, you'll hate yourself if you miss the baboon
mummy.
Getting There: Interstate 280 south from San Francisco to San Jose.
Admission: adults, $9; seniors, $7; children, $5 (under five, free). Closed on
Mondays. 408-947-3600; www.egyptianmuseum.org. (Additional reporting
by William R. Newcott)
The Holy Land in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., gets called a lot of things; the Holy Land isn't
generally one of them. But miraculously, here you can visit the Middle
East's Christian-related holy places (plus Rome's and Lourdes's).
About a hundred years ago, when world travel was a dream for most, the
Franciscans, whose mission includes preserving Christianity's sacred sites,
decided to replicate the holiest shrines at their D.C. monastery.
Your first stop is the simple stone Portiuncula Chapel, which re-creates the
shrine near Assisi, Italy, where Saint Francis established his order in 1209.
Past Rosary Portico, your world tour begins in earnest. Walk in one direction
and you're at the grotto in Lourdes, where in 1858 Saint Bernadette saw
visions of the Virgin Mary. Walk in another and you've been teleported to
the Holy Land, to the Chapel of the Ascension, erected on Mount Olivet by
Crusaders. Nearby is the Coptic House in Old Cairo, home of the Holy Family.
And it's just a few more steps to the Grotto of Gethsemane, near
Jerusalem.
Beneath your feet lie the catacombs of ancient Rome. Yes, these
caves—located below the church—are really made of airbrushed
concrete, but there are relics of Saint Benignus and Saint Innocent, brought
here from Rome. Free 45-minute guided tours are offered daily.
Getting There: 1400 Quincy Street NE, located near the Basilica of
the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. 202-526-6800; www.myfranciscan.com.
The Netherlands in Michigan
Holland, Michigan, doesn't have dikes—no need for that little
Dutch boy to hold back Lake Michigan. But each May, Holland's Tulip Time
Festival offers a taste of the Netherlands, from wooden shoes to the beautiful
flowers that inspired it. More than 6 million tulips bloom in Holland every
spring—eight miles of Darwin, fringe, and cottage tulips in every
shade.
These flowers stream by when you're on the festival's Tulip Trolley
Tour. If you prefer the world passing you by, join the crowds attending the
festival's different parades. In Kinderparade, Holland's pint-size
version of Mardi Gras, thousands of schoolchildren in traditional dress carry
things Dutch from mini-windmills to reproductions of Rembrandt's finest.
The adult version, Volksparade, features bands and floats, preceded by costumed
families who scrub the streets clean.
One spot downtown becomes the Pretplaats (or fun gathering place) where more
than 1,700 Klompen dancers klomp in wooden shoes. At Windmill Island you can
see America's only imported working windmill—a 240-year-old structure
complete with bullet nicks from World War II. And the Marktplaats offers Dutch
treats like currant bread and chocolate. The festival features entertainers
like the Osmond brothers and stars of The Lawrence Welk Show. (What, you were
expecting Marilyn Manson?)
Getting There: 150 miles northeast of Chicago via I-94 and I-96 to
U.S. 31. 800-822-2770; www.tuliptime.org.
The Sahara in New Mexico
As you drive through the Tularosa Basin, try to ignore the occasional sight
of a missile flying through the sky from the White Sands Missile
Range—and keep your eyes open for a herd of oryx. Natives of Africa,
these antelope seem strangely at home around here. And for good reason: your
destination, White Sands National Monument, is as exotic as their Saharan
homeland. For thousands of years, prevailing winds have whipped through,
breaking down the tiny gypsum crystals from the bottom of the basin's
seasonally dry lake bed. The result: 275 square miles of sparkling,
ever-changing sand dunes straight out of Arabian Nights.
You can drive the scenic route and avoid getting sand in your shoes. But
don't resist walking the dunes—from an easy one-mile self-guided
nature trail to a four-and-a-half-mile trek into the heart of the park. You may
need the help of a ranger to spot the critters; many species, elsewhere brown
or green, have adapted their colors to this dazzling environment. There are
lizards, scorpions, and grasshoppers—all in lighter shades of pale.
To really immerse yourself in a scene from Lawrence of Arabia, try
camping out at the rustic tent site located right in the middle of the sandy
expanse.
If atmospheric conditions are right, mirages conjure up visions of phantom
lakes, adding to the exotic atmosphere. But no matter how desolate your
visions, the Visitors Center is real and close by on Highway 70.
Getting There: 52 miles east of Las Cruces, New Mexico, on U.S. 70.
505-679-2599; www.nps.gov/whsa.
P.S. For an out-of-this-world experience, the town of Roswell, New
Mexico—base camp for UFOlogists and home of the International UFO Museum
and Research Center—is only 130 miles east (even closer as the saucer
flies).
Mexico's Day of the Dead in Tucson
Some Anglos find it bewildering, others ironic. On November 2, cemeteries
all over Mexico come alive as families celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, Day of the
Dead, an ancient holiday that welcomes back the spirits of the departed. On
this side of the border, the biggest, best Day of the Dead celebration happens
in Tucson. Head for the beautifully restored 1797 Mission San Xavier del Bac,
south of town, and you'll find the quaint cemetery alive with mariachis
serenading both the living and the dead as families picnic on the
departed's favorite dishes—plus special holiday foods, including
skull-shaped breads and sugar candy.
Downtown, skeletons riding bicycles and fire-breathing dragons stream
through the streets for the annual All Souls' Day procession. Many
organizations display altars as well. In memoriam of World Trade Center
victims, an altar was covered with Wall Street Journals and cell phones—
along with the traditional selection of sugar skulls and flowers.
Getting There: Mission San Xavier del Bac: seven miles south of
Tucson on Interstate 19. The Tucson Arts District Partnership (for a map to
participating downtown museums, libraries, and galleries): 520-624-9977. For
more info: Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau: 800-638-8350; www.visittucson.org.
The French Chateau District in California
You're weaving along a winding road in California's Napa Valley when
suddenly there it is: an imposing 18th-century French chateau. Is that Marie
Antoinette waving from the terrace? If so, she's doubtless murmuring,
"Let them drink California sparkling wine!" Just 50 miles north of
the Golden Gate Bridge, the moment you pass the massive Louis XV gate and drive
into Domaine Carneros Winery—among the rolling fields of chardonnay and
pinot noir grapes—your trip becomes un voyage.
The winery building itself heightens your geographic confusion, inspired as
it is by the Chateau de la Marquetterie, a lovely little castle that presides
over Taittinger's winery in France's Champagne region. There's even
a painted portrait of Madame de Pompadour hanging here, imported from Claude
Taittinger's private art collection back in the old country.
If you find the chateau a bit too grandiose, you might drop in on the nearby
Luna Vineyards with its Tuscany-inspired villa. Of course, the most important
thing for great wine is not that you think you're basking near the
Mediterranean—but that the grapes think they are. That's what happens
in the magic maritime climate here north of San Francisco, where every turn in
the road seems to bring yet another distinctive winery—and a surprising
new taste from a distant land.
Getting There: Domaine Carneros: 50 miles north of the Golden Gate
Bridge via U.S. 101, Highway 37, and Highway 121. 707-257-0101;
www.domainecarneros.com. Luna Vineyards: Continue on 121, turn left on Highway
29, then right on Trancas, left on Silverado Trail. 707-255-2474; www.lunavineyards.com.
Susan Goodman is a freelance writer living in Boston.
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