QE2 Runs Aground in Home Waters

Ignominious incident mars fabled liner's last call to home port

The 'Queen Elizabeth 2' ran aground just outside the Southhampton harbor. The 39-year-old Cunard flagship was nearing the end of her final voyage before heading for Dubai to become a floating luxury hotel when she hit the Brambles Sandbank around 5:30 GMT this morning. It is her home port, and the sandbank is familiar enough to seaman that it has a name. A combination of the rising tide and tugboat power pulled the ship free. Cunard spokesman Eric Flounders said that no passengers were injured and that the ship was not damaged.

The QE2 crossed the Atlantic more than 800 times and made a dozen round-the-world voyages. Between the QE2's lengthy farewell and arrival of the 'Queen Mary 2,' Cunard's new flagship, the hail-and-farewell about these Cunard liners and their ports of call seem to have gone on fore years. These last QE2 farewall ceremonies include yet another visit by HRH Prince Philip, fireworks and a military aircraft fly-by.

Mim Swartz, former travel editor of the Rocky Mountain News and then the Denver Post, and a great cruising enthusiast, boarded what she calls her "favorite ship" for the final leg of this farewell voyage. She wrote about the ship in Sunday's Post Travel Section and will be blogging en route during the 16-day last leg of the farewell voyage.

Visiting Fort Davis, a West Texas Civil Rights Site

The election of America's first black president underscores the story of the US Army's Buffalo Soldiers

With Barack Obama set to become the first American president of African-American descent, 3,000 or so of the 19th century Army veterans who served at Fort Davis must be high-fiving each other somewhere in the beyond. The remote post in a high, dry valley in West Texas was home to about that many Buffalo Soldiers -- black troops who safeguarded the 600-mile-long road between San Antonio and El Paso from Apache and Comanche raids for more than 20 years.

Fort Davis was established in 1854 and abandoned in 1862, a time period now referred to as “the first fort.” Ironically, given the events that followed its beginnings, it was named after Jefferson Davis. In 1854, West Point graduate Davis served in President Franklin Pierce’s cabinet as Secretary of War. Eight years later, he was president of the Confederate States of America – and there lies the irony.

In 1967, the Army sent Lieutenant Colonel Wesley Merritt, who was white, to rebuild Fort Davis (“the second fort”) and to command hundreds of largely black troops. Exhibits in the small, compelling museum depict those times, This Fort Davis National Historic Site is an important stop for people interested in African-American history, as well as military history, and with the presidency of Barack Obama, should become even more so.

In the post-Civil War era, about 20 percent of the military in the West were black, but at Fort Davis, the combination of Union veterans and former slaves amounted to about 50 percent. In addition to protecting emigrants, settlers, mail coaches and freight wagons during the subsequent Indian Wars, the Buffalo Soldiers explored and mapped large areas of the Southwest. They strung telegraph lines to connect frontier outposts that they were also instrumental in building. After the Texas frontier quieted down, the government decommissioned the fort for good in 1891.

Meanwhile, in 1877, Second Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper, the first African-American West Point graduate, had been assigned to Fort Davis. He was an officer in the Tenth U. S. Cavalry, one of two African American-cavalry regiments. Four years later, he was court-martialed in the post chapel (ruins and interpretive sign, below) for embezzlement of commissary funds and for “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.”

He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted on the embezzlement charge but convicted for making a false statement, signing financial records he knew to be incorrect and for writing a check on a nonexistent bank account. The conviction, which historians studying the court martial records much later recognized as bias-based, carried an automatic sentence of dismissal from the army. In 1999 President Bill Clinton posthumously pardoned him.

To Chuck Hunt, superintendent of the Fort Davis National Historic Site, it is a civil rights landmark as well as a military outpost. “The Army was the first federal job for many African-Americans. It was an important transitional role for men who went from slave to soldier to citizen.” What a fitting waypost to the present time with an African-American poised to become the First Citizen of the United States of America.

Like many Western posts, Fort Davis was never walled. The Army presence was enough to deter most Indian raiders. At its peak, the post comprised enlisted men’s barracks and officers’ quarters facing each other across the parade ground. On the periphery were storehouses, stables (after all, it was a cavalry fort), the post chapel, the post hospital and other outbuildings.

The fort, which had fallen into disrepair, was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and became a unit of the National Park System the following year. Park Service policy is to restore more intact buildings (below) and stabilize others, to that today, 24 four restored historic buildings, five furnished to the style of the 1880s and more 100 ruins and foundations are found on the 474-acre site.

work is continuing on several buildings, notably the post hospital (below), which received a ave Our American Treasures grant. Students from the University of Vermont have coming to Fort Davis on summer restoration workshops to stabilize the structure. When the building’s restoration is completed, the North Ward and the surgeon’s quarters will be furnished too.

The past comes to life through a seasonal interpretive program by rangers and volunteers in period costumes. And the past is being honored with the protection of its historic viewshed. The fort sits on a flat parcel at the mouth of Hospital Canyon. The cliffs of Davis Mountains State Park and Sleeping Lion Mountain form the backdrop for the site. Thirty-seven acres visible from the fort were at one point threatened with a real estate development. An unnamed angel purchased the land and is holding it until the government can take possession of it – a process that literally requires an act of Congress. Write to your Senators and Representative to ask them to support such legislation.

LOCATION

Along Highway 17 (near the junction with Highway 118) just outside of Fort Davis, Tex. The closest airports are in El Paso about 220 miles (4 hours) and Midland/Odessa 175 miles (2½ hours). Amtrak and Greyhound serve Alpine (22 miles).

HOURS

Open: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, New Year's Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday.

FEES

$3 for ages 16 and older, free for 15 and under. All National Parks Passes are valid.

LODGING

The closest accommodations are in Davis Mountains State Park, P. O. Box 1707, Fort Davis, TX 79734; 432-426-3337. There are sites with and without RV water, electricity and sewer hookups – and even cable TV, plus primitive campsites for backpackers and equestrians. Within the park is Indian Lodge, a historic adobe inn built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and recently expanded and restored; 432-426-3254.

Hotels, motels, B&Bs and campgrounds can also be found in Fort Davis (Fort Davis Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 378; Fort Davis, TX. 79734; 800-524-3015 or 432-426-3015) and Alpine (Alpine Visitor Bureau, 106 North Third Street, Alpine, TX 79830; 800-561-3735 or 432-837-2326).

CONTACT
Fort Davis National Historic Site, P.O. Box 1379, Fort Davis, TX 79734.

Preview Colorado Ski Season at Ski Expo This Weekend

Lively ski and snowboard show offers deals, steals and snow-oriented entertainment

The 2008 Colorado Ski & Snowboard Expo kicks off at noon today, November 7, at the Colorado Convention Center and runs through Sunday, November 9. Exhibitors include Colorado mountain resorts selling discounted season passes and multi-day ticket packs, as well as overnight lift/lodging packages. Also, ski tour operators will be promoting their travel packages and destinations, and equipment and accessories manufacturers will be showing their hottest and best gear. Other then the Ginzu Knife people, hucksters of various products and services unrelated to skiing but present at every show will be sprinkled among the snow-related exhibitors -- providing a bit of diversion.

Kids, who are admitted free, love to troll the show for stickers and posters, get autographs or ski stars, snarf up candy (as if they didn't get enough on Halloween) and gawk the the entertainment. There's high-flying action of Honda's “Rocky Mountain Snowdown” that I saw on Channel 7 News early this morning. Youngsters can also try skiing or snowboarding at the the Kids Snow-Play area. For some people, the icing on the snow-oriented cake is Colorado Ski & Golf’s annual multi-million dollar ski and snowboard sale with bargains galore on equipment, clothing and accessories. For others, the sale is reason enough to go.

The Colorado Convention Center is at 700 Fourteenth Street, Denver. Show hours are Friday, November 7, 12:00 noon - 10:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday: 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Cash-only tickets are $12 at the door; $10 with a coupon that you can print out or from King Soopers and the Denver Post, and $9 if purchased online here. Children under 12 are free. It's good that there are discounts to the show, because parking is $10 (you have to pay the eight-hour minimum), but if you go Sunday, there is more available street parking (but less stuff on sale from Colorado Ski & Golf). A free subscription to Ski, Skiing or TransWorld Snowboarding comes with paid admission to the show.

Upcoming Denver Arts Week Schedule

Second annual Denver Arts Week to highlights multifaceted cultural scene

Twenty-plus years ago, when I prepared to move from the New York area to Colorado, my culture-vulture tittered about the music, art, theater and dance that I would be missing in the hinterlands. Were they ever wrong! Boulder where I live, Denver just 25 miles away and mountain resort communities among them provide more cultural richness than I could ever take in.

In addition to the regular offerings, the upcoming Denver Arts Week (November 14-22) packs a lot of offerings into a concentrated eight-day period with more than 150 events staged at seven identifiable arts districts in and around Denver. These included dozens of museums, galleries and theaters, with the 31st Starz Denver Film Festival leading off the week and the City of Denver’s 150th Birthday Celebration closing things out. Denver Arts Week encourages locals and visitors to discover why Sunset magazine enthused, “The Mile High City is remaking itself as a world capital of art and architecture.”

Fine Arts

Denver Arts Week kicks off a week early with a sneak preview of Fear No Art First Friday, a "special edition" of the monthly First Friday Art Walks that is designed for the art world newcomer and the connoisseur. From 6:00 to 9:00 pm., visitors go from gallery to gallery or from art district to art district.

The ArtDistrict on Santa Fe features Botticelli Is Not a Pasta workshops with several galleries offering free lectures on topics such as how to collect art as a beginner and art history. The Golden Triangle Museum District offers its free “art bus” that visits more than a dozen galleries and museums. Cherry Creek North galleries and restaurants will offer a family evening with dining specials, extended gallery hours and art in action, which is described as "creative art making projects." The Tennyson Street Cultural District (http://www.tscd.org/) invites families to explore their neighborhood on Fear No Art First Friday (remember, November 7), plus an interactive evening with classes on the art of buying, collecting, framing, hanging and lighting art on Friday, November 21. In Belmar Arts District, Block 7 and the Lab at Belmar are putting on exhibits and special programs.

Museums

Friday, November 14 is scheduled as Night at the Museums with free admission from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m. Programming includes jazz, modern dance, lantern tours and a wide array of family-friendly activities. There is free parking at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center, shuttle service between there and the Denver Art Museum and also a total of 11 participating museums. Each rider will receive the Cherry Creek Passport to Shopping Discount Coupon booklet. Also at the DAM, Ballet Ariel and the Hannah Kahn Dance Company present Contemporary Forms in Space and Time in the lobby of the Hamilton Wing, at 6:30 p.m. and again at 8:00 p.m.

Denver artist Barbara Froula will be at the Colorado History Museum for a meet-and-greet during Night at the Museum to preview her watercolor commissioned for the upcoming exhibit, "Denver at 150: Imagine a Great City." For history buffs, Colorado's past comes to life at the Black American West Museum and at the Byers-Evans House Museum brings to live stories read by Colorado Homegrown Tales in the mansion's library.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science offers the opportunity to meet cutting-edge polar scientists and explorers at "Polar-Palooza," a multimedia road show will present Earth's iciest, most remote regions. The event will also feature a 130,000-year-old piece of ice, extreme cold weather gear to try on and and an opportunity to learn an Alaskan Native dance.

The Kirkland Museum of Decorative & Fine Art partners with Dazzle Restaurant & Lounge to present of cool jazz and modern art. From 5:00 to 10:00 p.m., guests can explore the museum's renowned collection of decorative art with over 3,300 pieces from Arts and Crafts through Modern and to Pop Art and its Colorado Modernist collection and also enjoy hors d'oeuvres and live jazz from Dazzle. The Forney Museum of Transportation opens in the evening for a unique visit by lamp and headlight, as a cross-section of 200 years of transportation is lit for this night only.

Music and art combine at the Museum of Contemporary Art Denver's musical performance during Night at the Museums at 6:30 pm with the Denver Contemporary Chamber Players. Museo de las Americas' their new exhibit is called Fine Line. The Molly Brown House Museum offers special tours and live Irish music, while the Children's Museum of Denver brings the past to the generation of the future with silent movies about the Old West.


Performing Arts

The “Night on the Red Carpet” on Saturday, , November 15, focuses on Denver’s array of performing arts options, including more than a dozen local theaters and performing arts groups are also “roll out the red carpet” with discounts and promotions.

Starz Denver Film Festival’s Big Night is a glitzy red carpet event with stars, filmmakers and an exciting new feature film at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. The film directed by Jimmy Boylefollows the adventures of Jamal (Dev Patel), a teenager who was orphaned as a young boy and left to fend for himself in the slums of Mumbai.

Also at the Ellie Caulkins (in the lobby), Tom Noel, a will sign his new book Mile High City between 6:30 to 8 p.m. Three companies offer two tickets for $52.80. A favorite among comedy/improv fans, The Bovine Metropolis Theatre is offering the deal for Friday and Saturday improv comedy shows. Denver Centre Theatre Company $52.80 two-for pricing throughout Arts Week. Buntport Theatre; and the Denver Brass charges the same amount for four tickets.

Congratulations, President-Elect Obama

DIA Gears Up for Winter

New snow-removal equipment and practice runs ready crews for big snows

On December 6, my son is flying from Durango, connecting in Denver and arriving in Oakland to join his father and stepmother in Wine Country. They are flying from Portland, ME, to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and then connecting one more time in Salt Lake City to Oakland. I hope my son takes a good book, because he might have a long wait. I suspect that his travel will be seamless.

Since it opened in 1994, DIA has had only two major closures due to unusually heavy snowstorms, the first March 17-19, 2003, and the second December 20-21, 2006, when the airport received more than 20 inches of snow in 24 hours. In a feature called "Ready for Snow Biz," the Denver Post recently reported that the airport has taken delivery of the first seven of 30 high-speed, multi-function snow-control machines that can plow, sweep, air-blast snow and, in some cases, spray liquid de-icers too.

When a winter storm hits the Front Range, snow removal at DIA a considerable challenge. It has six runways -- five that are 12,000 feet long and 150 feet wide and the sixth, the world's longest runway at 16,000 feet long and 200 feet wide. During the unseasonably hot days of late October, these $709,000 behemoths were doing dry runs on the runways and taxiways. The first eight new machines to be delivered were made by Borschung of Switzerland; 22 are coming from Oshkosh Truck Company/M-B Companies. The total cost will be $32 million -- but for travelers to, from or changing planes in Denver, the investment is priceless.

Earthbound Friendships Can Start in the Travel Blogosphere

After Emailing back and forth, we met fellow travel bloggers in real life and real time

I can't recall whether I found Audre and Dimitri's A Traveling Love Affair blog, or whether they found mine, but I've been reading about the peripatetic life with a lot of admiration and a little bit of envy, and we have occasionally corresponded. They have been traveling the world since 1995, by plane, train, bus, motorcycle, bicycle and automobile. Their individual itineraries are epic, starting with a nine-month trip from Jakarta, Indonesia, where they had worked to Istanbul, Turkey, where they spent five months. Most recently they traveled from Santiago, Chile, to Denver for a planned half year in Colorado.

When I found out they they were her, we speeded up our correspondence with an intention to meet personally. Yesterday, the intention to get together became reality. We were expecting a FedEx shipment of four fresh lobsters from Maine, and when I learned in the last minute that there would be six, I invited Audre and Dimitri in the last minute. They were free and joined us. You can read about our dinner here, but the interesting part, for me, is how in the 21st century, people we meet in the cyber-community of travel bloggers can easily turn into face-to-face friendships. When we follow each others blogs, we know quite a bit about each other before we ever shake hands.

This was the third time this year that I met a fellow blogger. Last March, travel blogger and travel ombudsman Christoper Elliott and I happened to be in Durango at the same time. I managed to catch him and his wife at the tail end of their breakfast, and we spent a bit of quality time over a cup of coffee before we went our separate ways. You can read about our coincidental presence in Durango here.

And from the food blogging community, I met Massachusetts blogger Don Lesser and got together with him, his wife and his sister when they came to Colorado for a wedding. They wanted Mexican food, and I wrote about our dinner at Juanita's here.

It's wonderful to put faces to cyberspace relationships, which is yet another thing that I've learned to treasure about the travel blogosphere.