Posts by eriksmithdotcom

Erik's parents fostered a love of traveling that started with long family road trips during the summer months. His first international trip was a family jaunt to Europe at age 14. Since 2003, he has been trying to visit all the National Park units in the lower 48 states, currently standing at 304 of 350 visited. In 2010, he took a one year break from his National Park quest to visit Israel (with side trips to Jordan & Egypt) for the month of May, on a tour inspired by The Amateur Traveler. His blog is at http://onmyfeetorinmymind.blogspot.com. Twitter:@eriksmithdotcom

Devil’s Postpile – Eastern Sierra, California – Daily Photo

Filed Under: usa travel

Devil’s Postpile National Monument in Central California. The formation known as columnar basalt, was formed by a lava flow more than 100,000 years ago. It is one of the National Park Service’s [...]

Gloria Dei – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Daily Photo

Filed Under: usa travel

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the oldest surviving church in Pennsylvania. It is an affiliated area of the National Park Service under the administration of Independence National Historical Park.

Western Wall – Jerusalem, Israel – Daily Photo

Filed Under: middle east travel

The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall, is located in Jerusalem, Israel. It is one of Judaism’s holiest sites and for centuries has been a site of prayer and pilgrimage.

The Chicago Skyline – Chicago, Illinois – Daily Photo

Filed Under: usa travel

The Chicago Skyline and John Hancock Building near sunset taken from the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), North America’s tallest building.

Buckingham Fountain – Chicago, Illinois – Daily Photo

Filed Under: usa travel

Buckingham Fountain near Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois is one of the world’s largest fountains. Every 20 minutes during the hours of operation (usually 8am to 11pm) it shoots a jet of [...]

Mist Surrounds You – Milford Road, New Zealand – Daily Photo

Filed Under: pacific travel

The Milford Road in New Zealand can be seen in this picture twisting it’s way to Milford sound from the famous Homer Tunnel. This is an HDR imagine with no extra editing [...]

Zorbing- Straight from the “Leave it to the Kiwis” files

Filed Under: pacific travel

When I decided on New Zealand as the destination for my last trip, the obvious question I got from travelers in the know was “Are you going to jump off of something [...]

Product Review: TerraCycle Eco-friendly Toiletry Case

Filed Under: travel stuff

The Upcycled Tent Dopp Kit is made from all upcycled materials, except the zipper. It is light-weight and compact, and has the feel of a tent, since it is made from ‘the [...]

Clouds and Reflections – Mono Lake, California – Daily Photo

Filed Under: usa travel

Mono Lake is an ancient, saline lake in Central California. It is a bird sanctuary and has been the subject of many ecological battles over the last decade. (This is an HDR [...]

Our Travels – Erik Smith Traveled to Israel

Filed Under: middle east travel

The Amateur Traveler is the first podcast I ever listened to on a consistent basis, and it is my favorite podcast. I enjoy listening because it allows me to travel to many [...]