A visit with Hazel Carter, an artist from Harrington, Maine.
Africa II: In Pursuit of Great escAPES
Tracking gray wolves on snowshoe and by air in the Boundary Waters Canoe area of northern Minnsesota.
Africa I: In Pursuit of Great escAPES
Chimpanzees of Kibale Forest National Park in Uganda, as well as wildlife in Queen Elizabeth National Park and the Kazinga Channel.
The life and times of 97-year-old Phyllis Silverman, artist and summer resident of the seaside village Corea, Maine.
Brave, nearly naked men made their living by towing sailing ships boats by hand through the vicious waters of China's Yangtze River. Trackers still tow wooden pea pod boats along the Shennong Stream, a scenic tributary of the Yangtze.
This equine mail-delivery system lasted less than 19 months in the 1800s, but its legend lingers on. Riders traveled between California and Missouri in about 10 days. Their pay was about $40 per month, plus room and board. Completion of the transcontinental telegraph in 1861 signaled the system's death knell.
A visit with Ray Dunbar, a lobsterman with tales of Corea, Maine.
Rosemary Levin's handmade rugs and her life with her dog, Lucky.Levin and her husband, Garry, own and operate Chapter Two in Corea, Maine. The shop and gallery feature works of local artists.
Tundra buggy adventure with polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba, known as the "Polar Bear Capital of the World." Includes polar bear facts and figures.
Nurses of the 7th MASH and 12th Evacuation Hospitals of Cu Chi celebrate Thanksgiving and being together at the Vietnam Women's Memorial in Washington, DC.
The Tradition Continues: Artists of Corea Studio tour. Features the works of 97-year-old painter Phyllis Silverman, Yugoslavian native and painter Iso Papo, photographer Ann Young, woodcut artist Dan Miller, art ensemblist Rachel Schiro, quilter Gail Ruland, and photographer Beth Parks. Also pays tribute to such artists as Marsden Hartley, Chenowith Hall, Doug Lockwood, and the Albright twins.
(Featured in The Ellsworth American)
The above articles are listed alphabetically in the table below. Click on a title to view the article.
Antarctica III: Fantastic Voyage
Welcome to my articles page
Wildlife in Australia. Includes Little Penguins in the southern state of Victoria,kangaroos in the Outback, koalas at Kuranda in tropical North Queensland, fish at the Great Barrier Reef, and jumping crocs on the Adelaide River near Kakadu.
Eastern coyote heritage and history, with comparisons
to wolves, foxes and domestic dogs.
(Featured in The Maine Forester)
Everything is made of ice in the Minus 5º bar in Auckland, New Zealand: walls, stools, shelves, tables, candleholders, glasses, and sculptures. A real treat on a sweltering day.
Adventures with black bears in Canada's Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba. Includes black bear facts and figures.
Holiday essay alluding to Loren Eiseley's short story, The Star Thrower, in which we wonder if our small acts make a difference in such a large and stormy world.
Whooping cranes, North America's tallest birds at nearly five feet tall, are pulling back from the brink of extinction. The cranes migrate 2,600 miles from Canada to Texas. Nearly half of the birds winter in the Port Aransas Wildlife Refuge near Corpus Christi.
The search for paradise in the islands French Polynesia
in the South Pacific includes white sands, palm-fringed beaches, colorful lagoons, and tropical flowers. Offers a brief history of the area, including the influence of missionaries and sex-hungry sailors.
Antarctica I: Of Ice & Menace
Northern lights, visible on a relatively clear and moonless night in the north. Describes the hows, whys and beauty of the aurora.
Includes northern light tips and facts.
Antarctic adventures aboard a Russian research vessel refitted for expedition cruising. Includes information about flying from Chile to avoid the infamous Drake Passage.
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Banner photos above: "Gentoo Penguin," discussed in Antarctica articles (left); "I'm Being Good," baby mountain gorilla, from Great EscAPES, Part Two (middle); "Village Dancers," from Great EscAPES, Part Two (right). All photographs © 2013 by Beth Parks, Ed.D. (All rights reserved.)
South America's Atacama Desert, among the driest places on the planet. The dryness of this desert in northern Chile is about 100 times that of Death Valley. Some parts haven't seen a single drop of rain in the hundreds of years since record-keeping began.
It's an experience you should try, if just once in your life: sleeping on the deck of a tall ship as it rocks gently beneath the star-filled heavens. You suspect that earth would appear inert and
insignificant from afar, with no political boundaries, no sign of armed conflict, no evidence of the constant struggle for survival by each and every living thing. You realize that earth is nothing more than a terrarium, easily knocked out of whack by mankind seeking immediate gain without regard for long-term consequences. You wonder what the future holds, and consider the possibility of a more responsible approach.
This region of unparalleled peaks, parks, glaciers and grottoes spans portions of Chile and Argentina at the southern tip of South America. Patagonia, which encompasses such attractions as Torres del Paine and the Strait of Magellan, is about twice the size of France.
Rare Glimpse of vibrant Corea Community
A glimpse into the Artists of Corea: where they live, what they do and how they do it.
Antarctic adventures on Deception, Livingston and King George Islands. Includes sailing into a flooded caldera, swimming in volcanic waters, exploring whaling sites, and coming face-to-face with elephant seals.
Hatshepsut was not only a female pharaoh, but also the daughter of a pharaoh, the wife of a pharaoh, and the stepmother of a pharaoh. Famed for her glorious building projects, most of her images were mutilated or obliterated
after her rule ended around 1458 BC.
Some of my travel features, essays and other articles published in newspapers and magazines appear below. All are from the Bangor Daily News unless otherwise indicated. All photos are by Beth Parks, including "courtesy of," unless otherwise credited.
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- Night Lights (Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis)
- Of Ice & Menace (Antarctic Adventure, Part I)
- Old Ray, a Lobsterman with Tales of Corea
- Patagonia: Where Towers Meet the Sea (Chile)
- Queen in the Valley of the Kings, A (Hatshepsut; Egypt)
- River Trackers (Yangtze River, China)
- Rio Bravo (Amazon Region, Brazil)
- Running with the Wind (Grenadines, Caribbean)
- Sailing Under the Southern Cross (South America)
- Short, Swift Life of the Pony Express, The
- Sprawl of the Wild (Antarctic Adventure, Part II)
- Vietnam Nurses' Thanksgiving, A
- Visit with Hazel Carter, A (Maine Artist)
- What Are You Looking At? (Australia)
- Whooping it Up (Whooping Cranes, Texas)
Mountain gorillas in Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the Virungo Volcanoes region of Rwanda. Includes a visit with a group of Batwa pygmies living in the area.
Antarctic adventures on Aitcho Island, Half Moon Island, Cuverville Island, Port Lockroy, Lemaire Channel, Petermann Island, Neumayer Channel, and the White Continent.
Describes penguins, seals and other critters.
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Antarctica II: Sprawl of the Wild
Windjammer Barefoot sailing aboard the Yankee Clipper in the Grenadines, a sprinkling of tiny West Indian Islands in the deep southeastern Caribbean. Destinations include Grenada, Carriacou, Becquia, Mayreau, St. Vincent, and the Tobago Cays.
- Bear Witness (Black Bears)
- Black Gold (Black Pearls)
- Bear With Me (Polar Bears)
- Chances with Wolves (Minnesota)
- Christmas Marked by Starfish in the Sea (Essay)
- Corea Artists Tour (Maine)
- Desert Vacation? It's a No Rainer (Atacama, Chile)
- Elusive Paradise (French Polynesia)
- Exploring the Pantanal (Brazil)
- Fantastic Voyage (Antarctic Adventure, Part III)
- Glacier Getaway (Alaska, Sled Dogs)
- Great EscAPES, Part I (Chimpanzees)
- Great EscAPES, Part II (Mountain Gorillas)
- Holiday Treasures
- In Full Bloom (Phyllis Silverman, Artist)
- Lucky Streak, A (Rosemary Levin, Rug Hooking)
- New Zealand Bar Made of Ice Draws Cool Customers
How black pearls are grown and crafted into jewelry in the islands of French Polynesia. Includes a guide to purchasing and caring for black pearls.
Not your grandmother's Carnival cruise. Six passengers ply the waters of the Amazon and Rio Negro rivers in search of wildlife and adventure.
Adventure in the swampy Pantanal do Mato Grosso in west-central Brazil. Wildlife includes tapirs, capuchin monkeys, toucans, hyacinth macaws, jabiru storks, capybaras, and alligator-like caimans.
Is it "God's dog," "the evil incarnate in the
animal kingdom," or just "a damned nuisance"?
Origins, history, impacts and tales of eastern coyotes.
(Featured in Defenders Magazine)