Girl About the World

Against my better judgment, I’ve signed up for Blogathon 2011. Bloga-what, you ask? Blogathon is an annual event in May organized by freelance journalist and blogger Michelle V. Rafter in which a group of bloggers commit to posting at least once a day for the entire month.

As regular readers of Girl About the World have probably noticed, I don’t post daily. Sometimes I don’t even post weekly. Because I work as a full-time freelance writer, I’m always writing, and I devote most of those words to the paid gigs I get from a number of different clients. I want to focus more on the blog, though, and I’m always a fan of a good challenge (and anything with prizes at the end!), so I’m excited about participating in Blogathon — even if it’s a bit daunting to think about adding another daily deadline to my plate.

So get ready for a lot more content on the blog. I’ll be traveling at least a week this upcoming month, so there will be some on-the-road posts from (hopefully) sunny California, along with highlights of past trips I’ve taken and general travel news.

If you want to join the Blogathon 2011 fun (you have until 11 p.m. Pacific time on May 1) or just want to read more about it, click here.

Muir Woods National Monument in California, one the country's 394 national parks.

With 394 national parks across the country, there’s no shortage of outdoor (and indoor) places to explore all over the land of liberty. And while more than 100 of them typically charge a fee to enter, National Park Week (April 16 to 24) is upon us, which means all the parks are free. The 2011 theme is “Healthy Parks, Healthy People,” and the goal is to highlight the connection between human and environmental health. Take advantage of the spring weather and drop by your nearest national park, or plan a trip to see one you’ve never been to. Many of the businesses within the parks are also offering special deals this week; for a list of some of them (like a two-night stay for the price of one), check here. And for those with kids in tow, Saturday, April 23, is Junior Ranger Day at many of the parks, so pack up the tiny tots and let them explore and learn with programs especially designed for the smaller set.

Want to know which parks have waived their entrance fees for the week? Check out the list here.

My favorite teacher in elementary school had a sign we were all to abide by: “I will not masticate processed tree sap during the time I should be endeavoring in my intellectual pursuits.” Translation: Don’t chew gum in class. I took that lesson to heart and then some, and to this day, I rarely chew gum. A lot of folks near Seattle’s Market Theatre, however, don’t feel the same way.

Seattle's Gum Wall began in the 1990s and has grown in size (and germiness) since.

It all started in the 1990s when those waiting in line to get in the theater began sticking their gum to the wall. The city tried in vain to get rid of it a couple of times, but it’s now a bona fide tourist destination that made it to No. 2 on the list of TripAdvisor’s germiest world attractions.

I accidentally whipped my ponytail into the Gum Wall, which was not my best move.

I trekked there with my mom one evening (it’s in Post Alley, right below Pike Place Market), and although it was a bit smaller than I imagined it would be, there were still thousands upon thousands of pieces of colorful processed tree sap lining the bricks. Some people got creative, spelling messages and making designs. I even saw a pretty decent gum rendition of the Eiffel Tower. Yelpers are big fans, with more than 80 percent giving the Gum Wall four or five stars. I was a little skeeved out by the wall, yet it was still oddly intriguing. As for my mom’s assessment: “It’s gross, but a must-see for grossness, I guess.” What more can you say than that?

My mom enjoys her time in front of the Gum Wall.