Reader’s Digest magazine June 2009 issue has been released. Featured in this issue are 4 summer vacations you can afford! Georgia: Tallulah Gorge State Park, Michigan: Bay City State Park, Colorado: Deer Ridge Junction, Oregon: Mt. Hood-Columbia River Gorge Loop.
Summer Trips You Can Afford
Georgia: Tallulah Gorge State Park
Originally a tourist town in the late 1880s, Tallulah Falls is now a 2,694-acre state park. Running through the park is the Tallulah River, the force that created this two-mile-long, 1,000-foot-deep Tallulah Gorge. A suspension bridge 80 feet above the bottom of the gorge offers breathtaking views of the waterfalls below. Several hiking and mountain-biking trails traverse the interior of the gorge and the surrounding area. A free permit, available at the interpretive center, allows access to the gorge floor. Trails entering and exiting the gorge and on the gorge floor are very difficult and should not be attempted by visitors with health problems. Also available are trails that offer scenic views of the waterfalls cascading into the gorge.
Michigan: Bay City State Park
In the late 1800s the fortunes of Bay City, like those of many other towns in Michigan, were closely tied to the timber industry. The Victorian mansions of the lumber barons who settled here remain as a testimonial to their once-opulent prosperity. Other architectural gems from that era can been seen in the Midland Street Business District, including a château-style Sage Library.
Colorado: Deer Ridge Junction
As Rte. 36 climbs the flank of Deer Mountain, the view to the rear embraces a line of lofty summits crowded shoulder to shoulder. The champion is Longs Peak, towering above its neighbors at 14,259 feet.
At Deer Ridge Junction the drive joins Rte. 34 — the start of legendary Trail Ridge Road. Bisecting the national park, the 48-mile route rises to more than 12,000 feet, meandering for 11 miles across stark tundra that looks as though a part of Alaska had been transplanted to Colorado.
Oregon: Mt. Hood-Columbia River Gorge Loop
Few landscapes can equal the magnificence and variety of the one encircling Mt. Hood. Mountaintops under a continuous cover of snow, verdant forests laced with rushing streams and waterfalls, fertile farmlands, and the awesome gorge of one of America’s great rivers — these are among the treasures waiting to be discovered here.
We Love Dad
Father’s Day is June 21. Make it memorable with our ten thrifty and thoughtful gift picks, plus ten ideas for fun things to do with Dad on his day.
A Father’s Parenting Style
Will McAlpine, two and a half years old, likes to “help” his dad, Eric, in their suburban backyard in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. As father and son toss grass, leaves and rocks into a wheelbarrow, Eric points out different colors and shapes. Sometimes they pause during their chores to observe planes and clouds overhead. What they don’t pay attention to is the mess of mud on their shoes — or how they leave a trail of dirt in their wake when they enter the house.
David Pike of Charlotte, North Carolina, relishes reading to his three young daughters at bedtime. He reads familiar favorites like Goodnight Moon and Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham. Just as the girls’ mom, Katie, thinks David has the kids settled down, “a giggle fest erupts,” she says. Five-year-old Aidan begins pleading for David to “squirb” her (the family’s term for making funny sounds on their bellies). “Squirb me. Squirb me too,” squeals three-year-old Herron. By now everyone is wide awake.
Response to Our Report on Cancer Screening Tests
Read how the national cancer organizations responded to our controversial special report on cancer screening tests, published in the April 2009 issue.
Read a letter from the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society
The April 2009 article “Cancer Screening: Doing More Harm than Good?” is a surprisingly irresponsible piece of journalism for a publication the stature of Reader’s Digest. This article needlessly placed doubt in the minds of your readers about life-saving screening exams. As the issue hit newsstands in March, which is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, I find it extremely troubling that the article presented an unbalanced perspective on colorectal cancer screening and colonoscopy, “(We don’t know for sure if it reduces the risk of death…)” and quotes from Dennis Fryback, PhD, who stated that because he has no family history of colorectal cancer, he does not need a colonoscopy, calling it like “an expensive lottery ticket. I might get extra time, but chances are much better that I won’t get anything.”
Consignment or Thrift Shop Secrets
Consignment shop owners share their secrets, tips and best etiquette advice.
This usually isn’t the place to make a fast buck. Some shops issue checks quarterly—and pay you only if your item sells.
Some of my merchandise is brand new: When a boutique goes out of business, I’ll pick up the inventory and flip it to you.
The recession means times are changing, and so is our inventory. Women’s suits and formal wear aren’t selling the way they used to, but smaller furniture for smaller houses is in demand.
Consignment shopping is probably the only consumption that’s environmentally friendly: When you buy an item you’re keeping it out of the landfills, where an estimated 85 percent of used clothing winds up every year.
Vote for the Best Joke in America
Which of the ten jokes picked by our judges was your favorite? Cast your vote. The winning gag will compete with submissions from 29 global editions for the title of Best Joke in the World in our September humor issue.
Fast and Delicious Recipes
Get out of the kitchen! Get ten more fast and delicious dishes, ready in under 25 minutes, prepared with 5 ingredients or less. From Taste of Home