South Dakota bison roundup
The American bison is magnificent to observe. On Sept. 28, the public is invited to South Dakota's Custer State Park to hear the thunder of hoofs and photograph the moment as experienced riders round up a herd of 1,300 bison during the annual Buffalo Roundup Arts Festival. The roundup is considered a critical management tool. The bison are corralled and then tested, branded and sorted. The event includes a pancake feed, Western and American Indian entertainment and the chance to peruse the fine art and crafts offered by more than 150 vendors (bit.ly/2nuRITb).
FamilyTravel.com
Get six years of Global Entry
The U.S. government's Global Entry trusted-traveler program gives members fast clearance at customs, plus TSA PreCheck, for $100 for five years. While completing the Global Entry interview recently at the airport, we discovered a little-known secret to getting the program for an extra year: Schedule the brief interview right after your birthday. Once approved, you get Global Entry and PreCheck benefits for five years after your next birthday. By all means, though, the best time to apply is in advance of a big trip. For more info and to apply, get started online at ttp.cbp.dhs.gov. Interviews at the U.S. Customs office at MSP are available beginning in late September.
Simon Peter Groebner
Scallop hunting in Florida
It's scallop season in Florida, which means hundreds of scallopers converge on Homosassa Bay in search of the edible mollusk. Scalloping can best be described as an underwater Easter egg hunt. You slip on your snorkel mask, grab a mesh scalloping bag and jump in. You float along the top of the water until you spot the scallop shells nestled along the grassy bottom. Take a deep breath and dive down to scoop up the scallop. Our adventure started at MacRae's Marina in Homosassa, about 90 miles west of Orlando near the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida bay scallop grows and lives in the shallow seagrass beds common to these areas. The scalloping season for Citrus County began July 1 and runs through Sept. 24 (info at scallophunter.com).
Orlando Sentinel
Spirit drops MSP-to-Chicago
Spirit Airlines has dropped flights from MSP to Chicago O'Hare as of April. "As we added more destinations out of Minneapolis, we no longer needed to filter our guests through Chicago, which was acting as a hub," said Derek Dombrowski, media relations manager for Spirit, in an e-mail. Dave Lovick, co-owner of seven Travel Leaders travel agencies, said the MSP-to-Chicago route is a competitive one, especially for business travelers. American, Delta, Southwest and United offer service to one or both of Chicago's airports. "Service and reliability are key," he said. "An airline has to get businesspeople to their destination on time. Spirit worked better for the leisure traveler."
John Ewoldt
Fighting cabin fever
Starting this month, thousands of flight attendants will carry thermometers to document extreme temperatures, hot or cold, encountered during their shifts. The data collected will be used to bolster the push to establish standards in cabin temperatures, with a recommended range of 65 to 75 degrees. Two flight attendant unions have announced a smartphone app, 2hot2cold, that flight crews and passengers can use to document extreme temperatures.
Dallas Morning News
