Thursday Flakes: America’s Next National Park, The Mayan Underworld and Cheez-Its

There was no Travel Flakes last week because I spent the night trying to sleep at the Houston Bush airport. That didn’t go very well. First a fire alarm went off in Terminal C then I moved to Terminal E where the fire alarm wasn’t blaring and I managed to get a little bit of sleep in one of the massage chairs there. Meanwhile, my first flight with Frontier on Tuesday was fine until we landed and the flight attendant got onto the speaker and said ‘Welcome to Charlotte’ when we had, in fact, landed in Columbus, Ohio. I’m here to celebrate 4th of July and my birthday (the following week) with my brother for a second year in a row. There will be celebrations this time unlike like year so I’m looking forward to that along with some hiking we’ll probably do on that day. Although Columbus will be having fireworks every day from Friday to Monday, the city decided to have their 4th of July parade on July 1st. Happy Canada Day?

What are your plans for 4th of July weekend? Stay safe and enjoy your time with friends and family. Anyways…onto Flakes.

Big Red Recruiting: Huskers 2023 Class Status Report | Football | Corn Nation

There are currently 10 commits in the 2023 Class for Nebraska. Here is a short rundown on who has committed thus far.

Nebraska Recruiting: 4-star EDGE Cameron Lenhardt Can Picture Himself in Lincoln After Visit | Football | Hail Varsity

Lenhardt loves the idea of playing off the edge for Nebraska. He’s played outside linebacker, middle linebacker and defensive end during his time at IMG so he views himself as a jack of all trades. But the 4-star the believes the strength of his game is rushing the passer.

Padding the Stats: On Griesel, Scheduling Déjà Vu and High School Hoops | Basketball | Hail Varsity

Hoiberg brought Griesel in to run the point, and as such he’ll play a big part in shaping what this offense is going to look like. Derrick Walker is dependable, C.J. Wilcher is the best shooter on the team, Blaise Keita was arguably the top center in junior college last season and Ramel Lloyd Jr. was a 4-star recruit, but if Nebraska is to succeed, I think Griesel has to be the best player on the team this season.

Six Huskers Earn Scholar All-America Honors | Swimming & Diving | Huskers.com

Three Nebraska swimmers and a trio of Husker divers earned spots on the 2022 College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America announced by the CSCAA on Wednesday, June 29.

Whittaker Qualifies for U.S. Amateur | Women’s Golf | Huskers.com

Nebraska women’s golfer Megan Whittaker earned a spot in the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship by firing a 70 (-2) in a qualifying round at Eagle Bend Golf Course in Lawrence, Kansas.

The Best and Worst US Airports for Summer Flight Delays | Travel | Travel Pulse

Air passenger rights company AirHelp recently analyzed “on-time performance” at U.S. airports operating at least 100,000-plus flights in 2021 to determine which fare the best and worst when it comes to schedule disruptions.

4th of July Travel Forecast: Best Times to Fly and Drive | Travel | Travel Pulse

This coming Fourth of July holiday travel period promises to be the second-busiest the U.S. has seen since 2000, according to a AAA booking analysis for the long weekend. Despite record-high gas rates and astronomical airfare prices, AAA has forecasted that 47.9 million Americans will be taking trips of 50 miles or more away from home.

Travelers Face More Flight Cancellations and Delays Over 4th of July Weekend | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

So far this summer, travel plans have been repeatedly snarled by airlines’ operational issues, a mix of factors like staffing shortages and bad weather leading to tens of thousands of canceled and delayed flights. Most recently over the Juneteenth holiday weekend, when at least 32,000 flights were delayed and more than 5,000 were canceled from Thursday to Sunday.

TSA is No Longer Scanning Boarding Passes at These Airports | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

The scanners can digitally process a traveler’s ID and match their biographical information like name and birthdate against the Secure Flight database in real time. “There is no need for a boarding pass at this point since the Secure Flight database contains the names and flight details for people ticketed to travel in the next 24 hours,” Lorie Dankers, a TSA spokesperson, said in an email.

These ‘Reserve’ Flight Attendants Keep Your Flight From Getting Cancelled | Travel | Conde Nast Traveler

Most airlines require new-hire flight attendants to begin their career on “reserve.” These crews don’t bid for a flight schedule, but instead are reserved to assist the operation in the event of crew mishaps like sick calls, day-off requests from more senior flight attendants, and any other reason the airline may need additional staffing.

What Should Be America’s Next National Park? | Travel | Lonely Planet

Lofty goals aside, our continued post-lockdown cravings for wide-open spaces make a new national park especially easy to root for right now. It would be the 64th such designation since Yellowstone kicked off the movement 150 years ago. And while no one can be sure which wilderness area congress will crown next, here are nine worthy contenders.

Costa Rica vs Panama | Travel | Lonely Planet

Both offer a wealth of wildlife, untamed nature, adrenaline-fueled activities, and stunning beaches strung along seemingly endless Pacific and Caribbean coastlines. And they may be the priciest countries in Central America but they have the infrastructure to match. The similar characteristics of these neighboring gems have led to a good-natured rivalry, from the soccer field to coffee cupping.

The Exodus of Parisian Chefs to the Countryside | Travel | BBC

Many top culinary masters are abandoning the French capital in favor of greener pastures, where they can have a hand not just in choosing, but in growing their ingredients.

India’s Next Big Street-Food Craze | Travel | BBC

For years, sattu flour, the main ingredient in a variety of unpretentious street snacks, has remained at the fringes of India’s urban foodscape – but now it’s going mainstream.

An Eerie Portal to the Mayan Underworld | Travel | BBC

In Belize’s ATM Cave, details of ancient Maya religious sacrifices come into focus as new research creates a picture of how rituals were used to re-enact the Maya creation story.

Eight Secrets to a ‘Fairly’ Fulfilled Life | Health | The Guardian

In the very first instalment of my column for the Guardian’s Weekend magazine, a dizzying number of years ago now, I wrote that it would continue until I had discovered the secret of human happiness, whereupon it would cease. After more than a decade of writing life-changing advice, I know when to move on. Here’s what else I learned.

How Pets Helps With a Child’s Development | Psychology | BBC

Choosing a pet starts with understanding how they fit into the home. Kelly Oakes explores what happens when animals join a family – and their profound impact on children’s development.

Taco Bell’s Newest Food Uses an Oversized Cheez-Its | Food | CNN

The experiment: A massive Cheez-It, which is 16 times the standard size, serves as the base for Taco Bell’s new “Big Cheez-It Tostada.” The meal layers ground beef, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce and cheddar cheese on the cheesy cracker for $2.49. It’s described as an “abundantly cheesy and nostalgic, yet magically modern, dining experience,” according to a release.

The cutest pitch invasion during a Chile-Venezuela women’s football match

The clip keeps getting worse and worse as you go along.

Educational clip about altitude sickness.