What kind of person hitchhikes, at age 60, across the country? A former hitchhiker. An adventurous soul. Someone who chooses to trust others, despite encountering the darker sides of humanity as a newspaper reporter. That would be Bill McAuliffe. My recently retired colleague wrote a rollicking story, entitled "Hitchhiking in a new age," about begging rides from the Twin Cities to Washington State for Travel. The story earned gold in the Adventure Travel category of the Society of American Travel Writer's Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Competition.

The Society also awarded Curt Brown an honorable mention in the Cultural Travel category for his Star Tribune story "In Uganda, faith endures." This beautifully told tale illuminates a world unseen by most: a small enclave of Jews in Uganda. It's another example of armchair travel at its best.

The Star Tribune Travel section took the bronze award for best newspaper travel section with a circulation of 350,000 and up. The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times took gold and silver, respectively.