JOTTINGS IN A JOURNAL SEE THE FAUNA IN THE DELL.

Byline: - Staff and Wire Services

Yellowstone National Park is giving nature lovers a front-row view of wildlife - from their home.

Researchers at the world's first national park are using advanced digital and remote control cameras to monitor the park's wildlife. The cameras can operate under extreme conditions and from great distances without disturbing their habitat.

Pictures taken from the cameras are now posted on www.windowsintowonderland.org.

EAST AFRICA CAUTION: The U.S. Department of State issued a public announcement May 14 to warn travelers of potential danger in East Africa.

Citing what it called a ``credible threat'' of terrorist attacks, the State Department recommended that American citizens avoid the region as they could be targets of violence and kidnapping. Al-Qaida and other extremist groups have a heavy presence in the area, State says.

``The threat to aircraft by terrorists using shoulder-fired missiles continues in Kenya, including Nairobi. Seaports may also be targeted. Other east African countries face similar threats,'' the announcement says.

A copy of the warning is posted at http://travel.state.gov/eafrica-announce.html.

GOURMAND GETAWAYS: Food & Wine Trails has announced chef-led tours of Sonoma County that will take place June 10-14 and Sept. 24-28.

Travelers to California's wine country will experience two hands-on activities each day, such as making cheese, baking tarts and creating a Bordeaux blend at Chateau St. Jean.

Chef guides will include John Ash, Michele Anna Jordan, Michael Quigley, Syrah Bistro and Josh Silver. Each tour is limited to 20 and is priced at $1,189 without hotel, and $1,699 with lodging. Information: [phone]; www.foodandwinetrails.com.

TRAINING IN FRANCE: The shaded sidewalks of the Champs-Elysees in Paris are lined with 32 antique and ultramodern trains through June 15 in a free, open-air exhibition, ``Le Train Capitale.''

Rare cars on display include the 1844 Buddicom St.-Pierre locomotive and a 1900 Twin-Tank Wagon, both on loan from the French Train Museum in Mulhouse.

Trains of the future, including a full mock-up of the futuristic Siemans Tram Train scheduled for service in 2006, will be parked on the Place de la Concorde.

Information: www.letraincapitale.com.

PINNACLE OF KNOWLEDGE: Museum exhibitions in Washington and Chicago are looking at the Himalayas from two different perspectives.

``Sir Edmund Hillary: Everest and Beyond,'' at the National Geographic Society in Washington, celebrates the life and adventures of the one-time beekeeper who teamed with Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay to be the first to scale the world's tallest mountain on May 29, 1953.

``Himalayas: An Aesthetic Adventure'' at the Art Institute of Chicago features 187 Hindu and Buddhist devotional and ritual objects from India, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. The paintings and other works date from the sixth to the 19th centuries.

For more information on the Hillary exhibit, which runs to Sept. 1, call [phone] or see www.nationalgeographic.com/explorer. The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S. Michigan Ave., [phone], www.artic.edu, has the Himalayas show until Aug. 17.