Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for August, 2013
Peeling the Layers
By Linda Tancs
The folks in Payson, Utah want you to experience the many layers of their fair city. That includes peeling the layers at the annual Golden Onion Days event. Taking place from 30 August to 2 September, the annual ode to allium will feature the usual cooking contest, parade, food court and boutiques.
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Liberty Bells
By Linda Tancs
Fans of shows like Downton Abbey surely wonder what life was truly like above or below stairs. At Liberty Hall in Union, New Jersey you can quench your curiosity. Built in 1772, the mansion was home to New Jersey’s first governor and later occupied by members of the Kean political family. Like any dynasty, their needs were met by the ringing of a servant’s bell. Open through November 2013, the exhibition “Ring for Service: The Role of Servants in a Country House” welcomes visitors to all four floors of the family estate. The house museum is located on Morris Avenue at Kean University.
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The Great Lake Superior
By Linda Tancs
The largest of North America’s Great Lakes, Lake Superior holds almost three cubic miles of water, more than the four other lakes combined. That’s three quadrillion gallons of water, in case you’re counting. The largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, it’s bounded by Ontario, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. With tens of thousands of square miles to cover, just start somewhere. How about Minnesota’s North Shore? The 154-mile All American Road combines the best of old and new Highway 61, including several state parks and at least 101 things to do.
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Australia’s Twelve Apostles
By Linda Tancs
It might seem like just a stack of large rocks to some, but the limestone monoliths jutting out from the Southern Ocean coastline near Melbourne, Australia known as the 12 Apostles have their followers. Although their naming has no biblical connection, it’s quite evocative and certainly an improvement over the original moniker–the Sow and Piglets. Part of Port Campbell National Park, the formations are located on the corner of Booringa Road and Great Ocean Road in Princetown 3269, just a four-hour drive or so from Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road. Sunrise and sunset are great viewing times to view the rocks’ dramatic color changes.
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The Candelabra of the Andes
By Linda Tancs
The Paracas Candelabra, also known as the Candelabra of the Andes, is a well-known prehistoric geoglyph nearly 600 feet long on the northern face of the Paracas Peninsula at Pisco Bay in Peru. That much is certain. Less certain is what it represents. Is it a candelabra design, the likes of which would have made Liberace swoon? Or is it a depiction of the trident of Viracocha, the South American god of Incan mythology responsible for creation? You decide.
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Penguins on Parade
By Linda Tancs
Australia’s Phillip Island boasts the world’s smallest penguin, but that’s not its only charm. At sunset the penguins march from the sea to their sandy burrows after a hard day’s fishing. Want the best view of the waddle? The sky box at Summerland Beach’s elevated viewing tower allows five people each evening to have an enviable pole position for the ultimate view.
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A Colorful Anniversary
By Linda Tancs
That emblem of childhood, Crayola, recently celebrated 110 years! To mark the occasion, they offered a limited edition crayon pack featuring a renaming of its eight major hues: yellow, purple, orange, blue, brown, red, black and green. Due to overwhelming popularity, the limited edition may resurface in the coming months. In the meantime, watch the colors pop at the Crayola Experience. Located in downtown Easton, Pennsylvania, the crayon company’s birthplace, the four floors of interactive exhibition feature attractions like instruction in crayon making, custom marker mixing, a crayon clinic, and an 85-foot water table attraction with Crayola boats. Here’s one place you can definitely think–and color–outside the box.
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Tank Trivia
By Linda Tancs
Before you plan your next road trip, be sure that the price of gas along the way won’t eat up whatever savings you think you’ll reap. That’s where Gas Buddy comes to the rescue. The “heat map” will survey prices across the United States. Add to that their handy trip cost calculator and fuel saving tips and you road warriors have some pretty useful tank trivia.
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New Flower Show in Brussels
By Linda Tancs
Brussels believes in flower power. In addition to the Flower Carpet that graces the Grand Palace in even-numbered years, the city has plugged the odd-numbered years’ gap with a new show for those years. Today through 18 August, Floraliëntime debuts with a major international plant and flower arrangement event in Brussels City Hall and at the Grand Place. The inaugural theme is “Colors of Life.” With 100,000 flowers adorning City Hall, you can be assured of that.
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Dolphins 101
By Linda Tancs
Meet Chabelita, Kayena, Pasku, Nubia, Alita and Machu. Those are just some of the dolphins waiting to engage with you at Curaçao’s Dolphin Academy. Located at the Curaçao Sea Aquarium marine animal park, the facility offers dolphin interactive and educational programming covering topics like dolphin training, communication, cognition, senses and anatomy. Put your knowledge to the test while enjoying an open ocean dive, where the dolphins will meet you outside their lagoon in the open ocean and dive with you among some of the most beautiful coral reefs of Curaçao.
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