Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for March, 2021
Russia’s Gate to the Orient
By Linda Tancs
In the 17th century, Astrakhan was developed as Russia’s gate to the Orient. As a result, it was settled by many merchants from Armenia, Persia, India and Khiva. To this day, it remains a hub for commercial activities, strategically located on the Volga delta where the river meets the Caspian Sea. It’s also where you’ll find the Astrakhan Kremlin, a fortress built in the 1500s at the command of Ivan the Terrible. Its walls and towers served as a blueprint for the development of other fortresses in the Russian State. During World War I there was an infantry regiment there; cannons arrived during World War II to protect the city against German air raids. Today this historical landmark serves as a museum.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Glaciers in Patagonia
By Linda Tancs
In the Patagonia region of Argentina there’s no shortage of glaciers. That’s why the area is named Los Glaciares National Park. Located in the southwest of Santa Cruz on the border with Chile, the park includes a large portion of the Andes practically under ice and snow to the west and arid Patagonian steppes to the east. Its name refers to the glaciers that are born on the ice caps – the largest continental ice extension after Antarctica – which occupies almost half its area. In this region you’ll also find some of the world’s richest fossil beds, highest mountains and biggest glacier-fed lakes found anywhere. The park can be accessed from different points of Route No. 40, by bus or by car.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Whale Heritage in California
By Linda Tancs
Dana Point may have some of the best beaches in Southern California, but that’s not the only reason you’ll have a whale of a time there. In January the locale became the first Whale Heritage Site in the country. Established by the World Cetacean Alliance (the largest marine conservation partnership), whale heritage sites recognize outstanding destinations for responsible and sustainable whale and dolphin watching. Dana Point bills itself as the whale watching and dolphin capital of the world, with more wild dolphin per square mile than anywhere else. And whales are viewable year round. This time of year you may see gray whales on their round-trip migration between Alaska and the warm waters of Mexico. Head to Dana Point Harbor for a watching tour.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Going With the Flow in Scotland
By Linda Tancs
Stretching across Caithness and Sutherland in the far north of Scotland is Europe’s largest blanket bog, a morass of deep peat and bog pools. The region is known as Flow Country, a wildlife reserve of nearly 500,000 acres sheltering, among other things, birds with small populations there like the white-tailed sea eagle and hen harrier. The area has been growing for 10,000 years, and the peat is over 32 feet deep. Start your orientation at the Forsinard Flows Visitor Center, located in the former station building at Forsinard on the Wick-Inverness railway line. From there you can take a wooden walkway to the Flows Lookout Tower for amazing views. Another must-do is the Forsinain trail, a waymarked path across the peat bogs and forestry at the heart of Flow Country.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Seclusion in Thailand
By Linda Tancs
Fans of Leonardo DiCaprio will remember the 2000 film The Beach. It was shot in the Phi Phi Archipelago, a secluded island chain in Thailand. Well, it wasn’t so secluded after word got out about its beauty. Many locales, like Maya Bay (the actual “beach”) were forced to close due to damage done by overzealous tourists. But 2021 promises a reopening of this lustrious location following the replanting of natural coral. The area is part of Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Bugs in British Columbia
By Linda Tancs
Known by many as “the Bugs,” the Bugaboos are a mountain range in the Purcell Mountains of British Columbia, Canada. Touted as North America’s answer to the French Alps, they’re prized for their granite spires. Not surprisingly, the region is a magnet for mountaineers. In fact, some refer to it as one of the world’s great alpine rock climbing centers. That doesn’t sound like much of a bugaboo, as North Americans understand the term. Apparently, the moniker was coined by disappointed prospectors following a failed gold rush. If you drive there, be prepared to surround the base of your vehicle with wire, logs and rocks (provided on site) to protect its underside from porcupines with an affinity for brake lines. The Bugs are located within Bugaboo Provincial Park.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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America’s Largest Glacial System
By Linda Tancs
America’s largest glacial system exists within park boundaries of Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Covering 35 percent of the parklands, glaciers are the headwaters for many of the river systems that flow through the park. One of the most stunning features of this area is Bagley Icefield. Touted as the largest nonpolar icefield in North America, it encompasses multiple glaciers and is 127 miles long, 6 miles wide and up to 3,000 feet thick in some places. In fact, it feeds many glaciers, including the Bering Glacier, the largest in North America. Both public and private lands exist in the park. Public lands are open year round; enjoy snowmobiling this time of year provided there’s adequate snow cover (at least one foot) and frozen ground.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Maine’s Tallest Mountain
By Linda Tancs
Maine’s highest point (at 5,270 feet), Mount Katahdin is also the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail. Named by the Penobscot Nation, the mountain’s moniker means “the greatest mountain.” You’ll find little quarrel with that amongst hikers, who regard it as one of the most difficult treks in the northeast. That’s especially true along Knife Edge Trail, a ridge with passageways as narrow as three feet in some places and steep drop-offs on both sides. Your diligence will be rewarded with awe-inspiring views across the Katahdin massif and down into the South Basin. Katahdin is the centerpiece of Baxter State Park.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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America’s Oldest Attraction
By Linda Tancs
First opening on August 8, 1861, the Auto Road is America’s oldest man-made attraction. It’s a steep, narrow mountain road without guardrails that leads to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Called Agiocochook by some Native American tribes, Mount Washington is the highest peak in the northeastern United States at 6,288 feet. You can drive up the road yourself (in season) or take a guided tour with a “stage driver” for some history and insight into the area. The Auto Road tour company refers to their vans as stages because the first visitors to the road (known then as Carriage Road) traveled in horse-drawn stages. The mountain is notorious for having some of the strongest winds in the world; check for weather updates before you venture out.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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Springing Up in Burgundy
By Linda Tancs
Tonnerre is a small town in France’s Burgundy region. Its vines date back to Roman times. So does its seemingly bottomless spring, Fosse Dionne. Used by the Romans to supply water to a nearby palace, it morphed into a public laundry in the 1700s. Encased in stone and surrounded by an amphitheater, it’s a popular tourist attraction today. Springtime snow melts produce a copious gush of water from this karst spring, the source of which remains unknown to this day.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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