Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Author Archive
Gem of the Salish Sea
By Linda Tancs
Adjacent to British Columbia and Washington State, the Salish Sea is an inland sea named after the Coast Salish people, the first inhabitants of the region. Touted as a gem of the Salish Sea, Galiano Island is closest to Vancouver, which makes it easily accessible via ferry. Bluffs Point Lookout is a popular attraction, along with Bodega Ridge Trail, which rewards hikers with spectacular vistas of Trincomali Channel, Vancouver Island and the Strait of Georgia. Steps from the ferry dock, Sturdies Bay is home to most of the amenities on this island, including a resort hotel, art galleries and dining options.
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A Man-Made Wonder of the West
By Linda Tancs
A man-made reservoir covering an impressive 186 miles in length and nearly 2,000 miles of shoreline (longer than the west coast of the U.S.), Lake Powell is a popular vacation destination for boating, waterskiing, fishing, camping, hiking and exploring the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Located on the Colorado River and straddling the border between Utah and Arizona, it features the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge, once the highest arch bridge in the world. It also boasts 96 major canyons, some of which are up to 20 miles long. Antelope Canyon is reportedly the most photographed. Other popular canyons include Gunsight Canyon and Navajo Canyon, which offers views of Navajo Tapestries, the multi-colored streaks of iron oxide and manganese residue that have “draped” down the sides of the canyon wall.
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Pigs on the Beach
By Linda Tancs
It isn’t everyday that you get to encounter pigs on a beach. For that kind of unique opportunity, you’ll want to head to St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda. You can swim with, pet, feed and cuddle well-tended pigs of all sizes on a secluded picturesque beach. Known as Pigs in Paradise, the tourist attraction is reachable via water taxi from the cruise port.
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Little Sahara of the Midwest
By Linda Tancs
Aptly named, Oklahoma’s Little Sahara State Park bears a striking resemblance to Africa’s Sahara desert. It boasts over 1,600 acres of sand dunes, ranging in height from 25 to 75 feet, formed over time from terrace deposits dating back to prehistoric times when the Cimarron River covered the entire area. There’s an observation deck on one of the highest dunes that offers visitors a breathtaking panoramic view of the landscape. As you might imagine, the main attraction is dune buggy and ATV riding across the dunes. Visitors can either bring their own ATV or rent one off-site by a private vendor. This time of year the winds generally die down and, if you’re lucky, you’ll enjoy a winter wonderland.
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An Emblem of Catania
By Linda Tancs
A black basalt statue of an elephant is an emblem of Catania in Sicily. Known as the Elephant Fountain, the pachyderm sits atop a fountain located in the center of Piazza del Duomo. Its most curious feature is the Egyptian-style obelisk set on the marble saddle of the elephant’s back. As far back as the ninth century, the city was known as “the city of the elephant.” In ancient times, it was thought to possess magic powers, including the ability to predict the eruptions of nearby Mount Etna. The mysterious elephant is now featured on various insignia, such as the coat of arms of the city and the university as well as various clubs and organizations.
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The Ghosts of Great Isaac Light
By Linda Tancs
Reputedly haunted, the 152-foot-tall Great Isaac Cay Lighthouse sits on the northern end of the Bahamas’ Bimini archipelago. Built in the 1850s to prevent merchant ships from disappearing in the Bermuda Triangle, it was occupied by two lighthouse keepers until 1969, when it was discovered that they had gone missing. The unexplained disappearances are one theory for the hauntings. Other stories abound, like the ghost of a young boy who was eaten by sharks just offshore. And then there’s the more famous story of “The Grey Lady,” whose son was the only survivor of a shipwreck. Legend has it that on full-moon nights you can hear her moans as she searches for her son. Though the cay’s grounds are open to the public, the bottom few stairs in the tower are missing to discourage climbers to the light, which is now automated. A boat tour from Bimini is the best way to get to the site and requires moderate agility to get ashore.
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Hats and Wicker in Ecuador
By Linda Tancs
Despite their name, Panama hats did not originate in Panama. They are made in Ecuador, the product of a long history in weaving. In fact, UNESCO added the traditional weaving of the Ecuadorian toquilla straw hat to its Intangible Cultural Heritage List. You can shop for hats and wicker (another popular souvenir) at the market in Montecristi near Manta, a port city. Montecristi was formed in the 1500s at the time of the Spanish conquest, originally populated with inhabitants of Manta fleeing from pirates.
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The Birds of Geltsdale
By Linda Tancs
Geltsdale is an upland reserve in northeast Cumbria, one of the last places in Britain where one can see the hen harrier (one of England’s most endangered breeding birds of prey) in its natural habitat. Owned and operated by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, it’s a patchwork of blanket bog, heath, grassland, meadows, woodland and rolling hills that is home to a range of threatened wildlife. Birdwatchers will find black grouse, redshank, nightjar, snipe, whinchat, curlews, ospreys, short-eared owls and lapwings. A bold new restoration project is set to increase wildlife populations and revitalize the moorlands, wetlands, peatlands and woodlands.
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George in Barbados
By Linda Tancs
In 1751, the future U.S. president George Washington embarked on a six-week journey from the Potomac River to Barbados with his half-brother Lawrence. The purpose of his trip was to help his brother Lawrence settle there in an attempt to recover from tuberculosis. The Georgian-style home where he stayed, known as the George Washington House, is the oldest residence in the Garrison Historic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The home is the access point for the Garrison tunnels, an underground escape system in the event of a successful invasion of the military base, the largest British garrison complex in the West Indies. The house is open year-round.
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Underworld History in Jamaica
By Linda Tancs
Between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay in Jamaica you’ll find Green Grotto Caves, one of the country’s most popular attractions. The show caves present the usual stalactites, stalagmites, overhead ceiling pockets and bats. What’s equally compelling, though, is their history. Fragments of earthenware found in the caves identify the first inhabitants, the Arawak, who arrived in the country around A.D. 600. The caves were also used as a hideout by the Spanish when the English invaded and as a hiding place for rum barrels during World War II. Between the two world wars, they were used by smugglers running arms to Cuba. Open daily, the site is located near Discovery Bay, the alleged locale of Christopher Columbus’s first landing in Jamaica.
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