Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for road travel
The Great Wagon Road
By Linda Tancs
The Great Wagon Road, also known as the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road, is a historic path in the eastern United States that followed an ancient Native American trade route known as the Great Indian Warrior Trading Path. It enabled 18th-century travel from Philadelphia westward and then south into the backcountry of Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina. You’ll have to imagine that route via the interstate that exists today. Namely, Interstate 81 follows a significant portion of the wagon road from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, south through the Shenandoah Valley.
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Utah’s Most Scenic Drive
By Linda Tancs
Pure driving bliss. That’s what they call Scenic Byway 12 in Utah, a federally-designated All-American Road spanning 122 miles. Only one-third of America’s scenic byways get this distinction, granted to those roads that are tourist destinations unto themselves due to their unique features. Highway 12 has plenty of those, like the breathtaking views of Bryce Canyon National Park, the hair-raising ascent and descent of the Hogsback and the overall views at the road’s summit nearing 9,000 feet. The road is open year-round but wintry weather might make for a white-knuckle ride.
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Native American Scenic Byway
By Linda Tancs
Following a natural path cut by the Missouri River, the Native American Scenic Byway runs north and south through central South Dakota. The route takes travelers through the lands of the Yankton, Crow Creek, Lower Brule, Cheyenne River and Standing Rock Sioux tribes. Unlike many road trips, much of the rugged country on view remains undeveloped to this day, featuring landscapes along the way like mixed-grass prairie and rolling hills that end in limestone cliffs. Overlooking the Missouri River near Mobridge you’ll find a beloved local landmark, the monument marking the final resting place of Sitting Bull. It’s located in an isolated park that remains free to visitors.
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A Quaint Toll Bridge
By Linda Tancs
During the 18th and 19th century, many roads in England were maintained by turnpike trusts established by Parliament which had the power to exact tolls for road maintenance. One of those toll bridges is the Bathampton Toll Bridge outside Bath. It includes a toll house, which is still functioning as accommodation for a toll collector and is thought to have been built for the Bridge Company Turnpike Trust in the 19th century. The iconic arch stone bridge carries a minor road across the River Avon. Both the house and the bridge are Grade II listed properties.
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The Romantic Road
By Linda Tancs
Southern Germany’s Romantic Road isn’t really a lover’s lane; it’s a 285-mile route between Würzburg and Füssen linking 29 towns and all the nature, culture, art, culinary delights and hospitality that go along with them. At the northern endpoint of Würzburg you’ll encounter a wine region known for the Residenz, an 18th-century baroque palace with a Tiepolo fresco. At the southern end of Füssen you’ll find yourself at the foothills of the Alps near King Ludwig II’s iconic Neuschwanstein Castle. In between you’ll find plenty of interesting stops, like the medieval townscape in Rothenburg, the crater town of Nördlingen (built in a crater caused by a meteorite) and historic Dinkelsbühl, a former free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. The road is arguably best explored by car although public transportation is also an option, particularly for targeted stops in the better-known cities.
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Classic New England Scenery
By Linda Tancs
Spanning 35 towns in northeastern Connecticut and south-central Massachusetts, The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor is a federally-designated National Heritage Corridor boasting a pastoral landscape interspersed with historical points of interest. You’ll find a plethora of museums, mill villages, rivers and quaint town centers, together with the last stretch of dark night sky in the coastal sprawl between Boston and Washington, D.C.
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The Hummingbird Highway
By Linda Tancs
Named for the abundance of hummingbirds found in the country, Belize’s Hummingbird Highway connects the Western Highway outside of the capital city of Belmopan in central Belize to the Southern Highway just outside of the town of Dangriga in the Stann Creek District in the southeast. Generally regarded as one of the most scenic routes in the country, the 53-mile road winds its way through postcard-worthy views of jungles, orchards and pretty villages. Although it only takes about two hours to drive through, you’ll want to stop and take in some of the popular attractions like Blue Hole National Park and its jungle trails as well as Hummingbird Gap, the highest elevation on the journey at almost 1,000 feet.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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God’s Window
By Linda Tancs
Unique geological features are the highlight of Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The Blyde River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon in the United States and the Fish River Canyon in Namibia and is one of the few areas of montane grassland left in Mpumalanga. Its marvels include rounded mountaintops known as the Three Rondavels, river-carved basins called Bourke’s Luck Potholes and the divine spectacle aptly named God’s Window, offering a sweeping vista of cliff walls reaching more than 2,000 feet to the canyon floor. These attractions are part of the Panorama Route, arguably one of the most scenic driving routes in the world.
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A Drive to the Sky
By Linda Tancs
Between Manchester and Arlington, Vermont, Skyline Drive is the longest private toll road in the country. In continuous operation since its completion in 1947, it boasts 5.2 miles of paved road ascending 3,248 feet to the summit of Mount Equinox, the highest peak in the Taconic Range. To say the views are sweeping is certainly an understatement. You’ll get 360-degree views of mountain vistas in Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and, on clear days, Montreal’s Mount Royal. The route is open from late May (Memorial Day weekend) to October.
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The Lonesome Highway
By Linda Tancs
Lacking signs of intelligent life, the Lonesome Highway in Texas is aptly named. If you enjoy solitude, then take the drive along Highway 180 in West Texas, a route that brings you to the Guadalupe Mountains. Guadalupe Peak is the highest point in Texas, a signature feature of Guadalupe Mountains National Park.
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