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
An Amazing Ride in Canada
By Linda Tancs
Icefields Parkway in the Canadian Rockies is a gorgeous mountain highway between Banff and Jasper national parks. Aptly named, you will see ancient icefields, covering majestic peaks like Mount Chephren. Of course, you can simply enjoy the five-hour one-way ride, or stop and enjoy the hikes, glaciers or wildlife viewing including bears, moose and caribou. The road is open year round, but the service stations are closed from October to May from end to end. Don’t let that stop you. Try a short guided tour, like Lake Louise to Bow Summit, the highest point on the parkway.
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Putting the Hex On in Pennsylvania
By Linda Tancs
No, it isn’t hocus pocus. The hex–at least in Pennsylvania Dutch country–is a much sought after form of folk art commonly decorating barns in southeastern Pennsylvania. On the Hex Barn Art Tour beginning in Kutztown, you’ll see the ever popular eight-point star, a design symbolizing perseverance. That’s a trait the early German settlers to the region in the 1700s would have had in spades as they set out to farm the land and create new lives for themselves and their families. As you make your way through the 28 mile, self-guided driving tour, be on the lookout for the elusive distelfinks, a pair of goldfinches symbolizing good luck and tranquility. You just might find one in, of all places, Hawk Mountain.
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Jefferson’s Second Home
By Linda Tancs
Thomas Jefferson was the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States. His beloved home Monticello is a fixture in Charlottesville at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains in western Virginia. What most folks might not know is that Jefferson had a hideaway from his glorious 33-room manse, a self-designed, eight-sided country villa outside Lynchburg, Virginia. The octagonal house (the first in America) is known as Poplar Forest, a retreat that many regard as a true masterpiece of architectural and landscape elements. Opening today through 15 December, the home is located off Route 661 south of Lynchburg.
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Motorcycle Rentals Overseas
By Linda Tancs
Someone once said that two wheels move the soul. Easy riders know this. Now anyone with a heavyweight motorcycle operator’s license can experience moto mojo overseas through Harley Davidson’s international rentals program. Not a rider? Why not learn at the Academy of Motorcycling?
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Follow the Vines Along Delaware River Valley
By Linda Tancs
In summer it’s easy to see why New Jersey earns its moniker as The Garden State, offering a bumper crop of tomatoes, sweet corn, berries, plums, peaches and other delectables. Like wine. That’s right. Move over, Tuscany. You can sample and experience a bevy of award-winning fine wines of Hunterdon and Mercer counties, just one hour from New York City or Philadelphia. The Delaware River Valley Wine Trail boasts four vineyards: Old York Cellars, Unionville, Hopewell Valley and Terhune Orchards. Tasting rooms open at noon on weekends at Old York and Terhune and every day at Unionville and Hopewell Valley. Hopewell’s tasting room is a destination in itself, featuring a brick oven pizza stove and a wine bar overlooking the glorious vineyards. Check for special events at each location, too, like wine and music under the stars. With dozens of varietals awaiting your taste buds, you’ll be enjoying the ambience for years to come.
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Workers on Wheels
By Linda Tancs
How’s this for a spin on seasonal employment: you hop in your RV and head for the hills to volunteer or work for pay at a nature center or resort. That’s the life of a workamper, a seasonal employee or volunteer often granted exclusive access to areas of national parks or refuges in exchange for assistance with programs often suffering from reduced employment necessitated by budget cuts. If you’ve got a love of the great outdoors, this might be the gig for you.
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Geneva Auto Show is a People Pleaser
By Linda Tancs
At last year’s auto show in Geneva, automakers debuted their versions of fuel-efficient vehicles. At this year’s 81st Geneva International Motor Show, it’s the human element that gets center stage. In other words, this year’s show strives to recognize that all the engineering in the world is meaningless if the art and pleasure of driving–Fahrvergnügen in Volkswagen speak–is ignored. So it should come as no surprise that this year’s poster, showing the silhouette of a young woman at the wheel of her cabriolet, evokes the pleasure of driving. Visit tomorrow through 13 March at GENEVA PALEXPO, just a three minute walk from the Geneva Airport railway station.
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D.C. Car Show Welcomes Snooki
By Linda Tancs
At the Washington D.C. Auto Show at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, fast cars merge with pop culture. See Jersey Shore star Snooki today from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The show, running until 6 February, features the usual range of production and concept vehicles. Even more interesting is The Advanced Technology SuperHighway, a 65,000 square foot showcase of the latest innovations in safety and sustainability. The event, displaying more green cars than any other domestic, tier-one auto show, illustrates advancements in electric, diesel, natural gas, advanced petroleum, biofuels, ethanol, hydrogen and safety technologies. The organizers want you to get out, see cars and have fun. No doubt you’ll learn something, too.
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Hoover Dam Celebrates 75 Years
By Linda Tancs
The Hoover Dam, located 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas on the Arizona/Nevada border, was a landmark at its inception 75 years ago in 1935, when it was built to control the flow of the Colorado River and generate power. Now this tourism staple has another dimension to offer visitors: a concrete arch bridge bearing the distinction of being the largest in the Western Hemisphere. Built for national security reasons, the imposing bypass bridge offers enviable panoramic views at an elevation of 900 feet. In addition to a sidewalk on the north side of the bridge for optimum viewing of the dam, the project will ultimately include a parking lot, trail, and interpretive plaza.
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America’s Riding on Them
By Linda Tancs
According to the American Bus Association, motorcoach travel and tourist demand generates more than $55 billion annually in economic transactions. So obviously there’s a lot riding (no pun intended) on this mode of travel. And this isn’t your grandma’s coach. Today’s fleets are outfitted with leather seats, Wi-Fi access and other amenities to ensure safe and comfortable journeys. They even run cleaner than trains, planes and automobiles. Want to learn more? Let the Motorcoach Council coachify you.
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