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
World’s Most Interesting Rest Stop
By Linda Tancs
Generally, rest stops are not the most interesting part of road travel, necessitated by refueling, nature calls and sundry other details. No doubt any traveler to Hangzhou Bay Bridge, linking China’s Cixi City in Zhejiang province with Jiaxing City to the north, would never view the lowly rest stop the same way again. Although damaged by fire earlier this year during renovation work, the bridge remains the longest transoceanic bridge in the world at 22 miles in length, roughly the size needed to link Britain and France across the English Channel. Its 10,000-square-meter service center in the middle offers unrivaled views of the bay and its tides at the lookout, together with a hotel, conference center and parkland to complement the usual rest area amenities.
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Blue Ridge Parkway Celebrates Milestone
By Linda Tancs
Did you know that the most heavily visited unit of the U.S. National Park Service is the Blue Ridge Parkway? Now in its 75th year, the longest roadway planned as a single unit winds through portions of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, providing panoramic views of mountain passes, waterfalls, forests and meadows. There are plenty of celebrations taking place to honor this natural resource, like traditional mountain music and dancing at Beacon Mill Village near Asheville, North Carolina. Or perhaps you’d like to bike through the Shenandoah Valley on a five-day tour with the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains as your backdrop! Enjoy the region’s rich heritage through a multitude of festivals celebrating food, culture and scenery. After all, it’s more than a road; it’s a way of life.
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The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Got You Covered in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
If you thought New Jersey was nothing more than a patchwork of open road punctuated by exit signs, then imagine how surprised you’ll be to discover the romance of the covered bridge. You know, like The Bridges of Madison County–only not quite so many. In fact, only two: Green Sergeant’s in Hunterdon County and Scarborough in Cherry Hill. Green Sergeant’s, a 19th century queen post truss at Rosemont-Sergeantsville Road over Wickecheoke Creek near Flemington, is perhaps better known thanks to its listing on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974. Scarborough carries two-way traffic over the North Fork of Cooper River, however. Built in the 1950s, it sports an incomplete A-frame and town truss construction. Either bridge is navigable, so be sure to cross when you come to it.
<DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Racing Through California
By Linda Tancs
If the thrill of the chase like Monte Carlo’s Grand Prix or the memory of Italy’s Mille Miglia gets your adrenaline rushing, then no doubt you’ll enjoy California’s vintage version beginning on 25 April. Northern California’s Mille, now in its 20th year, follows classic cruisers on a 4-day journey through 1000 miles of northern wine country, open roads and quaint hotels. Pick your favorite at the Fairmont in San Francisco before the race. With all the natural beauty lining the route, let’s hope the drivers can keep their eyes on the road.
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The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Mojo for Your Moto
By Linda Tancs
Nothing says sexy like a 1966 Fiat 1600 S or a 1974 Lancia Flavia. Ready to add some mojo to your moto? Then head to Italy where you can tool around in one of these and other well-kept beauties on a vintage car tour around Rome, Milan, Tuscany, Abruzzo or your own custom itinerary. You won’t find a lemon in the bunch.
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The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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An Exit Strategy
By Linda Tancs
New Jersey suffers its share of jokes: “I’m from New Jersey. Oh yeah, which exit?” So why not make lemonade out of those lemons. Or beer. That’s what the folks at Flying Fish Brewing Company in Cherry Hill have done. They have an Exit Series celebrating the State’s highway system. In fact, Exit 4 (the others so far are 1 and 11) captured the gold at the Great American Beer Festival. What’s your favorite exit? Hit the road and find out.
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The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Ride the Silver Bullet
By Linda Tancs
Airstream, affectionately known as the silver bullet, is synonymous with road travel. With over 70 years of design experience and a shelf life of 40 years or more behind it, this piece of Americana occupies a special place in the hearts of RVers. And now comes the chance to own a limited edition–in collaboration with another famed master of design and functionality, the Victorinox Special Edition Airstream is available for a lucky 125 purchasers. That’s one buyer for every year that Victorinox has produced the iconic Swiss army knife. Any takers?
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The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Something for Nothing
By Linda Tancs
Deep in the desert of Arizona expect to find the usual denizens: snakes, fire ants, birds of prey and assorted mammals like prairie dogs and porcupines. So don’t say there’s nothing–that is, “no thing.” And here’s something else to ponder: there’s no longer no thing in Nothing, for Nothing now has something (I’m beginning to feel like Dr. Seuss here). That would be a pizza parlor. That’s right, the little desert bowl of a town in the middle of nothing has a pizza joint that’s got the locals talking. Consider a visit the next time you’re on US 93 between mile markers 148 and 149, and send your reviews here.
DISCLOSURE OF NO MATERIAL CONNECTION
The author has not received any compensation for writing this content and has no material connection to the brands, topics, products and/or services that are mentioned herein.
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Biking the Columbia River Gorge
By Linda Tancs
Is there a bad time to bike the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon? It all depends on your seasonal preferences. Weather in summer east of the Cascades can top 100 degrees fahrenheit. And be prepared for spring rains, icy winters or slippery fallen leaves in autumn. So, pick your poison, as they say. Whichever season you choose, be sure to take in the scenic delights offered by the Historic Columbia River Highway (a national scenic byway), the first scenic highway in the nation. Three Highway State Trails are now open, and more are under construction. Beginning at the city of Troutdale and traveling east, you’ll find Oregon’s most visited waterfall, Multnomah Falls. Views of the Gorge include Portland Women’s Forum Scenic Viewpoint, Vista House at Crown Point and Rowena Crest. Enjoy the view; just remember to share the road.
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Where America Happened
By Linda Tancs
A National Scenic Byway designation is the highest honor that the U.S. Secretary of Transportation can bestow on a roadway, recognizing its outstanding significance culturally, historically, recreationally or otherwise. That honorific was recently granted to America’s corridor, an 180-mile long thoroughfare running from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia–known as the Journey Through Hallowed Ground. The area represents what late historian C. Vann Woodward referred to as a route that “soaked up more of the blood, sweat, and tears of American history than any other part of the country.” Indeed, along this region you’ll find the Civil War’s hallowed grounds in and around Gettysburg as well as the Dobbin House, a Civil War hospital and reputed safe house for enslaved African Americans traveling north in search of freedom. You’ll see colonial taverns and a Revolutionary War-era prison, a historic gristmill and battlefield, superb architectural specimens of the 1800s and a sampling of presidential mansions including James Monroe and Thomas Jefferson. Of course, there’s lots more. But why should I spoil it for you? See for yourself.
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