Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for travel
Garden of the Gods
By Linda Tancs
The Garden of the Gods Visitor and Nature Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado is a registered National Natural Landmark. The natural landmark program recognizes outstanding examples of biological and geological resources across the country. Home of the Bighorn sheep, the Garden of the Gods is renowned for its blazing red sandstone rock formations piercing the sky. Rock climbers get great views of snow-capped Pikes Peak. For the less daring, take a free 30-minute, naturalist-led walk daily at 10 a.m. or 2 p.m.
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The Call of the Wild
By Linda Tancs
Just a 40-minute drive from Lake Placid, New York, Tupper Lake is one of those old, quaint lumber milling towns. Today you’ll find a different calling echoing from the virgin pines and hardwoods of this Adirondack tourist destination–the call of the wild. The Wild Center, a 31-acre site of trails and overlooks, gives visitors ample opportunity to interact with the natural world. The area boasts moose, river otters, peregrine falcons and native trout. A new exhibit, Planet Adirondack, features a floating interactive Earth, highlighting the effects of human engineering on the planet.
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A Weighty Decision
By Linda Tancs
Samoa Air recently announced a world’s first: pay by weight. That’s right–the compact carrier is basing each passenger’s ticket price on the individual’s weight combined with the heft of the baggage being checked. So the airline’s tagline, “The sky’s the limit,” seems oddly appropriate. But given the debate that has ensued, this will no doubt prove to be a weighty decision, indeed.
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Highland Ghillies
By Linda Tancs
Derry (also known as Londonderry) is Northern Ireland’s second largest city and the first city in the UK to be designated a City of Culture in 2013. That means a yearlong slate of festivities is underway, including this weekend’s Highland Dance Festival. A hub for Scottish dance, Derry’s event is expected to draw the best of highland dancers from the UK and Europe. Get your ghillies on.
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Civil War Richmond
By Linda Tancs
It’s been over 150 years since the start of the Civil War. And the pulse of Civil War history can be found in Richmond, Virginia, onetime capital of the Confederate States of America. In downtown Richmond’s historic Court End neighborhood you’ll find the White House of the Confederacy, home to Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his family for most of the war. A National Historic Landmark, the neoclassical mansion has been restored to its wartime appearance and includes half of the family’s furnishings. Guided tours are offered daily.
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The Grassalkovich Era
By Linda Tancs
The palace of Gödöllő is a baroque masterpiece just 20 miles northeast of Budapest, Hungary. Commissioned by Count Antal Grassalkovich I in the early 1700s, its ornate Grand Hall, tapestried rooms, red marble bath, conservatory and theatre represent the life and times of the area’s nobility. The palace remained in the possession of the Grassalkovich family until the death of the last male heir in the 1800s. Later purchased for the Crown, it was the favorite palace of Elisabeth, Queen of Hungary. The palace and its grounds are easily accessible by car, bus, train or suburban rail (HÉV).
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Bigfoot Sightings
By Linda Tancs
If someone were to tell you of a Bigfoot sighting near the K&O railroad line and the Ninnescah River (southern Kansas) between Pratt and Murdock would you believe it? It would be easy to brush it off as an April Fools’ Day hoax, wouldn’t it? If seeing is believing, then maybe you should sign up for an expedition with the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. Open to non members, the four-day jaunts cover many areas of the country where Bigfoot has allegedly appeared, like Florida, Kentucky, West Virginia, California, Arizona, New Mexico and even British Columbia, Canada.
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Matterhorn of the Pacific
By Linda Tancs
Ball’s Pyramid has–you guessed it–a pyramidal shape reminiscent of Zermatt’s Matterhorn. Technically an erosional remnant of a shield volcano and caldera formed millions of years ago, the rocky islet named after its discoverer Lieutenant Henry Lidgbird Ball is located 12 miles southeast of Lord Howe Island in the Pacific Ocean. At 1844 feet in height, this Australian wonder is a climber’s paradise. Apparently, it’s not so bad for the “tree lobster” as well. The rarest of species, it was discovered clinging to the last bit of plant life surviving on this prehistoric rock.
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Newport’s Gilded Age
By Linda Tancs
Newport, Rhode Island boasts a spectacular coast, a charming waterfront and imposing mansions from the Gilded Age. No wonder it’s widely considered to be one of New England’s greatest destinations. This episode of Travelrific Radio® highlights the sights not to miss.
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The Trembling Mountain
By Linda Tancs
The American Indians named Canada’s Mont Tremblant “Manitou Ewitchi Saga” after Manitou, the god of nature. Legend has it that Manitou could make the mountains tremble–hence the name “Mont Tremblant” (trembling mountain). Today the mountain trembles with the roar of skiers and hosts the premier ski resort in eastern North America. In keeping with the season, there are other outdoor activities, too: snowmobiling, sleigh riding and ice climbing, for starters.
