Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for U.S. travel
The Runes of Oklahoma
By Linda Tancs
Mysterious carvings known as runes bring curious visitors to Oklahoma’s Heavener Runestone Park, located atop Poteau Mountain in the edge of the Ouachita Mountains that stretch across the Arkansas – Oklahoma border. The park’s centerpiece is the Heavener Runestone, a massive boulder bearing what some believe is an ancient Viking inscription claiming the discovery of this land in present day Oklahoma. Of course, the only known Viking settlement in North America is located considerably north in Newfoundland. So is the rune a ruse? You be the judge.
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The Land of Canaan
By Linda Tancs
In the 1700s the wild valley on the western slope of the Alleghenies looked like the Promised Land to an adventurer in the region. Or so the story goes. Regardless of its veracity, that valley is known as the Canaan Valley in West Virginia. Home to the country’s 500th National Wildlife Refuge, its cool and moist climate provides a haven for 580 species of plants and 288 different animals. Endangered bats, salamander, dragonflies and priority bird species such as brown thrasher, Eastern towhee, and American woodcock no doubt find it heavenly.
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No Man’s Island
By Linda Tancs
Three miles southwest of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts is a real “no man’s land.” Nomans Land Island National Wildlife Refuge, a one-time Naval training ground, aerial bombardment and gunnery range, is closed to all public uses due to the risk of unexploded ordnance. But its intertidal beach, rocky shores, shrub habitat and abundant wetlands are welcoming hosts to common terns and double-crested cormorants (as well as migrating monarch butterflies). Literally, this place is for the birds.
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A Wigwam in Connecticut
By Linda Tancs
Located in Washington, Connecticut, the Institute for American Indian Studies celebrates New England’s indigenous history. Open year round, the museum features a replicated Algonkian village complete with long house (the chief’s residence) and wigwams. A series of nature trails through the 15-acre property leads to the village. There are five tribes recognized by the State of Connecticut, each with a reservation: the Mashantucket Pequot, Paucatuck Eastern Pequot, Mohegan, Schaghticoke and Golden Hill Paugussett.
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Nevada’s Oldest Thirst Parlor
By Linda Tancs
Since 1884 the notables–and not so notables–have been quenching their thirst at the Genoa Bar and Saloon on Main Street in Genoa, Nevada. The state’s oldest saloon was built in 1853, sporting curiosities like a trap door next to the pool table (the cold storage cellar), a red oil lamp (lit every year on New Year’s Eve) and a mirror from the 1840s layered with diamond dust. Famous visitors include Mark Twain, Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Theodore Roosevelt, Carol Lombard, Clark Gable, Willie Nelson, Charlie Daniels, Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash. If only the walls could talk.
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The Birthplace of Filmmaking
By Linda Tancs
Hooray for…Fort Lee? That’s right, the northern New Jersey borough’s filmmaking past gives Hollywood a run for its money. In the early 1900s, the former Rambo Saloon, a Civil War-era house on First Street, was used as a dressing room and as a front for the Westerns being filmed in the area. Recently saved from demolition, the house will be converted into affordable housing units.
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An Elevated Experience in Aspen
By Linda Tancs
There’s a crown jewel in Aspen, Colorado–and no, I’m not talking about the pistes. It’s the historic Hotel Jerome on Main Street. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the ski town’s grand dame was constructed in 1889 by Macy’s co-owner Jerome B. Wheeler. The luxe property has emerged from a colossal renovation and is, as Norma Desmond would say, ready for its close-up.
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Happy New Year
By Linda Tancs
Hau’oli Makahiki Hou. That’s Happy New Year in Hawaiian–and what a wonderful time to visit! Those tubular waves made famous in print and film are in full vigor this time of year. Surf’s up. Are you ready?
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A Magic Kingdom Christmas
By Linda Tancs
Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, and peace to all. Enjoy this Disney holiday video.
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Whiskers in Washington
By Linda Tancs
Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian is a treasure trove of artifacts and ephemera, often referred to as “the nation’s attic.” One of the many curiosities housed there is the 18-foot beard of deceased North Dakota farmer Hans Langseth. Dubbed the “Supreme Whiskerino of the Universe,” Hans (aka King Whiskers) continues to hold the record for the world’s longest beard. It can be viewed by appointment at the National Museum of Natural History’s Anthropology Department.
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