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
Going Green in Bellevue
By Linda Tancs
To say that Bellevue, Washington, is green is an understatement. With nearly 100 parks, the cityscape offers lots of green in between. Even in the heart of town lies a 20-acre oasis featuring a one-half mile promenade, bordered by a double row of shade trees, and a stepped canal leading to the 240-foot wide waterfall that cascades into a reflecting pond. A 10-acre lawn area invites picnickers to dine amidst Bellevue’s skyline with Mount Rainier in the background. Located at 10201 NE Fourth Street, the park is open from dawn to 11 p.m.
Share this:
The 40-Foot Pheasant
By Linda Tancs
When the first settlers of the Dakota Territory arrived in the 1880s, rumors swirled about a giant pheasant. Legend has it that the elusive bird produced the winds of the Dakota Prairie, his footprints in the spring forming creeks and river valleys. The tale is memorialized on Highway 14 in Huron, South Dakota in the form of a 28 foot, 22 ton fiberglass pheasant. Eight miles west of Huron on the highway you can see real ringnecks at the Maga Ta-Hohpi Waterfowl Production Area, part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Named Maga Ta-Hohpi (meaning “duck nest) by the Sioux Indians who dedicated the area in 1992, the refuge system includes breeding and nesting habitats for millions of waterfowl and is home to hundreds of wildlfie species including fish, migratory birds, pheasants, deer, and many other plants and animals.
Share this:
The Buffalo City
By Linda Tancs
Jamestown, North Dakota is The Buffalo City, home to the world’s largest buffalo statue–a 26-foot-tall, 60-ton concrete giant at the Frontier Village. Adjacent to the Frontier Village is a herd of real bison roaming 250 acres, including three rare albino bison. Culturally and historically significant, the bison’s saga from prehistoric times to the present is preserved at the National Buffalo Museum. Here’s one opportunity where you won’t mind being buffaloed.
Share this:
A Place for Rock Hounds
By Linda Tancs
There’s a crimson tide just 15 minutes from Las Vegas. No, it’s not an algal bloom. It’s a massive rock formation made red by the accumulation of iron oxide. The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area receives 1.2 million visitors a year. Part of the Mojave Desert, the 13-mile scenic loop drive features sandstone, limestone Indian roasting pits, waterfalls, Indian “handprints” and pictographs at Willow Springs. The conservation area is home to about 200 different mammals like burros, coyotes, bighorn sheep, red tailed hawks, wild horses, bobcats and mountain lions. Enjoy life on the wild side–without the neon lights.
Share this:
Oldest Zoo in Southwest
By Linda Tancs
Established in 1898, the Alameda Park Zoo in Alamogordo, New Mexico is the oldest zoo in the U.S. Southwest. Open daily except for Christmas and New Year’s Day, the zoo has more than 12 acres and over 250 exotic and indigenous animals. Perhaps the most famous animal in the area is the one memorialized in nearby Lincoln National Forest, home of Smokey the Bear, known the world over for forest fire prevention. The wilds of the West are waiting for you.
Share this:
Carefree in Arizona
By Linda Tancs
Most spa resorts assert bragging rights over their gastronomy. At Arizona’s Carefree Resort and Conference Center, they encourage you to eat some dust. As in offroading. Or maybe trailriding. How about cattle driving? Of course, there’s always the desert and hummer trail tours. You get the idea.
Share this:
The World’s Whistling Capital
By Linda Tancs
Do you whistle while you work–or work on your whistle? Whichever it is, you have plenty of company. The International Whistlers Convention takes place each year in Louisburg, North Carolina. Now in its 38th year, competitors come from around the world. This year’s event takes place from 6 to 10 April. If you tire of whistling, you can skydive at the local center. That will really give you something to whistle about.
Share this:
Trails Galore in Colorado Springs
By Linda Tancs
Colorado Springs, Colorado is the home of the U.S. Olympic Committee. So you would expect a fair amount of athleticism to prevail–and you would not be disappointed. Consider the 35-mile stretch that hikers, runners and bicyclists are now able to travel from Palmer Lake to Fountain on a continuous pathway that ties together the New Santa Fe Regional Trail, Pikes Peak Greenway and the Fountain Creek Regional Trail. Happy trails to you.
Share this:
Sir Barton’s Abode
By Linda Tancs
Douglas, Wyoming was designated one of the best 100 small towns in America. You might assume that a small town like this has a slight history, but you’d be mistaken. Douglas is the resting place of Sir Barton, the first thoroughbred colt to win the American Triple Crown. Storytellers probably know it better, though, as the official home of the jackalope, a mythical creature described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns or deer antlers. The New York Times attributed the tale to Douglas Herrick of Douglas, Wyoming, and thus the town was named the “Home of the Jackalope” by the state in 1985.
Share this:
Libby’s Swinging Bridge
By Linda Tancs
Downstream from Libby, Montana, the Kootenai River enters a canyon and flows over Kootenai Falls, one of the largest free-flowing waterfalls in the northwest. The falls can be viewed from a “swinging bridge” that crosses the river. The falls area is a sacred site to the Kootenai Indians who inhabited the area. Located at milepost 21 on US Highway 2 between Libby and Troy, the site is a hiker’s dream and worth a visit.
Travelrific® Travel Journal 