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
Pets and the Holidays
By Linda Tancs
Do pets make good gifts? Not always. But the folks at North Shore Animal League, the world’s largest no-kill animal rescue and adoption organization, would love for you to consider adoption of one of their many companion animals–or else assist with their rescue efforts, healing or sponsorship programs. Visit their campus at 25 Davis Avenue in Port Washington, New York. Happy holidays to all.
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Just Ducky in Guy Mills
By Linda Tancs
Life is just ducky at Erie National Wildlife Refuge in Guy Mills, Pennsylvania. Its lakes and wetlands attract up to 20 species of ducks, not to mention the migrating Canada geese and bald eagles. One of over 500 national wildlife refuges in the United States dedicated specifically to wildlife conservation, the Pennsylvania landmark features at its heart Beaver Run Trail, a one mile loop with a spur trail at its eastern end. The four-seasons trail takes visitors through woods, cultivated fields and beaver ponds (as the name implies). Take PA 198 east one quarter mile to Cooper Road, then merge onto Hanks Road for one mile to the parking area on the right.
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Beguiling Orcas Island
By Linda Tancs
Orcas Island is the largest of the San Juan Islands, which are located off the northern coast of Washington State. Despite its size among the islands, Orcas is not named after the Orca whale if that’s what you expect. Instead, this cozy community approximately an hour and twenty minutes from the mainland city of Anacortes is named after Don Juan Vincente de Guemes Pacheco Padilla Horcasitas y Aguayo Conde de Revilla Gigedo, the patron of a Spanish explorer and viceroy of Mexico. Its fjords and coastal waters are a favorite among kayakers. Whale watching is, naturally, an option. So is yoga, biking, boating, fishing, golfing, camping and sailing. A solid experience awaits you. Maybe that’s why the locals call it “the Rock.”
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Light Show on the Lake in Smithville
By Linda Tancs
The colonial history of New Jersey, one of the 13 original British colonies, began after Henry Hudson sailed through Newark Bay in 1609 and claimed the land for the Dutch. Subsequently surrendered to the British, its early colonial roots are celebrated in the quaint hamlet of Historic Smithville, located off Exit 48 on the Garden State Parkway. Today through 2 January the village of shoppes and cozy eateries hosts its annual sound and light show on Lake Meone, a festive affair where over 100 Christmas trees seemingly float about to seasonal music. Enjoy it each weekend between 5:30 and 8:30 p.m.
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Holiday Cheer Coming to Whippany Railway
By Linda Tancs
All aboard for the Santa Claus Special at the Whippany Railway grounds in Morris County, New Jersey. Beginning on 5 December, the annual 10-mile, 45-minute train ride features gifts and merriment from Santa and his helpers. Located at Railroad Plaza in Whippany, the railway museum also offers a glimpse into local railroad history on Sundays only from April through October. The grounds include a Central Railroad of New Jersey club car, the Jersey Coast. You’ll also find the Pennsylvania Railroad caboose, the old railroad company being one of the wealthiest and most powerful in the world. Its likeness has even been imitated by the Lionel toy train company; a model has been in production since 1953. Plan to come back for the spring thaw.
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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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The West’s Most Western Town
By Linda Tancs
Located in Arizona’s Sonoran desert, the city of Scottsdale‘s origins began in 1888 when U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott (hence, the name) made a down payment on 640 acres near the present-day downtown to start a farming operation. Its ranching and homesteading heritage earned the young community the moniker “The West’s Most Western Town.” Now the official city motto, the locale is a popular vacation and conference destination. And why not, with 330 sunny days each year.
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An Ocean Journey in Tennessee
By Linda Tancs
They’re sleeping with the fishes in Chattanooga, Tennessee at the city’s aquarium on Broad Street. The largest freshwater aquarium in the world, the facility offers overnight visits for families and large groups alike. The event includes a tour of both River Journey (an exhibition of river otters, turtles, alligators, giant catfish and thousands of freshwater species) and Ocean Journey (a collection of penguins, sharks, colorful fish, invertebrates and scores of other deep sea creatures). You can interact with their keepers, too, and get a glimpse of life behind the scenes–that is, below the surface.
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Arts and Crafts Flourishes in New Jersey
By Linda Tancs
There’s a National Historic Landmark tucked away in the central New Jersey township of Parsippany-Troy Hills. One of only 55 such landmarks in the state, the property is Craftsman Farms, the former home of noted turn-of-the-century designer Gustav Stickley. A major proponent of the “Arts and Crafts” home building and furnishing movement, Stickley’s 1905 log home rests on 30 quiet acres. A centerpiece, the Main House, has recently been restored to its 1910-1917 appearance. In the tradition of other great American homes like Washington’s Mount Vernon, Stickley’s earthy masterpiece is self-sufficient, sporting gardens for vegetables and flowers, as well as orchards, dairy cows and chickens. Located on Manor Lane, the log house is open for guided tours on weekends year round.
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Pea Island Birdwatching
By Linda Tancs
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge is a nesting, resting, and wintering habitat for migratory birds, including migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, and neotropical migrants. Located on the north end of Hatteras Island, a coastal barrier island in North Carolina and part of a chain of islands known as the Outer Banks, the refuge is a diverse environment including ocean beach, dunes, upland, fresh and brackish water ponds, salt flats, and salt marsh. Loved by birders for its 365 species including threatened peregrine falcons, loggerhead sea turtles, and piping plovers, the area is also home to 25 species of mammals, 24 species of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians. So this Mid-Atlantic refuge is more than for the birders.
