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
Wild and Scenic in Idaho
By Linda Tancs
At the River Dance Lodge Ranch Resort in Kooskia, Idaho, they say dreams come true and memories last forever. Well, how could you forget whitewater rafting, fly fishing, canoeing and kayaking in the Lochsa, Selway and Middle Fork of the Clearwater River, three of the original eight rivers in the area protected over 40 years ago by the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act? Hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding along the banks is available for those who prefer terra firma. Highway 12, designated an All American Highway, passes right in front of the lodge and offers easy access to the Lewis & Clark Trail. Sounds like a dream come true to me.
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One Man is an Island
By Linda Tancs
In one of English poet John Donne’s meditations, he famously wrote that no man is an island. Well, almost. Just outside the hustle and bustle of the Beltway rest nearly 90 acres of wildlife reserve accessible from the George Washington Memorial Parkway known as the Theodore Roosevelt Island. A fitting tribute to the conservationist ethos of the 26th U.S. President, the area is flush with forest, tidal marsh and wooded swamp, presided over by a life-sized presidential bronze. Teddy would no doubt approve.
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Folklife Celebrated
By Linda Tancs
For 60 years they’ve been celebrating the way of American folklife at the Kutztown Folk Festival in Pennsylvania Dutch country, and this year is no different. So you have no excuse to miss the continuous entertainment on five stages every day from 3 July to 11 July. Where else will you find a reenactment of an actual 19th century hanging, a Mennonite wedding exhibition, early farming technique demonstrations or an actual country auction all in one venue? If the activities don’t rouse you, then surely the aroma of freshly baked bread from the 19th century bread oven or the roasted ox will beckon you. Save some room for the shoo-fly pie.
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Lewis and Clark Celebrated in Great Falls
By Linda Tancs
In 1804 President Thomas Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on an expedition across the Louisiana Territory to find the River of the West. Along the way, in modern-day Montana, the pair managed to enter negotiations with native tribes, search out sites for trading posts and forts, and maintain data on the plants, animals, and scenic resources along their journey. No wonder, then, that Montana takes great pride in celebrating the captains’ legendary accomplishments with a festival each year on the banks of the Missouri River in Great Falls. This year’s event, from 25 to 27 June, includes a kick-off with Mission Mountain Wood Band, followed by such events as a Native American art show, Lewis & Clark-era encampment, and Missouri River float trips. Your adventure awaits.
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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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Summer Celebration in Santa Barbara
By Linda Tancs
Today marks the northern hemisphere’s summer solstice, a transition dating back to ancient Greek celestial navigation and celebrated in many cultures as a midpoint between the seasons. Santa Barbara marks the event later in the week with one of the largest single-day arts events. Enjoy the multicultural jamboree at the festival on 25 and 26 June, including drum and dance, flamenco and soul. The theme of Saturday’s parade is Carnival, an apt description considering the more than 1,000 parade participants, complete with extravagant floats, whimsical costumes and creatively choreographed dancing ensembles. It’s all happening at Alameda Park.
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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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.
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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Puppet Lore in New York City
By Linda Tancs
There’s a new stop on the NBC Studios tour in New York City these days. As reported on NBC Nightly News, the pipes that Frank Oz, Jim Henson and others painted into early versions of The Muppets characters during breaks on “The Jack Paar Show” have been discovered and now offer studio visitors a peek into the origins of those beloved puppets. Gives new meaning to the phrase “pipe dreams,” doesn’t 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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Poker Faces Galore in Las Vegas
By Linda Tancs
They’re making history at the World Series of Poker championships at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. For only the second time in WSOP’s history, a pair of brothers made it to the final table for the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy and $1.55 million in prize money. The action is hardly over, however. The biggest poker gathering of the year runs until 17 July, culminating in the 13-day No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Wanna play? Better pre register to guarantee a seat at the pot of your choice.
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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The Four-Footed Van Gogh
By Linda Tancs
Van Gogh remarked, “Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art more and more.” Who better to love nature than those who dwell in it? I’m talking about members of the animal kingdom, some of which are budding artists at animal arts programs like the one found at Indianapolis Zoo in Indiana. There you can meet and greet your pachyderm Picasso, penguin Pannini or sea lion Storck and take home your own custom masterpiece. The marine animals will paint through May and in autumn; the elephant program runs through October.
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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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Dreams for Sale
By Linda Tancs
In the movie Field of Dreams, an Iowa corn farmer interprets voices he hears as a command to build a baseball diamond in his corn fields. Well, the diamond that Universal Studios built for the film, along with a two-bedroom house, six outbuildings and 193 acres in Dyersville, Iowa, is for sale. Apparently, the owners are ready to retire and let someone else carry on the tourist attraction summoning over a million visitors since the movie’s release two decades ago. Time to ask yourself: if you buy it, will they come?
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.
