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
New Jersey Welcomes Park’s Historic Status
By Linda Tancs
It’s been over 200 years since the industrial revolution put the city of Paterson, New Jersey (so named for its governor at the time) on the map. Beginning in the 18th century, its 77-foot waterfall, known as the Great Falls, powered local industry in this slice of northeastern New Jersey. Now Great Falls State Park is hailed as a national historical park, qualifying it for federal funds down the road to protect and maintain its newfound status. Now, a national historical park is not the same as a national park, both of which should be distinguished from a national historic site. Confused? Let the Park Service explain it to you.
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Red River Valley
By Linda Tancs
When I practiced playing the organ as a child, one of the songs in my songbook was “Red River Valley.” A memory long forgotten, until the recent climatic catastrophe in this section of the U.S. straggling northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota. The river’s crest of over 40 feet this past weekend broke a 100-year record. Now a snowstorm threatens to dump 16 inches in and around the valley, putting the river level in peril once again. As a line in the song goes, “remember the Red River Valley.” Indeed, let’s keep the folks of this region in our hearts and prayers.
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Slow Down, Move Over
By Linda Tancs
In an effort to boost the safety of first responders, over 40 states offer some version of a Slow Down/Move Over law. In a nutshell, drivers are expected to yield the right-of-way or reduce speed when approaching stationary emergency vehicles on highways. Penalties for noncompliance can be pretty stiff, ranging from a misdemeanor to a license suspension if injuries should result. All but New York, Nebraska, Maryland, Hawaii and Connecticut have some form of the law on the books. Check out the testimonial of a Virginia trooper explaining the basis for the law. Save the racing for the speedway.
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Of Nooks and Crooks
By Linda Tancs
Of all the little nooks in the world, the Guinness Book has it that Scotland’s Ebenezer Street in Wick takes top honors as the world’s shortest street. Situated in the Northern Highlands, Wick owes its origin to the Vikings, who named it Vik (meaning “bay”). Measuring just two yards and nine inches, the tiny thoroughfare sports one front door. For a long and winding road, you’ll need to visit Lombard Street in San Francisco, California, where the world’s most crooked street at its crest gives visitors the most stunning views of Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz and the rest of San Francisco Bay. Those with nerves of steel can drive their way through the switchbacks. The rest can get there via the city’s storied cable cars on the Powell-Hyde line.
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Getting Away From it All
By Linda Tancs
Off the florida keys
There’s a place called Kokomo
That’s where you wanna go to get away from it all
That’s what The Beach Boys sang. Never thought much about it–until today. So where, or what, is Kokomo? Apparently it’s a beach bar at Florida’s Holiday Isle Beach Resort & Marina in Islamorada, translated to mean “purple isle.” Apart from enjoying the original frozen rumrunner cocktail, what else is there to do in this neck of the Keys? Answer: sport fishing. According to the local chamber of commerce, Islamorada is known as the sport fishing capital of the world, hosting the largest fishing fleet per square mile. You can also kayak, dive, snorkel, parasail or feed a giant silver tarpon. For more of a “taste” of the four islands comprising this area, drop by the Island Fest on 4 and 5 April at Founder’s Park. So get there fast, and then take it slow.
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Winter Festivals
By Linda Tancs
Winter festivals are usually viewed as a celebration of the season and all its wintry accoutrements. But sometimes these events are more about ushering in spring–or just celebrating life. Tune in for a worldwide sampling at Travelrific® Radio.
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Celebrating Abe’s Birthday
By Linda Tancs
It was almost 200 years ago today. Kentucky had a new lad, hooray. That would be Abe Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, born two centuries ago tomorrow in Kentucky. Remembered as the Great Emancipator, he issued the famous proclamation abolishing slavery in the U.S. A milestone birthday such as this will not go unnoticed. Among the various celebrations around the country, let’s focus our attention on the festivities in our nation’s capital. Beginning at 8 a.m., there will be a birthday tribute and wreath-laying cremony at the Lincoln Memorial with crooner Michael Feinstein singing the National Anthem, accompanied by the U.S. Marine Corps Band. On the National Mall the party will continue with a concert and entertainment with 19th century popular and patriotic music performed by military bands. Throughout the week, the original Emancipation Proclamation signed by President Lincoln will be on display in the East Rotunda Gallery of the National Archives. Come be a part of history.
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A Doggone Good Time
By Linda Tancs
Traditionally, the second Monday of February kicks off America’s biggest pooch pageant, the Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. This year is no exception. On Monday and Tuesday, the great breeds of the world with origins from Egypt to Newfoundland will compete for the coveted title of Best in Show. This is a champions-only competition; no slouches here. They say with age comes experience, but some of these winners are quite young and accomplished. So which will it be: age before beauty or will the young and glamorous win out? It’s been a while since an oldie took the prize. In 1999, an eight-year-old Papillon took top honors. That’s doggone good.
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Fire and Ice
By Linda Tancs
On Saturday, Minnesotans in Plymouth will celebrate their Fire & Ice Festival. That means Parkers Lake Park will be converted into an outdoor gymnasium with bowlers and basketball players trading hardwood floors for nature’s white carpet. Don’t forget the ice fishing, ice skating, dogsled demos and fireworks. If the frozen tundra proves too much, you could head for the Mall of America, the country’s biggest shopping center, just miles away.
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Rocky Mountain Skiing
By Linda Tancs
The highland climate of the Rockies produces prodigious amounts of snow for wintertime sports like skiing. So who has the best vertical drop? Listen in and find out.
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