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
A Big Smile in Oregon
By Linda Tancs
Oregon Route 18 (commonly known as the Salmon River Highway) is a 60-mile scenic route connecting the Willamette Valley wine country to the Oregon Coast. This time of year one of its key attractions is the giant smiley face in a forested hillside owned by Hampton Lumber that appears near mile-marker 25 between the towns of Grand Ronde and Willamina. In 2011, Hampton Lumber created the design by planting a mix of Douglas fir and larch during a reforestation of the area. The eyes and mouth were planted with Douglas fir; the “yellow” of the smiley face was created by planting larch trees. Larch is a conifer with needles that turn yellow and drop off in the fall, which is why the smiley face is best visible in autumn. It should be visible every fall for the next 30-50 years, until the trees are ready to be harvested and processed into lumber at the company’s sawmills.
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The Kingdom of Beaver Island
By Linda Tancs
Although Hawaii is the only state to have been a kingdom, there’s an island in Michigan that once claimed its own monarch. That storied past belongs to Beaver island, the largest island in Lake Michigan. The self-proclaimed monarch was James Jesse Strang, a dissident Mormon leader who crowned himself king in 1850 and ruled until 1856. Following the departure of the Mormon colony in 1856, the island became a haven for Irish immigrants, leading the locale to be dubbed “America’s Emerald Isle.” Also, DarkSky International has formally recognized the Michigan State Wildlife Research Area on Beaver Island as an International Dark Sky Sanctuary, offering one of the finest dark skies star gazing locations in the United States thanks to its distance from the light pollution of any large metro areas. The peaceful, remote haven is active largely from spring through fall. The Beaver Island Boat Company ferry runs from mid-April through December; winter travel relies on flights.
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Block Island
By Linda Tancs
Ghost ships and buried treasure are just some of the lore surrounding Block Island, a small island off the coast of Rhode Island. These days it’s better known for the clay cliffs of Mohegan Bluffs, gorgeous beaches, two lighthouses built in the 1800s and an extensive ecosystem which includes the Block Island National Wildlife Refuge, a significant migratory stopping point for over 70 species of birds. October is a prime time for migration. The cooler temperatures make spotting merlins, peregrine falcons, hawks and other bird species all the more common. Block Island Ferry provides year-round service from the mainland in Point Judith.
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A Presidential Love Nest
By Linda Tancs
The historic White Haven estate is the centerpiece of Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site. More than just another presidential homestead, it’s also the place where the Civil War hero and 18th U.S. president fell in love with his wife, Julia Dent, his former roommate’s sister. White Haven, the Dent family’s estate in Missouri, was frequently visited by Ulysses, who was stationed at nearby Jefferson Barracks. He became acquainted with Julia and their relationship blossomed. They became engaged there before Ulysses was sent south for war preparations. The site is located 10 miles southwest of downtown St. Louis on Grant Road.
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Hamming It Up in Smithfield
By Linda Tancs
Virginia ham is deeply tied to the state’s history. That’s especially so in Smithfield, hailed as the “Ham Capital of the World.” You’ll learn all about that history at the Isle of Wight County Museum. Its biggest feature, though, is the “world’s oldest ham” cured in 1902. You can keep tabs on it through its own social media channel as well as the HamCam.
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A Celebration of Wild Rice
By Linda Tancs
Considered its official state grain, wild rice is native to Minnesota. It’s been growing naturally in the shallow lakes and streams of the Great Lakes region for millennia, providing significant cultural, ecological and economic value for Native American tribes and the state. The Roseville Wild Rice Festival focuses on the indigenous aspects of the grain, celebrating Dakota and Ojibwe culture with dance and drumming performances as well as native games, food and merchandise. This year’s event takes place on September 26 throughout the grounds of the Harriet Alexander Nature Center, an oasis nestled within the borders of Roseville’s Central Park.
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Tennessee’s Largest Science Museum
By Linda Tancs
At over 100,000 square feet, Wonders Center & Science Museum is the largest science museum in Tennessee. Located in Dickson (just 35 minutes from downtown Nashville), it features planetarium shows and interactive learning zones along with exhibits like the Wonders of Paleontology, Wonders of Africa and Amazing Animals of Alaska. One of its most popular highlights is undoubtedly the Tesla coil experience. Tesla coils were invented by Nikola Tesla in 1891 and are electrical transformers that take ordinary electrical current to produce a high voltage display. The museum has two Tesla coils, each capable of generating 500,000 volts for a total of 1,000,000 volts. This produces six to eight foot volts of lightning in the same room as the viewer, even lighting up signs in the room that are not plugged in. Advance ticket purchase is recommended.
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Maine’s First Settlement
By Linda Tancs
Monhegan Island is situated 10 miles off the coast of Maine and is generally believed to be the first settled place in the state. Settled for centuries, the remote island commemorates the 1614 voyage of Captain John Smith with a historical marker outside a one-room schoolhouse (the Tercentenary Tablet). A gem of a place for hikers, the square-mile locale boasts a 9-mile hike on the “wildlands” trails, which take you through the forests and meadows, out to the headlands and along the coves and ledges. Long a place for art lovers, you’ll also find numerous art studios and a museum. There are no car ferries to the island; take a pedestrian ferry from Port Clyde, New Harbor or Boothbay Harbor.
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Virginia’s Watermen Culture
By Linda Tancs
Known for its watermen culture (crabbing and oystering), Tangier Island is a car-free tourist’s gem in Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay. The remote island is only accessible via boat or ferry from Onancock or Reedville in Virginia or Crisfield, Maryland. The watermen lifestyle dates to colonial times, a period that many locals can trace in their ancestry. You can learn more about it at the Tangier Island History Museum. Be sure to sample the great seafood and crab cakes at any one of the numerous restaurants on the island and consider a crab shanty tour. Whatever you do, enjoy the experience of life in a quiet fishing village. Bikes and golf carts are available for rental.
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Georgia’s Rice Coast
By Linda Tancs
Among the last remaining vestiges of 19th-century rice plantations along the Georgia coast is the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State Historic Site. You’ll learn about the marshes where rice planting on the Broadfield estate once flourished until the industry became unprofitable. The site was then converted to a dairy farm. The site also features Hofwyl House, a two-story frame dwelling that is not elevated, making it unique among low-country homes of the time. Located in Brunswick, the locale offers activities like birding and nature trails, hourly plantation tours and a guided house tour.
