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
Women’s History in New York State
By Linda Tancs
Together with other activists like Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton became a leader in the women’s rights movement. She initiated the first Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, where the Declaration of Sentiments that she co-authored was signed by 68 women and 32 men. The Women’s Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls commemorates this historic occasion. It features Stanton’s home as well as Wesleyan Chapel, where the convention was held. The visitor center is next to the chapel and provides historical context to the event.
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A Special Place in Eldorado
By Linda Tancs
The Eldorado National Forest is located in the central Sierra Nevada, less than two hours from Sacramento, California. Its mountainous topography is broken by special places like the Mokelumne River Canyon, arguably the star attraction of the Mokelumne Wilderness. The 105,165-acre wilderness has a long history of use by both Native Americans and European settlers. Ranging in elevation from 3,960 feet to 10,380 feet, it features old growth virgin forest at all elevations and a varied plant life. Geologically, it’s prized for prominent volcanic peaks and ridges overlaying massive granite features. In fact, the granitic valleys and highlands of the Mokelumne are part of the combined masses of granitic rock that have been uplifted by tectonic action to form the 400-mile-long Sierra Nevada range. The canyon is generally free of snow this time of year, but snowcaps typically linger into June in the higher elevations.
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Auburn’s Historic House
By Linda Tancs
William Henry Seward enjoyed a storied political career, having served as a New York State Senator, Governor of New York, a United States Senator and as Secretary of State in the Lincoln and Johnson administrations. Among his many achievements, he negotiated the purchase of Alaska and also became an influential lawyer. His longtime home in Auburn, New York, is a historic house museum. Given his political ties, one of the home’s most interesting collections is in the “diplomatic gallery,” where over 120 photographs and engravings represent every country with which the United States had a diplomatic relationship. The home is located at 33 South Street and is available for viewing by guided tour only.
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Red Rocks and a Railroad
By Linda Tancs
Arizona is defined by canyons presenting unforgettable views. One of those treasures is Verde Canyon, where a distinctive confluence of high desert and wetland provides enviable wildlife viewing opportunities. You can do that on a four-hour return train ride aboard the Verde Canyon Railroad between Clarkdale and the historic ranch town of Perkinsville. Using 20 miles of heritage track built in 1912 to serve the copper mines out of Jerome, the well-appointed vintage train cars journey through a red rock canyon that follows the curves of the Verde River, offering spectacular views of unusual geology, abundant wildlife, lush greenery and Native American ruins. The climate-controlled cars run year round.
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America’s Famous Dessert
By Linda Tancs
Jell-O is “as American as apple pie” (as the saying goes). It was invented by a carpenter in LeRoy, New York, in 1897. He sold the rights to it to a fellow townsman who made it into what is now proclaimed as America’s most famous dessert. The history of this gelatinous wonder is explored at the Jell-O Museum in town. On exhibit are original advertising art, molds, toys, recipe books and other memorabilia.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The King of Drakesville
By Linda Tancs
In what would become Drakesville, New Jersey (present-day Ledgewood), European settlers pioneered Morris County’s iron industry in the 1700s. The area was originally named for Abraham Drake, who owned a mill and a tavern. One of his grandsons, Jacob, later achieved prominence as a colonel of the western battalion of the Morris County militia during the Revolutionary War and as a member of the first New Jersey Legislature. Despite the Drakes’ fame, the local economy really prospered under the helm of Theodore King, who invested in mining, real estate and hotels and founded a steamboat company as Lake Hopatcong began to court tourists. The pioneering spirit of these early settlers is commemorated through rehabilitated buildings located at Drakesville Historic Park in the Ledgewood historic district of Roxbury Township. You’ll find the King Store there, flanked by the King Homestead as well as the Silas Riggs House, a so-called saltbox house because of its extended, rear sloping roofline reminiscent of the design of salt containers of colonial times.
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A Unique Area in New York
By Linda Tancs
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation defines a Unique Area as “land owned by the state that was acquired due to its special natural beauty, wilderness character, or for its geological, ecological or historical significance.” The first area to be so designated is Labrador Hollow Unique Area in Cortland and Onondaga counties. The 2,000-foot-long boardwalk traverses a diverse wetland complex where you may be lucky enough to spot the elusive great blue heron or pied-billed grebe whose range covers the area. You should also look out for the Kentucky warbler, which has been identified as a rare and protected species by the New York Natural Heritage Program. While you’re there, be sure to visit Tinker Falls, with its impressive natural rock amphitheater above a 30-foot-high rocky cascade. The falls are most spectacular during the spring thaw this time of year.
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Water Biscuits in New York
By Linda Tancs
At approximately one-fifth acre in size, Squaw Island is New York’s smallest state park. Located at the northwest corner of Canandaigua Lake (one of the state’s Finger Lakes), it functions primarily as a wildlife management area and features water biscuits. Found in only a few locales worldwide, the so-called biscuits are flat, whitish cakes of lime that deposit over pebbles and twigs. The island is accessible only by boat; a public boat launch is available at Canandaigua Lake State Marine Park, and paddlers may launch directly off Canandaigua City Pier.
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Steam Over Scranton
By Linda Tancs
One of the earliest rail lines in northeastern Pennsylvania was the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad. About 40 acres of that old railroad yard in Scranton is now occupied by the Steamtown National Historic Site. The park’s collection includes locomotives, freight cars, passenger cars and maintenance-of-way equipment from several historic railroads. The locomotives range in size from a tiny industrial switcher engine built in 1937 by the H.K. Porter Company for the Bullard Company to a huge Union Pacific “Big Boy” built in 1941 by the American Locomotive Company. The oldest locomotive is a freight engine built by American Locomotive Company in 1903 for the Chicago Union Transfer Railway Company. You can learn more about railroading history at the museum and, seasonally, enjoy a train ride.
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The Canyon Lands of Georgia
By Linda Tancs
Water-carved canyons and caves are part of the rugged geology of the Cumberland Plateau found in Georgia’s Cloudland Canyon State Park. The canyons may not measure up in size to those in the West, but the park’s thousand-foot-deep canyons, sandstone cliffs, caves, waterfalls, creeks, dense woodland and abundant wildlife make it one of the most scenic state parks in the South. Enjoy the vistas from popular trails like the Overlook Trail, Waterfalls Trail and West Rim Loop Trail. Located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, the park is about a two-hour drive from Atlanta.
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