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
Finders Keepers in Oregon
By Linda Tancs
Finders Keepers is a beloved event in Lincoln City, Oregon. The year-round event gives treasure seekers the chance to hunt for glass art (floats) along the town’s seven miles of public beach from Roads End in the north to Siletz Bay in the south. Strategically placed throughout the day, you should look above the high tide line and below the beach embankment. In celebration of the event’s 20th year, they’ve been hiding 20 limited edition glass floats on the beach on the 20th of every month since last October. You still have a shot at finding one this month and next. Regardless when you hunt, be sure to register your find for a certificate of authenticity and information about the artist who crafted your float.
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California’s Newest National Park
By Linda Tancs
Pinnacles National Park, California’s newest national park as of this writing (designated in 2013), is an old soul at heart. Its cliffs, crags and cave formations arise from volcanic eruptions that took place millions of years ago, sending volcanic matter 200 miles away to the park’s current location in the Salinas Valley. The towering, domed rock structures giving the park its name beckon rock climbers. Divided into an east and west side, climbing routes predominate on the west side of the park. Of course, there are plenty of other activities to enjoy, like bird watching for the park’s signature citizen, the California condor. Or maybe you’d like a hike that includes cave exploration. Camping is also available on the east side year round. You can’t drive through both sides of the park. The west side is accessible from Highway 101; the east entrance is off Highway 25.
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The Living Dune
By Linda Tancs
Jockey’s Ridge is the tallest natural sand dune system in the eastern United States. Located in Nags Head, North Carolina, the shifting winds that constantly reshape this remaining dune system on the Outer Banks have resulted in its moniker, “The Living Dune.” The sand (mostly quartz rock) comprising the 420 acres of Jockey’s Ridge is equal to about 6,000,000 dump truck loads! In addition to its distinctive dunes, the ecology of the park includes species like live oaks, persimmons, bayberry, sweet gum and pines and the Roanoke Sound Estuary, home to the blue crab as well as plant and bird life.
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The Jersey Coast Trail
By Linda Tancs
New Jersey’s Coastal Heritage Trail is a vehicular route stretching nearly 300 miles along the state’s shore and bays. It’s divided into five regions: Sandy Hook, Barnegat Bay, Absecon, Cape May and Delsea. Of equal interest to hikers and bicyclists, the trail passes national wildlife refuges, lighthouses, a Civil War fort, migratory bird settlements and several other places including, of course, the Jersey Shore.
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July 4th at Monticello
By Linda Tancs
With enviable views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello is one of the most famous and popular of the presidential estates, a World Heritage Site, museum, research institute and presidential library. Author of the Declaration of Independence, third president of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia, Jefferson died at the estate in 1826 on July 4th, of all days. The Fourth of July remains an auspicious day at Monticello, where an annual Independence Day celebration and naturalization ceremony take place. The festivities include a speaker, an open house with free walk-through tours of the mansion’s first floor and plenty of patriotic music. The estate is located at 931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway in Charlottesville, Virginia.
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War and Peace in Staten Island
By Linda Tancs
With U.S. Independence Day fast approaching, it’s a good time to consider how differently things could’ve turned out if a peace accord had been struck in 1776. In September of that year, members of the Continental Congress met with a British envoy at the home of a wealthy colonel in Staten Island, New York, to discuss the prospect for peace. Needless to say, the talks failed; the British would have no treaty with independence and the colonists would have no treaty without it. Now known as Conference House, the Dutch-style, stone colonial in which the peace conference was held is a National Historic Landmark, the only remaining pre-Revolution manor house in New York City. It’s open on weekends from April through December.
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The Paper House
By Linda Tancs
You may be familiar with the expression about building a house on sand. But what about building one out of paper? The Paper House in Rockport, Massachusetts, is just that—a house made from paper. Built out of newspaper by mechanical engineer Elis Stenman, the unusual abode also contains a paper-based piano as well as a desk and chair. The house is open for tours every day from spring through autumn.
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A Landmark Ride in the West
By Linda Tancs
Sixty-four miles of Rocky Mountain splendor await you on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad running between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. A National Historic Landmark, the rails were originally constructed in 1880 as part of the Rio Grande’s narrow-gauge San Juan extension, which served the silver mining district of the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado. Almost lost to history when the last freight train crossed the Cumbres Pass in 1968, the historic route was bought and preserved by both states. Unlike other legacy routes, it features original coal fired, steam operated, narrow gauge locomotives and 19th century passenger cars. Scenic highlights include the Rockies, Chama Valley, Toltec Gorge, Cumbres Pass (the highest mountain pass reached by rail in the U.S.) and alpine meadows lined with wildlflowers, along with an array of wildlife like elk, deer and bears. It takes under seven hours to traverse the entire 64-mile line from Antonito to Chama or vice versa. The regular season runs this year to October 20. Buy your ticket in advance to avoid disappointment.
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Best Sunset in the Hudson Valley
By Linda Tancs
For many, the best sunset view in the Hudson Valley is the one from the fire tower at Ferncliff Forest in Rhinebeck, New York, a 200-acre, old-growth forest preserve. Standing high above the treetops at 80 feet, the tower provides visitors with an amazing sunset view over the Catskills and Hudson River. The tower is easily visible driving east across the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. Follow the East Tower Trail in the forest for the most direct path to the structure. As with any climb, consider any physical limitations you may have before attempting it.
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The Heart of the Thousand Islands
By Linda Tancs
Alexandria Bay, New York, is a tourist village located on the St. Lawrence River in the heart of the Thousand Islands, an archipelago straddling the border between the U.S. and Canada. Its centerpiece on town-owned Heart Island is Boldt Castle, a full-size, Rhineland-style castle built by hotelier George Boldt for his wife. Accessible via boat tours (from May to October), a shuttle from the island also runs to the Boldt family’s yacht house on nearby Wellesley Island, featuring some of the original fleet, including an 1892 steam yacht.
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