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
Twin Lights
By Linda Tancs
Prior to the 1820s, the only permanent lighthouse in New Jersey’s Highlands was Sandy Hook Light. Thereafter, an increase in shipping led to the construction of an additional light in the area, Twin Lights, two lighthouses separated by 320 feet. The original design provided for one tower with a fixed light and the other with a rotating light so that mariners could easily differentiate between the single Sandy Hook Light and the dual lights of the new station. More than just another lighthouse, Twin Lights made history when the first Fresnel lenses in the United States were installed in the towers. The lights gained notoriety again in 1893 when the site was selected as the location for the first official reading of the Pledge of Allegiance as America’s national oath of loyalty. Another cutting-edge development occurred in 1935, when the U.S. Army began field-testing radar at the site. The radar experiments held at Twin Lights not only helped the Allies win World War II, but they also led directly to modern innovations that enable air traffic control.
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Chicago’s Bridges
By Linda Tancs
Chicago, Illinois, may be better known for its deep dish pizza and skyscrapers, but it’s the bridges that really steal the show. Home primarily to the trunnion bascule-style bridge, the city purportedly sports more movable bridges than any other locale in North America. You can learn all about Chicago’s bridge-building history at the McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum, located within the five-story bridgehouse of the iconic Michigan Avenue Bridge. For a real treat, watch the bridge lift from inside the facility. To accommodate sail boats and other tall vessels traveling between the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, Chicago’s bridges open approximately 40 times a year from April to November.
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Colonial Splendor in Pennsylvania
By Linda Tancs
A National Historic Landmark, Graeme Park is a 42-acre historic park featuring the Keith House, the only surviving residence of a colonial Pennsylvania governor, Sir William Keith. Originally called “Fountain Low” because of its many natural springs, the manor is distinctive for its stone construction and remains virtually intact since the late 18th century. It was renamed Graeme Park following its purchase by Dr. Thomas Graeme, a respected judge and doctor. Its location in Horsham affords visitors a quiet retreat amidst the property’s stream, pond and trails through the woods. Admission is charged for a tour of the mansion, but entrance to the grounds is free.
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Moab Giants
By Linda Tancs
The scenery in Moab, Utah, is otherworldly enough, but the prehistoric wonder of Moab Giants adds to it. A dinosaur park, their state-of-the-art exhibits feature the dinosaurs that roamed the area in all their life-size glory. The attractions include a trail with over 100 replicas amidst views of Arches National Park, La Sal Mountains and Moab’s geologically famous red rocks. Below ground, a prehistoric aquarium affords encounters with deep-sea creatures like Megalodon, the biggest shark that ever lived. The facility is located approximately nine miles north of Moab, on the corner of Hwy 191 and SR 313 (the turnoff to Dead Horse Point).
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Exploring the Unexplained
By Linda Tancs
How do you explain the unexplainable, like extraterrestrial life? A panel of leading experts will take a crack at it when AlienCon convenes this weekend in Pasadena, California. Featuring Giorgio Tsoukalos, the panel includes UFO expert Nick Pope, ancient civilizations expert David Childress and investigative mythologist William Henry. You’ll have the opportunity to take part in celebrity autograph and photo sessions with some of the biggest names in alien exploration and pop culture and to buy specialty merchandise at the marketplace. May the force be with you.
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The Rewards of Rain in Washington
By Linda Tancs
Some locales, like Seattle, Washington, are known for their rainy disposition. But, oh, the rewards. Consider Washington State’s Hoh Rainforest, the recipient of 14 feet of rain each year. The result is one of the world’s lushest rainforests—a green canopy of coniferous and deciduous species bursting with mosses and ferns. Located on the west side of Olympic National Park, it’s one of the finest remaining examples of temperate rainforest in the United States and is one of the park’s most popular destinations. The visitor center is located at the end of Upper Hoh Road, where you’ll find some easy trails, like Hall of the Mosses and Spruce Nature Trail.
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Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon
By Linda Tancs
As you might expect of a “grand canyon,” Pennsylvania’s version boasts of steep canyon walls and waterfalls. Part of Tioga State Forest, it stretches for nearly 50 miles with depths over 1,000 feet. Carved into the Allegheny Plateau, one of its most popular attractions is the Pine Creek Rail Trail, a converted railroad bed at the canyon floor. The gentle grade of this meandering route is great for bikers, promising not only spectacular views but also abundant wildlife.
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Seeing Green on the Big Island
By Linda Tancs
Hawaii has more naturally colored beaches than anywhere else, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that verdant landscaping is not limited to lush tropical forestry. Indeed, just head to Papakolea (popularly known as Green Sand Beach) for a matcha-like heap of sandy shore formed thousands of years ago from an eruption resulting in volcanic olivine silicate crystals. Not too far from South Point (the southernmost point in the United States) on Hawaii’s Big Island, the beach is accessible via a vigorous two-and-a-half-mile hike.
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Austin’s Ivory Tower
By Linda Tancs
One of the oldest art museums in Texas, the Elisabet Ney Museum in Austin is a crème-colored limestone castle set in a field amidst a palette of native flowering plants. The idyllic setting is but a prelude to the interior’s magnificent collection of the works of sculptress Elisabet Ney, a German immigrant who produced sculptures of legendary Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston. Ney also retrieved and assembled portraits of European notables, including King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Otto von Bismarck, Arthur Schopenhauer, Giuseppe Garibaldi and Jacob Grimm. The plaster replicas of her works abide at the castle while their marble companions are located in sites all over Texas and at the Smithsonian and the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. The museum’s collection of art and personal effects also boasts over 50 of the 100 statues, busts and medallions executed by Ney. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum offers a range of educational programs, exhibits, special events, workshops and lectures throughout the year.
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Georgian Roots in Pennsylvania
By Linda Tancs
Historic Hope Lodge is a historic building built by Quaker merchant Samuel Morris. Located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, it was used by Continental troops during the 1777 Philadelphia Campaign of the American Revolution. An excellent example of early Georgian architecture, historians speculate that the architect of Independence Hall might have had a say in its design. House tours are available from April to October in addition to an annual re-enactment in November to commemorate the time from November 2 to December 11, 1777, when General George Washington and the Continental Army encamped in the Whitemarsh Hills.
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