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
The Shrine of Democracy
By Linda Tancs
President Franklin D. Roosevelt referred to Mount Rushmore as America’s “shrine of democracy.” Created by famed sculptor Gutzon Borglum and his army of workers, the granite portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln represent the birth, growth, development and preservation of the country. Borglum created an opening called the Hall of Records behind the heads that was intended to house important information on the significance of these four presidents in American history. The chamber was left incomplete at the time of the sculptor’s death but was finished over 50 years later. The Hall of Records houses both original texts and copies of important American documents. Due to its precarious location, public access to the vault is closed, forever to remain a mysterious part of this national treasure. The mountain housing this monumental carving is named for Charles E. Rushmore, a New York City attorney who visited the area in 1885. The park is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota near Keystone and draws millions of visitors annually.
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Water on the Mountain
By Linda Tancs
Ricketts Glen State Park is an oasis in Benton, Pennsylvania. Covering over 13,000 acres in three counties, it’s named after Col. Ricketts, a Civil War soldier who led the defense against a Confederate attack on Cemetery Hill in 1863 and acquired much of the parkland after the war. Ricketts named the 22 waterfalls gracing the area after native tribes, family and friends. Ganoga Falls is the highest at 94 feet, named after a Seneca Indian word meaning “water on the mountain.” Most of the waterfalls are visible from Falls Trail, the most difficult hike of all the trails. Less difficult, especially this time of year, is leaf peeping. You’ll experience true splendor thanks to the rich crimson shades enveloping the gum, dogwood and oak trees.
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The Cliffs of Kauai
By Linda Tancs
Sheer cliffs with crayon hues descending into the deep blue sea, playing host to an array of dolphins, sea turtles, whales (in season) and colorful fish. That’s the promise along Na Pali, the rugged coastline on the northwest shore of Kauai, Hawaii’s oldest inhabited island. Widely acclaimed as one of the most beautiful views in the world, it is best viewed by sailing, rafting or hiking the Kalalau Trail (an 11-mile trail that leads from Ke’e Beach to Kalalau Beach). Rainbows are virtually guaranteed.
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Place of a Thousand Drips
By Linda Tancs
Named for a roaring mountain stream, Roaring Fork is one of the larger and faster flowing mountain streams in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, its namesake motor nature trail is a scenic loop over five miles long, offering rushing mountain streams, a scenic overlook with glimpses of old-growth forest, a number of well-preserved log cabins, grist mills and other historic buildings and, at this time of year, spectacular fall foliage. Two of the most popular waterfalls in the Smokies are located here: Rainbow Falls and Grotto Falls. Their smaller cousin is no less popular, though. Known as Place of a Thousand Drips, it is, as the name implies, a low-flow fall driven by wet weather. Located at the end of the trail, you can observe its streams (weather permitting) cascading through dozens of crevices and tiny pathways.
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The Art of Bean in Chicago
By Linda Tancs
To bean or not to bean—that is the question for visitors to Chicago, Illinois. That is to say, will you visit The Bean? Officially known as Cloud Gate (because 80 percent of its surface reflects the sky), it’s an interactive sculpture (shaped like a bean, of course) gracing the promenade at Millennium Park. Its stainless steel skin captures the environment around it, a mirror to the soul of The Windy City. And a fun house mirror for those gawking at it. The monument is 33 feet high, 42 feet wide and 66 feet long. Its reflection is kept pristine by washing it twice a year with 40 gallons of liquid detergent.
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Where the Buffalo Roam
By Linda Tancs
South Dakota’s Custer State Park is where the buffalo roam. Nearly 1,300 buffalo—one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the country—roam the park’s prairies and hills. Commonly sighted along the 18-mile Wildlife Loop Road that winds around the southern edge of the park, you can enjoy a different view of them en masse at tomorrow’s annual Buffalo Roundup. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, feel the clap and thunder of the herd as it’s driven by cowboys and cowgirls in a roundup event that’s actually a critical management tool. Want in on the action? Private citizens have a long tradition participating in the event. An orientation ride takes place today.
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Captiva Captivates
By Linda Tancs
Sister Sanibel may be larger, but Captiva Island in southwest Florida is just as captivating. This is the land of the Calusa Indians, a place that pirates reportedly roamed. It’s where you’ll find the ever popular Bubble Room restaurant, where it’s always Christmas. Even nature’s oddities await you here—you could discover a giant toad, a tiny starfish or an endangered Eastern Indigo snake. Captiva is just over a small bridge that crosses at Turner Beach, where a drive down Captiva Drive will net you giant cacti, colorful bougainvilleas and other tropical flora.
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World’s Largest Corn Maze
By Linda Tancs
Thousands have braved the maze at Cool Patch Pumpkins, site of the world’s largest corn maze according to Guinness World Records. Sixty acres’ strong, each year’s design gets ever more challenging. The maze (and pumpkin patch) are open now through early November. Located in Dixon, California, look for the famous Milk Farm landmark sign visible from Interstate Highway 80 between First Street and Pedrick Road.
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Where the Forest Meets the Sea
By Linda Tancs
Cape Perpetua Scenic Area is where the forest meets the sea. Managed by the United States Forest Service as part of Siuslaw National Forest, it’s a large forested headland on the coast of central Oregon, projecting into the Pacific Ocean. It’s also where a sinkhole of sorts meets the sea. Known as Thor’s Well, a deep chasm fills with salt water and produces a fountainous spectacle before Mother Nature vacuum sucks its bounty back to its rightful owner. The site is particularly spectacular at high tide or during storms—when it’s also most dangerous.
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Fossil Hunting in Montana
By Linda Tancs
The Hell Creek Formation in northeastern Montana is a fossil hunter’s paradise, a living chronicle of the end of the dinosaur age. That’s one reason why its impressive bounty of dinosaur remains such as Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops is so significant. Hunting privileges get leased out for big bucks. For an affordable dig, go along with a prospecting company for a weeklong guided tour on property that they’re leasing. Best of all, you can usually keep what you find. Happy hunting!
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