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 Birthplace of America
By Linda Tancs
Unearthed by a local farmer in 1898, the Kensington Runestone is a grey, earthy rock with an inscription purportedly made by the Vikings more than a century before Christopher Columbus sojourned to America. This artifact is displayed in Alexandria, Minnesota, a town therefore proclaiming itself to be the “birthplace of America.” Doubtful of the claim? Maybe you can coax a response out of Big Ole, a 28-foot fiberglass statue of a Viking that has welcomed visitors to town since 1965.
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New York Airport Goes to the Dogs
By Linda Tancs
Boasting the world’s first air terminal for animals, New York’s JFK Airport is going to the dogs—and the cats, horses, cows, reptiles, fish, birds and any other animal you can think of. Appropriately named The ARK, the new facility under development is a luxury terminal that will handle more than 70,000 of our furry (and not so furry) friends annually. Transiting and quarantined animals will be treated to a variety of creature comforts (no pun intended), like swimming pools, luxury stalls, flat-screen TVs and massage therapy.
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Tribute to a Mountain Man
By Linda Tancs
Near an unpaved road on the south side of Shadehill Reservoir in northwestern South Dakota stands a tribute to a mountain man. The honoree is Hugh Glass, a fur trapper in the 1800s who was mauled by a grizzly bear and left to die in the wilderness. Luckily for Hugh, his indefatigable spirit set him crawling for 200 miles from the site of the attack to eventual safety (and medical assistance) at Fort Kiowa. A monument marks the spot where the bear attacked. His life is commemorated in the film The Revenant.
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Places of Invention
By Linda Tancs
Inventor Thomas Edison once said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Failure taught Edison to repeatedly innovate, an activity that is celebrated at Places of Invention. Located at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., the exhibition highlights innovative communities across the country and their effect on society. Visitors, both on-site and online, can explore and discuss case studies as well as contribute stories about their own communities.
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King of the Nutcrackers
By Linda Tancs
Boasting one of the world’s largest nutcracker collections, the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum in Washington State touts the evolution of the nutcracker. Such a collection would hardly be complete without the hundreds of traditional toy soldiers with gaping mouths that make their appearance in homes at Christmas time. But you’ll also find over 6,000 nutcrackers—representing the work of over 50 countries—carved from wood, metal, ivory, porcelain and other materials. Their designs, both simplistic and artistic, run the gamut from serious to whimsical, ecclesiastical to risqué and menacing to cute. Visitors from over 75 countries have been greeted by Karl, a 6-foot-tall Bavarian nutcracker carved in Oberammergau.
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Best Known Street in Texas
By Linda Tancs
The heart of Austin, Texas, 6th Street is an entertainment mecca. On the one hand, you’ll find historic buildings hosting bars, restaurants and an eclectic set of entertainment venues boasting everything from country to punk. On the other hand, quieter pursuits await thanks to art galleries and antique shops. No wonder the variety attracts showcase events like the Austin Mardi Gras celebration, SXSW, The Republic of Texas Bikers Rally, the Pecan Street Festival (the street’s former name) and the infamous Halloween celebration. Get ready to party.
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Something Wild in Oregon
By Linda Tancs
There’s always something wild going on at Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area. Extending one mile into the Pacific Ocean from the Oregon coast, this oceanfront park with a beach reveals an array of life. At low tide the ocean floor unveils pools of colorful animals including orange sea stars, purple sea urchins and giant green anemones. Harbor seals and peregrine falcons vie for attention. And around this time of year the gray whales are on their migratory path to Mexico. Above all else (literally) is Yaquina Head, the state’s tallest lighthouse at 93 feet, boasting a fully automated first order Fresnel lens. The lighthouse is open for limited, ranger-led tours.
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Under the Blanket of Snow
By Linda Tancs
Hurricane Ridge is the most easily accessed mountain area within Olympic National Park in Washington State. Blanketed with over 10 feet of snow for most of the winter, snow enthusiasts enjoy the winter scenery, along with snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and sledding. The snow moles, on the other hand, enjoy their privacy. Endemic to the park, Olympic snow moles are scurrying beneath this blanket of snow, which provides them with ample water for the short summer season ahead.
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The Graveyard of the Pacific
By Linda Tancs
The Columbia River Bar represents a clash of the titans. That’s where the mighty Columbia River (the largest in the Pacific Northwest) meets the Pacific Ocean. As the river surges towards its meeting point, it drops a deposit of sand and silt that extends six miles into the ocean. Not surprisingly, this can result in a navigational nightmare. In fact, since 1792 around 2,000 ships have sunk in this area, earning it the moniker “Graveyard of the Pacific.” One of the most popular shipwrecks is the Peter Iredale. Its skeletal remains are on the beach at Clapsop Spit at Fort Stevens State Park in Hammond, Oregon.
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The Graveyard of the Atlantic
By Linda Tancs
Shipwrecks play a major role in the history of the ocean just offshore of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, a region appropriately named the Graveyard of the Atlantic. From Kitty Hawk south to Ocracoke, you can snorkel or dive around 3,000 wrecks, including the first colonial ships of the 1500s and the most German U-boats sunk off any state coast in America. Landlubbers need not miss out. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras offers a full range of exhibits, programs and events covering all major wrecks as well as the area’s cultural and coastal history.
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