Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!A Norwegian Tale
By Linda Tancs
The Best Words Ever is an inspirational children’s story set in Norway. Did you know that you can get an audiobook version of The Best Words Ever for free with a free trial of Audible? Check out one of the links below based on your country of residence to learn more:
US:
UK:
France:
Germany:
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The Latest Dirt on Alberta
By Linda Tancs
If you’re ready to get down and dirty, then Alberta, Canada, is the place for you. On August 11 and 12 Mud Hero makes its return to Canyon Ski Resort in Red Deer. Canada’s largest obstacle event, it features 18 obstacles over hills, mud, water and plenty of challenging terrain. Obstacles are meant to be a mix of fun and challenge, and some also offer difficulty levels so that all participants can have a great run within their ability level. Spectators are welcome at no charge.
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Delaware’s Tall Ship
By Linda Tancs
Kalmar Nyckel was one of America’s pioneering colonial ships, a gun-armed merchant vessel leading an expedition that founded the colony of New Sweden in the Delaware Valley. A world power in the 1600s, Sweden established Fort Christina in present-day Delaware, the first permanent European settlement in the valley. Kalmar Nyckel made four roundtrip crossings of the Atlantic between 1637 and 1645, more than any other vessel of its era. Later, it served as a warship for the Swedish navy. The faithful reproduction sailing today is the official tall ship of Delaware. From April to November she sails from her home port in Wilmington and visits ports-of-call along the eastern seaboard from Virginia to New England.
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Ancient Lithuania
By Linda Tancs
Trakai is Lithuania’s ancient capital. Officially founded in 1337, the medieval city is encircled by five lakes and is nicknamed “The Lake Town.” The pride of the nation, it’s known for its wooden architecture and an island castle that served as the summer residence of the Grand Dukes. Now home to a history museum, the picturesque, Gothic-style castle is one of the most visited sites in the country, attracting over 300,000 visitors each year.
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The Year of the Sea in Wales
By Linda Tancs
Wales is promoting its vast coastline this year, designating 2018 the Year of the Sea. Indeed, you’re never more than an hour or so from the sea wherever you may be. Why not explore the Wales Coast Path, the world’s first footpath dedicated to a country’s entire coastline—in this case, 870 miles. Along the way you’ll pass fens, cliffs, harbors, coves, inlets, islands and beaches. The beaches are great for surfing, a popular sport in the country, which established a Welsh Surfing Federation. Other coastal activities include rafting, kite surfing, surf kayaking, coasteering (that’s jumping off cliffs), paddleboarding, scuba diving and cliff camping.
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Thunder in the Valley
By Linda Tancs
Switzerland’s Trümmelbach Falls drain glacier meltwater from the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains. Europe’s largest subterranean waterfalls, they’re located in the Lauterbrunnen Valley, often called “the valley of 72 waterfalls.” Thanks to the glacier ice melt this time of year, over 5,000 gallons of water per second can thunder and roar through the interior of the Jungfrau down into the valley. The entire course of the cascades is accessible underground by lift, galleries, tunnels, paths and platforms. If you’re going to “Trümmelbachfälle” by train, go via Interlaken (SBB/BLS/Zentralbahn) toward Lauterbrunnen (BOB). A bus will take you from there to the “Trümmelbachfälle” bus stop.
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Suspense in Vancouver
By Linda Tancs
Located just minutes from downtown Vancouver on the North Shore, Canada’s Capilano Suspension Bridge stretches 450 feet across and 230 feet above Capilano River. Originally made of hemp rope and cedar planks in 1889 by Scottish engineer George Grant Mackay, it was later replaced by a wire cable bridge. Since Mackay’s day, millions of visitors have enjoyed the stunning views across the deep gorge. Adding to the excitement is the newest attraction, a cantilevered walkway clinging to the granite cliff high above Capilano Canyon called Cliffwalk. A free shuttle service to the park operates year round from various points in the city.
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A Wrinkle on Earth
By Linda Tancs
The Waterpocket Fold is a geologic wrinkle on the earth extending almost 100 miles. It formed between 50 and 70 million years ago when a major mountain building event in western North America (the Laramide orogeny) reactivated an ancient buried fault in the region, causing the west side to shift upwards relative to the east side. This geologic wonder is the centerpiece of Capitol Reef National Park in the heart of Utah’s red rock country. Abounding with cliffs, bridges, domes and canyons, the park is also a refuge of pristine dark night skies of the highest quality, garnering it “Gold Tier” status by the International Dark-Sky Association. The most scenic portion of the Waterpocket Fold, found near the Fremont River, is known as Capitol Reef: capitol for the white domes of Navajo sandstone that resemble state capitol building domes, and reef for the rocky cliffs which are a barrier to travel, like a coral reef.
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Boating Artifacts in New York
By Linda Tancs
The Antique Boat Museum is a freshwater nautical museum in Clayton, New York, located on the St. Lawrence River along the northern edge of upstate New York. The location is ideal for showcasing over 300 unique and beautifully preserved boats and thousands of recreational boating artifacts ranging from the 19th century to the present. A premier attraction is the houseboat La Duchesse, built in 1903 for famed hotelier George Boldt. A guided walking tour of its luxurious interior is available for an additional fee.
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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.
