Rhode Island

Posted on October 15, 2013October 15, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Rhode Island is a definite yes in my count down. Its my neighbor state to the south. I’m closer to Providence than I am to Boston. I may not have “vacationed” there but I think the new rage of “Stay-cations” would count my many visits to this state.

Rhode Island is the smallest in area, the eighth least populous , but the second most densely populated of the 50 US states behind New Jersey. Rhode Island was the first of the 13 original colonies to declare independence from British rule, declaring itself independent on May 4, 1776, two months before any other colony. The State was also the last of the thirteen original colonies to ratify the United States Constitution.

It’s little wonder that Rhode Island should have such a feisty attitude for a little state. It was founded by Roger Williams after he was banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony for his religious views.

Today the Ocean State has a lot to offer the curious visitor. Some of my favorites are Newport and Narragansett. I first “discovered” Newport when my brother was stationed there at the Naval War College. That was an experience in itself! I also was invited to experience the America Cup Races. I was excited and climbed aboard one of the privately owned boats to watch the race. Unfortunately that was the day I learned that I was prone to sea sickness, having the worse bouts with that nasty feeling that I’ve ever had the misfortune to endure.

Better times were coming for Newport and me. I spent many weekends at the Viking Hotel for Arthur Murray Competitions before moving on to the mansions and the cliff walk.

Newport Mansions and Cliff Walk. In the 19th century socially prominent families like the Vanderbilts and Astors built seaside “cottages” to escape the summer heat of the cities.

Of course , their idea of a cottage and mine (and probably yours unless you are an aristocrat) are miles apart.

Today these grand mansions are open for tours and events. The Cliff Walk is a 3.5 mile national historic trail that hugs Newport’s Atlantic Shoreline. No gentle beaches here, the trail is rocky and wild but offers some great views of many of the Mansions and gardens along it’s path.

The Newport Tower. The Newport Tower is located in Touro Park just a couple of streets from the heart of Newport. Newport Tower has been the subject of much speculation and lately made the reality series, America Unearthed. It’s really an interesting bit of architecture and worth a stop to visit.

Narragansett. I like Narragansett, RI. A few years ago I took a drive down and they had a glass bottom boat that did evening tours. You could watch the phosphorescence pass under the boat and see a lot more lobsters and crabs than are active during the day. Narragansett is also home to Rose Island Lighthouse. There’s a museum and you can actually stay in the lighthouse. You pay to be a keeper for a day or week. Interested?The link is www.roseislandlighthouse.org.

Roger Williams Park and Zoo.

A very active zoo set in a beautiful park, Roger Williams has events like the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular which winds through the zoo, to swan boats on the lagoon and a carousel park.

Sorry, I’ve run-over but I have to mention Waterfire, a series of bonfires on the rivers that run through Providence. I’ve never seen it but I want to. Friends give it a big thumbs up. And Block Island, a wonderful, quaint village on an island off the Rhode Island Coast…2 light houses!

Well, that’s all for this post. The tally now stands at 14/ 25 and still counting. 🙂

Pennsylvania

Posted on October 14, 2013October 14, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I’m going to put Pennsylvania on the Yes side of the ledger but with that little asterisk for “repeat visit needed”. The reason is that my two visits to the state barely scratched the surface. I spent one vacation in Allentown, PA for the Drum and Bugle Corp championships. It rained and the tent leaked. I spent most of the time wet and cold!

The other time was to see the Army VS Navy football game in Philadelphia. Aside from sitting in the stands and admiring the sea of Navy Uniforms, I remember the traffic. At the time I was much younger and not yet used to the brutal traffic you can get in cities. (After 30+ years in Boston I expect it would be much easier this time).

So what have I missed that calls for a return trip? There’s a lot so let’s see how many reasons I can name before I run out of room in this post. (I have a self imposed limit of 500 words per post)

#1. Ricketts Glen State Park. If you like waterfalls, this park has an abundance. In a single day you could visit 22 waterfalls, most with easy access surrounded by outstanding scenic beauty. The Falls Trail is 7.2 miles and will pass 21 of the 22 waterfalls.

#2. Gettysburg National Military Park. No one should be able to cross Pennsylvania off their must see list without visiting Gettysburg. Next to the battlefields of Lexington and Concord that started the Revolutionary War, this is almost certainly one of America’s most important battlefields. You don’t have to be a student of history to appreciate the importance of this battle.

#3. Hershey. The Milk Chocolate capital of the world…well in my opinion. Home of the Hersey Bar and Candy Kisses, the Hershey Candy factory stopped their tours in 1973 but you can visit Hershey’s Chocolate World, and the Hershey Museum. The nearby Hershey Park is one of the best know amusement parks in the Northeast with over 60 rides and attractions including a 1919 carousel.

#4. Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Since 1720 Pennsylvania’s Amish and Mennonite communities have lived and worked and followed James 4:10 “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up.” Lancaster, Berks and adjacent counties are home to 70,000 of the “Plain People” including members of the strict Old Order Amish. Horse-drawn buggies, Amish quilts and food and hex signs, those lovely colorful bits of folk art, are a trade mark of the area.

#5. Fallingwater. According to a poll of the American Institute of Architects this is the most architecturally significant building in the U.S. This is the vacation home of Pittsburgh businessman Edgar Kaufmann and his wife, Liliane designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

#6. Valley Forge. From the Civil War back to the Revolution, Pennsylvania was in the middle of history. Everyone knows the story of Valley Forge. The American army was in tatters, hunkered down and trying to survive the long, cold winter. Starvation loomed. But change came in the form of aid from abroad and by the time the rag-tag army marched out of Valley Forge they had been transformed. Although the war dragged on for another 5 years, this was the turning point.

I’m out of space and we haven’t even talked about Pittsburgh and it’s Steel Heritage, the museums of Philadelphia and the Liberty Bell or even the Rocky Statue; Franklin Court and the Betsey Ross House. So much to see and do.

New tally..13/ 25

A week in Review

Posted on October 13, 2013October 13, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Strange things are happening in the world today.

Of course nothing is stranger or sadder than the government shutdown. I saw a FB post the other day saying they all should be fired. That is an understatement but I doubt enough “outraged citizens” will remember when it comes time to vote. Anyway, I said my piece about that so I’m not going to waste any more space on it here.

Did you hear about the groom that left his bride at a gas station? Yeah, it happened in Germany. Gotta watch out for those German men. (Just a joke as I have a good dose of German in me)

BERLIN (AP) — A German couple’s marriage got off to a rocky start when the groom forgot his bride at a highway gas station on the way home from their honeymoon, only noticing she was missing after hours had passed.

Police said Friday the couple was heading home to Berlin from France when the man pulled over near the central town of Bad Hersfeld late Thursday to fill up their van.

The woman had been sleeping in the back but got up — unbeknownst to the man — to use the toilets and he drove off before she returned.

Only after 2 ½ hours on the road did he notice she was gone and called police, who said she was patiently waiting.

Associated Press

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Ok so how ’bout the man who’s alive but declared dead?

Seems an Ohio man who was declared dead by the courts after he disappeared in 1994 can’t now be declared alive just because he showed up in court breathing and talking. He only had 3 years to let the government know he wasn’t really dead. Just in time for Halloween!

Hancock County Probate Court Judge Allan Davis called it a “strange, strange situation.”

“We’ve got the obvious here. A man sitting in the courtroom, he appears to be in good health,” said Davis but Davis also said the three-year limit was clear.

“I don’t know where that leaves you, but you’re still deceased as far as the law is concerned,” the judge said.

Maybe he’s one of the “Undead”

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And all I can say is at least she’s off the road!

A Montana woman called 911 for assistance. When asked the reason for her emergency she said she couldn’t get out of her car. The dispatcher asked her if the reason was medical or mechanical. The woman replied…”Because I’m too drunk!” Prosecutors say her blood-alcohol level was 0.311 percent!

I hope she’s sleeping it off behind bars keeping the roads safe for the rest of us.

And that’s the week in review! 🙂

Oregon

Posted on October 12, 2013October 12, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Oregon is high on my list of “need to visit”…”must see”…”can’t wait to go”…states. Why?…In a few words…Cannon Beach, Columbia River Gorge, Crater Lake National Park, Mount Hood, The Oregon Coast, and Steens Mountain & Malheur National Wildlife Refuge!

Ok so I need to slow down.

Lets start with one of the most well known and photographed locations in Oregon, Crater Lake.

Crater Lake is widely known for its intense blue color and spectacular views. During summer, visitors may navigate the Rim Drive around the lake, enjoy boat tours on the lake surface, stay in the historic Crater Lake Lodge, camp at Mazama Village, or hike some of the park’s various trails including Mt. Scott at 8,929 ft. .

Next the Columbia River Gorge.

Vertical basalt walls along the Gorge are graced with the greatest concentration of waterfalls in North America, especially on the Oregon side of the Gorge.

Cannon Beach…with the distinctive Haystack Rock and Needles marking its shoreline, Cannon Beach is one of Oregon’s quaintest and most picturesque destinations.

Nine miles of beach make a perfect setting for strolling along the seaside, watching diverse wildlife in its natural habitat and building a sand castle in the annual sand castle competition.

Mount Hood….I love Native American legends and the one surrounding Mount Hood and Mount St, Helens is a perfect one.

The Multnomah name for Mount Hood is Wy’east. In one version of the legend the two sons of the Great Spirit Sahale fell in love with the beautiful maiden Loowit who could not decide which to choose. The two braves, Wy’east and Klickitat, burned forests and villages in their battle over her. Sahale became enraged and smote the three lovers. Seeing what he had done he erected three mountain peaks to mark where each fell. He made beautiful Mount St. Helens for Loowit, proud and erect Mount Hood for Wy’east, and the somber Mount Adams for the mourning Klickitat.

Mount Hood is often in the news because of the many climbing accidents each year and of course Mount St. Helens became a household name May 18, 1980 when it blew it’s top (I mean side)becoming the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States.

Fifty-seven people were killed; 250 homes, 47bridges, 15 miles (24 km) of railways, and 185 miles (298 km) of highway were destroyed.

There is a scenic train ride to Mount Hood that may figure in my eventual travel plans. Something to think about.

Oregon Coast…Scenic , breathtaking, awesome are some of the adjectives used to describe the Oregon Coast. There’s another scenic train ride or you can drive highway 101 and take your time with the sights. I’m running out of space so any more details will need to wait for another post but I think you get the idea. Maybe my next one will be chronicling my own visit! That would be nice.

So Oregon may be on a must see list but it hasn’t been visited yet. So my tally still stands at 12 visited but is up to 25 still waiting for me.

Oklahoma!

Posted on October 11, 2013October 11, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain
And the wavin’ wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain…

Oklahoma is closely tied to the relocation of Native Americans to “Indian Country”. Tribes like the Cherokee and Choctaw were forcibly moved from their traditional homes to new lands in the Oklahoma territory so naturally any visit to Oklahoma would involve an exploration of Native American History.

From early history, the fates of the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations have been closely bound. The Chickasaw homelands in western Tennessee, Kentucky and northern Mississippi brought them into close contact with the Choctaw in central Mississippi.
With removal to new homes in Indian Territory, the nations remained neighbors sharing the struggles of rebuilding their lives in present-day Oklahoma.

Take a road trip through southeastern Oklahoma and trace the Choctaw and Chickasaw Heritage Corridor as you stop at points of interest that were significant to the tribes’ history along the way.

Head to Oklahoma for an authentic look into the Old West. If Oklahoma had “Indians” it also had cowboys. From nationally acclaimed Western Heritage museums to relaxing guest ranches, the Sooner State has a rich history for you to explore. Whether you’re looking for an action-packed getaway complete with mock shootouts or want to mosey through a frontier prairie town on the hunt for some ice cold sarsaparilla, you’re sure to find your Western adventure here.

Cheer on skilled cowboys and cowgirls at an exciting Oklahoma rodeo like the Will Rogers Memorial Rodeo or the Freedom Rodeo and Old Cowhand Reunion, or learn about the American cowboy experience during cattle drive events at the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan. After a full day of riding and roping, savor a tasty meal cooked over the campfire at one of Oklahoma’s guest ranches, where you’ll be treated to the ultimate Western experience complete with horseback rides and chuckwagon dinners.

Learn how the West was won with a trip to the Fort Washita Historic Site or Historic Fort Reno where living history events are held throughout the year.

Visit the the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, where you’ll see vast displays of internationally renowned Western art by masters like Remington, Russell and Bierstadt and browse top notch exhibits on everything from life as a ranch hand to singing cowboys of the silver screen. Come celebrate Oklahoma’s Western heritage and unleash your inner cowboy.