In the Columbia Gorge is an awesome monolith, considered by some to be the largest in the world next to Gibraltar. Actually, it’s the remains of an old volcanic plug. From most vantage points up and down the Gorge, the…
Wheat Harvest at Howell Living History Farm
The Howell Living History farm is unique—there are many museums, villages, and farms that offer “living history” demonstrations. You can go to them and enjoy watching what life was like in the early days of America. However, at Howell, you…
Best Easiest-To-Get-To View in Yosemite
Many people will tell you that the very best view of Yosemite Valley is from Tunnel View. Others claim it’s from Glacier Point. Both of these are very nice, although I personally choose Artist Point as the best view of…
Break up a trip across Kansas at Monument Rocks!
Although it’s small, I’ve never seen anyplace quite like Monument Rocks National Natural Landmark. Also known as the “Chalk Pyramids” Monument Rocks features a group of spires that seem to stick straight up out of the ground. These spires range…
The Tulips in Ottawa
Can you imagine receiving 20,000 tulip bulbs from a foreign dignitary? How about receiving that number of tulip bulbs each year for over 65 years? That’s what happened in the capital city of Ottawa Canada. Because of the support of…
Farm Equipment from the Carrizo Plain
A few weeks ago, I posted about how you could stand on the San Andreas Earthquake Fault Line in Carrizo Plain National Monument. This week, I’d like to tell you about another of the cool features of this unknown national…
Mount Greylock: Middle Earth in Massachusetts?
Think beautiful views…think green mountains all around you…think historic structures…think memorial towers…think J. R. R. Tolkien… Wait…Tolkien, in the middle of mountains and historic structures? Yes, think Tolkien! On top of Mount Greylock in the Berkshires of Massachusetts (you knew…
Walk Across a Real Earthquake Fault Line at Carrizo Plain!
Carrizo Plain National Monument is fairly new as national monuments go. The park was established in 2001 from land in Southern California that had been a part of the Carrizo Plain Natural Area. When I visited the monument a couple…
Straddle the Headwaters of the Mississippi!
What’s your mental image of the Mississippi River? If it’s a huge river filled with paddle boats playing Jazz music, it’s probably similar to most American’s thoughts on the Mighty Mississippi. However, at the headwaters, the “mighty” river is anything…
Mississippi Watchtower
While visiting the Headwaters of the Mississippi River, a park ranger told us about another of the park’s features: a 100-foot observation tower, located in the middle of Itasca State Park. Having an hour or two to spare, we decided…