Category: Roads & Routes
Crooked Water: Tuzigoot National Monument
February 7, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
For thousands of years, Verde Valley has been a human melting pot. Hunters and gatherers came first, searching for wild game and grasses. Traders followed, digging salt and minerals, and then settlers farming the fertile bottomlands. Built by the Sinagua about the year 1000, Tuzigoot sits on a ridge high above the Verde Valley. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved Perched atop a ridge high above the Verde River two miles east of Clarkdale is Tuzigoot National Monument, one of the largest pueblos built by the Sinagua. Tuzigoot (pronounced ‘Two-z-goot’) is an Apache word meaning “crooked water.” The term applies to the nearby Peck’s Lake, which is a runoff from the Verde River. The pueblo grew slowly over the centuries. Like most modern cities, there appeared to be no master plan—it just sprawled across the hilltop, wherever there was space. At its peak in the late 1300s, about 225 people lived within the pueblo, which contained about 86 rooms on the ground floor and 15 or... [Read more...]
A Little Traveling Music, Please…
February 5, 2012 by Diane Berry · 2 Comments
Whenever we embark on one of our road trips, one of the most important considerations is the music that will accompany us on our journey. Over the years, we have come to recognize the true importance of this non-human companion, in terms of creating mood, anticipation and pleasure for our journey. Early on, we experimented with books on tape. While some swear by those, we found they were likely to lull our poor driver, most often my husband Terry, who is an awesome driver, but not such a terrific passenger, to sleep. Even the likes of a Grisham mystery, being read over the car speakers, will soon have heads nodding. So we stick with music for our on-the-road entertainment. We also developed several criteria for just the right accompaniment. It must be upbeat and lively (so as to avoid those nods), it must be something all of us enjoy (or can at least tolerate—my daughter said one thing that impressed her future husband was that she knew the words to all of the songs on the Eagles’ Greatest... [Read more...]
Mount Mitchell Drive Receives Scenic Byway Designation
January 30, 2012 by Rex Vogel · Leave a Comment
The Mount Mitchell Scenic Drive is the latest route to receive an official “scenic byway” designation from the state of North Carolina. Recognized for its outstanding beauty and unique cultural features, this 52-mile drive begins atop 6,684-foot Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi and traverses a national forest, state park, and National Park Service land. Welcome to Mount Mitchell State Park. © Rex Vogel, all rights reserved “It’s a beautiful corridor for a number of reasons,” says Jeff Lackey, manager of scenic byways for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT). ”It has scenic quality, and also a tremendous amount of cultural and historical aspects, which is rare in a byway experience.” “When you go around every curve, you’ll find something new and interesting,” says Wanda Proffitt, a local DOT board member and advocate of the route. The route begins on N.C. 128 in Yancey County atop Mount... [Read more...]
Tuzigoot National Monument and Jerome, AZ…
January 28, 2012 by Dana Ticknor · 4 Comments
We recently spent a week and a half near Cottonwood, AZ (which is located between Sedona and Prescott). Because of it’s elevation of 3300 feet, the nights were chilly, some of them getting below freezing enough that we would have to unhook our water overnight. Despite it being cooler than I had anticipated, we still enjoyed our visit very much, and the days warmed enough that, during a few of them, the kids wore out the rope swing hanging temptingly out over the creek that bordered the park, and the kids spent many afternoons at the basketball court and playground. We had such a fun time meeting a few other fulltime traveling families, and we had the opportunity to spend a morning with my aunt and uncle that live in Prescott. We also took a few days to check out the surrounding area; and found that Cottonwood boasts quite a lot to do within a short distance! One of the first places in the Verde Valley that we went to was Tuzigoot National Monument. Tuzigoot is a 110 room pueblo... [Read more...]
How it’s Made – A Guitar is Born
January 27, 2012 by Canadianladybug · 2 Comments
Did you know that in the state of Pennsylvania there is a town called Nazareth? And in this town, you can have the opportunity of visiting…..; C.F. Martin & Co. For over 150 years, The Martin Guitar Company has been producing instruments that are recognized all around the world. These instruments are in the highest quality and their construction is very precise. We had the opportunity to visit the factory back a few years ago and we really enjoyed it. In 2008, we embarked on our first ever trip with our RV and we experience many interesting things. Visiting a guitar factory was one of our highlights in our trip. We had planned the field trip with the kids before arriving in PA because I had purchased the book Watch It Made In The U.S.A. As a visitor on the factory tour, you will be shown how the guitars come to life through the hands of the people working at C.F. Martin & Co. Tours are done regularly between 11am and 2:30pm Monday to Friday. There is... [Read more...]
What is Your Travel Planning Style?
January 16, 2012 by Melissa A. Trainer · 1 Comment
Seward, Alaska, 2011 Do you have a method for planning your road trips or vacations? Do you dutifully sit down in January and target where and when you will go to specific destinations? Or, do you just “wing it” once the official camping season kicks off in the spring? I have to admit that I have waffled between both methods over the years. I am, in fact, still waffling! When we first started camping and our children were very young, I was pretty strict about planning in advance, pinpointing destinations, and then making reservations. I have vivid recollections of often doing this ten months in advance. Back then, it was a system that I needed to have in place. Packing food, kids, cars, and gear can be a monumental task. I knew I didn’t want to take the spontaneous route only to find out that the car was loaded and the campgrounds were too! Traveling and camping with young children can be challenging. I needed the certainty of knowing that we had a good campsite... [Read more...]
Stunning Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada
January 11, 2012 by Dana Ticknor · Leave a Comment
During our recent stay in Las Vegas, we were looking for some family friendly places to visit. While we had noticed Valley of Fire NV State Park in our atlases, we really didn’t have a great desire to visit it. The surrounding landscape didn’t seem overly scenic when we had driven by the exit to the park off the Interstate, and we had not seen any overly inviting advertising of the park. Our oldest son had flown out to spend his 2 week Christmas break from Basic Training with us, and the day that he had to fly back, we really needed something to keep our minds off of missing him. Valley of Fire was about all we had left on our list of places that we would like to visit near Las Vegas. We had already been to Lake Mead, Red Rock Canyon, and Hoover Dam (which is NOT ideal to visit during Christmas vacation!). Needing to get out of the ‘house’, we packed a lunch and drove northeast of town, over an up and down, windy little road until we entered a shallow... [Read more...]
The History of Old Military Road…
January 8, 2012 by Diane Berry · Leave a Comment
In many previous posts I have espoused the picturesque beauty of the northwoods of Wisconsin and extolled the virtues of its plethora of rustic but peaceful camping areas. Anvil, Franklin and Carpenter Lakes have some of the most beautiful unspoiled campgrounds we have ever seen. But the northwoods also has a bit of interesting history attached to it as well: Old Military Road. Originally the Old Superior Trail, a horse path created and used by the Native Americans who first inhabited the area, the road was used by these peoples for hundreds of years before being officially constructed as road between 1864 and 1870. Running from Fort Howard on Green Bay to Fort Wilkens in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, the road provided a route for rapid reinforcement of Fort Wilkins during the Civil War. A sign details the route and history of the Road Though created by the Native Americans, early trappers, travelers and drovers (livestock dealers) used Military Road as well, providing supplies... [Read more...]
A News Flash on Alaska’s National Parks
December 29, 2011 by Melissa A. Trainer · Leave a Comment
Exit Glacier, Alaska When I checked my electronic inbox yesterday, I found an informative news release from John Quinley, who is the Assistant Regional Director, Communications and Partnerships, of the Alaska Regional National Park Service. In his release, Mr. Quinley reported that the Alaska region of the National Park Service saw about 2.32 million recreational visits in 2011. This was an increase of about 2% from 2010. The two parks with the largest increases for 2011 were Kenai Fjords National Park, which is headquartered in Seward, and Denali National Park. Both of these parks are on the road system in Alaska so they are fairly easy to access with a car, trailer, or RV. I have had the good fortune of visiting both of these parks with my children at my side. I first visited them during the summer of 2006. Our family camping trip to Denali was a highlight that summer and indeed my children still talk about it. Last July, we returned to Alaska and while we were staying in Anchorage,... [Read more...]
More Miracles in Wisconsin…
December 18, 2011 by Diane Berry · 2 Comments
My previous post concerned the visions occurring in 1859 at the location that has become the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Hope, located one mile east of the town of Champion, WI. Many healings and miracles are reported to have occurred at the site of this vision. About 17 miles northeast of Green Bay, the grounds now consist of the chapel, rebuilt and enlarged again in 1942, as well as the convent, school, gift shop and an area know as “the crypt.” It is in the crypt area that a small altar is located, upon which a statue of Mary is situated. This is the exact location of the two trees between which Mary appeared. Also in the crypt is a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the body of the lifeless Jesus encased in glass. Behind the statue are numerous crutches, braces and canes visitors have left at the shrine, no longer needed. The statue in the crypt--at the location of the two trees Some of the more common reports include: –In 1954 a gentleman wearing a hearing aid participated... [Read more...]
