Category: Scenic Byways/Historic Routes
Carnivore Heaven…
March 27, 2012 by Dana Ticknor · 1 Comment
While we were near Houston recently, we abandon our trailer park kids (let the kids stay home and watch movies) while we went out to dinner to celebrate our anniversary and my hubby passing a course he took in Houston. We had heard from the campground manager that the little BBQ joint just a few miles down the road was a great place to eat, so we decided to venture out for their Friday Night All You Can Eat Shrimp, Catfish, FROG LEGS, and BBQ. 2 buffets for $17 sounded like a good deal, so we left the kids to their ramen noodles (their preferred meal when we are gone since I won’t let them eat it when I’m home ), and wondered what we were in for at this little back country eatery. Pulling up, we glanced at each other – Peter’s isn’t the fanciest of joints – but apparently it’s because they are too busy smoking the most fabulous brisket and ribs! We probably would not have chosen to stop and eat here if it were not for the rave reviews by our... [Read more...]
WE FOUND A PHOTO OF PRESIDENT CLINTON NUDE!
February 24, 2012 by Professor95 · Leave a Comment
Hanging out around a library wasn’t exactly one of the most exciting items on my list of things to do Monday. But, it was President’s Day and we were not that far from the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, Arkansas. Besides, admission is free on President’s Day and I have never been one to pass up free admission to anything. In case you may have forgotten, Bill Clinton was our 42nd President serving two terms between 1992 and 2000. While he may be best remembered for his shenanigans with a young White House aide, it was during his presidency that we reversed a climbing federal budget deficit and created nearly twenty-three million new American jobs. No prior administration had overseen the creation of so many new jobs, or at such a rapid pace. Entrance to the Clinton Library The Clinton Presidential Library is situated in a new 30-acre city park located right on the edge of the Arkansas River in the revitalized River Market area of Little Rock. ... [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...]
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 · 1 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...]
An Alaska Travel Roundup
November 5, 2011 by Melissa A. Trainer · Leave a Comment
Denali National Park/Melissa Trainer I was very fortunate last week because the State of Alaska invited me to attend the Alaska Media Road Show. Held at the luxurious Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara, this annual event brings together top travel writers and key players in Alaska’s tourism industry. As many of you know, I write quite a bit about Alaska. I lived there with my family and we traveled extensively throughout the state while we were there. We covered a lot of territory and ventured to many amazing remote locations during that time. We knew that we could be self sufficient with our travel trailer and we utilized our trailer to the max. We knew that amenities were few and far between on many of the remote roads, so we learned to pack accordingly. Our trailer was an absolutely priceless tool for navigating the region. Even though our three children were all under the age of 11 at the time, we were all willing to take the road less traveled.... [Read more...]
The Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona
October 20, 2011 by Traveler8343 · 4 Comments
We were heading toward Flagstaff, Arizona, and that day’s goal; Sedona, Arizona’s red rocks area. We had left Albuquerque, New Mexico earlier that morning and headed west on I-40, also known as Route 66 — “The Mother Road” — in those parts. We were looking forward to seeing Sedona, where we would camp for the next several days. But, about 50 miles after we crossed the New Mexico border into Arizona, I noticed a road sign that told me I had made a mistake. When I planned our trip, I tried to include as many of the national and state parks as I could without having to do too much backtracking in order to return to a main route; like I-40. What I saw that morning was a sign announcing that we were approaching another of my “must-sees,” but one that I had overlooked in my day’s planning — The Petrified Forest National Park. The eastern park entrance is at Exit 311 off I-40. Take Exit-311 North and follow the road to the Welcome Center and the ranger station. From there,... [Read more...]
Patti’s Saga of an RV Rookie: West Glacier, Montana’s KOA; it’s not Glacier Park, but it’s cool!
September 25, 2011 by Patti F. · 4 Comments
We northwestern Montanans are privileged to claim Glacier National Park as our personal backyard. Read more about Montana campgrounds and things to do in Montana. And the more boorish among us are pretty quick to let the entire world in on that…hence, this blog from your resident Woodall’s boor. A couple of weeks ago the Brazil Nut (a/k/a “my husband”) and I were heading up to Glacier and decided to swing through the KOA just outside the Park .Search for a national park. We stopped on a whim: I mean, how could a KOA compare with anything in Glacier Park? What could a KOA have to offer that the many lovely campsites at Glacier don’t already have? Turns out, plenty…especially if you like a resort atmosphere, enough going on for young and older kids to keep whining at bay, and a good restaurant if you (or your family) are burned out on making dinner after traipsing around all day. We couldn’t stay overnight, but I can share how beautiful and clean everything was, and what... [Read more...]
♪♪♪♫-A-Three-Hour-Tour-♪♪♪♫
September 18, 2011 by Traveler8343 · 2 Comments
Let’s say you’re in the New England area and are planning a visit to far eastern Long Island, New York. You want to take your RV but, in light of my last post, you’ve decided that you don’t want to face the island’s infamous Long Island Expressway traffic. Well, there is an alternative. How about a nice boat trip. Yes, a boat trip — actually a ferry — with your RV onboard? It’ll cut about 300 miles off your trip by not driving all the way from the New London, Connecticut area along I-95 to New York and then the Throgs Neck Bridge and eastward via the Long Island Express Way, I-495 all the way out to the end of the island. Instead, the Cross-Sound Ferry Services will carry you and your RV from New London, CT to Orient Point, Long Island, New York across the Long Island Sound and back in just 3 hours. A three hour tour? You might ask where you’ve heard that before? Well, that was on Gilligan’s Island, not Long Island. And that was on the SS Minnow, not... [Read more...]
