Those are the words that Stephen Bishop, one of Mammoth Cave’s best known African-American slave guides and explorers, used to describe the massive cave system located in central Kentucky.
Mammoth Cave is the world’s longest cave system Continue reading
For all the massive crowds I saw on Skyline drive during the peak of leaf peeping season, there were none on the hiking trails, thank goodness. Oh, I saw a few families along the trail, but very few. And what few I did see appeared to be foreign tourists. I talked with a family from Israel, and met several from Asia and India along the trail. But none who “looked like me.” Continue reading
Skyline Drive is a 105 mile stretch of two-lane that runs north to south, down the backbone of the very narrow Shenandoah National Park along the ridge line of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
The main feature of this National Park is the drive itself, with the over 500 miles of hiking trails appearing to take a back seat. I think it speaks the obvious about our society that Continue reading
I woke up Friday morning in Ohiopyle State Park to a half an inch of snow on the picnic table. SNOW??? Time to go! Continue reading
Old Man Winter seems to be moving a lot faster than I am, as I am now facing temperatures down in the 30’s at night. There is even mention of that “S-word” in the forecast before the end of the work week.
Someone once told me the easiest way to get through a winter is to Continue reading
Outrun the cold, or outwait the government? That was my dilemma earlier this week.
One of my “bucket list” items is to get to as many of the official National Parks as possible. The one park on the east coast I have not yet visited is Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Continue reading
Although I studied Nutrition in college, my favorite course by far was “Appreciation of Architecture.” Too bad I only discovered this fascination in my senior year. But ever since that course, I have longed to see those places like Fallingwater and The Robie House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Continue reading
The title of this blog post could refer to my northernmost turning point. Having tagged the Canadian border, I am now slowly turning my way back in a southwestern direction to be with my family in Texas for the holidaze.
Or, it could refer to my reluctance to turn 59 years old, as I did last Wednesday. Just one more year until I have to form my lips into that utterly scary word of “sixty.” (A bit of personal trivia; I share the same birthday with John Lennon, so my annual tradition is to listen to the White Album, if for no other reason than to hear him sing, “They say its your birthday…its my birthday too, yeah!”)
But no…..instead, it refers to…. Continue reading
I got a “bonus day” in Ithaca, due to my own stupidity. I was all set to pack up on Saturday and head north, when I realized I had made my reservation for my next destination starting on Sunday. At first, I just thought “No problem, I will find a Walmart along the way.” But time had run out before I got to complete the list of things I wanted to see in Ithaca, Continue reading
Aside from the beautiful Taughannock Falls State Park where I have been parked for the past two weeks, I also ventured out to visit two of the other three State Parks developed around gorges, all within less than 30 miles from Ithaca. Continue reading