Category: Terrain
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Fayette Historic State Park
Delta County; Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (September 2000) We drove along scenic shoreline through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula between Manistique and Escanaba on U.S. Route 2. It to just a short detour down Lake Michigan’s Garden Peninsula to reach the Fayette Historic State Park and its lovingly preserved ghost town (map). Fayette once housed 500 residents in…
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Beaver Island Travel Index
Beaver Island, Michigan, USA (September 2000) Beaver Island is the largest island in Lake Michigan and the third largest in the Great Lakes, at about 6 miles wide and 13 miles long. It is located 18 miles from Michigan’s lower and upper peninsulas. Native Americans settled Beaver Island originally and Irish immigrants began arriving by…
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Scenic Lakeshores of Beaver Island
Beaver Island, Michigan, USA (September 2000) While Beaver Island displayed amazing lakeshore scenery from practically every angle, three places stood out in particular Mount Pisgah Mt. Pisgah is an overgrown sand dune at the island’s northwest corner (map). It rises to 730 feet just a quarter mile from shore and it’s an obligatory climb. We…
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Rural Scenes from Beaver Island
Beaver Island, Michigan, USA (September 2000) One small town existed on Beaver Island — St. James — and barely a couple hundred people lived there. The remaining several hundred residents spread broadly across the island. Essentially, almost every view involved a rural scene around here. Hiking Miles of hiking trails literally covered Beaver Island. Many…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 9 (Lists)
I like to count a bunch of different things and that didn’t change simply because I went on vacation. If anything, it actually accelerated it. I’m always looking for opportunities to grow my lists. So I thought I’d wrap-up this final article in the Bermuda series with a summary of my progress. Parish Counting I…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 4 (Bermuda Railway Trail )
The Bermuda Railway Trail surprised me in a pleasing way. I saw it on a map before I arrived and I thought it sounded interesting. Actually, it far exceeded my expectations, becoming one of the most memorable parts of my visit. A Little Context Residents and tourists alike used horsepower or their own feet to…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 3 (The Outsider )
As a complete outsider, I didn’t know exactly what to expect when we landed at L. F. Wade Airport on the far eastern end of the archipelago. Sure, I’d thumbed through the guides and scoured the Intertubes although that never truly compares to being there on the ground. I tried to avoid being overly touristy.…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 2 (Shoreline Scenery )
Shorelines defined Bermuda, with no single spot on the archipelago more than a half-mile away from water. Throw in a bunch of hills and it seemed almost impossible to find a place without a spectacular view. This amazing scenery seemed like a fitting topic for the second article in this series now that I’ve gotten…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 1 (Follow the Leader)
I’d never seen Bermuda. It simply never rose to the top of my travel list. I never thought much about it actually. I wanted to see so many other places. Nonetheless, the opportunity dropped into my lap so I took it. My wife the runner who worked for a race company went there on business.…
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Effigy Mounds National Monument
Harpers Ferry, Iowa (June 2009) Few people seem to know much about Effigy Mounds National Monument except for those who happen to live along these magnificent stretches of the Upper Mississippi River (map). It is practically unrivaled for its amazing combination of natural beauty and historical importance, with its scenic vistas above the river and…