Category: History
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Ithaca with Kids
Tompkins County, New York (September 2006) Ithaca is a small city that rests at the southern tip of Cayuga Lake (map). There are many cultural amenities due to its proximity to Cornell University. It also served as an excellent gateway to the larger Finger Lakes region of central New York. We visited the renowned Ithaca…
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The Old Howder Homestead
Cambria Township, Niagara Co., New York, USA (August 4, 2003) While in the area, I took the opportunity to track down some family history. My great-great-great-grandfather, George Howder built this home in Cambria Township, Niagara County, New York circa 1849 (map). The current owners were kind enough to allow me to visit and provided a…
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park
San Juan Co., New Mexico, USA (May 1992) We spent much of a day and drove more than four hundred miles without ever leaving the state of New Mexico. That morning we left Carlsbad in the far southeastern corner destined for Chaco Culture National Historical Park in the for northwest. First we passed Roswell, looking…
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Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park
Cornish, Sullivan Co., New Hampshire, USA (October 2010) Augustus Saint-Gaudens hailed from Ireland but moved with his family to the United States as a small child. He studied in Europe and spent the formative years of his career in New York City. Eventually he became one of the most preeminent sculptors of the “American Renaissance”…
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Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge
Between Cornish, New Hampshire and Windsor, Vermont (October 2010) We happened to be in Windsor, Vermont for a long autumn weekend as the leaves began to change color, and decided to visit the historic home of August Saint-Gaudens in nearby Cornish. The most efficient way to do that is by taking the wonderful Cornish-Windsor covered…
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John C. Stennis Space Center
Hancock County, Mississippi, USA (March 2007) [EDITOR’S NOTE: This page will remain active for historical purposes although please be advised that the visitor center, tours and levels of security have changed considerably since this 2007 visit. See the pages written after our 2015 and 2019 visits for more recent summaries. Also, please contact the INFINITY…
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Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Near Traverse City, Michigan; September 2000 Glaciers scoured the Great Lakes region during the last Ice Age. This mighty forces inundated the countryside, carving out many areas while leaving deposits behind in others. Sleeping Bear Dunes became one of those locations that happened to gain land, and presents rare examples of what are known geologically…
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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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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…