I recently discovered the VICE video series on YouTube. I like this series, which features off-the-beaten-path travel and other strange, yet fascinating topics. I watched a few videos from the VICE channel consecutively the other night before realizing how much time had passed. This video features Slab City. Residents call it the “last free place in America”. The land does actually belong to someone – well, an organization for teachers – but these folks have moved in and called the land home. Filled with hippies, veterans, drug addicts and more, Slab City isn’t your everyday California destination.
Native American Burials Looted At Illinois State Historic Site
Native American burial mounds at Kincaid Mounds State Historic Site have been illegally excavated and driven over in the worst desecration of a state historic site the state has seen in years.
The Chicago Tribune reports that someone has dug holes into one of the Native American burials. In a separate incident, someone drove a vehicle over one of the mounds. It’s unclear if anything was taken.
The site dates from about 1050 to 1400 AD, during the Mississippian period, a high point in pre-Columbian civilization in the area when large towns created elaborate art and traded across North America. Kincaid was a large town and religious center. The Mississippian people often buried their dead with beads, arrows, pots, and other grave goods. These fetch a good price on the illegal antiquities market and were probably what the vandals were after.
Such crimes come with serious penalties. Disturbing an archaeological sites or human remains on state land carries up to a year in jail and a $10,000 fine. Unsettling of burials on public land can also be a felony punishable by up to three years behind bars and a $25,000 fine.
Painting by Herbert Roe courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
Iconic Road Trips: Weaving Through West Virginia And Maryland On Interstate 68
I’ve driven Interstate 68 more times than I can count. It’s one of the main roads I take any time I’m traveling from the east coast to my hometown (Marietta, Ohio) or the town where my family lives now (Morgantown, West Virginia). I am currently engaged in a longstanding love-hate relationship with this road. I love it because the scenery is outstanding. The rolling hills of Appalachia surround you as you drive through, over and around them. I hate it because it’s a tough road to drive and being a passenger in the car on this road can be a terrible (and scary) experience if the driver isn’t sensible. The hills are steep, the curves are sudden and the cars travel quickly on this road.I once had an engine die on me on this road and, as I sat on the asphalt waiting for the tow truck to arrive, I admitted to myself that I wasn’t surprised. But in regard to a road trip, this is a wonderful road. The fact that it can be a challenging drive makes it more fun if you’re in good company.
If you have the time, stop at Cooper’s Rock State Forest, Cheat Lake, Rocky Gap State Park and Green Ridge State Forest.
Summer Travel Season Kicks Off Right Now
Summer travel season traditionally starts on Memorial Day then ends on Labor Day. Nothing new there. This year though, there are solid signs that the summer travel season could very well be back up to pre-recession levels with Americans traveling more than ever before.
Helped by a dip in gas prices in many areas, Memorial Day weekend travel should start the summer off with a bang as 34.8 million Americans are expected to travel 50 or more miles from home between Friday and Monday. But even in places where the price of gasoline is higher, summer travel is a big priority.
“High debt burdens, gasoline prices, and uncertainties regarding the strength of the current economic recovery have not deterred Californians from holiday travel,” said AAA spokesperson Cynthia Harris in the Newark Patch. “But many consumers intend to cut back on the distance they travel, as well on entertainment expenses, to compensate for reduced travel budgets.”
To make those cutbacks, travelers may book less expensive budget hotels rather than a resort-style property. Best Western International told Gadling that advance summer bookings at the chain’s hotels are up 21 percent this summer compared to summer 2011.”Early numbers not only show bookings are up, but travelers are staying longer with length of stay growing by 4 percent over last year,” said Best Western in an email. “In addition, data shows advance bookings are up throughout the U.S. at suburban properties by 20 percent; at in-town hotels by 19 percent; and at resort properties by 18 percent.”
How we get there is another matter. Airlines buzzing about an increase in fares has many travelers in the car for summer travel, and for good reason. Going forward, “the trend for gasoline prices continues to be down,” oil industry analyst Phil Flynn told the Chicago Sun-Times
Overall, AAA expects travel to be up about 1.5 percent.
“It’s not a huge increase but it is significant in the sense that we’re not having a decrease like we have shown in years past.”
[Flickr photo by Wubbo Sieger]
Civil War Ballooning Revived This Memorial Day Weekend
During the Civil War, the clashing armies used many new technologies to try to gain an advantage.
One military innovation was the balloon. Although the first balloon ascent had taken place in France in 1783 and the French army had already used them in battle as early as 1794, military aviation was still in its infancy and the United States and Confederacy became the second and third countries to use it.
Balloons were handy for spying on enemy movements. Observers would send back information either with signal flags or via a telegraph wire leading to the ground. The more industrial North had an edge in ballooning, but the South used them effectively too. Despite their best efforts, neither side was able to shoot these daring aviators out of the sky.
Now these early experiments are being re-enacted in Virginia. On Saturday, May 26, there will be a Civil War Balloon Observation Exhibit at the Yorktown Battlefield. There will be presentations on how balloons were used by both sides. It’s part of a weekend of lectures and re-enactments.
On Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, at the Gloucester Main Street Center, there will be a Civil War re-enactment featuring a 45-foot diameter replica of the Union’s balloon Intrepid. Re-enactors will portray Union and Confederate balloonists. Those who prefer more recent military history can meet special guest Richard C. Kirkland, who flew 103 combat missions in World War II and whose 69 helicopter rescues in Korea inspired the movie and TV series “M*A*S*H.”
[Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]