Maryland's Historic National Road

by Kelly Amabile on

One of my favorite city publications to read when I
lived in Baltimore was The Urbanite, a monthly magazine
covering the people, place and pulse of the city. Each issue centers on a theme – topics such as literature,
spirituality, health or music. The December issue was all about preservation, and included this interesting piece about traveling the National Historic Road through Maryland. City dwellers gotta get
out of town sometimes, and I like that The Urbanite always includes an idea or two of things to see in areas
surrounding Charm City.

As the first federally funded road, the National Historic Road provided a gateway to
the West for thousands of settlers who followed it from Baltimore through the Appalachians to Illinois. Growth and
development has, of course, modified the exact road, but the historic route can still be followed, as the author of the
Urbanite story recounts in his scenic daytrip adventure. He heads out at 7:30 am to make the 170-mile westward drive. By
5 pm he has passed through quiet towns with antique shops and cafes, as well as numerous hiking trails and state parks
that dot the route. It’s a great day trip for folks in the Baltimore area, and the excellent Byways website provides itineraries and suggestions for where to stop
along the way. Travelers will pass through cities like New Market, Hagerstown and Cumberland.

A Bit on Mount St. Helens

by Erik Olsen on

The Chicago Trib
heads out West to God’s country and visits the great Mount St. Helens that blew her top on my birthday all those
years ago. Writer Robert Cross takes us there and delivers a dose of history and geology about this monumental natural
event. Myself, I was a wee lad, but I still remember the images on the tele. And it seems ol St. Helens has been acting
up again lately, though she hasn’t yet blown her top again. There is an active volcano there still and St. Helens
watchers (as well as a few apocalypse hunters) have been camping out waiting for her to go, thus heralding in the end
of the world as we know it. But don’t worry, you’ll feel fine. (subscription req)

Tropic of Capricorn Travel Destinations

by Adrienne Wilson on

While it may be winter here in our northern hemisphere it is summer down south. Not that the sun shining guarantees a hot day for the beach,
but today the sun’s rays will be most vertical around 1:35PM, cooking the Earth’s soil in destinations one in frigid
South Dakota could only dream to be. Though many will experience the solstice in several different ways, it is the
locations that sit comfortably on or very close to the Tropic of Capricorn that will be the sunniest. After
doing a little bit of searching I found some pretty cool places to be around this time of year and some pretty
interesting travelers facts.

Starting with Australia, one gentleman spent 229 days trekking across the length of Australia along the Tropic of Capricorn to raise money for the
Royal Flying Doctor Service. Surprisingly he set a record for his travels in 1999 which hadn’t been done previously. I
would have imagined someone would have gotten hung up on seeing Australia via the tropic a long time ago, but go
figure. His website provides many details on his trip in addition to his team of camels along the way, a letter from
the Prime Minister, including some amazing journal entries.

From Australia I’ll move to Brazil. This is the
only country that the Equator and a Tropic both run through and the best cities to celebrate this day of solstice are
Sao Paulo and Rio. It is to one’s advantage that they are quite popular. Let’s Go Travel has some great
online travel info on these season changes for potential visitors.

Last, but not least is the southern town
of Tulear, Madagascar. Oliver Kuederle’s website does an
incredible job at pointing global wanderers to neat sites in the country. Along with some basic facts, he leaves you
with some tips and of course some journal entries from his own experiences.

Photo from Toon en Rikkemien

Los Glaciares

by Erik Olsen on

I’ve blogged a few times here about one of my favorite places in the world: Patagonia. Among the list of great
places I’ve been lucky enough to go,
Torres del Paine national park ranks
there among the top. Another place just over the crags of the Andes in Argentina that’s also amazing for hikers,
climbers, photographers, is Los Glaciares. Los Glaciers is the 3rd
largest ice field in the world after Antarctica and Greenland. The heavy moisture content there causes a great deal of
snowfall that over the years turns to ice and becomes part of the ice field. The ice reflects blue light and take on an
otherworldly hue…if by otherworldly, we also include those blue ice freezer packs. Los Glaciares is also a
UNESCO world heritage site, so you know it’s great. But the fact is that this
entire region is amazing and worth some exploration.


Gemini Backpackers Lodge

by Adrienne Wilson on

Went looking for my travel horoscope and found the Gemini Backpackers
Lodge located in Johannesburg, South Africa instead. A sign? Possibly. I’ve always wanted to travel to South
Africa or better I say Africa, period. For something to have stumbled on with no real intentions of heading to the
lodge in the near future it doesn’t look like a bad spot to crash if you’re going there yourself.

The VIP backpackers resort is only a 15 minute ride from the airport and central to pretty much everything
you need. On the premises, one might explore the three acres of gardens, take a dip in the pool or play a little
tennis. If you’re itching to get out, the resort has its own in-house registered guide and can arrange day trips to
Pretoria, Cheetah Research Center, Soweto, and Lesedi Cultural Village. For a better idea of what the facilities are
like you can click here. Pretty nice place with hot
showers around the clock.