5 Places to See Wild Turkeys

by Andrew Evans on

The quintessential American bird is typically spotted on your dining room table, naked and headless, with a plastic thermometer thingy stuck in its butt–but, such was not the case with our early pilgrim ancestors who first laid eyes on these magnificent fowl in 17th-century Massachusetts. Real wild turkeys are truly a site to behold, so this Thanksgiving, why not step away from the TV and go find some actual live turkeys doing real turkey things? Honestly, it’s not as hard as you think (New Jersey Turnpike, anyone?). Here are five destinations to get you started:

1. Long Island, New York Who would have thunk it? But yeah, New York state is home to around 300,000 turkeys, of which approximately one percent thrive in the backyards of Long Island. Do the locals embrace this living emblem of American heritage? No, all they do is complain about the mess. Sigh.

2. Edgefield, South Carolina Not only was the Palmetto State the first to secede from the Union, it’s also the world headquarters for the National Wild Turkey Federation. Yes America, we have a theme park for everything, including a Wild Turkey Center dedicated to preserving turkeys so that hunters can keep shooting them. Activities include learning to stalk turkeys and classes in making turkey calls.

3. Western Oklahoma
There are A LOT of wild turkeys in Oklahoma, especially in the western counties along the Texas border. Forget making hand turkeys this year. Instead, print up this nifty, informative practice target and pretend you’re a really hungry pilgrim.

4. Big Island, Hawaii Back in 1961, an intrepid farmer imported 400 wild turkeys from Texas to his ranch on the Big Island. He must have had a lousy fence, because an estimated 30,000 wild turkeys now roam the volcanic highlands of Hawaii, about half of them on the Big Island.

5. Pennsylvania After wild turkey populations dwindled nationwide, it was the good old birds of Pennsylvania that helped repopulate the rest of the country. Today, the state is home to nearly half a million wild turkeys who hang out in the back hills and hollows, eluding hunters and reproducing even more. The thing about Pennsylvania is that basically, if you go sit in the woods and wait long enough, you’re pretty much gonna see a turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving then, and may all your turkey searching be as successful as the first time Americans went into the woods.

Photo of the Day (11-14-09)

by Jamie Rhein on

On Thanksgiving Day in 2006, Patrick Powers was at the beach in Orange County, California feeling thankful for the weather that allowed him to surf. The movement of the surfer embodies a surefooted pleasure and determination as the water arcs above his head. Very well done!

Here’s hoping your Thanksgiving brings you a sure footed pleasure whether you’re catching waves somewhere or sitting in a easy chair waiting for your food to digest.

If you have a shot to share, send it our way at Gadling’s Flickr photo pool. It might be chosen for a Photo of the Day. Powers’ photo is one of the four in our pool tagged “thankful.” It also appeared under “thanks.”

Gadlinks for Wednesday 11.25.2009

by Brenda Yun on

I hope we can all take some time out of our pre-Thanksgiving travel madness to enjoy some down time with some pre-Thanksgiving travel stories. On behalf of all the writers here at Gadling, we wish you all a day full of gratitude and filled with loved ones.

‘Til tomorrow, have a great evening!

More Gadlinks here.

Get out and go: Events around the world (November 25-30)

by Brenda Yun on

If you’re living in America, you know what’s happening this Thursday. For those of you who aren’t in New York to catch the Thanksgiving Day Parade, there are other awesome activities going on this weekend. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Charlotte – The Carolinas Thanksgiving Day Parade will be held this Thursday, November 26. This 62th annual parade is one of the largest get togethers of Carolinians that takes place during the year.
  • Brunei – Brunei’s annual Festival of Sacrifice will be held this Friday, November 27. This is also known as Hari Raya Korban or Hari Raya Aidiladha. Goats and cows are sacrificed to commemorate the actions of the Islamic Prophet Ibrahim. The meat is then distributed among relatives, friends and the less fortunate.
  • England – The Draught for Drought Winter Beer Festival will be held at the New Inn in Witney from November 26-29. The festival will have an extensive selection of ales, traditional cuisine, and live entertainment. The event is a benefit for the African Children’s Fund’s “Draught for Drought” program. The proceeds help East African communities to find sustainable ways of capturing and storing water.

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was, or if you know of an event that’s coming up, please let us know and we’ll be sure to include it in the next “Get out and go” round-up.

DoT gives airlines $175,000 reminder ahead of Thanksgiving

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Three airlines just scored a first with the U.S. government: they were fined for leaving passengers in the lurch. Continental Airlines, ExpressJet (a Continental affiliate) and Mesaba (part of Delta) racked up a total punishment of $175,000 when their combined efforts left fliers on a plane in Minnesota for six hours.

Continental and ExpressJet were slapped with a fine of $100,000, while Mesaba was nailed for $75,000, according to the Department of Transportation.

With the busiest travel day of the year right around the corner, the timing couldn’t have been better. Airlines that let their guards down could face stiff fines. And, let’s face it: these airlines can’t afford peanuts, let alone five- and six-figure fines.

On August 8, 2009, 47 passengers were stuck on a Continental Express plane, which was diverted to Rochester, Minnesota (the original plan was Houston to Minneapolis), where they were forced to spend the night. ExpressJet operated the flight, while Mesaba, the only airline working the airport, refused to let passengers leave the plane.