GRAPEVINE, Texas – Sue Williams wanted to be a county agricultural agent, but she became a medical doctor and a chocolate maker instead – and the world is a better place for that. Just ask anyone who visits Dr. Sue’s Chocolates, …
ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico – If it weren’t for White Sands National Park and the Manhattan Project atomic bomb heritage of Alamogordo, the most famous aspect of this desert town might be the world biggest pistachio nut. The 30-foot-tall nut is …
WHITETOP MOUNTAIN, Virginia – If the weather is the least bit accommodating, bicyclists enjoy the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail in Southwest Virginia year-round. The 34.3-mile-long route, one of America’s most famous rails-to-trails projects, follows the route of a mountain …
ALAMOGORDO, New Mexico – America got a very big present in the final days of 2019 — its 62nd national park. It is White Sands National Park between Alamogordo and Las Cruces, New Mexico, upgraded from national monument status. You …
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — One of Nashville’s more peculiar pieces of public sculpture is an ornament for passing bicyclists in Shelby Park, just across the Cumberland River from downtown. Shelby Park, with its bike trails, walking paths, lake and other amenities, …
CHICAGO — The Bean, whose formal name is Cloud Gate, is one of the most joy-producing attractions in Chicago. It is a massive work of art (33 feet wide, 66 feet tall and 42 feet high) built with 168 stainless …
CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK, Oregon — The serenity of a crisp autumn day, belies the origins of this stunningly beautiful lake fed only by rainfall and snowmelt high in the Cascade Mountains. National Park Service literature says the volcanic eruption …
NEW YORK – Look for a good angle. That is sage advice from experienced travel photographers, even if it means lying on your back in the middle of a major city, as this tourist in lower Manhattan is demonstrating as …
BARBADOS, West Indies – A dramatic Caribbean sky seems to recall when Charles Fort helped protect this British outpost in the era of exploration and colonization. Charles Fort, built in 1650, actually predates the creation of the Kingdom of Great …
