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 …

Winter on the Virginia Creeper Trail Read more »

Cyclists glide over the Arkansas River on the Big Dam Bridge.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A statement of the obvious earned the Big Dam Bridge its name and helped cement its identity as the longest bridge in North America built just for pedestrians and bicyclists.  Citing the bridge’s name in conversation …

It Really Is the Big Dam Bridge Read more »

Capt. Steve Perrigin chases redfish, speckled trout and other species in inshore waters. (Photo by Tom Adkinson)

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. – Capt. Steve Perrigin, the one-man band orchestrating a charter boat business called Strictly Fishin’, seldom ventures more than about six miles from his dock at the Ocean Springs Marine Mart in Ocean Springs. He doesn’t need …

Fishing Close to Home in Ocean Springs Read more »

Only slightly more than a hundred Mississippi sandhill cranes exist. (Photo by FWS.gov)

GAUTIER, Miss. – While casino showrooms on the Mississippi Gulf Coast deliver excellent entertainment, Mother Nature knows how to put on a good show, too. Here are five ways to enjoy the outdoors just a few miles from the blackjack …

Meeting Mother Nature in Mississippi Read more »

An on-the-ground coach works with every Dig This visitor and communicates to the operators via radio. Coaches also have kill switches. (Photo by Tom Adkinson)

By Tom Adkinson LAS VEGAS – Be ready to pass a Breathalyzer test if you want to drive one of Ed Mumm’s bulldozers – which may be a bit difficult for some because Mumm’s bulldozers are a heavyweight attraction in …

Firing Up a Bulldozer in a Las Vegas Sandbox for Adults Read more »

Captain Kenny Kreeger scans Lake Pontchartrain for just the right spot. (Photo: Tom Adkinson)

ON LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN, La. – It’s one thing to have a fishing guide who puts you on fish. It’s an entirely different thing to have a fishing guide who also imparts a sense of place. If you engage Captain Kenny …

Fish Tales and Life Stories on Lake Pontchartrain Read more »

Photo by Tom Adkinson

With the possible exception of trout fishermen obsessing over salmonoids , virtually everyone considers the American black bear to be the symbol of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They are beautiful, but far from cuddly, and there are about 1,500 …

Watch, but don’t feed the bears in the Smoky Mountains Read more »