Category: Road

Canada’s Eastern Provinces

Post author By TravisGood
Post date July 15, 2009
No Comments on Canada’s Eastern Provinces

Kelsey at Niagara — Ironic that here I chose a picture taken on the U.S. side of Niagara Falls but Kelsey’s exuberance outshines the dreary day. She started energized and positive and throughout 12 days and more than 3,000 miles she remained a great travel partner! Go Kelsey!!!

Road trips with Kelsey are starting to become a tradition. Our first outing was down the east coast to Charleston. Our second trip was along Route 66 <fix> from Chicago to Santa Monica. She’s proven to have what it takes to flourish on this kind of trip so why not keep it going?! Heck, soon she’ll be able to share in the driving so we can do even more.

Wanting to ensure she has a good time, I take her over territory I’m already familiar with. Just recently I had been along the Maine coast <fix>and up to Prince Edward Isle, <fix> two years ago I drove across Canada, and three years ago I’d visited Niagara Falls. I proposed weaving these together into one massive loop and she agreed. The route of our trip is mapped below. We started in D.C. and went clockwise around the circuit.

Lighthouse Road Travel

Lighthouses of Maine

Maine Lighthouse — Big sky and big sea can add to a light’s lure, especially when it’s perched up high as Owl Head lighthouse was. In Maine the variety is great but it can be a challenge finding a good view of the lights!

Maine’s coast is rocky and littered with little islands. It’s easy to understand why 82 lighthouses were needed to keep water traffic safe. This density of lights is what drew me to Maine’s coast, along with the promise of a visit to Acadia National Park. What wasn’t expected was the outlandish side trip to Prince Edward Island in Canada.

Hike Ocean Road Travel

Acadia National Park

Jordan Pond is a spot I got a bit caught-up in. The water is crystal clear, the water was like glass, and the surrounding hills were quite the spectacle. No wonder I returned there four times!

Twenty five years ago Beth and I spent some of our honeymoon in Bar Harbor so we could enjoy this neighboring national park. My memory of Acadia was vague. I remembered islands, camping at ocean’s edge, and eating lobster but not much more. Perhaps it was the good vibe of getting married mixed with a wondrous setting but returning has long been a travel priority.

Bridge Lighthouse Road Travel

Lights of Prince Edward Island

Post author By TravisGood
Post date May 15, 2009
No Comments on Lights of Prince Edward Island

PEI Bridge — Until 1998, the only way to get to Prince Edward Isle was by ferry. Now, the Confederation Bridge will get you across the seven mile gap for the small fee of $37. Ouch!

The bridge took me across to Canada’s smallest province. A beautiful island of rolling hills. The setting of House of Green Gables. A land of lighthouses aplenty. On my last visit to PEI charmed me so from my Maine trip I was motivated to make this mad-dash for a quick visit.

What did I do? Why shoot lighthouses of course!

Lighthouse Road Travel

Oregon Trek

Crescent City Lighthouse — Lighthouses sure hold a special appeal for me. Along the coast I saw 15 different lighthouses and most had a unique charm all its own. Here you can see the Crescent City lighthouse at dawn.

My trip started with the celebration of my mother’s 70th birthday, it continued with a slew of visits and day trips, this was followed by a nine-day 3,000-mile drive around Oregon, and finished with a micro-reunion of high school classmates. I came away with a renewed appreciation for Oregon, its diversity of beauty, and its history. It really is an impressive State.

If you’re curious to know more then you can check out my trip site here.

Bridge Cave Family Historical Museum River Road Technology Travel

Mammoth Cave Loop

New River Bridge — The to and the from of any road trip can be every bit as rewarding as the primary destinations. That was certainly true of this trip through West Virginia and Kentucky!

I won’t mince words. I love my daughters. My older daughter Courtney is a student at the University of Virginia which could be along the way of this road trip if I wanted it to be so I stopped both ways and each time Courtney graced me with some attention. She can make a father’s heart soar!

At UVA with Courtney On my way west, as I entered West Virginia I drove by a National Park Service sign. These always catch my attention because they’re without exception wonderful places to visit. “Cool” I thought “I need a little break from driving so I’ll check it out.” I’d never heard of the mis-named New River but it’s one of the oldest rivers on the continent with the deepest gorges in the east. The bridge pictured above spans the New River gorge and is the longest arch bridge in the world. How great! Seeing it wasn’t even on my list!

Historical Museum Road Travel

Lincoln’s 200th Birthday

Shaking Lincoln's Hand — 200 years after his birth this great American still took the time to shake my hand. What a guy!

My interest in President Lincoln started by accident.

Kelsey and I were driving down historic Route 66 in Illinois when Beth for the 20th time suggested we stop in Springfield and visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “Why in the world would we want to do that?” we wondered but assuming it was good advice we sought it out. Wow! What a fantastic show! It did the job of educating me a bit on Lincoln but more importantly it kindled a desire to learn more about the man.

Historical Museum Road Train Travel

Baltimore Museums

B&O Railroad in Baltimore — Looks like a horse drawn coach but it’s a very early passenger car from the dawn of steam locomotion. Fascinating to see a legacy of the old be used in the new transport ... a distinct character of transition.

Today’s winter weather promised to be unseasonably sunny and 60 degrees so at 7:30AM I headed out the door for Baltimore. Only an hour away, I’ve given Baltimore almost no attention over the years but after consulting AAA.com I found an abundance of interesting sites to visit. Today I hit Fort McHenry, the Baltimore Museum of Industry, and the B&O Railroad Museum.

Animal Historical Museum Road Travel

Delmarva Loop

Misty of Chincoteague — Everyone to whom I wrote to about my visiting Chincoteague asked about Misty. Well here she is on Assateague Island where she lives till The Spring Swim during which the herds are chased from one island to the other.

A busy, busy couple of days! Intended as a pleasant two-day drive to acquaint myself with the Delmarva peninsula (Delmarva = Delaware, Maryland,Virginia) it turned into a very substantive trip. The original plan was to head to Jamestown, drive north to Chincoteague, and return home via Baltimore. Simple, right? No. As is so often the case, the closer you look, the more there is to do.

Family Road Travel

Staunton Inaugruration

UVA at Obama Inauguration — Ostensibly I was simply transportation for Kelsey to go visit Courtney but it turned in to so much more including the opportunity to view President Obama’s inauguration in the UVA Arena with thousands!

Recently the short trip theme has seen lots of activity. Two hours from home is Charlottesville and only 45 minutes further puts you in Staunton, VA. “So what?” you may ask, “What’s there?” To which I say “A surprising lot!”

Here you have it: I visited Woodrow Wilson Museum and Birthplace, the P. Buckley Moss Museum, Mary Baldwin College, the Lunatic Asylum, historic downtown Staunton, the Frontier Culture Museum, and Sunspots Studios. I’ll tell you, I was not hurting for things to do!