Weird and wonderful is the only way to describe my brief visit to Salem, Massachusetts. If you have a fascination with the hauntings of Halloween, this is the epicenter for such things as ghost tours, a touristy witch “museum”, kitschy horror shops, and storefront psychics. On the other hand, the colonial charm and history of…
They report for duty in uniform — khaki shirt, name tag over the left breast shirt pocket, and a cap with an embroidered emblem that looks like lightning bolts. A patch on the left sleeve identifies who they are: National Park Service Volunteer. They’re surrounded by electronic relics— most still working— that take up space…
You can appreciate what it took to help ships navigate the rocky, fog-shrouded, and windswept northern Pacific coast when you journey far out to the isolated Point Reyes Lighthouse. It is a hike to get there. From the parking area at Point Reyes National Seashore, you first ascend a steep paved walking path and then…
One of America’s most natural wonders sits directly in the path of one of the world’s most well-known earthquake zones: the San Andreas Fault. Point Reyes National Seashore has spectacular beauty, abundant flora and fauna, and magnificent coastal cliffs. Yet the ground under it all is constantly on the move. The San Andreas Fault is…
Beginning in the early 1900s, movie theaters hung signs touting air conditioning to lure customers in from summer’s heat. The coast of Maine prefers the natural way, circulating cool air from the chilly wild Atlantic. No wonder so many people flock here to play outdoors. Coastal Maine has so much to offer: Quaint seaside villages;…
