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.All Trips / Central USA / Colorado / North America
Walking Main Street in Gold Hill, Colorado
There are many mining towns in the Colorado Rockies, one of the most interesting being Gold Hill. This town is located in the mountains northwest of Boulder at an elevation of 8,300 feet (2530 m). A scenic drive, most of it on gravel roads, leads you through the transition of the great plains to the foothills, with the grand peaks of the Rockies visible at some distance to the west.
Gold was discovered by a group of prospectors in a small stream near the town site in January 1859. This stream was named Gold Run and in March of that year, the first mining district in the Nebraska Territory was created (Colorado had not yet been granted statehood). The site and …
Tagged gold, Gold Hill, Main Street, mining
“Pic of the Week”, February 8, 2019: Downtown Baker City, Oregon
I’d driven past Baker City in northeastern Oregon a number of times before finally visiting it — twice — in one year. One visit was a relatively quick one, just driving through to see the historic district while on a road-trip. For our second visit it was our destination for viewing the 2017 Solar Ellipse as it was in the path of totality.
Baker City is relatively small, with around 10,000 residents. The community lay along the famous Oregon Trail and really took hold after the railroad came through. By 1900 it was the largest city between Salt Lake City and Portland. It rests between the picturesque Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountain and the setting is quite pretty. The city …
.All Trips / Food / Nevada / North America / Southwestern USA
We breakfasted at Peg’s a number of times during our week in the Reno area and tried a variety of breakfast entries. All were excellent! Peg’s is especially known for its omelets and “Glorified Skillets”. While …
Nevada’s great Breakfast Diner! Peg’s Glorified Ham n Eggs
While I don’t usually focus on reviews of restaurants, I do like to share special places that I’ve enjoyed during my travels. Today I’d like to make you aware of a wonderful breakfast/lunch diner I discovered while visiting Northern Nevada .
Peg’s Glorified Ham ‘n Eggs was founded in Reno in 1999 by a husband-and-wife team, Fred and Joanna (aka “Pops and Peg”). The original restaurant became so popular that there are now eight sites, including Carson City (the one we visited), Sparks and Henderson.
Peg’s Glorified Ham in Eggs
We breakfasted at Peg’s a number of times during our week in the Reno area and tried a variety of breakfast entries. All were excellent! Peg’s is especially known for its omelets and “Glorified Skillets”. While …
Tagged breakfast, Carson City, diner, food, Reno
.All Trips / Eastern Canada / Food / North America / Nova Scotia
Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery, Halifax
While almost certainly not as famous as it’s founder would have liked, Alexander Keith’s Nova Scotia Brewery has developed a niche following throughout Canada, especially in its eastern provinces. The brewery was created almost two centuries ago, in 1820, making it one of the oldest breweries in North America (the oldest surviving commercial brewery is John Molson’s, founded in Montreal in 1786).
Alexander Keith was a Scottish immigrant who had been a brewer in Edinburgh and London before moving to the New World. He had an interesting career that extended beyond brewing and including being mayor of Halifax and President of the Provincial Legislative Council of Nova Scotia. While in Canada he experimented with ale, porter, ginger wine and spruce beer, …
Tagged Alexander Keith's, beer, brewery, Halifax
“Pic of the Week”, January 25, 2019: Bow Valley Provincial Park
Alberta has a fine network of provincial parks (analogous to American state parks). One of these is situated just east of the Alberta Rocky mountains on the banks of the Bow River as it makes its way from Banff to Calgary and ultimately to Hudson’s Bay.
The park has several campgrounds which are very popular during the summer months. It provides excellent access to Banff and Canmore, and is also not that far from Calgary. The park also offers some easy hiking trails that provide a nice way to explore the terrain of the Rocky mountain foothills.
We parked at Middle Lake and explored many of the trails in the area — Middle Lake, Moraine and …
“Pic of the Week”, January 4, 2019. Old Fire Truck, Gold Hill
Situated in the high foothills of the Rocky Mountains is the town of Gold Hill. This is a fascinating living relic of Colorado’s mining past and an interesting place to visit.
Sitting by the town’s main road is a large rusting and faded truck that was worth exploring. On closer look, it became clear that this was an ancient Ford fire truck, circa 1940 or so. Most of the lights and equipment have been stripped and it obviously hasn’t been used for many years, but it definitely fit into the landscape of Gold Hill.
I love finding old vehicles like this during my travels!
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)
Jan 3, 2019
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“Pic of the Week”, December 21, 2018: The National Christmas Tree, Washington DC
I felt lucky to have seen the National Christmas tree beautifully decorated and lite up during a visit to Washington DC. The National Christmas Tree is situated in President’s Park, right across from the White House. For almost a century a beautiful tree has been decorated and illuminated at this site and it has become part of the nation’s Christmas tradition.
The tree contains over 75,000 individual LED bulbs (donated by GE). It’s lite every day from dusk until about midnight. The walkway surrounding the National Christmas tree features 56 smaller state and territory trees, each decorated with unique hand-made ornaments. Musical groups from across the country provide entertainment. And, like many things in DC, it’s completely free.
Merry Christmas to all!
(Click on …
.All Trips / D.C. / North America / Southeastern USA / Washington District of Columbia
Korean War Veterans’ Memorial, Washington
One of the more unusual and more interesting monuments in Washington DC is the Korean War Memorial. The Memorial is situated on the National Mall, close to the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool.
The Korean War started in 1950 with the North Korean Invasion of South Korea. North Korea was supported by China and the USSR; the United States lead a 21-nation United Nations force to help South Korea. The war lasted for three years and ended in a tense stalemate which lingers to this day. Hopefully things are finally moving towards a more peaceful Korean peninsula.
The Korean War Veterans Memorial commemorates the service and sacrifice of 5.8 million Americans who served during the three-years of the Korean War. The United …
