This is the last of five posts about our late summer trip to Mackinaw City and Michigan’s upper peninsula; we visited the area after bringing my son up to college in Michigan. Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse was built in 1892 in the same northern park that was originally allotted for its construction. This lighthouse would […]
Author: Jody Arneson
Mackinac Island
This is the fourth of five posts about our late summer trip to Mackinaw City and Michigan’s upper peninsula; we visited the area after bringing my son up to college in Michigan. The Victorian Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. After exploring Mackinaw City, we wanted to go over to St Ignace to explore it too. […]
Two Lakes, a Bridge, a Fort, and a Park
Focusing on Mackinaw City, MI, this is the third of five posts about our late summer trip to Mackinaw City and Michigan’s upper peninsula; we visited the area after bringing my son up to college in Michigan. If you drive to the top of Michigan’s lower peninsula, you will arrive at Mackinaw City, which lies […]
Marsh of the Blueberries and More to See in Michigan’s UP
This is the second of five posts about our late summer trip to Mackinaw City and Michigan’s upper peninsula; we visited the area after bringing my son up to college in Michigan. We were impressed with how much there is to see and do in Michigan’s upper peninsula and just how lovely it is. What […]
The Ghost Ships of Lake Superior
This week we depart the Mid-Atlantic states for a brief journey across Michigan, which brought us all the way up to Lake Superior to see shipwrecks underwater, back down to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island — a magical place — and then down the coast of Lake Huron to visit a few lighthouses. This post […]
Out Foxed at Island Beach State Park
A colleague, upon reading several of my blogs, suggested I check out Island Beach State Park. Island Beach is currently one of the most popular state parks in New Jersey and attracts approximately one million visitors every year. With beautiful, pristine beaches, I was surprised when he suggested that winter is a great time to […]
Beautiful Ruins, Beautifully Preserved
On a hilltop overlooking the Patapsco River Valley, stabilized ruins sit serenely in a park just above Ellicott City. I’ve known vaguely that these are the former Patapsco Female Institute, which was founded in 1837 as an elegant finishing school for young women. Despite living in Ellicott City for almost two decades now, only recently […]
The Lost Post
C&O Canal Between Monocacy Aqueduct and Catoctin Creek Aqueduct I call this the lost post because I had this article almost completely written — I was just feeding in the photos, when my beagle, Meeko, sat his big fat hairy butt on my little laptop and butt-erased most of the post. I was more sad and […]
Getting to Know the Ghosts of Gettysburg
Gettysburg is as known for its ghost tours as the battle itself, which caused so much alleged paranormal activity. The ghost tours are everywhere! Stroll along Baltimore Street or Steinwehr Avenue at 7 or 9 pm and you’ll see multiple groups. There are now more than a dozen to choose from, a ridiculous number for […]
My Top 5 Winter Day Trips
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This another in the series of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature! 5. Snowtubing, of course!There are lots of places to go, […]
Snow Tubing Winter Fun
One of my favorite wintertime activities is to go snowtubing. It’s better (although more expensive) than going sledding, and for those of us intimidated by skis and snowboards, a great alternative. It’s one heck of a great way to feel like a kid again! My favorite place to go is Boulder Ridge, part of the […]
Day Trip on a Budget: Fort Necessity
This is my first day trip on a budget post, and I’m going back to one of the first posts of this blog: Fort Necessity, which is part of the national park system, for the material. I’ll be drawing on a lot of my day trips to national and state parks, because quite honestly, they’re […]
Out with 2015 and Looking Forward to 2016!!
Well, I certainly could have done better on my 2015 wishlist — of the 11 items I wanted to do, I did 4 1/2 — the half being that, although I didn’t actually get there, a guest blogger kindly did the strenuous hiking up Maryland Heights (it’s straight up the side of a mountain). Check out […]
Peace, Love and Folk Art
Tonight is the eve of Christmas Eve, and I think it is fitting to post about one of the surprises and pleasures Pittsburgh offers! We discovered this place quite by accident. The morning we were due to leave Pittsburgh, our waiter at breakfast commented on a brightly colored sweatshirt I was wearing, noting that the […]
My Top 5 December Activities
Periodically (i.e., whenever the whim strikes me, I’ll post my top picks. This is yet another in the continuing series of the My Top Picks posts. Links to the original posts will be embedded in the text. Let me know what you think of this new blog feature!December is a favorite time of year because […]