Deception Pass Bridge

After decades of lobbying from locals, a steel bridge was finally constructed in one year between August 1934 and July 1935, to join Whidbey Island to Fidalgo Island which was already connected to the mainland of Washington. The construction of the bridge was ambitious during the Great Depression but for the cost of $420,000, what became the Deception Pass…

Admiralty Head Lighthouse

Located within Fort Casey Historical State Park in the Coupeville area of Whidbey Island in Washington state, Admiralty Head Lighthouse was first constructed in 1890, then rebuilt in 1903. The brick lighthouse only had a short career being deactivated in 1922 and later used as a building for the training of working dogs by the army….

My Top 10 US States

Since checking off travelling to all 50 US states last year, I get asked a lot what my favourite states are? That’s a pretty tough question! So, based off my overall travel experiences here goes. Firstly, generally people are friendly everywhere and each of the 50 US states has something special to offer but for…

Georgia On My Mind – Road Trip Part IV: Americus and the Capture of Jefferson Davis

My road trip around the state of Georgia continues… From the Civil War prison at Andersonville, I ventured south-west and just outside Americus (coolest name for a town I have come across in a while!) I discovered a unique snippet of history. At the towns airport there is a memorial to “The Lone Eagle“, famous…

Georgia On My Mind – Road Trip Part II: Stone Mountain a Confederate Memorial

My road trip around the state of Georgia continues… STONE MOUNTAIN Not far outside of Atlanta is Stone Mountain, the largest exposed granite monolith in the world. It has the tourist oriented trappings of a small family friendly amusement park of sorts but I avoided all that and just enjoyed the view. Although it has always…

Mauna Kea, Hawaii – Dormant Volcano

Mauna Kea is the highest point in Hawaii (4,207 metres / 13,803 feet above sea level) and is located more or less right in the middle of The Big Island. This is a barren almost desert like area on the island. It is windswept, dusty and hot.Why? Well Mauna Kea is a long dormant volcano (it last erupted over…

The Cog Railway to the top of the World (well New Hampshire at least)!

What a journey! This is just one section of the Mt. Washington Cog Railway in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. This is the worlds first mountain climbing train which commenced operations in 1869. The train engines and tracks have been constantly updated ever since and the trains operate regardless of the weather conditions. The cog train that you take…

North vs. South – The Dakota’s that is!

North and South Dakota in the far north of the United States have some of the most wondrous scenery in the country. The Great Plains, National Grasslands and The Badlands to name a few. They are also some of the least populated states. I was recently in the Dakota’s and here are just a few…

Bodie State Historical Park – A Gold Mining Ghost Town

Bodie State Historical Park in the high altitude Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains in California is a fascinating glimpse into the past. Bodie is a gold mining ghost town that as been preserved in a state of “arrested decay” (basically frozen in time) with the interiors of the homes pretty much remaining as they were left with…

Mono Lake, California

Once you leave California’s scenic Yosemite National Park along the Tioga Road through the Tioga Pass you enter the arid Mono Basin of the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. In this basin lays the unique Mono Lake. A large 182 square kilometre (70 square miles) salt lake. In 1941 water from tributaries that fed into the lake were diverted to the…

Sacramento – California’s Capital

In early September 2012 I stayed in Sacramento, California for a couple of days mainly to attend the California Capital Air Show. While there I took some time to do a bit of sight-seeing, especially around the impressive State Capitol building. The Capitol building is not only the functioning state government legislature and home off the office…

Seattle Japanese Garden

A little piece of Japan that is a beautiful oasis within Seattle’s Washington Park Arboretum. The garden was completed in 1960 following the design of Juki Lida a  famous Japanese designer of more than 1,000 Japanese gardens across the world. The colours of the trees and plants, along with the garden design, ceremonial tea house, tortoises and colourful koi fish in the…