Parfrey’s Glen is a favorite hiking destination. It’s located within Devil’s Lake State Park, just south of Devil’s Lake itself. Parfrey’s Glen was Wisconsin’s first State Natural Area. It’s a gorge carved into the local sandstone by the meltwater of the last ice age. How cool is that? Parfrey’s Glen used to be a well-kept […]
Gibraltar Rock
Gibraltar Rock is a geological feature in Columbia County, Wisconsin. Rising 200 feet above the farmland below, Gibraltar Rock offers tremendous views of the surrounding countryside, including Lake Wisconsin. The trail to the top is uphill, but it’s pretty easy going. Gibraltar Rock used to be accessible by car almost all the way to the […]
Star Trees, Willamette University
After our tour of Willamette University, we walked around campus some more to take in this lovely place. The Willamette campus has a mill creek running through it, and lots of flowering trees in bloom for our springtime visit. The northeast edge of Willamette’s campus is across the street from the Oregon State Capitol. It’s […]
Frank Manor House
The Frank Manor House is the home of admissions and the office of the president at Lewis and Clark College. It’s a beautiful Tudor mansion at the heart of a beautiful college campus. Out back, the Frank Manor House looks over a terraced garden, with a view of Mt. Hood in the notch between the […]
Union Passenger Station
The Union Passenger Station in Tacoma, Washington, is a massive Beaux-Arts railway station built in 1911. Designed by Reed and Stem, Union Station sports a giant copper dome and an expansive interior rotunda. Like many train stations around the U.S., Union Station fell into obscurity and disrepair after the last passenger train rolled out in […]
Lake George Boathouses
Lake George is 32 miles long, stretching from Lake George Village in the south to Ticonderoga at the northern tip. It’s a sister to Lake Champlain to the east – both long and thin and brimming with history. The U.S. Navy was born in nearby Whitehall, NY, and Lake George has shipwrecks dating to the […]
Mountain Grove Cemetery
Mountain Grove Cemetery is just south of Huletts Landing, along the shore of Lake George. It’s a quintessential New England cemetery, with a stacked stone wall, a picturesque stone chapel (formally known as the Mountain Grove Memorial Church) and lots of weathered old gravestones. The Hulett family, founders of the Landing, are here. Next door […]
Granary Burying Ground
Treating myself to a day along the Freedom Trail in Boston. It was supposed to be a cloudy day, but as soon as I reached the state house (#2 on the Trail), the sun came out! A bit later at the Granary Burying Ground, it’s actually warm enough that I wish the trees were more […]
USS Cassin Young
I took the ferry from Long Wharf to the Charlestown Navy Yard to visit the USS Constitution, but on the way into the yard, it was impossible to miss the presence of a grand, grey warship at the pier: The USS Cassin Young. Intrigued, I left the crowd heading for the Constitution and went to […]
La Follette School of Public Affairs
The La Follette School of Public Affairs is the current occupant of a home was built in 1855, before the University of Wisconsin even owned the land. Later, as part of the University’s holdings, the structure served as the main residence of several UW presidents. It’s been remodeled several times, and the basic configuration today dates from 1903.
Bascom Hall
Bascom Hall, on the University of Wisconsin campus, is almost as recognizable as Bucky Badger. Bascom Hall is fronted by a statue of Abraham Lincoln, which is a popular photo destination for visitors and students alike.
King’s Garden, Ticonderoga
At the end of our day at Fort Ticonderoga, we discovered a bonus: the King’s Garden. The King’s Garden is one of the oldest cultivated gardens in the United States. It’s a quiet space for wandering, and it’s a completely different experience from the grandeur of the fort. The garden wall is anchored at the […]