Theodore Roosevelt was a champion of the conservation of geologically important sites so Devil’s Tower became America’s first national park site. This odd collection of stone pillars were once the core of a volcano formed my molten magma pushing up over 800 feet in the crater of the volcano. Over Read more
Famous, not as big as you’d imagine them to be, but still quite large for something constructed before the onset of the Second World War. Originally, it was meant to include the presidents’ torsos as well as their faces, but the death of a sculptor and the beginning of an Read more
Just an hour away from Mount Rushmore, the Crazy Horse Memorial privately owned by a nonprofit foundation in the lands of the Lakota people. Built in memory to the legendary Crazy Horse who resisted the onslaught of European invaders, it is intended to become a university campus and a historical Read more
Geologically similar to the Badlands of South Dakota, the Cheltenham Badlands are a lot smaller in scale. They are a swath of Queenston Shale with layers of siltstone and sandstone. When it was formed, the land was under water. Circulating water helped form the grey streaks in the rock. Lower Read more
The whole of South Dakota (and North Dakota) doesn’t have that much to show in terms of tourism. I suppose they might even be jealous of Wyoming, which has Yellowstone, Red Gulch, and the Badlands just to name a few famous national parks. Just like Wall, Mitchell is the kind Read more
The legendary Route 66 goes all the way from Los Angeles to Chicago, but I’ve only had the pleasure to drive on a portion of it from St. Louis to Chicago. Over the last century, the alignment of the road changed several times, so signs tell drivers which sections of Read more
William Lyon Mackenzie King kept a daily diary totalling about 30,000 pages from 1893 to 1950, almost all of it is available online on the Library and Archives Canada digital library. He wrote much of his diary at Kingsmere near Gatineau, an estate that comprised of three parts. Kingswood was Read more
After writing about the best gelato in Vancouver and the best ice cream in Seattle, I just have to write about the best ice cream in Ottawa. Carp Custom Creamery offers classic American flavours like lemon blueberry, double vanilla coconut, and chocolate fudge with the consistency of good Italian gelato. Read more
The Seattle Monorail is just under a mile long and probably one of the world’s shortest urban railway lines. It was built to shuttle passengers between downtown Seattle and the Space Needle, which was the site of the 1962 World’s Fair. The two trains, called the Red Train and the Read more
