TripCart :: The Travel Blog

2009 Fall Color Staycations

Well, its that time of the year again and for our readers in the right parts of the country - a compact vacation on a tank of gas. Sure, the fall festivals and quaint white church steeples make Vermont Fall Foliage a world-class destination, but, with the right timing (check out our friends at Foliage Network) and a warm sweater - you are ready to hit the parks and forests of the United States and watch the transition from Green to Yellow to Orange. (And we are not talking about the Terror Alert Status!).

Thanks toCheapOair Buzz for this picture:

Here is our 2009 fall foliage destination guide:

Fall Foliage around Boston:

Massachusetts Fall Foliage  is a no brainer - early in the season - head north to New Hampshire, later follow the coast south - from Maine to Connecticut. Nearest to Boston - try Lexington, Concord and Walden Pond. To really see the fall colors in style, consider one of the many Fall Foliage cruises leaving from New England ports - Rhode Island up to Maine.

NY Foliage:

Each borough - Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens (Alley Pond Park - Leaves and Tashlich), Brooklyn and even Staten Island has good and accessible leaf peeping - just hop on the subway (or ferry). Feeling a bit more adventurous, but still no car? You can get a hour-long moving show of Hudson Valley Foliage  from the train (Metro North). Make sure to get a seat on the left side of the train going north or the right going south. Skip rush hour for better fares and less cellphone chatter.

If you have a couple of days to dedicate to New York State fall foliage (and wine tours and more) head north early in the season, while Central Park is still green and check out the Adirondack fall foliage in September.

Chasing Fall Foliage South:

Global warming or not, the leaves change later as you go south. If you'd like to combine some foliage viewing with an urban weekend and maybe take in a show or get tickets for a football game - pick a different city each weekend from Boston down to Washington DC. Philadelphia is a good place for your Fall Foliage PA headquarters and a drive up the Potomac is a great way to see the Maryland Fall Foliage 30 minutes out of the Capital.

Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountains lose their crowds and turn yellow, gold and red in the fall and late October is a good time to close out the West Virginia fall foliage season.

And for the 3 people a year who search for "Pittsburgh fall foliage" - we have two pointers - Grandview Avenue and Fallingwater.

For our fans out west:

Its a different experience, the Colorado fall colors, the wild-west towns, the snow covered peaks (and sometimes even, the snow) and the mix of evergreens and aspens. Fall Foliage in Colorado  can be less than an hour outside of Denver - try Georgetown, or a bit further, Estes Park.

Further south, you can even find some decent New Mexico fall foliage spots near Albuquerque, Santa Fe  and in the Four Corners region of the state.

And what would a back to school season trip be without visiting the shopping malls?

Well, its that time of the year again and for our readers in the right parts of the country - a compact vacation on a tank of gas. Sure, the fall festivals and quaint white church steeples make Vermont Fall Foliage a world-class destination, but, with the right timing (check out our friends at Foliage Network) and a warm sweater - you are ready to hit the parks and forests of the United States and watch the transition from Green to Yellow to Orange. (And we are not talking about the Terror Alert Status!).

Thanks toCheapOair Buzz for this picture:

Here is our 2009 fall foliage destination guide:

Fall Foliage around Boston:

Massachusetts Fall Foliage  is a no brainer - early in the season - head north to New Hampshire, later follow the coast south - from Maine to Connecticut. Nearest to Boston - try Lexington, Concord and Walden Pond. To really see the fall colors in style, consider one of the many Fall Foliage cruises leaving from New England ports - Rhode Island up to Maine.

NY Foliage:

Each borough - Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens (Alley Pond Park - Leaves and Tashlich), Brooklyn and even Staten Island has good and accessible leaf peeping - just hop on the subway (or ferry). Feeling a bit more adventurous, but still no car? You can get a hour-long moving show of Hudson Valley Foliage  from the train (Metro North). Make sure to get a seat on the left side of the train going north or the right going south. Skip rush hour for better fares and less cellphone chatter.

If you have a couple of days to dedicate to New York State fall foliage (and wine tours and more) head north early in the season, while Central Park is still green and check out the Adirondack fall foliage in September.

Chasing Fall Foliage South:

Global warming or not, the leaves change later as you go south. If you'd like to combine some foliage viewing with an urban weekend and maybe take in a show or get tickets for a football game - pick a different city each weekend from Boston down to Washington DC. Philadelphia is a good place for your Fall Foliage PA headquarters and a drive up the Potomac is a great way to see the Maryland Fall Foliage 30 minutes out of the Capital.

Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Mountains lose their crowds and turn yellow, gold and red in the fall and late October is a good time to close out the West Virginia fall foliage season.

And for the 3 people a year who search for "Pittsburgh fall foliage" - we have two pointers - Grandview Avenue and Fallingwater.

For our fans out west:

Its a different experience, the Colorado fall colors, the wild-west towns, the snow covered peaks (and sometimes even, the snow) and the mix of evergreens and aspens. Fall Foliage in Colorado  can be less than an hour outside of Denver - try Georgetown, or a bit further, Estes Park.

Further south, you can even find some decent New Mexico fall foliage spots near Albuquerque, Santa Fe  and in the Four Corners region of the state.

And what would a back to school season trip be without visiting the shopping malls?

Southwest and Bar Refaeli help TripCart kick off Beach season

While half of the United States is buried in snow, Southwest airlines has decided to help out TripCart and cheer up the freezing citizens of the east coast by kicking off Beach Season. They even went to the trouble of painting a plane that will inspire people to plan their beach vacation on TripCart. You should not have trouble spotting this plane, pictured above but for the die-hard aviation nuts out there, the plane can be identified by the FAA Registration number on the tail of the 737-7H4 model, which is:

N922WN

Here are some popular beach destinations that Southwest flies to:

When you are finished with the Orlando, Florida places to visit, head to the coast for more places to visit in Florida -caladesi island state park, bathtub beach and sebastian inlet.

All over California - from glass beach in the north through pismo beach and  bolsa chica beach all the way to blacks beach in San Diego.Besides beaches, there are certainly lots of places to visit around Los Angeles, California

Besides the Norfolk, VA James river cruises, down the coast from Norfolk into North Carolina, follow in the footsteps of the Wright Brothers (without whom Bar Refaeli might not be decaled onto a 737) and visit Wrightsville Beach,Hammocks Beach State Park or Hatteras Beach.

And if a subway ride from JFK is about as exotic as you are getting this summer, head to Riis Beach, Orchard Beach in the Bronx, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach in Brooklyn or - if you are a fan of the Ramones - Rock Rock Rock Rock Rockaway Beach. Then head back to the city and enjoy some of the fun things to do in Manhattan and NYC.

Top Ten Adventure Sites for Kids

My adventuring co-worker drags his 10 year old son with him and his wife to “Adventure Sites” in the United States. He recently wrote up a list of activities that will “turn boys into men and girls into men”—so take that as you will, of course excusing him (as usual) for his overt sexism. He just handed me five post-its with notes about his favorite spots.
Let’s see if I can turn his jumble into eloquent prose:

Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountain range is an ideal spot to jump-start your child’s adventuring education. With 1,200 miles of multi-level trails, thick forests, glistening waterfalls, and wide meadows, your child will experience a head-on collision with American wilderness. Families can rent cabins and spent hours and days exploring the vastness and beauty of Yosemite National Park.
Apparently there was a very stinky new species of orchid discovered at Yosemite National Park. According to msnbc, “park officials said they would not release details about where the plant was found because they were concerned visitors might love it to death.” Is that a typo? Why would people love a stinky flower?

Next on the list is Dinosaur, Colorado, particularly Dinosaur National Monument in Echo Park in the Uinta Mountains. There are dinosaur fossils abound, prehistoric rock art, whitewater rafter, and great hiking. In addition to the fossilized creatures, there is also an array of live wildlife still lurking in the canyons.

Moving right along to Padre Island (Beaches and National Seashore). Padre Island is located at the southernmost tip of Texas and is comprised of beaches, sand dunes, nearly 150,000 acres of land, turtles, pelicans, and excellent water adventures. Beginner surfers can ride the small waves at Padre Island’s Isla Blanca park, as well as try their luck at sailing, kiteboarding, windsurfing, and jetskiing. Boat tours take groups out to see dolphins and whales. And as though that’s not enough, there’s also bike riding, horseback riding, and classes in sand sculpting by sand castle-building experts! Just be wary of college kids during Spring Break who take over Coca Cola beach in South Padre Island.

Fourth on the list is Grand Canyon National Park, and under that he wrote “need I say more?” Didn’t give me much to work with here. I personally remember being too scared to ride a donkey down the canyon when I was a kid, but maybe your kids are braver…

And then there are the lucky kids (a category that my co-worker’s son falls into) who get to go to Haleakala National Park in Maui. Craters, volcanoes, natural pols, waterfalls, and rainforests fill the Haleakala landscape.

Why can’t I be a lucky kid?

So there you have it, the top ten places to bring your burgeoning adventurer, according to a travel expert and his very own burgeoning adventurer.

Pele takes Royal Avenue

Pele, Hawaii's legendary goddess of fire, is sending her lava flows right down the middle of the streets in the Royal Gardens subdivision on the Big Island of Hawaii.

Fortunate visitors to Hawaii have seen the lava flowing on the slopes of Kilauea, in Volcanoes National Park since 1986. I managed to melt my rubber soles in 1989 and again in 2005. Both times I was rewarded with one of the most amazing sites in nature - red hot lava oozing out of the earth. And me standing 3 feet away. The hard part was the 4 hour round trip hike in the blazing sun (and on the hot black lava surface) without really knowing where to go.

Well,  it just got a lot easier and even more amazing.  Lava is now flowing through the lava tubes from the remote eruption site, right through the Royal Gardens subdivision and pouring into the sea. Its just a little over an hour from Hilo, near Puna. Drive southwest along the coast till the end of the road. Then follow the masses of people on the newly laid out trails. Check for latest reports - a new trail was opened yesterday at 2pm and closed 30 minutes later when the lava flow covered it.

I hope to report firsthand - but the video will have to do.

Follow this link for another video of Lava Enters the Pacific Ocean in Hawaii

See my old trip i called: Family Adventure Travel in Hawaii: Hot Lava

For near by Tourist Attractions:

• Punaluu Black Sand Beach
• Big Island Candies
• Mauna Loa (Macadamia Nuts)
• Pacific Tsunami Museum
• Hilo Arboretum - Hawaii
• Kilauea Caldera - Hawaii
• Rainbow Falls - Big Island, Hawaii
• Thurston Lava
• Mauna Loa
• Panaewa Rainforest Zoo - Hilo, Hawaii

Zoos, Aquariums and Botanical Gardens

We at TripCart had realized that we need to simplify the access to our content. Positioning ourselves as "The Travel Site" when it comes to planning your trip around Tourist Attractions we've realized we need to restructure the site exactly in that domain. Our Design and R&D teams had gathered in a brainstorm and now all the company is in that turmoil.

On the other hand our content team is catching up on uncovered topics. The Content Manager together with our Web Analyst, had collected a list of major Zoos, Aquariums and Botanical Gardens to be completed by the end of the month. Working fast, the writers and editors finished the task 2 weeks in advance.

We at TripCart had realized that we need to simplify the access to our content. Positioning ourselves as "The Travel Site" when it comes to planning your trip around Tourist Attractions we've realized we need to restructure the site exactly in that domain. Our Design and R&D teams had gathered in a brainstorm and now all the company is in that turmoil.

On the other hand our content team is catching up on uncovered topics. The Content Manager together with our Web Analyst, had collected a list of major Zoos, Aquariums and Botanical Gardens to be completed by the end of the month. Working fast, the writers and editors finished the task 2 weeks in advance.

Outdoors - Nature Parks

For the coming spring we, at TripCart, had worked out a list of tourist attractions and highlights for Outdoors Recreation. It includes major State Parks and National Parks including National Forests. Our writers team was given the mission to write useful tourist information for those of our users who plan their vacation Outdoors. Now, that the mission is completed, we're ready to make the announcement...

BTW, the list was way too long to be fully mentioned here, so I've chosen a small percentage to be featured. If you think we've excluded an important site, please let us know - maybe I just did not mention it while choosing this featured list:

• Denali National Park & Preserve - Alaska
• Grand Canyon National Park - North Rim, Arizona
• Grand Canyon National Park - South Rim, Arizona
• Red Rock State Park - Sedona, Arizona
• Saguaro National Park - Arizona
• Tonto National Forest - Arizona
• Tonto Natural Bridge State Park - Arizona
• Crater of Diamonds State Park - Murfreesboro, Arkansas
• Angeles National Forest - California
• Avenue of the Giants - California
• Cleveland National Forest - California
• Death Valley National Park - California
• Joshua Tree National Park - California
• Kings Canyon National Park - California
• Lake Shasta - California
• Lassen Volcanic National Park - California
• Mount Whitney - California
• Point Reyes National Seashore - California
• Praire Creek Redwoods State Park - California
• Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks - Three Rivers, California
• Yosemite National Park - California
• Colorado National Monument - Grand Junction, Colorado
• Dinosaur National Monument - Colorado
• Mesa Verde National Park - Colorado
• Rocky Mountain National Park - Estes Park, Colorado
• Rock Creek Park - Washington, DC
• Biscayne National Park - Florida
• Everglades National Park - Homestead, Florida
• John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park - Florida
• Ocala National Forest - Florida
• Stone Mountain Park - Atlanta, Georgia
• Hawaii Volcanoes National Park - Big Island
• Rainbow Falls - Big Island, Hawaii
• Harriman State Park - Idaho
• Indiana Dunes State Park and National Lakeshore
• Mammoth Cave National Park - Kentucky
• Acadia National Park - Bar Harbor, Maine
• Baxter State Park - Maine
• Moosehead Lake - Maine
• Cape Cod National Seashore - Massachusetts
• Itasca State Park - Minnesota
• Glacier National Park - Montana
• Red Rock Canyon - Las Vegas, Nevada
• The Lakes Region - New Hampshire
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park - New Mexico
• White Sands National Monument - New Mexico
• Letchworth State Park - New York
• Niagara Falls - New York / Ontario, Canada
• Blue Ridge Parkway - North Carolina / Virginia
• Pisgah National Forest - North Carolina
• Crater Lake National Park - Oregon
• Golden and Silver Falls State Park - Oregon
• Silver Falls State Park - Oregon
• Badlands National Park - South Dakota
• Custer State Park - South Dakota
• Big South Fork National River - Kentucky / Tennessee
• Fall Creek Falls State Park - Tennessee
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Tennessee
• Big Bend National Park - Texas
• Brazos Bend State Park - Texas
• Arches National Park - Moab, Utah
• Bryce Canyon National Park - Utah
• Canyonlands National Park - Utah
• Capitol Reef National Park - Utah
• Zion National Park - Springdale, Utah
• Mount Mansfield - Vermont
• Shenandoah National Park - Luray, Virginia
• Mount Rainier National Park - Washington
• North Cascades National Park - Washington
• Olympic National Forest - Washington
• Olympic National Park - Washington
• Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
• Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming

"Over The River": Christo and Jeanne-Claude in Colorado

Sometimes, we see things while covering them up. That’s what the legendary couple of artists, Christo and Jeanne- Claude, propose with their work over the decades: finding iconic urban places, such as the Reichstag in Berlin, or impressive natural landscapes, like Little Bay in Australia, and wrapping them up. So we can’t see them anymore. But we see them more than ever; we see things about them that we never saw before. Curiosity and art, and the act of revealing: the three things that keep the work of the two artists still alive.

Their new project "Over The River", is about covering up with fabric the Arkansas River, in the state of Colorado. The search for this river took them years: they started in 1992, walking through the Rocky Mountains, where most of the rivers in the United States are born, and after coming back every year, they selected the Arkansas River in 1996. After that, they have been working with their collaborators in life-size prototypes, in order to make this project come to life. The work will take them at least three years: they will begin installing anchors in 2010, for finally having it covered up with fabric for two weeks in 2012.

There is no such thing as small scale for Christo and Jeanne-Claude. We will be able to see this project from many points of view: from above by car, from behind by kayak, or walking. People will actually be part of this work, in this fusion between art and nature, two words that should be heard more often.

Picture of Sawyer Pond in New Hampshire

Sawyer Pond in New Hampshire with Mount Tremont in the background.

(thanks cruadinx)

Picture of a Comet over Washington State at dusk

Comet McNaught over the Olympic Mountains in Washington State at dusk.

(thanks again Dean Forbes)

Picture of Sunrise in Marblehead, Massachusetts

Sunrise in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

(thanks snowriderguy)

Picture of the Day (09/04/07) - From TripCart

Mystic Lake in the Beartooth Range, Montana.

(thanks Mono Andes)

Recommended Highlights in the region: Glacier National Park - Montana • Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming • Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming • Harriman State Park - Idaho • Big Sky Ski Resort - Meadow village, Montana • Big Mountain Ski Resort - Whitefish, Montana

Commune With Nature and Not the Tourists

There's nothing more beautiful in this wonderful country of ours than the National Parks.  Unfortunately, everyone and their brother is visiting them during the summer months.  Fodor's has produced some tips to help you avoid the throngs of tourists at 4 of the nation's busiest parks-

Grand Canyon National Park - Take U.S. 89 to U.S. 64 to the South Rim from Flagstaff and stay off AZ 64 and U.S. 180.  Also, come very early or very late to avoid the lines.  If you've got time to spare head to the North Rim where only about 10% of the summer visitors end up.  Don't be afraid to use the free shuttles, they can save you a lot of time.

Yellowstone National Park - Don't bother if you don't get here before 9 in the morning.  Head to places like Fairy Falls, Point Sublime, Yellowstone Lake, and Lone Star Geyser during the heart of the day when the park is full of tourists. 

Yosemite National Park - Get up before the crack of dawn in order to beat the crowds into the park and make your way to Yosemite Falls for a spectacular sunrise. This park is usually packed in summer but head toward Hetch Hetchy Valley for some relative peace and beautiful scenery.

Zion National Park - Avoid the south entrance all together and take Utah 9 to the east entrance instead.  This park also features a shuttle service to keep more cars off the roads.  To really avoid the tourists come in the winter time, because between April and October there are an average of 400,000 visitors a month in the park.

St. Louis Botanical Gardens

St. Louis Botanical Gardens.

(thanks creativity+)

Rename Glacier National Park

Glacier National Park turns 97 this week and you might want to put it on your list of summer destinations because the number of glaciers in the park is quickly dwindling.  There were roughly 150 glaciers in the park in 1850, of which about 10% remain.  In an effort to promote awareness the National Environmental Trust from Montana says, “If Congress doesn’t act soon to address global warming, we’re going to have to rename Glacier.”

The campaign isn't for reals but they have a few gem quotes from famous politicians including Al Gore: "This could become the Park Formerly Known as Glacier"

Related posts: Amazing UFO Clouds • Top 10 Earliest Places to Get Your Ski On • Highest Rated Ski Resorts by Google • Picture of the Day (09/04/07)

Related travel guides: Tourist Attractions in Northern Montana • Glacier National Park • Skiing in Glacier National Park and Northern Montana

Recommended Highlights in the region: Glacier National Park Ski Resort - Montana • Blacktail Mountain Ski Resort - Lakeside, Montana • Big Mountain Ski Resort - Whitefish, Montana • Big Sky Ski Resort - Meadow village, Montana

Flowers in the Arboretum - Lexington, Kentucky

From the arboretum in Lexington, Kentucky.

(thanks again code poet)

Skywalk Over the Grand Canyon Up and Running

We told you a few months back about plans to build the Skywalk but we weren't sure if it would actually come to be.  It turns out that it finally did get built, though it doesn't look quite as nice as it did in the preliminary illustrations.  Starting March 28th, you and yours will be able to walk out on the cantilevered walkway that hangs roughly 4,000 feet above the canyon floor.  The Skywalk can handle up to two dozen basketball teams at a time and costs $25 a head.  We haven't gotten a chance to actually see this thing in person but it looks quite the eyesore compared to the way it was conceived.  Let us know if you get a chance to check it out.  For more pictures and information head over to c|net for more coverage.

Related posts: Kartchner Caverns in Arizona • Crossing Over the Great Divide • Listen to the Desert • 18th Annual National Geographic Photo Contest Winners

Related travel guides: Golf near the Grand Canyon • Hotels near the Grand Canyon • Nature and wildlife near the Grand Canyon • Skiing near the Grand Canyon • Shopping near the Grand Canyon

18th Annual National Geographic Photo Contest Winners

National Geographic has posted the results from their 18th annual photo award winners, the top 10 of the more than 15,000 entries are online now, and guess what? They're gorgeous. Most of them are from outside of the United States but this stunner was taken from the Grand Canyon, here's the description of how it went down-

Kyle George, a Grand Canyon river guide and photography enthusiast, has been shooting pictures for about four years. He was working as a river guide on a trip that National Geographic photographer Michael "Nick" Nichols took to the Grand Canyon. "Nick was doing a lot of night photography, and that inspired me to give it a go," he says about this photograph of Anasazi ruins. To illuminate the scene, George placed a remote flash with orange and yellow gels in a window (going inside the ruins is prohibited). He says this was possible because it was a relatively long exposure. "This same scene has been photographed a million different times, but never at night as far as I know," says the photographer. "It's about a mile walk from the ruins to where we had camped, and I ended up being stalked by two mountain lions on the way back."

Brian Klimowski's Amazing Eye Candy

Brian Klimowski's amazing shots will make you want to get off your keester and head for the hills.  This shot above is just one of a series he did at Horseshoe Bend, Arizona from sunrise to sunset.  His gallery of photos is simply stunning and a good way to waste away an hour just looking around.  He's got heaps of photos online that are all worth a gander.

Perfect Panoramas

Stefan Tarzan has been taking panoramic shots for over fifteen years and the work in his collection is absolutely stunning. The majority of his work is of national parks and cities on the West coast but it's all worth checking out.

(thanks gadling)

Amazing UFO Clouds

If you're in California in the near future and have the time to make it to Mt. Shasta there's a chance you might see some of these wicked lenticular clouds that sometimes hover above. These crazy clouds that often look like UFOs are formed along mountain ranges all over the world.

(thanks presurfer)