Innehållsförteckning för July 2022 från Country Extra

CALIFORNIA Gray whales splash in the sea near Santa Barbara from February through April as they migrate north with their young. June through September is prime season for spotting blue whales, humpback whales, dolphins and sea lions. Book a tour with Condor Express for a whale-spotting cruise through the Santa Barbara Channel. condorexpress.com ALASKA You’ll want to watch the scenery as well as the water as you cruise around Kenai Fjords National Park and Resurrection Bay with Seward-based tour company Northern Latitude Adventures. Whale-watching tours for a maximum of six people look for humpbacks and orcas as well as other Alaskan wildlife. Book a tour in May to September for the best viewing. northernlatitudeadventures.com MAINE Bundle up (yes, it gets cold!) for a summer tour with Bar Harbor Whale Watch…

GEORGE S. MICKELSON TRAIL SOUTH DAKOTA NAMED FOR THE governor who lobbied for its creation, the Mick, as it is known, is a multiday ride through fine Black Hills scenery. The area became settled in the 1870s as prospectors searched for gold, most famously in the rough-and-tumble city of Deadwood. Eventually the Burlington branch line brought rail service from Edgemont to Lawrence County in the 1880s. The rail trail follows creeks and broad valleys, much of it through spruce and ponderosa pine forests, while navigating more than 100 bridges, four tunnels and several high passes. Along the way are small towns of various sizes, with Hill City and Custer offering the most lodging options. Rabbit Bicycles has regular shuttle service along the route, allowing you to pick and choose…

Local Lore In Winchester, Virginia, be sure to visit the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley. It has plenty of artifacts and art relating to the region’s culture and history, as well as a separate historical home and 7-acre garden. Good Eats There are many eateries near Shenandoah National Park’s Front Royal entrance. We enjoyed the juicy Blue Wing burger and crispy garlic taters at the Blue Wing Frog. Set Your Alarm Arrive early in the day to see the wildlife in Shenandoah National Park. Go to the information center to learn where the best waterfalls are located—some are an easy hike from the road. Go Underground Skyline Caverns is located near the Front Royal entrance to Shenandoah National Park and is worth a tour. The colorful lighting and a river…

SOMETIMES PROGRESS means learning how to preserve the past. That’s the philosophy at the White Grass Dude Ranch in the White Grass Valley of Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park. The ranch is the only training and education center of its kind in the country and is dedicated to the preservation of traditionally built structures in the United States’ western parks. Established in 1919 as the third dude ranch in the valley, White Grass closed in 1985 after the death of longtime owner Frank Galey. The National Park Service acquired the ranch, but the buildings fell into disrepair. Nearly 20 years later, NPS formed the Western Center for Historic Preservation to rehabilitate the site. Now, NPS staff, preservationists, historians, contractors and volunteers have a place to learn traditional building trades and…

INDIGENOUS UTE TRIBES, bold Spanish conquistadors seeking wealth, miners and an A-list of American explorers have all been drawn to the Royal Gorge, near Cañon City, Colorado. It’s the visual embodiment of geologic and human history, and since 1929, this evocative landscape was made even more dramatic by the Royal Gorge Bridge, rising 1,000 feet above the Arkansas River. Start at the visitors center, then explore the catwalk, gondolas and zip line. Or (for the fearless) scramble the sheer cliff walls.…

I first saw Emerald Bay State Park on a family vacation to visit the California side of Lake Tahoe. I was 10, and thought the park was the most beautiful place in the world. Fifteen years later, I moved to Lake Tahoe and determined one thing: My 10-year-old self was absolutely correct. Lake Tahoe is home to eight state parks, and Emerald Bay State Park is the most stunning of them all. A microcosm of Tahoe’s beauty, the park surrounds a shimmering, calm bay with the only island in Lake Tahoe—Fannette Island. The lake’s depth and scale are hard to grasp without seeing it in person, but the colors—the brilliant blues and greens of the clear water, the snowy white summits of the surrounding mountains and the steely grays of…

WISCONSIN’S DOOR COUNTY is a maritime paradise. Its 300 coastal miles of stunning shoreline encompass craggy rocks, sandy beaches, old-growth forests, orchards and picturesque villages, such as Fish Creek, the beating heart of the peninsula. Fish Creek has a year-round population of less than 1,000 and offers a little bit of everything, from Scandinavian fish boils and locally owned shops, to a big red barn turned winery. Its quintessential Main Street feels as familiar as the comforts of home. Here you’ll find a perfect blend of old and new and a strong sense of history that hearkens back to an idyllic past. “Door County has generational history,” says Brooke Rawlins, co-owner of the Sister Golden shop. “It’s a place your grandparents visited, then brought your parents, who eventually brought you…

MONTANA is largely known for the mountains in the far western part of the state. Its name, after all, comes from montaña, the Spanish word for “mountain.” But its nickname, Big Sky Country, was inspired by a far larger slice of the state east of those peaks. The region is defined by expansive prairies, the Missouri River and its tributaries. Here the skies are massive, beautiful and uninterrupted. The landscapes Meriwether Lewis and William Clark saw for the first time more than 200 years ago have changed little. Montana’s rugged ranges and awesome summits are still a sight to behold, and the prairies along the Missouri River teem with wildlife, natural wonders and cultures unlike those you’ll see anywhere else. When the Wind Blows East of the Rocky Mountains, which…

After working with her for 27 years, I wanted to do something special for my friend Alisa when she retired. I’d call her a work friend, but the “work” adjective went by the wayside shortly after I started. She welcomed me to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Office of Financial Aid staff 10 years into her tenure there, and we quickly became friends in every sense of the word. We shared our faith, community service commitment, crafting interests and love of nature. We would walk together often, and we are both shutterbugs! I had the perfect celebration idea. I would take Alisa to my favorite place on the planet: Clear Creek State Park. Clear Creek is truly a gem of the Pennsylvania state park system. My family spent time there…

KENTUCKY Crank & Boom Craft Ice Cream in Lexington is here to create joy, ignite laughter and inspire compassion. In addition to making delicious signature ice cream flavors from quality ingredients, Crank & Boom also empowers its local community by supporting various worthy causes. It ships nationwide, so you can enjoy flavors like Kentucky Blackberry & Buttermilk and Bourbon & Honey. crankandboom.com WISCONSIN It wouldn’t be the Dairy State without a stellar ice cream shop. Kelley Country Creamery is touted as the “best ice cream in the middle of nowhere.” Located south of Fond du Lac in the tiny town of Eden, this treat stop always has a line out the door and satisfied customers lounging on the inviting wraparound porch’s rocking chairs. The Kelleys run a 200-acre farmstead dairy…

PITCHFORK FONDUE PINEDALE, WY The spectacular scenery of the Wind River Range, plus steak, chicken or trout cooked on a pitchfork in a sizzling cauldron, invite crowds to look and linger at this western outdoor dining venue. An all-inclusive cookout includes homemade potato chips and sauces, salad, hearty sides, bread, fruit, brownies and lemon bars, plus iced tea, lemonade or, for the adults, BYOB. A welcoming atmosphere and yard games add to the fun. Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday for dinner late May through Labor Day (or for catering year-round). Call ahead to avoid event closures. pitchforkfondue.com…

There’s no better way for a history teacher like me to appreciate America’s past than by experiencing historical sites firsthand. So my wife, Jill, and I set out to visit some of the locales in Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia that helped shape our country’s early years. Our first stop was Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland, one of the most moving combat sites we had ever seen. On September 17, 1862, more soldiers died in the Battle of Antietam than on any other single day in the Civil War. The graves and monuments on the field transported us back to the 19th century. TOURING THE TOWNS On our second day, we were off to three historic towns in West Virginia: Harpers Ferry, Charles Town and Shepherdstown. All three towns…

THEN THIS HAPPENED Summer Vacation SANDY GARMAN TROY, OH A SPUR-OF-THE-MOMENT decision had me, my husband and our young son and daughter on the road from Ohio to Florida for a summer vacation. Upon arrival at our campground we set up our 11-year-old tent. The next morning we were in a mad rush to sprint to the nearest bathroom, but the aging zipper on the tent wouldn’t go up. After about 10 minutes of frantic work, we managed to get the zipper high enough for us to squeeze out into a light rain. I had just finished frying eggs and bacon for breakfast when the first lightning strike hit. Now I was running around with a Kmart bag on my head trying to clean up and stay dry as my…