Bob Downing – Page 2 –

The Ice Age Trail is a grassy swath cut through a restored prairie in Verona, Wisconsin.

Wisconsin’s under-construction Ice Age trail focuses on geology

May 12, 2019 at 3:42 a.m.

VERONA, Wis. - Badger Prairie County Park is a good place to hop aboard the still-developing Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The 339-acre ridge-top park lies east of Verona and...

Laurel Fork wilderness in West Virginia a remote bit of almost heaven

May 12, 2019 at 3:39 a.m.

WYMER, W.Va. - The Laurel Fork Wilderness is more than a little out of the way. The 12,052-acre tract lies 17 miles southeast of Elkins, tucked between long narrow ridges...

A trail kiosk at the 1,200-acre Fort Hill State Memorial in Highland County, Ohio.

Ancient structures built in southern Ohio by Indians are worth viewing

July 16, 2019 at 4:20 a.m.

CYNITHIANA, Ohio - Fort Hill State Memorial is a place with interesting options. It is home to some of the best hiking in the state, interesting geology and rare plants...

The Louvre Museum in Paris, France, is described as one of the largest museums and the most-visited museum in the world. It is a one-time fortress and palace. It houses 380,000 objects and has 15 acres of display space.

Impressions of an American in Paris

May 12, 2019 at 3:38 a.m.

PARIS - The Musee du Louvre is ornate, palatial and extremely large. The sprawling art museum on the Right Bank of the Seine River was one of our first stops...

The stone windmill at Estate Whim on St. Croix was built between 1768 and 1779. Initially, animals including horses, oxen and mules were used to crush juice from sugar cane. Slaves fed sugar cane between three wind-powered rollers and the juice drained down a sluice to a nearby factory for processing.

Virgin Islands mansion preserves 250-year-old way of life

November 5, 2019 at 6:36 a.m.

FREDERIKSTED, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands - The Estate Whim Museum provides a look at what life was like 250 years ago on a sugar-cane island. It includes the plantation...

There is no trail along Stebbins Run so hikers must often walk in the water in Stebbins Gulch near Kirtland, Ohio.

Visit Stebbins Gulch in Northeast Ohio for dramatic cliffs

May 12, 2019 at 3:36 a.m.

KIRTLAND, Ohio - My winter hike into Stebbins Gulch never took place. Big January blizzard. No way to get to the Holden Arboretum east of Cleveland in Lake County. The...

A man holds a British flag as an illuminated London Eye is seen in the background during the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games in London on July 27, 2012.

So much to see and do in London

May 12, 2019 at 3:35 a.m.

LONDON - The exterior of Westminster Abbey is imposing and grandiose. Our plan was simple: Pay the admission, stick our heads inside to see what it looked like, and then...

The scenery along Utah State Route 12 is geologically spectacular. The route is a national Scenic Byway and an All-American Highway.

Kodachrome Basin State Park in Utah overshadowed by famous neighbors

August 3, 2019 at 3:50 a.m.

CANNONVILLE, Utah - There's a very colorful state park in southern Utah that gets overlooked, despite its distinctive rock chimneys from long-dead petrified geysers. Kodachrome Basin State Park gets little...

The 1,348-foot-long Serpent Mound is Ohio's biggest ancient mystery. The mounds are 2 to 6 feet tall and 20 to 25 feet in width. It appears to be undulating snake with seven curves and a spiral-coiled tail. It sits on a bluff 90 feet above Ohio Brush Creek.

Ancient mounds are essential Ohio historic sites

May 12, 2019 at 3:34 a.m.

AKRON, Ohio - Ohio is filled with lots of history. There are presidents (eight in all), Indians, a Revolutionary War fort, a War of 1812 naval battle on Lake Erie,...

Grassy areas have been added along the High Line Trail in New York City.

New York City loves its High Line, the trail in the sky

May 12, 2019 at 3:33 a.m.

NEW YORK - It is a new and still-growing trail. It's not long: Just 1 mile, or 19 blocks. Welcome to the High Line Trail in the heart of New...

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