Many prospective hikers have been mesmerized by breathtaking photos of Utah‘s Reflection Canyon. Due to its remote location, there is no easy way to access Reflection Canyon. Reaching the gorgeous vista that you saw pictured in National Geographic requires serious preparation and skill. A trek into the backcountry of Utah’s barren yet beautiful red rock…
Twice daily, a train rolls through a snug neighborhood in Hanoi, Vietnam’s Old Quarter. Locals are so accustomed to the thundering train that chugs through their narrow neighborhood that they spend the bulk of the day riding their bikes, sipping tea, and playing games on the railroad tracks. Visitors have become so captivated by the…
If you’re kayaking on the Hudson River about 50 miles north of New York City and you spot the ruins of an opulent castle in the distance, your eyes are not deceiving you. In the early 1900s, an affluent Brooklyn-based military surplus dealer of Scottish descent named Francis Bannerman decided to purchase a small island…
In 1914, a successful businessman named Sir Henry Pellatt decided to construct a lavish castle that would rival Europe’s finest aristocratic estates. Pellatt’s 98-room castle—known as Casa Loma—featured stately gardens, sprawling stables, and more than one secret passageway. Pellatt got so carried away with adding ornate flourishes—such as engraving the names of his horses in…
In the late 1800s, a brave Scottish civil engineer named George Grant MacKay decided to build an expansive bridge out of hemp rope and cedar planks in North Vancouver, British Columbia far above a rushing river. MacKay’s precarious bridge initially attracted his most daring friends. By the early 1900s, thrill-seekers from many different regions couldn’t…
Architect Mike Reynolds is a firm believer that one man’s trash is another man’s insulation. A pile of discarded tires and beer cans inspired Reynolds to start building houses out of materials that most people throw away. The company that Reynolds founded—Earthship Biotecture—currently builds unique, sustainable homes around the world. Mike Reynolds decided that the…
It is not an exaggeration to say that the Hawaiian island of Kauai is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Also known as the Garden Island, Kauai is home to vast canyons, scenic beaches, and luscious plants galore. Large portions of Kauai are uninhabited due to sheer cliffs, so the Garden Island has…
The rocky terrain of Farmington, New Mexico is every geologist’s dream come true. Farmington is home to fantastical sandstone and shale rock formations, ancient petroglyphs, and a bed and breakfast that is located in a cave. Farmington is considered by many people to be the one of the Land of Enchantment’s most scenic stretches of…
