Biei, Japan is home to a stunning sapphire blue pond dotted with skeletal dead birch trees that looks as though it is the domain of an immortal fairy godmother who will happily grant you a series of wishes now that you have reached her enchanted domain. Shirogane’s Blue Pond was created in the wake of…
It’s a little known fact that the United States has two Grand Canyons. The most famous Grand Canyon is in Arizona. The Grand Canyon that we all know and love has a slightly smaller but equally impressive cousin in Texas called Palo Duro Canyon. Palo Duro Canyon features striking red rock formations, stunning vistas, and…
Cinque Terre is a collection of 5 villages located on the Italian Riviera that appears from the water as a colorful natural outcropping of the coast’s jagged mountains. The 5 villages of Cinque Terre—Monterosso Al Marne, Vernazza, Corniglia, Riomagglore, and Manarola—date back to the 11th century. Cinque Terre remained isolated from most of Italy until…
If you’re the ultimate homebody—Whittier, Alaska may be your dream destination. Whittier started out in the mid-1950’s as a military outpost. In recent decades, civilians have begun to trickle into a former army barracks at the heart of the town called Begich Towers. Begich Towers is currently home to 75% of Whittier’s 300 permanent residents….
The Dark Hedges are truly the stuff that nightmares are made of. A lane of densely packed beech trees which have grown together to form an ominous tunnel appears as though it may be the entrance to the underworld. Local legend says that the spirit of a Grey Lady frequents the Dark Hedges—weaving from tree…
If you have ever fantasized about following the yellow brick road to the magical land of OZ—Hormuz, Iran may be your dream destination. Hormuz is a celebrated Persian Gulf port town that has fallen on hard times. A group of architects hoped to make a positive impact by building a distinctive collection of interdependent domed…
Cave-In-Rock—situated on the Ohio River—sounds innocent enough. The 55-foot-wide cave has housed countless bandits. pirates, counterfeiters, and even a few of America’s earliest serial killers. Cave-In-Rock’s strategic location on the river made it the ideal hideout for conniving pirates who ambushed unsuspecting boats and so that they could steal their precious cargo. If Cave-In-Rock’s checkered…
Leave it to an aerospace engineer to insist on building a flying saucer shaped house on a dangerously steep hillside. Engineer Leonard Malin’s father-in-law gave Malin a sloping plot of land that seemed extremely inhospitable to any type of development. Malin swore that he would build a home for his wife and kids upon the…
