DELAWARE WATER GAP

 The Delaware Water Gap, located in Monroe County in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and named after a magnificent natural wonder carved by the Delaware River. It is the best known feature of the park, a distinct notch cut into the Kittatinny Ridge by the Delaware River. Once touted as a scenic Wonder of the World, it is an impressive site when motoring through on Interstate 80 or viewed from the overlooks along PA 611. The Gap is about a quarter mile wide at river level and nearly a mile wide from the top of one mountain to the top of the other.

The Delaware Water Gap, seperating Pennsylvania and New Jersey, is one of the world's scenic wonders

The spectacular Delaware Water Gap has inspired and fascinated people for centuries. From the mid-19th through the early 20th century, Delaware Water Gap was one of the most popular summer resorts in the eastern United States. The recreation area encompasses 67,000 acres of mountain ridge, forest, and floodplain on both sides of the Delaware River in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Among the more surprising species of animals in the park are black bear, timber rattlesnakes, bald eagles, and, recently, nesting peregrine falcons. Ecosystems include hemlock ravines with bountiful rhododendron and ridgetops with prickly pear cactus.

KENTUCKY QUILT TRAIL

 Kentucky has long been known as a center for the sewing of colorful quilts in many patterns and designs. But over the past several years, painted quilt patterns on the sides of barns in Kentucky have emerged as a new form of self-expression and cultural pride for rural residents.

Kentucky residents have banded together to display a part of their cultural heritage in a statewide art project. In a conscious effort to lure tourists away from interstate highways, Mail Pouch Barn quilt artwork has turned rural roads into an eye-catching art gallery. Hundreds of unique eight by eight quilt panels have added a cheerful note on roadside buildings, floodwalls and rustic barns, creating a series of quilting trails. Elliott County in northeastern Kentucky probably has the most, with about 60 barns adorned with the patterns. In western Kentucky’s Pennyrile region, innovative quilt painters have started using metal to provide a longer life span for their patterns.

Each quilt tells a story & is a celebration of the state's quilting heritage 

Received from Tyler, "A Postcard for You"

NORFOLK ISLAND

 Norfolk Island is an island in the South Pacific Ocean and an Australian territory for historical reasons even though it is much closer to New Zealand. It is 1600km east of Sydney and Brisbane but only 1000km northwest of Auckland. The official language of Norfolk Island is English and all the islanders speak it. However, among themselves they often use Norfolk, a language derived from the English spoken by the Bounty Mutineers and the Tahitian spoken by their wives. 

The main attraction of the island consists of natural beauty: beautiful landscapes and wild seascapes. Almost a third of the island is devoted to reserves and national parks. The beaches need a mention as well, the cleanest salt water and softest sand imaginable, the surf here is pretty good too. Another fascinating aspect of Norfolk's heritage is that this is the home of the descendants of the mutineers of the Bounty.

Received from Norfolk Island Tourism.

 

 

MOSSEL BAY

Mossel Bay is situated exactly half way between Cape Town - the provincial capital of the Western Cape Province – and Port Elizabeth (both 400 km away). This popular holiday town is surrounded by a sunbathed peninsula and the refreshing waters of the Indian Ocean. It is a busy summer destination as well as an ideal winter retreat. It is blessed with a mild climate all year round but its most important feature is its status as the historical capital of the Garden Route.
Site of the first landfall made by the Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias in 1488 and today a popular holiday resort with fine beaches and much else to offer the tourist. The Batholomeu Dias Museum Complex comprises historical, maritime and shell museums. Launch trips are offered to nearby Seal Island with its noisy population of some 2,000 seals as well as gannets and cormorants.

 

 

Mossel Bay has become the preferred holiday destination of local and international tourists alike and offers great fishing and safe swimming

Received from Lu-Gerda by The Post Office Tree.  For more information about Mossel Bay visit her blog Lu-Gerda's Travels.