The national parks celebrate July 4th
Looking for things to do today to help celebrate the fourth of July? Then look no further than the U.S. National Parks, many of which are hosting special events to celebrate Independence Day.
For example, Mt. Rushmore has a full schedule of activities set for the day that includes folk dancing, autographs from historical figures, music, and informational talks given by the rangers. In the evening, there will be a lighting ceremony, a film and a patriotic rendition of the national anthem. All of these events will take place in the shadow of one of the best known monuments in the world, in which four former Presidents watch over the region. (Cost: Free!) Continue Reading…
The world’s greatest cycling event, the Tour de France, gets underway today when the best riders on the planet descend on Rotterdam in the Netherlands for a short 8.9km (5.5 mile) prologue that will help set the early tone to this year’s event. Ahead of the teams sits 20 more grueling stages, spread out over three weeks, that includes six mountain stages, with three summit finishes, one of which ends on the dreaded Tourmalet, a brutal peak in the Pyrenees that will likely decide this year’s winner.
Among the travel stories in this weekend’s newspaper travel sections, the following articles were especially inspirational.