A recent article in this newspaper cited research by the University of Alabama about dating. I hope you have explored that interesting work.
It began this way: “Endless surfers, Elvis in the movies, the Go-Gos, Jack Johnson and Jimmy Buffett would probably agree on this point: Beach people live lives the sunniest.
But it turns out that the road ahead brings the greatest happiness, according to a study by a pair of researchers of the University of Alabama. Yes, beaches were often cited as desirable destinations, in the survey of 1,040 travelers from the United States, but the trip itself, the escape from the norm, brings happiness.
Now, my family and I agree. Travel, get away from the norm – as my father used to say, “Go somewhere you’ve never been and learn something new.”
Over the years, we’ve seen a lot of the eastern United States, on trips from the white sands of Pensacola Beach and Daytona Beach to our nation’s oldest city, St. Augustine, both in Florida; at the campground and waters of Virginia Beach, Virginia; at the Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C.; in Acadia National Park and Cadillac Mountain in Maine; in New York City and many other places.
Traveling on interstate highways is what we know to be the most fun, and often the cheapest. And in the younger days, taking our tents — after all, a camper — to campgrounds full of tourists was a great way to meet people from all over the United States.
“A hiker can climb mountains, sail yachts or park hikes,” wrote Jay Waters, a UA professor of advertising and public relations, who conducted the study with Jameson Hayes, an assistant professor and the director of the UA’s Public Opinion Lab.
Yes! Waters and Hayes completed an interesting study. Many Etowah County residents fully agree with the results of their work. Their usage is clearly displayed on Facebook and other websites.
Question: Do you know about the Tear Drop Memorial in Bayonne, New Jersey? Those I asked said “no.” It is true, the rebuilding of the Twin Towers of lower Manhattan in New York is not very popular. The eldest of our family, on a trip to the Jersey Shore, suggested we visit; I’m so glad he did. A fascinating visit to this historic site.
To the Struggle Against World Terrorism, also known as the Tear Drop Memorial, is located at the edge of the former Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne. This is the first thing you see as you approach New York on the ferry from the Atlantic, before the Statue of Liberty. It’s right across the Hudson River from the Twin Towers
According to Wikipedia, the statue consists of a 100-foot tower, which is covered with split copper and an open space in the middle, from which hangs a 40-foot-high nickel teardrop.
As reported, UA researchers found that “the journey itself, the escape from routine, brings happiness.” When you travel the highways and byways of this country, you will agree that many other people feel the same way.
Crawling down the Mammoth Cave is an amazing experience, unlike seeing and touching the Giant Sequoia of California, the tallest tree in the world, reaching 379 feet, and the base of 23 feet and live up to 2,200 years. (Note: you can buy a seedling for $9.)
Branson, Missouri, home to many star-studded music shows and the Bigfoot Museum; Santa Fe, New Mexico’s Loretto Chapel and its secret staircase; the Grand Canyon; boating on Lake Mead behind the Hoover Dam—these are some of the great places we’ve traveled over the past six decades. We hope for many more places to visit.
My editor loves to travel to Savannah, Georgia; others have also enjoyed visiting Charleston, South Carolina; and some friends just returned from North Carolina’s Outer Banks to see the wild horses.
But let me suggest Alabama is a great vacation. Telling that story would require pages to tell it well. That work is still ongoing.
Where have you been, my reader, and where do you plan to go on your next vacation?
Before I leave, I must tell you that one of our best day trips was spent at Camp Sumatanga, a 1,700 acre facility, managed by the United Methodist Church, which is open to the public, around the valley in St. Clair County, annexed. against Chandler Mountain near Gallant. The hiking and fishing, along with the long climb up to Creel’s Chapel, are memorable adventures.
Harry D. Butler, a former broadcaster, motivational speaker and author of “Alabama’s First Radio Stations, 1920-1960.”
