Photos by Cheryl Landes The Leach Botanical Garden in Southeast Portland, Oregon, is a pleasant place to take a walk at any time of year. The estate is located in a beautiful forest, which has more than 2,000 plant species and nature trails that are open to the public. The estate was the home of … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: Leach Botanical Garden in Portland
Photos by Cheryl Landes The Ladd Circle Park and Rose Gardens are located in a beautiful residential neighborhood called Ladd's Addition in east Portland, Oregon. The 1.62-acre park has 3,000 roses representing more than 60 varieties that were popular in the early 20th century. The park is named after William Sargent Ladd, who migrated West … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: Ladd Circle Park and Rose Gardens in Portland
Photos by Cheryl Landes The International Rose Test Garden at Washington Park in southwest Portland, Oregon, is among 11 American Garden Rose Selections (AGRS) test sites. The idea for the garden in Washington Park began in 1915, when Jesse A. Currey, Sunday editor of the Oregon Journal newspaper and rose hobbyists, convinced Portland city officials … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: The International Rose Test Garden at Washington Park in Portland
Photos by Cheryl Landes Vancouver's Fireworks Spectacular has been cancelled this year due to COVID-19, so to celebrate Independence Day today, I'm posting photos from last year's fireworks show. When we can celebrate in person, I volunteer at this event at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. I miss not being there this year and … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: Vancouver’s Fireworks Spectacular in Vancouver, Washington
The historic Round Barn built by cattle baron Peter French in Southeastern Oregon Photos by Cheryl Landes The Round Barn, 56 miles south of Burns in Oregon's southeast corner, is among the remnants of Peter French's 70,000-acre ranching empire in the late 1800s. He arrived in southeastern Oregon in 1872 and acquired land quickly, along … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: Pete French Round Barn State Heritage Site in Southeastern Oregon
This Concord Coach, the first stagecoach in the Walla Walla Valley, was shipped by steamer around Cape Horn. It's on display at the Fort Walla Walla Museum in Walla Walla, Washington. Photos by Cheryl Landes The Fort Walla Walla Museum covers 15 acres of the original military reservation in Walla Walla Park. More than 50,000 … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: Fort Walla Walla Museum
A covered wagon on the Oregon Trail at the Whitman Mission National Historic Site near Walla Walla, Washington Photos by Cheryl Landes In the spring of 1836, five years before anyone traveled west on the Oregon Trail, newlywed couple Dr. Marcus Whitman and Narcissa Whitman left their home in upstate New York for Oregon Country. … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: Whitman Mission National Historic Site near Walla Walla
Photos by Cheryl Landes The Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve near Arco, Idaho, is a surreal landscape of black lava rock, cinder cones, and gray sagebrush. The rock and cinder cones are the remnants of a volcanic eruption more than 2,000 years ago. You can see many signs of the aftermath on a … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: Craters of the Moon National Monument & Preserve near Arco, Idaho
The Beeson Bridge at Billie Creek Village in Parke County, Indiana Photos by Cheryl Landes In addition to factory tours, two more of my must-see attractions during any trip are historical markers and covered bridges. Historical markers can pop up anywhere, and their brief descriptions can teach any interested reader a lot about the local … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: Parke County, Indiana, the Covered Bridge Capital of the World
Photos by Cheryl Landes Located on the north shore of Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pennsylvania, the Presque Isle Lighthouse has been a beacon to mariners on the Great Lakes for almost 150 years. Originally, the lighthouse was designed to be built entirely of cut stone, but when the cost became prohibitive, bricks were … Continue reading Armchair photo tours: Sunset at the Presque Isle Lighthouse in Erie, Pennsylvania
Tabby Cat's Pawprints 