Category: Travel & Discovery

Historic ‘Skunk Train’ Offers Rides Through the Redwoods

FORT BRAGG, Calif.—Along Northern California’s coast, the world-famous Skunk Train attracts visitors to Fort Bragg from near and far. A cheery man wearing glasses, blue overalls, a black T-shirt, and a black cap drives the steam train. He is Stathi Pappas, the Skunk Train’s general manager. The Skunk Train line includes five historic trains and…


A Captain’s Story of Fort Bragg’s Glass Beach

FORT BRAGG, Calif.—Millions of smooth glass pebbles blanket the shore near Fort Bragg, giving the famous site its name: Glass Beach. Though the glass pebbles are not quite an all-natural formation, they’ve been drawing tourists for decades. Joseph Cass Forrington, a former sea captain and owner of the Sea Glass Museum, said it was just…


146-Year-Old Apple Orchard Offers a Taste of History to Passersby

PHILO, Calif.—Along a highway cradled between fruit orchards and vineyards stands a cider tasting bar. Visitors smell fresh apples and hear joyful chattering under the tents. Gowan’s Heirloom Cider, a family-run business about an hour south of Fort Bragg, has been flourishing since 1876. Fifth-generation farmer and cider maker Sharon Gowan told NTD, a sister…


Devasting Flood Reveal Hidden Beauty of Australian Outback

Some of the worst floods in history devastated Australia earlier in the year, but as the devastation eases, the waters which are still travelling down along desert channels months later are bringing incredible beauty as long-dormant seeds are awakening and blanketing the earth in a tapestry of vibrant wildflowers rarely witnessed before even by locals. Outback…


Summer Splendor at the Historic Filoli House and Garden

“Filoli is too beautiful to be private.”—Lurline Roth In 1975, Lurline Matson Roth gifted her beloved Filoli House and Garden to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. One year later, Filoli, located at 85 Canada Road, Woodside, California, opened to the public. It remains open to this day. The entrance to the Filoli House. (Courtesy…


Qantas Faces Industrial Action From Airline’s Engineers After Negotiations Reach Stalemate

Engineers at the Australian flag carrier Qantas and its wholly owned subsidiary Jetstar are planning to take industrial action in an attempt to make the companies agree to their pay rise demand. In a ballot held by the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association (ALEA), the majority of members have backed industrial action in the upcoming…


Musso & Frank Grill: Hollywood’s Oldest Restaurant

Commentary When you think about restaurants connected to Hollywood history, what famous locations come to mind? The Brown Derby and the Cocoanut Grove probably top your list—but, like many historic landmarks of yesteryear, they no longer exist. There is, however, a very old restaurant in downtown Hollywood which has been a favorite of the film…


It’s Grape Season in California’s Napa Valley

CALISTOGA, Calif.—Clusters of deep purple, red, and green grapes hang on acres of vineyards. At Napa Valley’s Castello di Amorosa, a castle winery, Veraison is in season again. “Veraison” is the viticulture word to describe the transition from berry growth to berry ripening. “The acid will start lowering, and the sugar content will be greater….


‘Going to Be Pain for Domestic Travellers’: Aussie Travellers Warned to Book Christmas Holidays Now

Australians hoping to get away for Christmas need to start booking flights now as last-minute travel is a thing of the past, travel experts have warned. Aussies should not expect to be able to book a flight within a month to any desired destination at any kind of discount, said Quentin Long, co-founder of Australian…


Nature Abounds at This Manmade Park in Silicon Valley

In the midst of Silicon Valley lies a manmade oasis. Shoreline Park in Mountain View, California, provides recreational opportunities for people as well as habitats for wildlife. Within its 750 acres is an 18-hole championship golf course, a historic house, a 50-acre lake, a boathouse, a children’s playground, two restaurants, a dog park, a kite-flying…