Rene Cizio's Blog, page 5

Journey to Kitch-iti-kipi, Michigan’s Mirror of Heaven

Kitch-iti-kipi is so crystal-clear that you can see the bottom of the 40-foot-deep spring, where the water gushes in. However, it’s so still on top it reflects the surrounding trees like a mirror. It’s a natural freshwater spring in Palms Book State Park in Manistique, Michigan, in the Central Upper Peninsula. As the largest spring in Michigan, it’s known for unusually clear teal water. It’s a great place to visit as a part of your Michigan UP journey or to make the centerpiece as a reason for travel in the area. Kitch-iti-kipi, pronounced Kitch ita kipi, means “big cold spring” in the Ojibwe language and is nicknamed “Mirror of Heaven.” The Ojibwe people had lived in the area for centuries and have many legends and stories about Kitch-iti-kipi, including one about a young chief who died in the icy spring when his canoe flipped while to impress a young Ojibwe woman. Kitch-iti-kipi is a popular stop for people visiting Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, if not a destination unto itself. It receives upwards of 60,000 visitors yearly, making it relatively unknown compared to nearby Pictured Rocks, which receives just over 1 million. Still, the beauty and rarity of the crystal-clear turquoise spring […]

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New River Gorge National Park: Explore the Beauty of West Virginia

The New River Gorge in West Virginia is the newest national park in the United States. This little-known location wasn’t on my radar for a long time, but I’m glad I found it. This park is worth visiting if you like outdoor recreation, history and spectacular views. I’ve been to 29 national parks and there are the types that are closed off like a theme park and those that are part of the community that you might drive through on your way to someplace else. This is the latter. New River Gorge National Park has several different access points along 53 miles following the course of the New River. The closest airport is in Beckley, West Virginia and the nearest big city is Roanoke, Virginia, about two hours away. You’ll likely do some driving to get to the park, but most of it is tree-lined and hilly, making it a nice trip, especially during fall colors. What is Special about New River Gorge Driving through the park, many of the trails and scenic areas intersect with the New River along the gorge making the drive a breathtaking pleasure trip in nature. The New River formed the gorge. New River is […]

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New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia

The New River Gorge in West Virginia is the newest national park in the United States. This little-known location wasn’t on my radar for a long time, but I’m glad I found it. This park is worth visiting if you like outdoor recreation, history and spectacular views. I’ve been to 29 national parks and there are the types that are closed off like a theme park and those that are part of the community that you might drive through on your way to someplace else. This is the latter. New River Gorge National Park has several different access points along 53 miles following the course of the New River. The closest airport is in Beckley, West Virginia and the nearest big city is Roanoke, Virginia, about two hours away. You’ll likely do some driving to get to the park, but most of it is tree-lined and hilly, making it a nice trip, especially during fall colors. What is Special about New River Gorge Driving through the park, many of the trails and scenic areas intersect with the New River along the gorge making the drive a breathtaking pleasure trip in nature. The New River formed the gorge. New River is […]

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8 Edgar Allan Poe Sites to Visit on the East Coast

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary … about how many Edgar Allan Poe sites there are on the East Coast. I’d been on a road trip for over a year as I made my way up the East Coast and started to become confused. Every major city I visited seemed to have an Edgar Allan Poe house, room, site or museum. But how many could there be, I wondered? As I drove, they kept popping up, so I decided to figure out the mystery. Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. He is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and macabre. He was among the first to write intuitive, psychological horror; his most famous is “The Raven.” Although Poe didn’t make much money from The Raven, it led to international success and opportunities, enabling him to become the first American writer to live entirely from his earnings. When I travel, I frequently visit the sites attributed to writers and artists, and Poe was an intriguing study, especially as I kept stumbling upon Poe sites. It seemed they had no end. 1. Edgar and […]

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Is it Haunted? Let’s Go Inside Eastern State Penitentiary

Some say Eastern State Penitentiary is haunted. I don’t know if that’s true but it is haunting. Strong energy lingers and clings, calling for notice as you walk past empty, ruined cells. Block after block; these small, featureless rooms now hold only impressions of those who once dwelled there, locked in perpetual isolation. There’s a heaviness in those cell blocks; though hundreds walk through them daily, an eerie silence permeates everything. Like the people who used to be locked inside, we sense this is not a place for frolic or happy times. Inside those lonely little rooms, amid the rusting metal bed frames and crumbling plaster, there is desolation that threatens to overwhelm. I visited the penitentiary during my two-year road trip as a nomad, traveling in my van, hiking, seeing historic areas, and staying in short-term rentals and it’s a place that stays with me. Why Eastern State Penitentiary is Haunting Everything has energy and each person has an “energy” about them. Even the most skeptical can feel the positive or negative vibrations that individual humans or animals exude. Collectively, we create a shared energy when we assemble in a place or over a cause. It lingers when energy […]

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Explore Photos Inside Eastern State Penitentiary

Some say Eastern State Penitentiary is haunted. I don’t know if that’s true but it is haunting. Strong energy lingers and clings, calling for notice as you walk past empty, ruined cells. Block after block; these small, featureless rooms now hold only impressions of those who once dwelled there, locked in perpetual isolation. There’s a heaviness in those cell blocks; though hundreds walk through them daily, an eerie silence permeates everything. Like the people who used to be locked inside, we sense this is not a place for frolic or happy times. Inside those lonely little rooms, amid the rusting metal bed frames and crumbling plaster, there is desolation that threatens to overwhelm. I visited the penitentiary during my two-year road trip as a nomad, traveling in my van, hiking, seeing historic areas, and staying in short-term rentals and it’s a place that stays with me. Why Eastern State Penitentiary is Haunting Everything has energy and each person has an “energy” about them. Even the most skeptical can feel the positive or negative vibrations that individual humans or animals exude. Collectively, we create a shared energy when we assemble in a place or over a cause. It lingers when energy […]

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5 Activities to Try in Great Smoky Mountain National Park

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is a park like no other with abundant wildlife and frequent bear sightings. It’s been on my list too long, but I finally made my way to it for a three-day trip I won’t soon forget. Three Reasons Great Smoky Mountain National Park is Famous Great Smoky Mountain National Park is famous for its “smoky” vistas, extensive hiking trails, and density of wild black bears and synchronous fireflies. It’s one of the most popular destinations in the United States, attracting over 14 million visitors annually. For context, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, received about 17 million visitors in 2022. The Great History of Smoky Mountain National Park The history of the Smoky Mountains as a National Park began in the early 1900s when a group of conservationists campaigned for its protection. However, the mountain’s history started long before. The government authorized the park’s creation in 1926, but they needed several years to buy the land from families and companies before they could dedicate it in 1940. Whenever I visit national parks, I try to understand their history. Not all families who lived in the Smoky Mountains wanted to sell their land, but like […]

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Music Fans will Love the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Unique Memorabilia

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame holds a unique and modern collection of memorabilia and artifacts celebrating music history. Even as a native Midwesterner, it took me a long time to finally visit the museum in Cleveland, Ohio, which opened in 1995. Had I known then what I know now, I would have visited sooner. It may be that the name “Rock and Roll” is too limiting for the museum, or perhaps my view of what Rock and Roll entailed was too narrow. Visiting the museum gave me a new perspective on the genre and music history and provided a fun-filled walk down memory lane. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is worth visiting for anyone who likes music. Its collections span rock, pop, rap, funk, soul, and more. About the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in downtown Cleveland, alongside Lake Erie – one of the five Great Lakes. It’s a modern black glass pyramid structure with adjacent geometric shapes, including a tall circular tower and two cantilevered wings. The style is bold, distinctive, and entirely appropriate for the content. The museum showcases the history of rock music and […]

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Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a hidden gem in the Midwest

Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a hidden gem in Ohio worth visiting. Located 30 minutes south of Cleveland and Akron, this park has a diverse landscape of forests, meadows, wetlands, and rivers and a rich history and culture. Being an urban park, it’s not entirely like other big national parks because it’s intersected by small towns and somewhat disbursed. However, that means cell service is plentiful, roads are paved, and locations are easier to navigate. Visitors find waterfalls, a spectacular river, and more than 125 miles of trails. I spent two days traversing the park’s many miles of hiking trails, enjoying the vistas and history and was surprised to find it’s not as secret as I assumed. The park drew 2.5 million visitors in 2022 and word of its midwestern splendor is getting around. Perhaps would-be visitors spot the scenery as they pass along an elevated freeway above much of the park. Down below is history, open spaces, colorful trees, waterfalls and people enjoying various outdoor recreation. History of the Cuyahoga Valley It was busy when I pulled into the Boston Mills Visitors Center lot. It’s a stop for the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, and the train was preparing to […]

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Roadtrip in Pennsylvania Wilds and the Highlands to see Fallingwater

This season, take a weekend getaway to visit the Pennsylvania Wilds, the Laurel Highlands, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. I drove through Pennsylvania to Fallingwater in the fall while the leaves were changing from green to gold, orange and red. Still, the drive in any season would be spectacular, whether it’s green leaves and summer sunshine, white and snow-covered, or the cheerful blooms and rushing waters of springtime. Fallingwater is the masterpiece house built by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935, partly over a waterfall in the Laurel Highlands about 70 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It’s the perfect destination for a road trip through Pennsylvania. What makes Fallingwater worth seeing: I drove from Michigan through Ohio and once removed from the industrial downtown, the land and the colors of the trees were spectacular. What a show the leaves put on for us at the end of their lives! Once I got to Pennsylvania, it was primarily forested, open land and the trees were plenty and so colorful. It was like driving through a fairy wonderland. This is where you want to program your GPS to avoid highways so you can take your time on the back roads. The Pennsylvania Wilds […]

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