Rosslyn Chapel (Midlothian County, Scotland, United Kingdom)

We had been in the great city of Edinburgh, Scotland for the past couple of days. Our experience had been amazing. We had enjoyed some wonderful cuisine (I enjoyed haggis quite a lot) and visited some amazing sites, including a tour of the mighty Edinburgh Castle, defender of Scotland. The only struggle we really had in this beautifully old country was driving around. Adjusting to the driver sitting on the right side of the car, while driving on the left side of the road was quite challenging. Now though, it was time to test that driving skill once again, as we head out towards the highlands, stopping at a couple of sites along our way to Grantown-on-Spey.

Our stop sits about seven miles south of Edinburgh in Roslin Glen. Construction started on the now-famous Rosslyn Glen, which featured prominently in Dan Brown’s “The Da Vinci Code” and its movie adaption, in 1456 and was never completed, at least to the original plan. The chapel is only about one third of its planned size. No one is sure why construction was never completed, but the most obvious answer is money or the lack there of. 

Even in its incomplete state though, the chapel is an architectural marvel to behold. The masonry work both inside and out is of the highest artistic level to be seen in buildings from this period. The inside of the chapel is supported by fourteen pillars, including the “Master Pillar” and the “Prentice Pillar”. The story surrounding these two pillars tells of a master mason having completed the first and then traveling Europe for inspiration for the second. In his absence, one of his apprentices took it upon himself to create the later and in such a way as to overshadow his master’s work. The “Prentice Pillar” contains a representation of the Yggdrasil from Norse mythology. Upon his return and seeing the work, the master murdered his apprentice in a jealous rage. The master was later executed for the murder and their representations sit in the chapel; the master’s forever gazing upon the skilled labor of his apprentice.

Cultural references in the stone work do not end with Norse mythology. There are numerous sculptures in the structure representing a myriad of different cultures, mythologies, and religions. One of the most peculiar is the framing of a window by some type of seed cone, which very closely resemble cobs of corn. This is strange since corn was native to the Americas, which would not be visited by Columbus for another 30+ years.

While no pictures are allowed inside the chapel, a very knowledgeable tour guide gave a very informative lecture concerning various aspects of the chapel. It was quite enjoyable and left us to ponder the structure’s amazing history.

Independence Hall (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

With the choice of either a 5-hour or 10-hour layover in Philadelphia on the way to our honeymoon in Scotland, the 10-hour seemed a much better choice since it would give us time to leave the airport and explore the city a little bit. We chose to do this. Immediately after landing, we grabbed a cab and headed to the area of Independence Hall. While this was my second trip to see the historic site, it was my new wife’s first. The cab ride was uneventful and we were let at the visitor center, where we checked the tour schedule. Acquiring tickets, we realized we had a couple of hours to wait and so walked a few blocks in the area looking for an interesting place to have lunch.

We finally settled on a wonderful little bistro on a nearby street corner. The meal was wonderful, and included an appetizer pizza with four types of cheeses and slices of pear – strange, but delicious. After lunch and a couple of drinks, we made our way back to Independence Hall, taking a moment to view the Liberty Bell through the glass of its display building. We probably would have gone in, but the line was extremely long.

Just across the street lay Independence Hall, the birthplace of the great experiment we all America. Seeing it from across the courtyard, it resembles many other buildings of its ear, but it emits some type of aura that few can. It must be our forefather’s spirits holding vigil over the birthplace of their great labor. Unfortunately, the hall was currently under renovation during this visit. There was scaffolding all around the spire of the building, but the construction team, had carefully placed artistically painted sheets around the scaffolding imitating the structure behind it. It was a nice touch.

Upon entering the building with our tour guide and a few dozen other tourists, we made our way into the two main rooms. The first was the colonial courtroom from when this served as the regional courthouse. It was adorned with original furniture and decorative items, which made it easy to imagine the atmosphere of trials that may have taken place here.

The second room we were lead to by our very knowledgeable tour guide was the Assembly Room, where the magic happened. Just prior to the American Revolution, delegates from the thirteen colonies met in this room to debate an action who’s heart and soul would be captured in the words of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence, which separated the colonies from England and initiated the Revolutionary War. Men such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock and many others sat in this room and debated the very nature of man and the truth of his existence in this world as it relates to his own freedom. They were titans and the work they did here defined a nation. One can’t help but feel the glow emanating from this small room. 

In addition to the first two rooms, we also visited the Governor’s Council Chamber and the Long Room on the second floor of the great hall, and while they are certainly interesting, my mind couldn't help leave the Assembly Room and the amazing discussions that must have taken place there almost a quarter of a millennia ago.

Upon completion of the tour, we thanked our wonderful guide and made our way back to the airport. Time to visit the motherland.

Valley of Fire (Clark County, Nevada)

Just as we had driven through Death Valley on the way down to Las Vegas, we drove through this most gorgeous of Nevada’s state parks on the way home.

Even the first site of the orangish-red sandstone stirs the imagination. This park is full of ancient Native American Petroglyphs and bizarre rock formations.

Our first stop, at At’latl Rock exposed us to a highly decorated rock formation. While being flanked by a platoon of cute little ground squirrels, we made our way up to the rock face, which is covered with numerous Petroglyphs. It is truly unfortunate that previous visitors in modern times have defaced some of this mysterious message from the distant past.

Moving on, we began searching the area for a natural arch, mentioned on the signs. As it turns out, the arch is fairly tiny and set upon a much larger boulder. Scanning the area at just the right angle will finally reveal the miniaturized natural wonder.

Our last stop before leaving the park required me to do a short hike, while Cass remained in the jeep. Traversing a short path over the sandstone, I found myself alongside the paved road we had entered on with the goal of my hike directly in front of me. Elephant Rock is an incredibly accurate name for this formation. Time and the elements have worn this particular boulder down in such a way as to make it closely resemble an elephant, with four legs, a head, and a trunk clearly defined. Nature is an amazing artist.

Death Valley National Park (Death Valley National Park, California)

On our way to Las Vegas for a getaway weekend, we decided to drive the length of Death Valley National Park and take in some of the awe-inspiring landscape.

Upon entering the northern end of the park, we were both awed by the stark landscape; not to mention the noticeable increase in air temperature. Very shortly, we came upon Scotty’s Castle, a ranch home of extravagant proportions, which was built in the 1920’s. Unfortunately, we arrived a few minutes too late for the tour; next time.

Continuing on into the park, we proceeded into a contradictory panoramic view. An amazingly beautiful desert terrain lay before us with dark storm clouds sitting atop the peaks on the horizon. It made for an amazing sunset on the way out of the park.

Before exiting though, we walked out onto the salt flats at Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the United States at 282 feet below sea level. This is only too emphasized on the way back to the jeep by a sign labeled “Sea Level” perched far above us on the overlooking mountainside.

Alas, our short visit came to an end as the last remnants of daylight left us, but we were blessed with what must have been a truly rare occurrence in this desolate place on our way out of the park – a few raindrops to renew life in this beautifully dry world.

Cahokia Mounds (St. Clair County, Illinois)

Though I have visited this ancient city a few times when I was younger, I thought Cass might enjoy seeing this Native American metropolis near my home town. The interpretive center has undergone substantial upgrades since my last visit. We casually strolled through the museum-like center learning about the ancient Mississippian Culture that built this city of earthen mounds over one thousand years ago.

Leaving the center, we step out into the great plaza of downtown Ancient Cahokia. Signs of the areas former prominence are everywhere, with mounds of varying sizes rising from the prairie in all directions. Dominating them all though, the mighty Monk’s Mound oversees the entire area. At over 100 feet tall and covering several acres, this impressive mound is the largest of its kind in the Americas.

While the visit was short, it was well worth the short drive. I think Cass really enjoyed it.

Mammoth Cave Historic Tour (Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky)

While visiting my aunt, I decided to revisit with my mother and bride-to-be, the largest cave system in the world at Mammoth Cave National Park. My father had brought me here when I was ten years old or so, but I don’t recall much of that trip due to my young age.

The cave itself is called mammoth not for any fossils of the great beast that may have been found within, but instead due to its great size. Approximately ten million years ago, an ancient river began carving out what has today become over 600 miles of underground passages. Explorers and spelunkers find more passages every year.

We opt to take the Historic Tour, which covers about two miles of passageways in this subterranean world. Our journey begins by passing under a small waterfall into a large limestone passageway, and then opening up into a room the size of a hockey arena. We then begin trekking down a long, straight corridor, the size of which, only a river would be capable of carving. I continually look around for Polyphemus hiding in the shadows, but the giant cave appears to be cyclops-free.

Continuing on, we pass through the dwarf-friendly Tall Man’s Misery and then through a section called Fat Man’s Agony – tight squeeze! Truly, this cave is a wonder of nature. Nearing the end of the planned path, we pass over several “bottomless” pits that descend into utter darkness. We finally reach a set of steel staircases constructed to make the ascent to the surface much friendlier to tourists. After many, many steps, we once again reach the arena-sized room and head back to the entrance and daylight.

Lovelock Cave (Churchill County, Nevada)

For today's little adventure, my fiancee and I decided to take a short drive east to visit the famous Lovelock Cave. The drive to the cave takes out some dirt roads into the desert, but they prove no challenge for the jeep. When we arrive at the trail head, which is just below a small butte that houses the cave, we find a steep trail leading up to the mouth of the cave.

At approximately 80 feet long and 30 feet deep, the cave itself is relatively large compared to other examples of this type of cave I have seen over the years. A large wooden deck has been constructed inside the cave to allow more sure footing for visitors examining the charred ceiling. 

Signs indicate that this cave was used by ancient Native Americans as far back as 4000 years ago. In fact, the discovery of some anciently constructed duck decoys in this cave from that period stirred a lot of interest in the archaeological community. Later, the cave became home to colonies of bats, whose guano became a much sought after commodity a century ago and which allowed for the initial discovery of the artifacts in this cave. There is also a Paiute legend of a race of red-haired giants that they warred with in ancient times. Supposedly, the last surviving members of that race hid in this cave and were killed by creating a large fire inside the cave. Reports indicate that the remains of these giants were found by modern survey's, but they have since disappeared and slipped into legend.

After a short time looking around and reading the various signage describing the legends and geology surrounding the cave, we make our way back to the parking lot and head home.