Backroads Discoveries – Page 75 – Less Beaten Paths Travel Blog

March 14, 2012December 21, 2015

From Earth to Vulcan

A couple of days ago I posted an article about Earth, Texas. Back in 2007 I had occasion to visit a friend of mine in Alberta, Canada. One of the side trips we tool was to the town of Vulcan, which has taken full advantage of its name and the association with the TV show Star Trek.

Vulcan is a town located midway between the cities of Calgary and Lethbridge inthe prairies of Southern Alberta, Canada. The population of the town was 1,940 in 2006, and the population of the county, which is also named Vulcan, was 3,718. According to Wikipedia, “The town was named by a surveyor for the Canadian Pacific Railroad in 1915 after the Roman God of Fire – Vulcan. Originally all the streets of Vulcan were named after gods and goddesses of the classical world such as Juno, Mars and Jupiter.”

There are indications all over the town of Star Trek. The town took on the Star Trek theme after the great popularity of the TV Show and now has Star Trek visitations all the time, as can be evidenced from their website (linked above).

There is an Enterprise Restaurant, the visitor’s center is space themed (and you can even buy pointed Spock Vulcan Ears there!!). They even have a statue of the Starship Enterprise!

As one drives around the town, there are signs for parks, etc., with the Enterprise logo…

All told, Vulcan is a unique and interesting place to visit….

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Vulcan, Alberta, Canada

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March 13, 2012April 22, 2016

Going through a Hurricane and a Tornado in the same day

HurricaneTornado — Through a Hurricane and a Tornado all in one afternoon

I got back yesterday from a trip to Oregon and left again today for a trip to North Carolina. On the way, I took some back roads through West Virginia and literally went through a Hurricane and then a Tornado.

Hurricane Mural — A Wall Mural in Hurricane, WV

According to the Hurricane Website, “it was a cool, misty morning in the year of 1774. A party of surveyors, commissioned by George Washington, traveled down the Kanawha River. As the sun was slowly rising, cutting through the fog of this early spring day, they noted in their journal that all the trees at the mouth of the creek were bent in the same direction. and they called the location “the place of the hurricane”. The creek became known as Hurricane Creek because of this phenomenon, and by 1811, according to early Virginia maps, the town of Hurricane Bridge was located where Route 34 now crosses the creek near Route 60″

Not much further down the road is another town called Tornado. Yup…a Hurricane and a Tornado, just a few miles from each other!!

The small unincorporated village of Tornado is part of Upper Falls, WV. I am not sure how it got its name, but it is fun to see a town named Tornado!!

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Hurricane, WV to Tornado, WV

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March 10, 2012December 21, 2015

Where on earth is Earth?

When returning from a trip to Arizona in May 2011, we came back through NM, visited Roswell and then, from all the UFO stuff in Roswell, we found ourselves arriving in Earth, TX.

According to a Wikipedia article, “Earth was established by William E. Halsell, who laid out the townsite in 1924. Originally Halsell named the town Fairlawn, but in 1925 it was renamed Earth when it was learned that there was already a town in Texas by the name of Fairlawn.In order to find a new name the townspeople sent in suggestions, and the agreed-upon best name was chosen. The name Earth was submitted by Ora Hume (O.H.) Reeves, who became the owner of the town hotel. Mr. Reeves’ son-in-law, Frank Wesley Hyatt, was the first postmaster in Earth.