All That Glitters: Ashley Prospects for Welsh Gold

Ashley gears up for her gold mine tour. Betsa Marsh photo

Ashley the Traveling Teddy became a deep thinker on a recent tour of Wales–very deep, down 70 steps into a dark  shaft once worked by Romans 2,000 years ago.

Ashley travels for the third-grade class of Meredith Schroeder at St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton, Ohio. The Traveling Teddy program is a geography outreach of the Society of American Travel Writers.

The Romans, who built a fort nearby at Pumsaint,  searched for gold at Dolaucothi using a drift mine into the hillside rather than a vertical shaft. They used fire and water to crack the quartz, and little children ages 10 to 14 would then sort out the quartz, looking for gold. It took a ton of quartz, according to Ray Miller of the National Trust, to yield an ounce of gold about the size of a peanut.

Archaeologists have found fragments of the Romans’ water wheels

Ray Miler of the National Trust teaches Ashley the ropes. Betsa Marsh photo

on the mining site. They’re now on display in the Cardiff Museum.

After the Romans, small-scale mining resumed in 1853 and grew until 1912, when, according to the BBC, the complex geology of the site brought an end to work there. Miners returned to Dolaucothi one last time between 1933 and 1938, after which the equipment was sold off.

Today, the National Trust has reconstructed the mineyard to the 1930s period. There’s a gold exhibit, a shop with rare Welsh gold and a tea room.

You can, of course, pan for gold there–Ashley tried her paws, but didn’t find enough to quit her day job as traveling ambassador for the students of St. Joseph.

Ray Miller of the National Trust welcomes Ashley and other travelers to the Long Adit, the Roman opening to Dolaucothi Gold Mine in Wales. Betsa Marsh photo

Veterans and Military Ride Free on Hocking RR

To celebrate a record-breaking year hauling more than 35,000 passengers in 2009, the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway in Nelsonville, Ohio, is running a special free Memorial Day train for veterans or military personnel on May 31.

Any veteran or current member of the armed forces can ride for free on the 1:30 p.m. train on Memorial Day. Immediate family members living with them ride for free, too.

Can’t ride on Memorial Day? Veterans, current military and their families receive a discount all year long on any regular train departing at noon or 2:30 p.m. Call to reserve a seat on the train and show your military ID or DD214 at the depot when picking up tickets. Leave a message at 800-967-7834 or call the depot on the weekend at 740-753-9531.

Weekends from May to October, volunteers blast the whistle, ease the train out of the station and start a trip back in time. The non-profit Hocking Valley Scenic Railway has been chugging through the scenery of the Appalachian foothills for 35 years ago.

Free Bird Events in Jackson County, Ind.

Jackson County, Ind will be all about the birds March 6, with avian events at three of its most popular outdoor spots.

The county is home to almost 300 different kinds of birds at different seasons of the year, including bald eagles which nest at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Seymour and near Starve Hollow State Recreation Area in Vallonia.

Migrating Sandhill cranes fly into Jackson County fall through spring, and sometimes 6,000-8,000 birds can be seen in the Ewing Bottoms, on the north side of Brownstown.

March 6 events:

• At Muscatatuck, children can make bird bookmarks and visitors can take home a free Sandhill crane poster. The hiking trails will be open, as well as the Visitor Center from 8 a.m.- 4 p.m.

• Starve Hollow’s Birding Day activities will include free gate admission, kid’s “crane” crafts and directions to view an eagle nest. The Visitor Center will be open 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

• At Jackson-Washington State Forest in Brownstown, the property manager will be on hand to answer questions about the birds and the Skyline Drive Scenic Overlook.

For information, call the Jackson County Visitor Center at 888-524-1914.

FREE Wildlife Programs in the Great Smokies

Wilderness Wildlife Week in the Great Smoky Mountains is a free, eight-day family program in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Lectures, classes, photography shows, musical performances and demonstrations run from Jan. 9-16.

Nearly 20 of 230 programs are specifically for kids, such as

• Animal Olympics, an interactive program that compares human senses and abilities to those of wild animals
• Oh! Possum, a chance to meet a marsupial
• Those Ain’t Teddy Bears in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a session about the icons of the Smokies
• Kiddin’ Around, a hands-on introduction to mountain music and instruments for kids, and
• Wings of America, a live bird show from the American Eagle Foundation.

Celebrating its 20th year, Wilderness Wildlife Week is part of Pigeon Forge Winterfest, which continues through February. Rangers from the National Park Service, biologists, botanists, nature photographers, animal rehabilitators and Smoky Mountains residents donate their time for the week’s presentations.

Japan-Bound? Write and Win a Trip

Long to travel and write guidebooks? WorldNomads.com, in conjunction with Rough Guides, Intrepid Travel and Hotels.com, is sponsoring a contest for aspiring travel writers ages 18 and up. The prize is the chance to travel for a week, all expenses paid, to Tokyo and learn from Rough Guides travel writer, Simon Richmond.

The deadline for applications is Dec. 21. For details and online entry, click here.

The assignment will be to research, review and update essential travel info for the Tokyo section of The Rough Guide Japan, including accommodation, bars and restaurants, entertainment, shopping, tours, activities and transport, as well as searching out local secrets travelers want to read about.

Applicants need to be available between Feb. 15 – 26, 2010 to participate in The Rough Guide to Japan writing assignment and a Flavors of Tokyo independent tour with Intrepid Travel.

Free Ski For Christmas at Teton Mountain

Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, is offering a free daily lift ticket for each person who stays at the resort through Dec. 25. The room rate is $99 per person, per night, including a daily lift ticket for each person.

Ahoy! Ashley Gets Her Sea Paws!

Ashley the Traveling Teddy has taken the helm of several boats recently, and captain and crew all lived to tell about it!

Ashley with Capt. Nick Manuel on the Silva Tall Ship in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Betsa Marsh photo

Ashley travels for the third-grade class of Meredith Schroeder at St. Joseph Consolidated School in Hamilton, Ohio. The Traveling Teddy program is a geography outreach of the Society of American Travel Writers.

This summer, she helped Capt. Nick Manuel take the tall ship Silva out of her Halifax harbor for a breezy tour of the Narrows. She sailed past

George's Island Lighthouse, Halifax. Betsa Marsh photo

George’s Island Lighthouse and met a new friend onboard, 19-month-old Bri Hurlbut from Nova Scotia.

Bria Hurlbut didn't want to give Ashley up. Betsa Marsh photo

Recently, Ashley toured the Bluegrass region of Kentucky and helped another captain steer his ship.

At Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, Ashley joined Capt. Richard Herring in the pilot house of the paddlewheeler Dixie Belle for a trip down the Kentucky River.

She got to see the palisades and waterfalls, but she knew the Captain was joshing when he talked about piranhas in the river and snakes on board the Dixie Belle! Eeuuw!

Ashley  with Capt. Richard Herring on the Dixie Belle.  Betsa Marsh photo

She went under the High Bridge, which was once the highest railroad bridge in the world

and got to see the Kentucky flag snap in the breeze. 

St. Maarten Winter Dive Packages from $1,055

Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort & Casino in St. Maarten is offering winter dive packages at Great Bay. The four-night package is $1,055 per person for two days of diving and four tank dives; the six-night package for five days of diving and 10 tank dives is $1,850, for stays from Dec. 20-April 3. Both packages include daily breakfast for two, a shark sightseeing excursion and $20 match play per person/per day at the Golden Casino.

Discounted Wayfarers Walks in US, Europe

The Wayfarers, in its 26th season with diverse walks in 15 countries, has reduced prices on its fall European and American Walks. Rates for Europe start at $3,295 per person for activities, meals and accommodations, and included a $400 currency bonus if you pay when you book. USA Walks start at $2,595 per person. Some samples:

Cézanne’s Provence, Oct. 4-11. Walk winding paths and vineyards before visiting the villages of Lacoste and Ménerbes. $3,495.

Sicily, Mt. Etna, & Aeolian Islands, Oct. 10-17. Hike Mount Etna, ferry to the Aeolian Islands, and relax in hot sulphur mud pools. $3,995.

The Cotswolds & Oxford, Oct. 11-16. Tour the gardens of Hidcote Manor, the grounds of Batsford House, the estate of the Duke of Marlborough and the ancient university town of Oxford. $3,295.

New Mexico, Oct. 11-16. Discover the landscape that inspired artist Georgia O’Keefe: Bandelier National Monuments, Frijoles Canyon and The Rio Grande. $2,595.

Eight New Geocaches near Richmond, Ind.

The Richmond/Wayne County Visitor’s Bureau is luring GPS-equipped treasure hunters with a new “Hidden Treasure” Geocache trail. The new trail adds eight caches to the 150 already in the county, and leads explorers to prominent landmarks covering 26 miles. Each participant who finds and records all eight caches will win a pathtag token to commemorate the trek.