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Napa Valley, California
Napa Valley, one of California’s most renowned wine-producing regions,
began in the 1850s as a gold rush center. Some industrious settlers
who didn’t put all their cache in minerals planted the vineyards that in
time would become a gold mine of their own. The initial cuttings for
the vineyards were supplied by priests from the missions at Sonoma
and San Rafael. Today Napa Valley is a forerunner in the American
table wine industry.
New River Gorge, West Virginia
The New River Gorge contains 52 miles of the New River and its narrow
gorge that wind through the Appalachian mountains from Hinton to
the New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville. Contrary to its name, the
New is thought to be one of the oldest rivers in North America; it was
part of the ancient Teays River system, which began more than 65
million years ago. Unlike most of the world’s rivers, it flows northward.
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, and New York, U.S.A.
The cities of Niagara Falls, Ont. and Niagara Falls, N.Y., are adjoined by
bridge across the Niagara River about midway along its 56-kilometer
course from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. The river, bisected by the international
boundary, is really a strait that acts as a spillway conveying
the drainage from the Upper Great Lakes to Lake Ontario; at Niagara
Falls its abrupt drop creates one of the most spectacular waterfalls on
the continent. Among the slightest rivers in the world, Niagara is also
one of the wildest: its rapids reach speeds of 48 kilometers per hour.
The Canadian Falls, 54 meters high, have a peak of more than 675
meters, outlining a deep curve and earning them the name Horseshoe
Falls. The river beneath the falls is as deep as the cataract is high. The
American Falls are higher, at 56 meters, but are only about 328 meters
broad in a fairly straight line. They are somewhat less dramatic
because a rockslide in 1954 left many boulders at their base.
Ocmulgee National Monument, Georgia
Included in Ocmulgee National Monument’s 683 acres some of the most
impressive Indian mounds and archeological remains in the southeast
can be found. Six different Indian cultures are known to have lived in
the area between about 10,000 B.C. and 1825. They were Paleo-
Indians and Archaic hunters and gatherers, Woodland hunters and gardeners,
Early and Late Mississippian farmers and noted Creeks. Indian
farmers migrated to central Georgia in about A.D. 900 and constructed
a large village and ceremonial center high on Macon Plateau.
Redwood National Park, California
Containing 106,000 acres, Redwood National Park lies along the
northern Californian Coast. Within its boundaries are the 27,468 joined
acres of redwoods, salt marshes, beaches, rugged coastline, rivers and
streams.
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