As we left Colonial Williamsburg behind and headed north to Mt. Vernon (George Washington’s home) my Mayflower Tours group eagerly anticipated their first look at our nation’s capitol.

Many were war veterans and we saluted the soaring new National Museum of the Marine Corps at Quantico, Virginia as we drove by on I-95 before stepping back in history once again to learn about the Father of our country.

Celebrating Summer: Jamestown Settlement and Fourth of July at Colonial Williamsburg, Va.

FREEDOM!!! I shouted at the top of my lungs — in response to Patrick Henry’s stirring speech as a historical interpreter uttered his famous line — “Give me liberty or give me death!” on the Fourth of July at Colonial Williamsburg, Va.

The thousands of modern day patriots who gathered in Revolutionary City had come to celebrate the birth of our nation on Independence Day and to be inspired by a live proclamation of the Declaration of Independence that had been read aloud on this very spot July 25, 1776.

In the age of the information superhighway, Mackinac Island still relies on horses and carriages.

However, this ban on motorized vehicles is exactly what makes it so attractive to so many who travel to this idyllic retreat looking for a respite from the rat race and the summer heat.

Whenever I travel somewhere, I really get caught up in the feel of the place.

Rather than buying T-shirts with a state name on them, I buy historical books so I know some of what happened there.

Despite the fact that I hate aging, I love to write about getting older; I don’t know why.

Now that summer has officially arrived it’s time to get out and about.

My visit to Milwaukee’s Summerfest begins a series of stories on how I choose to celebrate the season.

Rockford’s rich Scandinavian heritage comes alive this month with a series of cultural events in the northern Illinois city that boasts the third largest concentration of Swedish Americans in the country.

When my Mayflower Tour group and I left for Myrtle Beach, South Carolina a week after Easter I was among the majority of the passengers who had never traveled there before.  

I knew it would be a great destination as 12 million visitors a year can’t be wrong.

I had a preconceived notion of it being “Branson with a Beach” but it turned out to exceed my expectations.

I must admit — I am blessed. But I didn’t feel that way when I reached Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday, April 29.

Photo feature of the wild Virginia bluebells at Illinois Canyon in Starved Rock State Park

As we approach the end of March, our migrating winter eagles in the Illinois River Valley are beginning to fly north to their permanent nesting sites in the upper Midwest and Canada. 

I will miss them until they return next winter but I was able to celebrate our national bird a little longer when I visited the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, Minn., on the “Where Eagles Dare” tour presented by Mayflower Tours of Downers Grove, Ill.

One of the more interesting facts I know about Mark Twain is that on the day he was born (Nov. 30, 1835) and the day he died (April 21, 1910) Halley’s Comet passed overhead.  

The odds of this happening to anyone are astronomical as this natural phenomenon occurs only once every 75-76 years.

However, the heavens seem to be aligned for him again in 2010 when the 175th anniversary of Twain’s birth (born Samuel Langhorne Clemens); the 100th anniversary of his death; and the 125th anniversary of the publication of his most famous work “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” all collide.

Aurora — City of Lights. Although not to be confused with Paris, it is the second largest city in Illinois and is located just 40 miles west of big brother Chicago.

This growing community of more than 180,000 is bisected by the Fox River and earned its nickname by becoming one of the first cities in the United States to implement an all-electric lighting system in 1881.

As a gentle snow drifts down over Central Illinois and winter begins my mind often turns to daydreams of faraway places. 

When Lonely Planet asked me to review their new book, “Best in Travel for 2010,” I was curious to see their choices for the best trends, destinations, journeys and experiences for the upcoming year.

My return trip to Alabama began in Huntsville — the Rocket City — so called for its role in developing the rockets that propelled the U.S. Space Program. 

We all know there is no place like home for the holidays, but when you travel around this country as much as I do, you’ll find that there is a unique year-round way of life that is only found south of the Mason-Dixon line — namely, Southern Hospitality.

Traveling the highways and byways of our great country, I’ve found that some of the friendliest, most generous folks remain right here in the Midwest. 

Hovering 1500 feet up in a helicopter I peered straight down at more than 600,000 gallons of water per second pouring over American Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horseshoe Falls — the three waterfalls that together make up majestic Niagara Falls.

Honoring our Veterans

Veteran’s Day has always been an important day to my family. 

My dad, Jack Bradley, began his career in photography as a combat motion picture photographer with the 8th Army in the Korean War.

I’ve always enjoyed living in a small town but within easy driving distance of a large city. 

When I lived in Chicago, I always felt if I walked off a curb and was flattened by a bus nobody would blink an eye. 

I never liked the impersonal, hectic pace of city living.

But in small towns like Chillicothe or Henry you get to know your neighbors. And, when I had the chance to visit Franklin, Tenn., (20 miles south of Nashville), I found out why Southern Living Magazine ranked it in its Top 10 Best Small Towns.