Tales of a Technogypsie

The Diner* 4405 Fort Jackson Blvd * Columbia, SC 29209 * (803) 661-7676 * http://www.thedinercolumbia.com/ * http://www.facebook.com/TheDinerColumbiaSC * Just off the beaten path outside Gate 1 of Fort Jackson is a nice friendly little artsy diner plainly labelled after its namesake. They are after the classic American diner experience and image, open for breakfast, lunch, [...]

photos 12/24/12 042-052 Near the historic Smokey Mountains, in Graham County, North Carolina, is a small town built along the shores of Lake Santeetlah. The town and lake share the name. Boasting a population of approximately 67 (census 2000), the town has approximately 200 residences. Santeetlah is located approximately 6 miles north of Robbinsville and [...]

Fontana Village Resort * http://www.fontanavillage.com/ * Fontana Village Resort | 300 Woods Road • P.O. Box 68 | Fontana Dam, North Carolina 28733 * Phone: 828.498.2211 * We were seeking an escape to the mountains and while this time of year the blue ridge parkway had segments shut down, we ventured via main roads to [...]

Fontana Lake* Smokey Mountains National Park, Fontana Dam, North Carolina * Named after the Italian word for “fountain”, Fontana Lake is named after the flooded town of Fontana, which was the Smokey Mountains infamous lumber and copper-mining hub back in the day at the mouth of Eagle Creek. Now a reservoir contained by Fontana Dam [...]

The Hill of Uisneach / Cnoc Uisnigh or Ushnagh, in the heart of County Westmeath, is a 182 meter high sacred hill that was once considered to be the absolute center of Ireland. Located along the northern side of R390, and 8 kilometers east of Ballymore, next to the village of Loughanavally – it is [...]

Stekkjarkot* Fitjar, Njarðvík, Reykjanesbær, Keflavik, Iceland * Phone: 00354 8942874 * vikingship@simnet.is * In Keflavik is an example of the type of architecture that was common around 17th-19th centuries as a household dwelling. These were turf roof houses called the Stekkjarkot and seen dotted around the landscape. This house was a roughly built turf, timber, [...]

Keflavik Reykjavik, Iceland When you fly into Reykjavik, you actually land just outside of Keflavik. “Keflavik” means “Driftwood Bay” and is a prominent town in the Reykjanes region of Southwestern Iceland. With a population of just over 8,000 it is part of a larger municipality region called Reykjanesbaer totalling over 13,000 inhabitants. The town was [...]

Conwy, Wales Along the River Conwy lies the ancient walled town of Conwy or Conway. It was a major market center of the north coast of Wales. With a population of just over 14,000 inhabitants, it is a great tourist destination for those wanting to get away in Wales. The old Welsh language is very [...]

Fresh * 1 Crown Alley * Temple Bar * Dublin, Ireland * 2 * phone: (01) 671 8423 * http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fresh-Temple-Bar/ * One of Dublin’s little hotspots for fashion, club wear, and alternative garb … “Fresh” is in the heart of Temple Bar along Crown Alley, and boasts the best of alternative brands for vintage, punk, [...]

Bottomless Lakes State Park* Roswell, New Mexico, USA * Our swimming hole playground while living in Roswell, New Mexico – Bottomless Lakes provided much cooling off during the hot and dry summers of the desert. Only Fifteen miles from Roswell, the Lakes are Located along the Pecos River, and are a series of natural caves [...]

MS Dana Sirena* directferries.co.uk * http://www.directferries.co.uk/dfds_seaways_dana_sirena.htm * http://www.directferries.co.uk/harwich_esbjerg_ferry.htm * The Dana Sirena, named just like a ship out of folklore, appropriate since my first journey on her was embarking on a voyage from Jorvik to Norway for my first Viking festival. This brilliant RoPax ferry carries over 620 passengers and 435 cars. It is also [...]

Colorline Ferry: Service from Denmark to Norway One of the fastest methods, albeit an extremely expensive one, to get your car from Denmark to Norway is the “Color Line” ferry. As I was travelling from England to Norway with a friend via Denmark, this is the ferry we took. It is also the largest cruise [...]

Viking Art/Rune Stone, Borre Viking Marked, Borre, Norway The Viking Art StoneBorrehaugene National Park, Borre, Norway In the Borrehaugene National Park lies a modern artistic replication of a Viking runic stone as one walks towards the grave mounds. The Park is home to the largest number of burial mounds from the Viking age – which [...]

Borre Viking MarkedViking Market / Festival, Borre, Borrekaupangen – the historical Borre Park, Norway: Sunday, 8th July 2012. http://www.borrevikinglag.com/?page_id=961 An amazing trek across the Irish and North Seas, through four countries, three days to reach, three days to embrace, and three days to return … I was taken captive by a Jorvik Viking from York [...]

Stratton Spring, Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA Stratton SpringManitou Springs, Colorado From the deep fissures of the Ute Pass Fault, where the rainwater and snow melt of Pikes Peak meet and become heated and mineralized in the deep limestone caverns where they take thousands of years to make their way to the surface absorbing numerous minerals [...]

Wheeler Spring, Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA Wheeler SpringManitou Springs, Colorado, USA * 13S E 507091 N 4301190 * N 38° 51.571 W 104° 55.096 * One of the lesser known sacred ten of the downtown Manitou Springs natural soda springs is Wheeler Spring as it is on a parallel street running alongside main street. These [...]

Cheyenne Spring, Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA Cheyenne SpringManitou Springs, Colorado The spring waters are fissured up through rock fractures from the rainwater and snow melt coming from Pikes Peak. Water reaching the depths become heated and mineralized, flowing up through the Ute Pass fault zone, into limestone caverns which carbonate them, and tapped into by [...]

Navajo Spring, Manitou Springs, Colorado Navajo Spring Manitou Springs, Colorado, USA Just off of main street in historic Manitou Springs, at the back of the popcorn and candy store in front of the amusement arcade, coming out of the wall in a decorated font is a natural soda spring that is one of 7 popular [...]

Icelandic Wonders Museum, Iceland The Brennivin Ghost of Iceland While visiting the Icelandic wonders museum, we learned about the infamous Brennivín Ghost, haunting the region where the original Icelandic Schnapps is named. Haunting the halls at Kolviðarhóll, who is the apparition of the Danish “Assistant” who worked in the Sunchenberg Store in Reykjavik. His job [...]

Chronicles: 08/16/12, a set on Flickr. Via Flickr: Follow the Chronicles of Sir Thomas Rhymer Oisin Leaf McGowan on August 16, 2012 as he explores Loughcrew passage tomb’s rock art, and tromps in the rain atop the Hill of Uisneach in counties Meath and westmeath of Ireland. The tales will be published late September here: [...]

Chronicles August 02, 2011:, a set on Flickr. Via Flickr: The Chronicles of Sir Thomas Rhymer Oisin Leaf McGowan during his adventures in Scotland. The travel tales and adventure will eventually be available at http;//www.technogypsie.com/chronicles/. Information about the photos can be obtained at www.technogypsie.com/photography/ Questions about the publication date of these adventures can be requested [...]

2012 Dublin Zombie Walk * Saturday, 4 August 2012 * St. Stephen’s Green to Temple Bar * 2 pm – 4 pm * Dublin, Ireland * http://www.dublinzombiewalk.com/ * The living dead rose to masses ranging from 4,000 to quoted 10,000 undead splattering blood, guts, and moaning for brains as they walked a long route taking [...]

Danish Krone or Krona During my first ever trip to Denmark, I was introduced to their currency, the Krone. Very similar to the Norwegian Krona, the Danish Krone (Kroner, kr, DKK, krona, Danish crown) is the official currency of Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands since January 1875. One krone is subdivided into 100 øre. [...]

Charleston Therapeutic Massage * 310 Broad St, Ste 8, Charleston, SC 29401 * (843) 723-7005 * charleston-massage.com * Very relaxing and healing experience as I found a massage therapy centre to fit exactly what I needed. As a fellow massage therapist, its often hard to find someone who can perfectly release your aches and pains, [...]

1986-2007 It was in 2005 that my boss saw snow collecting above me and Liz’s tents while doing field work at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site as we weren’t about to stay in the “hanta house” infested ranch house most of the field crew was staying in. At least with a tent, we could control what [...]

Ossian’s Grave * Cloghbrack * Cushendall * Northern Ireland * The fabled site of where the wandering poet, bard, and seer “Oisin” is believed to be buried. Atop a hill overlooking the valley and down into the Glen as well as over the Channel to be able to see Scotland on a clear day, the [...]

John Hewitt’s Memorial Cairn* Ossian’s Grave, Cushendall, Northern Ireland * A popular Northern Ireland poet, John Harold Hewitt blessed the earth with his works from 1907 until June 22, 1987. He was born in Belfast, and was labelled one of the more significant poets of his time along with Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley, and Derek [...]

Cushendall, Northern Ireland A little village that has drawn me into its crossroads many many times in the searching for Ossian’s grave which lies just on its outskirts. Another attracting piece of folklore discovered during those journeys is the Fairy Hill overlooking the village called Tiveragh Hill. With a population of just over 1,200 inhabitants, [...]

Stonehenge Festival, a set on Flickr. Via Flickr: The Summer Solstice Stonehenge Celebration at Stonehenge, Salisbury, England, UK. June 20-21, 2012. To learn more about Stonehenge, visit my page at: www.technogypsie.com/reviews/?p=126 In the near future, photos and articles relating to the 2012 festival will be posted here (estimated July 2012) www.technogypsie.com/reviews/?p=3365 Photos by Leaf McGowan [...]

National Botanical Garden of Ireland, a set on Flickr. Via Flickr: National Botanical Garden of Ireland in Dublin. May 30, 2012.