beckyrepp Posted April 5, 2009 Report Share Posted April 5, 2009 Greetings! The American Road staff would like to extend a hearty welcome to all new subscribers and American Road Forum members. We are thrilled to have you join the growing list of American Road enthusiasts! The Spring 2009 issue recently mailed from the printer. Start watching your mail boxes! We've got some great surprises in store in the Spring issue: a new road trip itinerary, more pages, and some new departments! All of these updates are designed to help you better plan your road trips in 2009. Article: Alton (Ill.) Along the Great River Road White pelicans migrate through the Alton (Ill.) region along the Mississippi Flyway each spring and fall. Courtesy Alton Area CVB, http://www.visitalton.com. The Alton, Illinois region is a masterpiece of nature. Filled with whistling birds, colorful trees, glistening waters, imposing bluffs, energetic fish, and unique plants, the environment is paradise for its visitors, as well as the animals and plants of the region. The stacking bluffs are a geologic wonder resulting from the region's active ecological past. Inland seas covered the area 400 million years ago housing coral, sponges, tribolites, fish, snails, and clams. These rushing waters sculpted the deep crevices and alternating textures of the bluffs. The grand rocks were ancient sea floors during this time and many of these early creatures can still be found embedded in the limestone. White pelicans vacation in the region from March until winter knocks again. Ducks, Falcons, Warblers, Sandpipers, Owls, Woodpeckers, and Warblers share trees, grasslands, lakes and streams. Gilbert Lake at the Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge is an ideal bird lookout. Quiet visitors can peer at the more than 230 species of bird in the area. They can be seen bringing food to their chirping young, building nests with straw and leaves, or chasing one another through the blue sky. Particular birds to look for include the piliated woodpecker, which is the largest type in the United States and resembles "Woody the Woodpecker" with its flamboyant red head. Other birds and wildlife have made the region's trails and parks their home. Visitors can observe the wildlife in its natural habitat, examining the primitive surroundings of the animals as well. Rich forestlands and sunny glades covered with wildflowers and various trees are dwellings for the deer, chipmunks, wild turkeys, foxes, and coyotes of the region. Great places to check out the area's plants and wildlife are Pere Marquette State Park, Gordon F. Moore Community Park, Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge, McCully Project, and the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary. Celebrate the arrival of spring and the winged visitors migrating along the Mississippi Flyway, at the Wings of Spring Confluence Birding Festival n Saturday, April 25, 2009. The festival will be at the Riverlands Migratory Bird Sanctuary in West Alton, Mo., just on the other side of the Clark Bridge. The festival is jam packed with activities for all ages from off-site birding trips, birdhouse building, and storytelling to live bird demonstrations and guided kayak trips. The festival is FREE with some fees for cruises and kayak trips. For more information, call 1-800-285-6645 or click HERE. Festivals and Events Visit our calendar of events page and you'll find plenty of festivals and events (many without admission fees) to plan your 2009 vacations and outings. The possibilities are endless. http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/calendar/calendar.html Winners of the Winter 2008 Cool Roads Sweepstakes American Road Magazine® is pleased to announce the winner of the American Road® Winter 2008 Cool Roads Sweepstakes brought to you by American Road magazine and the following sponsors: * Alton (Ill.) Regional CVB - http://visitalton.com/ * FedEx Office - http://fedex.com/ * LaSalle County (Ill.)/Starved Rock - http://www.enjoylasallecounty.com/ * Rochelle (Ill.) Tourism - http://www.rochelletourism.com/ * Tuscaloosa (Al.) CVB - Tuscaloosa (Al.) CVB * Whidbey & Camano Islands Tourism - http://www.whidbeycamanoislands.com/ The sweepstakes winners are: Christine Alonso, Edison, N.J. Joyce Barner Allen, Joplin, Mo. Tom Basarich, Sioux City, Iowa Maurice Brown, Brentwood, Calif. Sandra Dispensa, Bolingbrook, Ill. Judy Hiatt, Parkland, Fla. Lind Just, Jefferson, N.C. Sarah Mitchell, Gardendale, Ala. Edward Valente, Stoneham, Mass. Eileen Zimmerman, Burnsville, Minn. Congratulations! You, too, could be a winner of the next American Road® Trip Sweepstakes! See pages 28 and 29 in the Spring 2009 edition of American Road magazine or watch our website for details on how to enter! WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU We welcome your correspondence and questions. Have you paid a recent visit to one or more of the places mentioned in a previous issue of AMERICAN ROAD? We want to hear about it. Are there specific highways or auto trails that you would like to read about in American Road? Let us know. We love receiving your cards, letters and e-mails. Photographs are great, too! You may send us a letter or e-mail. Send letters via US mail to: American Road PO Box 46519 Mt. Clemens, MI 48046 You may send e-mails to becky@americanroadmagazine.com. (Letters and e-mail may be published in an upcoming issue of AMERICAN ROAD and may be edited for style and available space.) Our advertisers and affiliate programs help support the free information provided via americanroadmagazine.com and our e-newsletter. Be sure to tell them you heard about them through American Road magazine. IS IT TIME TO RENEW/SUBSCRIBE TO AMERICAN ROAD? A batch of renewal notices will be e-mailed and mailed in the next few weeks. If you just mailed in your renewal form with payment, it is possible that the next renewal letter may cross your payment in the mail. Please disregard the notice if that is the case. You may now renew or subscribe on line. Simply click on the appropriate link at http://www.americanroadmagazine.com/subscribe/subscribe.html You may also subscribe or renew by calling our toll-free number at 1-877-285-5434 x1. If we are assisting another caller, please leave a message. If all lines are busy and calls do not forward to voice mail, please e-mail us (and we can call you back) or try calling us back later. We are always happy to call you back. DREAM WELL AND DRIVE SAFELY ON THE AMERICAN ROAD! Sincerely, Becky Repp American Road Magazine The American Road economic stimulus package: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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