The Greatest Places to Experience the Simple Life

These are 10 great places:

Block Island, R.I. 

Block Island can be defined by what it lacks: There are no stoplights, no McDonald's, no Holiday Inns. Instead, the town of fewer than 1,000 year-round residents "is a landscape of freshwater ponds, rolling green hills and dramatic 250-foot bluffs," van Ogtrop says. In winter, Block Island becomes an artists' community. 800-383-2474; blockislandinfo.com

Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

Harrodsburg, Ky. 

It's not uncommon at Shaker Village to see a pair of oxen laboring in the field or a blacksmith in period clothing shoeing a horse. It's a delightful step back in time and "a testament to the simplicity of the Shaker lifestyle," van Ogtrop says. "Plank-and-stone fences lace together nearly 3,000 lush bluegrass acres where a community of Shakers once lived, worked and worshiped." 800-734-5611; shakervillageky.org

Grafton, Vt. 

The town is "a veritable showcase of historic buildings, including a well-stocked general store, a famed cheese company and a working blacksmith shop," van Ogtrop says. Down a tree-lined road and past a covered bridge is the Grafton Inn, one of the USA's older operating inns. The white-clapboard getaway invites travelers to "follow in the footsteps of Rudyard Kipling, who honeymooned here," says van Ogtrop. 802-828-3237; vermontvacation.com

Finger Lakes, N.Y. 

For an up-close and intimate shore-side getaway, van Ogtrop likes the Finger Lakes region. "Of the 11 glacial lakes clustered there, Y-shaped Keuka is said to be the prettiest, and the adjacent state park offers hiking, boating, fishing, and views of the rolling, vineyard-dotted hills," she says. 888-408-1693; FingerLakesTravelNY.com

Grand Teton National Park 

Wyoming 

Grand Teton National Park is home to glacier-chiseled peaks that rise 7,000 feet above the floor of Jackson Hole Valley. You can picnic in aspen groves, where elk graze and bald eagles soar, or check out a ranger program to learn how American Indians used porcupine quills and grizzly claws for artwork, says van Ogtrop. 307-739-3300; nps.gov/grte

The Willamette Valley 

Oregon 

Wine grapes, Oregon - Willamette Valley

Covered bridges and pastoral picnic spots abound in the heart of Oregon's agriculture country. Rural byways are dotted with picturesque barns, hazelnut orchards and vegetable gardens. Plus, van Ogtrop says, some 200 vineyards flourish in the valley. 800-547-7842: traveloregon.com

Point Reyes National Seashore 

Point Reyes Station, Calif. 

Point Reyes Station, CA

"The 30-mile stretch of rugged Marin County wilderness draws hikers, whale watchers, solitude seekers and birders," van Ogtrop says. Whale watching is prime from December to March, and elephant seals populate the beach near Chimney Rock from December through April. "Make an alfresco lunch of barbecued oysters, a local delicacy, from the Hog Island Oyster Company," van Ogtrop suggests. "And catch an unforgettable sunset in Muir Beach." 415-464-5100; nps.gov/pore

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness 

Northern Minnesota 

The region consists of more than 1 million acres, including 1,200 miles of mapped canoe routes. You won't find any roads, and with more than 1,000 lakes, rivers and streams to explore, a paddler's sense of isolation and timelessness remains intact, van Ogtrop says. "Head to Ely to rent gear for canoe-and-camp outings, or book a trip with Williams and Hall Outfitters, who will fly you deep into the backcountry," she says. exploreminnesota.com

Seward, Alaska 

Resurrection Bay, Seward, Alaska

The town is an ideal place to sail among silver salmon, climb up rocky trails, photograph puffins and stop to smell the wildflowers. It's easy to spot humpback whales, which have been known to swim within 10 feet of the shore, van Ogtrop says. You can also arrange a wildlife-viewing cruise past the glaciers at nearby Kenai Fjords National Park, or kayak in Resurrection Bay, watching for black bears and bald eagles, she adds. 907-224-8051; seward.com

Molokai, Hawaii

Molokai, Halawa Valley, couple at waterfalls, Hawaii

The buildings on this rural island are no taller than a coconut tree. Fishing for your dinner is common. And the central town of Kaunakakai has not changed much since the early 1900s. It's "a lush, untouched oasis, devoid of even a single traffic signal," van Ogtrop says. "You'll feel light-years away from the sunburned crowds of Waikiki (not to mention home)." 800-800-6367; molokai-hawaii.com

Updated by LetsReadGUsTi from UsaToday

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Tiger and Stricker Dealt Big Loss in Presidents Cup

MELBOURNE (AP) – Being with his ex-caddie was the least of Tiger Woods' worries Thursday.

Woods and Steve Stricker, unbeatable two years ago in the Presidents Cup, didn't make a birdie, didn't win a hole and tied the record for the biggest loss in the history of the event.

Tiger Woods and teammate Steve Stricker matched the record for worst
loss in Presidents Cup history, falling to Adam Scott and K.J. Choi on Thursday.

Adam Scott and K.J. Choi were relentless at Royal Melbourne, keeping the ball in play and making enough birdies as Woods and Stricker self-destructed. The International side won, 7 and 6. They were the last of six foursomes (alternate-shot) matches in the opening session, yet the rout was so great they were the second match to finish.

The only other match that went 12 holes since the Presidents Cup began in 1994 was when David Frost beat Kenny Perry by the same score in singles in 1996.

Despite the record-tying setback, the Americans lead the event 4-2 heading to Day 2, which begins at 5:35 p.m. ET Thursday (Friday morning in Melbourne). That's two hours earlier than scheduled due to a threat of rain.

Two of the six matches went the distance. Geoff Ogilvy and Masters champion Charl Schwartzel lost a late 2-up lead and had to settle for a halve against Bill Haas and Nick Watney. Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar rallied from 3 down with six holes to play and were headed to the 18th as they tried to scratch out a halve against Jason Day and Aaron Baddeley.

The Americans won the other three matches in a rout, led by the opening match of Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson. They were 7 under through 16 holes in a 4-and-2 win over Ernie Els and Ryo Ishikawa.

Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, together for the first time since Brookline in the 1999 Ryder Cup, won 4 and 3 over Retief Goosen and Robert Allenby. Hunter Mahan and David Toms drilled the Korean duo of Y.E. Yang and K.T. Kim, 6 and 5.

"The only hole that they won, we three-putted," Toms said. "So for the most part, we kept the pressure on, hitting fairways, hitting greens, made a few putts. Just a good day overall."

Woods and Steve Williams exchanged a firm, businesslike handshake on the opening hole and otherwise kept their distance. That was about all the drama in what might be the final chapter of this bitter split between player and caddie.

Williams now works for Scott, and just like so many other team competitions, he had the best horse. Scott was crisp off the tee and into the firm greens. He rolled in a 25-foot birdie putt to win the 11th hole, then hit an approach into 8 feet as Choi made the birdie to close out the match.

It was the worst margin of defeat for Woods in any form of match play since he turned pro.

"Unfortunately, they got off to a quick start and we just couldn't keep up," Woods said. "We kept falling to the wrong side of these slopes. The golf course is so difficult, it's hard to make up shots."

Scott and Choi never came close to a bogey and were 4 under through 12 holes. Woods and Stricker were 3 over.

"It seemed like we were just a little bit off," Stricker said after his first competition since Sept. 25 at the Tour Championship. "It seemed like I put him in the rough by a foot or so. If you're in the rough here, trying to hit to some of these greens is pretty difficult."

Scott called it a "very pleasing victory," more to do with being home in Australia than anything to do with his caddie.

Williams first showed the animosity in the split when he said after Scott won the Bridgestone Invitational that it was the "best win of my life." Then came that night in Shanghai two weeks ago at a caddies' award party, when Williams made a racial comment about Woods while getting roasted for that TV interview at the Bridgestone.

The handshake on the first tee was symbolic — it was strictly business out there.

Williams was on the second tee when Choi was hitting in alternate shot. Not long after Woods arrived to watch his partner, Williams walked up the fairway to join Scott about 40 yards away.

Source UsaToday

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6 Dead after Storms, Possible Tornadoes hit Southeast

Officials said Thursday that an adult and a child were killed in central North Carolina during Wednesday's storms.

A home remains damaged Thursday after a storm system hit near Rock Hill, S.C.

Suspected tornadoes were reported Wednesday in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and South Carolina. Dozens of homes and buildings were damaged, and thousands of people were without power as trees and power lines were downed.

In South Carolina, three people were killed and five injured when a likely tornado swept through a rural community near Rock Hill, about 20 miles south of Charlotte, N.C. In north Georgia, a man was killed when a tree fell on his sport utility vehicle.

Diane Pierce surveys damage to her property after strong winds from a suspected tornado passed
through the Lafayette Woods subdivision Wednesday, in Houma, La.

(See Video) ROCK HILL, S.C. (AP) – At least six people have been killed by a storm system that spawned several possible tornadoes as it moved across the Southeast.

Adapted from UsaToday

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Calling All Astronauts: NASA Has a Job Opening For You

Astronauts! They’re just like us. Well, at least while they’re job hunting.

The International Space Station could be your new office.

The National Aeronautics & Space Administration has an opening for an astronaut based in the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. They’ve also gone the contemporary route for job recruitment by posting the position on the job website USAJobs. Folded in with ads for positions such as IT specialist and medical technologist, the open call posting is seeking candidates who have a “sense of daring” and a “probing mind” for a position that, unsurprisingly, could require “[f]requent travel.” Of course, there are more concrete requirements as well, including U.S. citizenship, a bachelor’s degree in engineering, science or math and at least three years worth of relevant professional experience.

Does this describe your skill set? Are you looking for work? Well, you could be one of the lucky applicants who are thoroughly vetted and selected to join the next class of astronauts expected to work on the International Space Station and, perhaps, beyond. The selection process is apparently quite stringent as NASA’s last recruitment round drew thousands of applications for only nine spots. Clearly, competition will be stiff.

“If you’re selected and you make it through that process, the experience is well worth the wait, I think,” Janet Kavandi, director of flight crew operations at Johnson Space Center told MSNBC. “Anyone who’s been to space can say that it was definitely worth all the hard work to get there.” NewsFeed, thwarted not by disinterest but by our useless liberal arts and humanities degrees, is already jealous of the future space jet-setters.

Quoted from TIME

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