Get your kicks on Route 144" may not be catchy enough for a song lyric, but the trip from Baltimore to Cumberland and beyond has a lot to offer people who are happy when the drive is the destination.
Following a scenic route that uses mostly Route 144 and Route 40, travelers can retrace the National Road, which was recently named one of the country's 20 All-American Roads by the U.S. Department of Transportation for its historical and scenic value.
The government authorized the first federally funded road from Cumberland to Vandalia, Ill., in 1806, and Maryland joined forces with private interests to build an extension from Baltimore to Cumberland around the same time. Urbanization has changed the original route, but drivers can still trace the National Road west from the Inner Harbor to the Maryland border and beyond.
Starting in downtown Baltimore, the National Road cuts through Catonsville and Ellicott City and on to Frederick and Western Maryland. There is plenty of scenery along the state's 175-mile route, including old bridges, historic landmarks, parks and interesting small towns.
For a free map of the route, visit www.byways.org online, or call 800-429-9297.
-- Sandy Alexander
Eyes on the sky: Tours for amateur stargazers
You know about ecotourism, with its focus on local culture, wilderness adventure and personal growth. Now how about astrotourism?
Astrotourists climb mountains to better view the stars, journey to Alaska or Scandinavia to see the Northern Lights and go anywhere to witness a total solar eclipse.
Three separate groups of astrotourists will view a total solar eclipse Dec. 4 from Kruger National Park in South Africa, the Mozambique Channel and the Australian Outback, according to Rick Fienberg, editor in chief of Sky & Telescope magazine. The magazine recently combined with TravelQuest International of Prescott, Ariz., to offer astrotours that also include major observatories.
Astrotourism, started in the late 1970s, gained popularity with the arrival of Halley's Comet in the mid-1980s.
"People enjoy sharing the experience with other amateur astronomers with the same interest," Fienberg said. TravelQuest can be reached at 800-830-1998.
One e-ticket for multicarrier flights
It's not easy to use more than one airline on the same journey, but travelers who need to do so may find it getting a bit easier with interline electronic ticketing.
Recent agreements between airline carriers allow passengers to use a single e-ticket when their itinerary calls for travel on American and Continental or United. Continental also has e-ticketing agreements with America West and Northwest, and United also has agreements with Air Canada and Northwest.
Previously, e-ticketed multicarrier customers would have a problem if a flight was canceled or delayed because the other airline wouldn't have access to other carriers' databases.
Tourist center coming for Dead Sea
Construction of a $4.2 million tourist center overlooking the Dead Sea in Jordan -- the lowest point in the world -- has begun.
A Jordanian Tourism Min-istry official says the Dead Sea Panorama project will be built among hills some 1,650 feet above the sea, and will take 18 months to complete.
The project will include a museum, exhibition halls, meeting rooms and a hilltop lookout taking in the Dead Sea, Jordan Valley and occupied West Bank.
-- From wire reports