One of the things I love most about our full time travels is discovering places we would otherwise never visit. We plan our journeys starting with a rough outline of things we want to see, and then connect the dots with mystery stops along our routes. More often than not, those unknown places turn out […]
Archive for Travel
In the northeast corner of Wyoming’s rolling prairies a pillar of ancient lava rises more than 800 feet above an ocean of Ponderosa pines. Throughout the centuries, the mysterious monolith has captured the imaginations of the tribes of the Great Plains, president Teddy Roosevelt, and filmmaker Steven Spielberg, among many others. In early June, we […]
Talk about being in the right place at the right time. We arrived in Custer, South Dakota in early June, the day before a Volksmarch. This was the result of pure luck, not excellent planning. But we know a good opportunity when it’s staring us in the face. In this case, it was the enormous […]
Traveling along I-90 in South Dakota, sweeping vistas of grasslands dominate the countryside. But just three miles from the interstate near the tiny town of Interior, an otherworldly landscape of craggy spires pierce the sky and colorful mounds of rock rise from the prairie. This was our first visit to Badlands National Park, and we […]
Most of the time, we plan our trips several months in advance, making reservations at popular places (like the Oregon Coast in summer, or Florida in winter) when necessary. Traveling in the Midwest, we thought we could relax a bit. Everything was fine until Memorial Day suddenly appeared on the horizon, and we found ourselves without […]
I‘ve woken up several mornings recently and had to think for a moment about where we are. The correct answer is “Portland, Oregon” where we’re visiting family and friends. Meanwhile, I’ve been doing what I can to help my folks in Apalachicola navigate the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. We’ve just finished planning our cross-country winter […]
We have a ridiculously long list of places we want to visit in our travels. Frankly, Chicago was never on the list. But when we found ourselves at Indiana Dunes State Park and realized that we could hop on the train and visit the city, we thought, “Why not?” I’m so glad we made the […]
One of the most extraordinary events in the world of birding occurs on the shores of Lake Erie in early spring. Each year, thousands of colorful warblers converge to feed and rest here as they prepare for an arduous journey to their nesting grounds in Canada. A trip to Magee Marsh in northern Ohio on […]
We are not into horse racing or whiskey. Nonetheless, when we found ourselves in Lousiville, we drank whiskey and we went to the horse races. During Kentucky Derby week, no less. When in Rome, right? We happened to be in Louisville the first weekend of May, which is always the weekend of the Kentucky Derby. […]
After the languid Southern charms of Savannah and Charleston and the laid-back vibe of Asheville, Nashville was a bit of a shock. Brash, colorful, and loud, Nashville pulses day and night with the musical heartbeat that befits its title as Music City, USA. It was kind of overwhelming at first. It’s a big city, there’s […]
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If you enjoy hiking, biking, kayaking, birding, art, music, quirky towns, good food, and good friends—you'll enjoy traveling with us. Join us as we explore the backroads of North America—we love company and comments!