California: Sonoma
"California Dreamin' on Such a Winter's Day" (02/27/21)
We left the state of AZ and entered CA, our final stop on The COVID 2020 “Make the Best of It” Tour. We were following Next to route 66 most of the way. With the Interstate comes efficiency but think of all the interesting attractions that were shuttered in its wake. Yes, you can still drive the old route on a weeklong road trip, but it surely isn’t the same with a freeway on your right and abandoned buildings on your left. Continue Reading
Arizona: Scottsdale
"Ocean Front Property" (01/27/21)
We drove all the way across the state and ended up in the pan-handle near Pensacola. We were trying to focus on Hyatt hotels in between AIRBNBs but I thought it might be fun to camp out on the Gulf if the opportunity presented itself. We found a campground in Ft Pickens Park which is a National Seashore. Continue Reading
Florida: Flagler Beach
"The Beach Town that Time Forgot"(11/05/20) Our time in NC had come to an end. And a good thing because it is getting cold here! Who would believe I was from Michigan? Amazing how fast you become accustomed to warmer weather. Or next stop is Flagler Beach FL. We were not specifically looking at that town, more a result of looking for the right lodging (price / accepts dogs / self-contained unit). So that last one kinda went out the window on this one. Continue Reading
North Carolina: Forest City
"A Trip Into Rural America" (11/05/20)
We Left VT, headed towards Forest City NC. Driving down the parkway though CT and into NYC is like the final scene in Star Wars where Luke is flying the X-wing fighter through that tight channel on the Death Star. There is chaos all around and any accident on either side of you will impact you and ruin your day. I feel like the Beverly Hillbillies, with all my belongings strapped to the car. I just need to get through this stretch without myself or anyone in front of me doing anything stupid. Stay on target! Continue Reading
Vermont: Stowe
"Hail to The Green Mountain Boys" (09/15/20)
We just left my friend’s cottage in Maryland and on our way back to New England for a month in Stowe VT. The trip was uneventful, except the usual storm we seem to drive through on each leg of this voyage.We rented a stand alone cottage on a farm a mile outside downtown Stowe. Continue Reading
Maryland: Annapolis
"Trading Lobsters for Crabs"(09/02/20)
We did not plan this out well. We were leaving Maine to visit my friend in Maryland for a week and then heading back up to New England to spend a month in Vermont. A lot of driving back and forth on the same roads in a short amount of time. I am not sure now why I planned it that way. I am sure I had a reason because everything is so meticulously planned out. Maybe it looked closer on the map. Continue Reading
Maine: Lincolnville
"Nothing But Time" (08/20/21)
I survived a recent trip to Guatemala when the pandemic hit. Have been bottled up for a few months and need to get back out there. We decided to go on a long road trip. We ideally wanted to go overseas, but we settled for an east coast trip instead. We packed up the dog and all our toys and headed towards Maine. Continue Reading
Alaska: Anchorage
"The Call of the Wild" (09/16/19)
To start, a brief history on the settling of the 49th state. People came over about 14K years ago when an ice bridge formed between Asia and present-day Alaska. I believe they are now only separated by 100 miles or so in the Bering Strait. First were the Athapascans, which became Native Americans, followed by Inuits. I believe there were other tribes that either broke off from these original or came over in another wave but this is what I remember. Continue Reading
Virginia: Roanoke
"Doing' A Little East Coast Fling" (05/22/19)
It's time for annual Bike Trip. Year 1 was Vietnam, Year 2 was AZ and now year 3 we planned on flying into DC, blasting down to Roanoke VA and taking 6-7 days to work the backroads up through VA/MD/WV/PA. Continue Reading
Arizona: Page
"Standing on the Corner in Winslow AZ" (04/27/18)
After the success of last year's bike trip to Vietnam I decided to organize another one. Joe was not quite ready to tackle Patagonia so I had to entice him with a more schedule-friendly option. After researching various places we could rent dual-sport bikes in the US that allowed us good access to offroad trails with decent vistas, I settled on Arizona and a bit of Utah. Continue Reading
North Carolina: Asheville
"Brewery Paddle Trail" (05/25/17)
My brother was in NC for work so I flew down to spend the weekend. The plan was to rent a car in Charlotte and drive West 2 hours to Asheville. From there have a canoe outfitter take us about 50 miles up river and spend three days canoeing back into town. Continue Reading
Hawaii: Kauai
"Mele Kalikimaka is Hawaii's Way.." (02/10/18)
$350 flight with one stop in the dead of a brutal Michigan winter is tough to pass up. I was only going for 5 days but it was enough to look forward to. I was not expecting 3rd world mystique or remote jungles but just a simple break.Continue Reading
Idaho: Boise
"My Own Private Idaho" (09/12/17)
I had no grand travel plans, but it had been a while since I traveled. I scheduled a weeks vacation in September. I had not made figured anything exciting out and rather than cancel the vacation I looked over my list of quick places to visit and found a cheap flight to Boise to hike in the Sawtooth Mountains. Continue Reading
Michigan: Traverse City
"Left Coast Swing- Unsalted" (06/10/17)
Thailand had invaded the US and Michigan was the tip of the spear. Amy's family was in town for a week and they wanted to go to Niagara Falls for a few days. I said that was a stupid idea. Nothing against The Falls, it is cool for 1 hour and Niagara on The Lake can extend the trip to a full day but I felt their time could be better spent appreciating the great state of Michigan. I put my foot down (Their visa for Canada was not approved) Continue Reading
"Buckskin Gulch" (04/05/16)
Spring has sprung in Michigan and the travel season has begun. It was the easiest winter I have experienced to date as there were maybe 2 or 3 snow storms and days of 70 degrees intermingled between the freezing temperatures. Or more accurately there were freezing days intermingled between the days of 70 degrees. Continue Reading
South Dakota: Pine Ridge
"They Made Us Many Promises.." (08/24/15)
Quote above is from Chief Red Cloud of the Oglala Lakota. He led as a chief from 1868 to 1909. I was heading out to South Dakota for 4 days with my father. My Aunt had recently passed away and she had left a sizable donation to a couple nonprofits in the Native American reservations of the Dakotas. Our plan was to fly in, visit with the Red Cloud School on the Pine Ridge Reservation and spend the other days touring the sites. Continue Reading
California: MT Whitney
"The Mountains are Calling and I Must Go" (07/30/15)
It was the middle of July so why not head to the heat of California I said. Then, to make it even worse why not hike in the blistering sun for 6 days up and down the highest mountains in the US? I had decided to hike the High Sierra Trail. It runs West to East roughly 80 miles across Sequoia National Park and culminates with a climb up Mt Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States. Continue Reading