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When I was very young and the urge to be someplace else was on me, I was assured by mature people that maturity would cure this itch. When years described…

Watching the weather reports we began to realize that our Northern route wasn’t happening. Snow and ice was heading for Michigan’s upper peninsula. We still wanted to maximize our time…

Early the next morning we headed across southern Ontario, dismayed by the high-rise apartment tower complexes that were smeared for dozens of miles East and West of Toronto. We re-entered…

We took a brief walk to a coffee shop before we left. Madison’s Cargo Coffee had a vibe a bit too over-the-top hip for my taste. I’m not sure why…

We spend this extended Thanksgiving weekend hanging with our respective families, making a pie and other Thanksgiving dinner items, discussing wedding plans and visiting venues, and poring through shelves of…

The family visits were over and the day had arrived for Joanna to fly back to Vermont and for me to begin my long drive South. I love to get…

Another pre-dawn start. I was eager to reach Cahokia Mounds today, a UNESCO World Heritage site: the ruins of a huge, sprawling thousand-year-old city just outside St. Louis. But I…

The predawn light found me driving South on I-24, eager to escape the now seemingly endless state of Illinois and get to Kentucky, a place that sounded exotic and Southern…

After a good night’s sleep in the huge bed in the huge room in the huge, echoing mansion, I was ready to head to Nashville, where my old friend Ann…

Ann had her own plans for Sunday morning, and little interest in my destination, a place I had spent many years dreaming of visiting: the Lane Motor Museum. I love…

I said goodbye to Anne, fumbling a few thank-yous in attempt to express my gratitude for her hospitality. Just down the road and long on my wish list was something…

Among the many joys of the Nashville Trace Parkway are its campsites. Managed by the National Park Service, they are available free on a first-come, first-serve basis. Since long before…

I headed out in the pre-dawn darkness. My brief stop in Tupelo for coffee and a pastry made me wish I had some time to spend there. This wish is…

Natchez is a pretty town. I had a feeling I could really grow to like it. It has many of the charms of New Orleans: beautiful old architecture, African-American and…

With New Orleans on the horizon, I was singing the ballad “Lakes of Ponchartrain.” as I rolled past the oil refineries and chemical plants near Baton Rouge. It was on…

On Monday it was time to say goodbye to Iz and turn around, making my way back North. As I cruised along the Gulf coast I again found myself wishing…

Ward offered me a chance to join him on an early morning bicycle ride around his neighborhood. He loaned me a bike that was sleek and lightweight though it had…

Another too-short visit, another bittersweet goodbye, and several more ahead. When I arrived at Ward and Lisa’s I had admired the roses that were blooming in their yard, still amazed…

No adventures planned, but I do want to visit Charlotte. I’ve spent many hours in this city, but I’ve never seen the place. Every minute of that time has been…

I’m headed up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Charlottesville, Virginia. Like Charlotte, North Carolina it was named after the wife of King George, the dude we rebelled against in 1776,…

Harpers Ferry is situated in a tiny chunk of West Virginia called the Eastern Panhandle. The town marks the easternmost point of the state, wedged into the confluence of the…

Looking at the map, I realized me that if I pushed it hard I could be home in one long day of driving, but my deadline for finishing the trip…

It was my last day of travel, and I had one place left to visit. I had learned that Lake George, New York was home to an amazing anachronism –…