It happened again last night. I was at a café with friends when one, who has traveled extensively in Europe, asked me for advice about an inexpensive summer vacation for herself and her two college-age-ish sons. I suggested Cody, Wyoming, right outside the east gate of Yellowstone National Park. (“I hate hiking,” one son grumbled.) [...]
Archive for May, 2009
See America, Too!
Posted in Rants, Uncategorized on May 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Goodbye to my Mickey Mouse, Wayne Allwine
Posted in Uncategorized on May 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
For so many, the first true travel excitement comes compliments of Mickey Mouse and co. A few years ago, I talked to my nieces on the phone just before their first trip to Disney World. The little one, just shy of four, didn’t usually have much patience for phone conversations. That day, she just kept [...]
Love Letter To The Interstate System
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Interstates, road trips on May 20, 2009 | 1 Comment »
A certain type of traveler, the “I-only-watch-PBS” type of traveler, scorns the Interstate. These travelers are all about the blue highways, those small rural roads that require time and patience and don’t send you hurtling through America’s heartland. (Today’s rumination is brought to you courtesy of this New Yorker cartoon, which got me thinking when [...]
For the Love of Minor League Baseball
Posted in Uncategorized on May 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Albuquerque Isotopes. The Clearwater Threshers. The Dayton Dragons. Ah, minor league baseball. The team names alone are joy. The experience? That much better. While I’ve always found it a bit ho-hum to attend a major league game for a team that wasn’t my hometown favorite, minor league games feel more neutral. They’re about hanging [...]
Lessons From The Dancing Chickens
Posted in Outdoorsiness, State-by-State, Uncategorized, tagged bird watching, birding, birds, festivals, Lesser Praire Chicken, Oklahoma, small towns, Woodward on May 14, 2009 | 4 Comments »
When I heard about the Lesser Prairie Chicken Festival in Woodward, Okla., my mind went directly to funnel cakes, face painting, and maybe a parade with a Lesser Prairie Chicken Queen. Sign me up, I said! I love small-town fests. I’m kind of a moron sometimes. It wasn’t until I had my trip planned that [...]
When Choosing the Best Food in America, What Matters?
Posted in Uncategorized on May 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Lately, the word best has been tumbling around my mind a lot. Blame it on the Beard Awards. Who was it going to be? Who would capture the crowns for best chefs in America? Now, before you slam me for being anti-best, I’m not. I make part of my living off the damned, er, lovely [...]
A Twitter Road Trip Twitique: What Worked, What Didn't
Posted in Uncategorized on May 8, 2009 | 1 Comment »
My husband Tom and I recently drove a loop south from Albuquerque. (Here’s an annotated map of our route, in case you want to follow in our tire tracks.) This was the first time I’ve Twittered from the road. Interestingly, the great to-Twitter-or-not-to-Twitter debate started up on World Hum while I was Twittering my trip [...]
A Twitter Road Trip Twitique: What Worked, What Didn’t
Posted in How-To: America 101, State-by-State, Uncategorized, tagged Alamogordo, New Mexico, road trip, Ruidoso, Truth or Consequences, Twitter on May 8, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
My husband Tom and I recently drove a loop south from Albuquerque. (Here’s an annotated map of our route, in case you want to follow in our tire tracks.) This was the first time I’ve Twittered from the road. Interestingly, the great to-Twitter-or-not-to-Twitter debate started up on World Hum while I was Twittering my trip [...]
