No, we are not at Saint Peter’s Basilica. But we are near a royal place. People have their own most reverent places to go. Folks might go to Saint Peter’s, the Hurva Synagogue, the Pashupatinath Temple, the Masjid al‑Haram Mosque. The Simpsons go to the First Church of Springfield. The Slowskys go to Franklin’s BBQ… Read More The Basilica of ATX – May 2023
Greetings from the great white north (Eh, Hoser?). We have successfully endured our first full winter in the Live Free or Die state of New Hampshire – no worse for the wear. We sold our home in Georgia back in October, and then wandered cross-country until in December we moved full-time into our 800 square… Read More Winter in New England – Apr 2023
We sold our house and are working our way west to Denver – hed’n to the wed’n. Yup, our son will be getting married in November, so we are taking a slow stroll west. First stop? See old friends (sorry, did that sound catty or judgmental?) at TCPC (Tennessee Cumberland Plateau Campground), one of our… Read More Hed’n to the Wed’n – Oct 2022
After several amazing weeks in Idaho, we departed Idaho and almost immediately became enamored with Montana! Traveling down a 2-lane road, no other vehicles in sight, we were in a “valley” (albeit at +/- 6,000 feet elevation), with massive mountains on one side that must have topped 12,000 feet, and on the other side for… Read More Montana: Part I – Sept 2022
You know where Riggins, Idaho is? It is halfway between the north pole and the equator. So there. We departed Stanley heading northwest on the Ponderosa Pines Scenic Byway. We stopped by the ranch, but Ben, Hoss, and Little Joe were out mending the fence line. Just as well – Karen still has a crush… Read More Idaho: Part II – Aug 2022
Wow. And I thought Wyoming was pretty! At first, I thought I would post one session about our trip to Idaho. Not so fast, big boy. This state is turning out to be one hell of a beautiful state, with so much to share! So here is our first post of several about Idaho. Based… Read More Idaho: Part I – Aug 2022
Another successful year for the Canopener! What is the Canopener you say? First and foremost, it is a rally of friends and strangers-soon-to-be-friends of (mostly) Airstream owners. It is a purely democratic event, lead and directed by ad hoc volunteers, with no rules – only, at most, a few guidelines. It is a wonderful event… Read More Canopener – Jan 2022
If you are looking for a campground that is both chill and warm, this might be your ticket. We recently camped for a few days at Forth Clinch State Park in Fernandina Beach (FL), on Amelia Island, and it is a hidden gem. This state park is like Fort DeSoto Regional Park (if you have… Read More Fort Clinch – Oct 2021
We travel 1,200 miles to get out of town, and who follows us? Our neighbors! Stalkers. And where does it go from there? Do they think we want to go out and see beautiful sights, eat lobster, shuck oysters and eat fresh seafood with them? I mean, what’s next. Seriously, we were delighted to have… Read More Out of Town Guests – Sept 2021
I had never heard of this place, but leave it to my bride to always find really cool places. Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon, TX must be one of the biggest state parks in the country, is listed as the second largest canyon in the country, and clearly one of the most interesting… Read More Palo Duro Canyon – Apr 2021
Crown jewel. That’s what Oscar Shearer is to the Florida State Park system. Located in Osprey, FL (near Venice on the west coast), this is a flat-out great state park, and it really is a beautiful cocoon away from the hustle and bustle. We may not be the only ones who think that – just… Read More Oscar Shearer State Park – Feb. 2021
The new year has started, and, yes, we are out on the road – albeit without any social plans, dinners out, friends, or family until things get better. We pulled the “Get Out of Cold Weather” card, and decided to head to Florida for a few weeks – warm up a bit. I know Georgia… Read More Head’n South – Jan 2021
Atlanta this year has received a boatload of rain, and yesterday was no different. In a typical week this year, it is my belief we have “enjoyed” about 5 ½ days of rain, a day of clouds, and about 2 hours of sun. I decided that today I was in charge, not the weather, and,… Read More Sope Creek – Mar 2020
It’s been three years since our last visit to Big Bend National Park (TX), and we again realize why we love this place so much. It is not for the “epic” things you see (think Mount Rushmore, Half Dome, El Capitan…), but instead the myriad “little” things of beauty here. The fact is, you can… Read More Big Bend NP – Feb 2020
This may be our swan song post from New England while living here. With our house for sale but under contract, we have a lot of moving parts in our lives at the moment. We have, though, been able to travel with friends from the Massachusetts coast in Salem, MA, into sea coastal NH, and along… Read More Coastal Maine – July 2019
Continuing in our all-volcano, all-the-time channel, this installment is Crater Lake National Park. What a stunning area – holy crap! Now remember, even though this is a lake, it is really a volcano, caused from the collapse of a volcano that then filled with water. The volcanoes here are over 400,000 years old. Don’t lie to me… Read More Crater Lake NP – July 2018
We visited hell, devastation, chaos, and boiling mud. No, not the nightly news – Lassen Volcanic National Park, in northern California at the southern tip of the Cascade Range. We seem to be entering our “volcanic” period. I guess like volcanoes themselves, you don’t plan for this period. They just happen. Volcanoes happen, as the saying… Read More Lassen Volcanic NP – July 2018
Yosemite is one of the most popular national parks in the system, and there are two predictable outcomes: the views are extraordinary, and there are a lot of people. We camped in Lee Vining in a pretty cool private RV campground (more on Lee Vining later), and the town is practically adjacent to Yosemite NP. … Read More Yosemite NP – June 2018
Sequoia and King’s Canyon (SEKI) NP is a paradise of contradiction. Or maybe there is no contradiction; maybe it is just balance. One thing for which there is no dispute: this place is beautiful. We spent four nights camped at the Lodgepole campground in the park. There are no hookups in the campground, although water is… Read More Sequoia & Kings Canyon NP – June 2018
Nabesna Road. I am beginning to think we may suffer from visual overload on this trip. Driving south from Tok, AK, we arrived at the northern portion of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. I will be honest – I had never heard of this national park before arriving. This is the largest national… Read More Alaska (2) Nabesna Road – June 2017
Alberta. Banff, if you have never been here, is just crazy with views! I say Banff, but really mean the Banff National Park in Alberta (Canada), which area includes Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Banff, Canadian Rocky Mountains galore, and much more. The views almost seem to get silly, because around every turn is a simply… Read More Banff National Park – May 2017
Ever watch one of those National Geographic wildlife films? The images that come to my mind are the mountain lion racing down a poor isolated elk, and a buffalo stampeding on some hapless mountain lion. Mountain lions need a better agent.. Not to go off on a technical rant, but buffalos are found only in… Read More Theodore Roosevelt NP – May 2017
Almost to the day for me, it has been 3 years since I (we) retired. Oh, how I miss those days of quarterly, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly forecasts… And who doesn’t love a well-placed flaming email distributed to the world. After retirement, one is forced to forego the joys and luxury of business travel: cramped… Read More 3 Years Post Retirement – Mar 2017
We have checked the Guadalupe Mountains National Park box. Typically when we visit a national park we say to ourselves that we will absolutely have to come back to visit stuff we weren’t able to see. There is much (let’s call that most) of the park we did not see. But for whatever reason I… Read More Guadalupe Mountains NP – Mar 2017
We have been camped out for a few days at the Lake Pleasant Regional Park in Morristown, AZ. With the cell phone tower as close as it is, I feel confident we have been spayed and neutered. I seem to be picking up Radio Free Europe on my fillings, and we seem to have a… Read More Lake Pleasant – Feb 2017
The real story about McDowell Mountain Regional Park is the beauty. Yes, there are a boatload of things to do here, miles and miles of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback trails. Since the park borders Scottsdale and is only 20 miles north of Phoenix, there are tons of other activities you can partake in. But… Read More McDowell Mountain RP – Feb 2017
Like Karen said to me, “beauty as far as the eyes can see.” That pretty much captures Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. If you don’t know where that is, you can be excused; it is located in the Sonoran Desert in southwest AZ on the border of Mexico. Over 95% of this 500+ square mile… Read More Organ Pipe – Feb 2017
I really deliberated whether to post on this visit to Lost Dutchman State Park, in Apache Junction, AZ (20 miles east of Phoenix). I have posted previously about this place and in spite of what you might think I try to keep the blog current but also interesting, and with new places. But Lost Dutchman… Read More Lost Dutchman SP – Feb 2017
Our destiny is clear: Get to Mesa (AZ) in plenty of time to set up and watch the Superbowl, with the New England Patriots facing off against the Atlanta Falcons. This is clearly a game I want both teams to win, being as we spent most of our lives in New England and have lived… Read More Bowie, AZ – Feb 2017
Karen, Dottie and I have been commissioned by our new “leadership” and his crack team to figure out the best place for the new wall on the Mexican border to go, and of course any décor items that might compliment it. We have looked around, and I think I have some great ideas! It’s all… Read More Big Bend – Jan 2017