Wednesday, May 7, 2008 Last night, Steph and I were more lost than we’ve been yet on this road trip, when our car tripped over the brick and mortar of Saint Louis, Missouri’s oldest district: Laclede’s Landing, perched on the Mississippi River. As sunset bathed the...
U.S. Travel
Rain-drenched Locks: Sailing Eerie Canal & The Trent-Severn Waterway – By Guest Trekker Norma Huss
My guest trekker today is the Grandma Moses of Mystery, and an adventurous woman in her own right, Norma Huss. Norma is one of my fellow contributors to the new anthology, 25 Years in the Rearview Mirror: 52 Authors Look Back, a collection of funny, poignant,...
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A FREE CANDY – But That’s Not the Candy Factory’s Fault
When my sixteen-year-old sister comes to visit, it’s a challenge figuring out what we might enjoy together without breaking my bank, because her favorite thing to do and my least favorite thing to do - is shop. This time, I was sure I had a winner: a free tour at one...
GETTING KICKED BY ROUTE 66: Part 9 – The Roadhouse Less Traveled…for Good Reason
Heading south on Route 66 from Springfield, Illinois, Stephanie and I take a detour at Glenarm to see an old covered bridge to nowhere. The red, wooden, barnlike structure with the white-fenced ramp was built in 1880. If you've watched The Bridges of Madison County,...
HIKING RED ROCKS & MORRISON SLIDE LOOP – Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre, Morrison, Colorado
The last time I hiked Red Rocks Trail, I started at the Matthews/Winters Park trailhead. But on Monday I wanted to focus more on Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the world's coolest natural outdoor amphitheatre - except for maybe that floating movie theatre in Thailand. So...
GETTING KICKED BY ROUTE 66: Part 8 – A Sick Travel Partner & A Dead President
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 Stephanie and I spent last night at the Springfield, Illinois Route 66 Hotel, with vintage autos parked in the lobby, and a V8 engine revving in our room — Steph snored and coughed with a vengeance. I suspect my sick travel partner will soon...
GETTING KICKED BY ROUTE 66: Part Seven – Detours & Signs
Monday, May 5, 2008 When the Interstates muscled across the American West, Route 66 became a detour. Today, Route 66 features detours within detours. Isn’t the best stuff in life off the main road? Before Stephanie and I continue south from Wilmington, we make a...
GETTING KICKED BY ROUTE 66: Part Six – What Would Kerouac Do?
Sunday, May 4, 2008 Stephanie wakes with a cold and a fever of 100-plus. She wants to sleep it off so we can still hit The Mother Road this afternoon. We’re planning to take Route 66 all the way to L.A., but now I’m wondering if we’ll ever make it out of Chicago. The...
GETTING KICKED BY ROUTE 66: Part Five – American Gothic & Tiny Dots of Art in Chicago
Saturday, May 3, 2008 In keeping with our Route 66 theme, I have a less than highbrow goal in visiting the Art Institute of Chicago: I'm here to see that creepy icon of nostalgic Americana known as American Gothic. So I figure hitting the museum an hour before closing...
GETTING KICKED BY ROUTE 66: Part Four – Skyscrapers and Stones in the Windy City
Saturday, May 3, 2008 Stephanie and I are about to ask the hotel concierge how to find a few sites from my list, when we overhear him telling some senior citizens about a boat tour of the skyscrapers lining the Chicago River. Chicago was the birthplace of the modern...