How I Conquered My Fear in Canoe Bay
How a buried fear came to the surface and was conquered by kayak.
Personal
Attractions and Things to do on Route 66 in Illinois
Start where the Mother Road begins and explore Route 66 in Illinois.
Welcome to The Local Tourist: Please Allow Me To Introduce Myself
Hi. My name’s Theresa and I’m The Local Tourist. Have we met? Well, then, please allow me to introduce myself.
2022 Travel Year in Review: a Topsy-Turvy Route to Find Balance
Traveling 93 days through twenty states is an unusual way to find balance, but when you’re a travel writer, it works.
A Door County Love Letter: How this Cancer Survivor got Her Life Back at Death’s Door
How a visit to Door County, Wisconsin, helped one cancer survivor return to the world and find her mojo again.
Reflecting on 20 Years in Chicago
I looked over the top of the Merchandise Mart at the Sears Tower and smelled chocolate. I could hear the Brown Line seventeen floors below me. It was a new …
Diary of a Cockeyed Optimist: I’m not fine. But I will be.
I went to the doctor for what I thought would be a routine checkup. Not that I would recognize a routine checkup if I saw one. I hadn’t been to …
An Illinois Road Trip Adventure
When my alarm dinged at five I’d already been up for an hour and a half. Not by choice. I was anxious and excited. That day I would leave to …
Diary of a Cockeyed Optimist: Why I Got Tested for COVID-19
What it’s like to get tested at a free Illinois COVID-19 Testing Site Since the seriousness of COVID-19 began to hit home mid-March, Mr. TLT and I have been cautious. …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 27 – Romancing the Road Trip
Road trips capture the imagination like no other travel.
Camping Should be a Pre-Marriage Requirement
As we got back on I-40 for the short drive, relatively speaking, to Albuquerque, I thought about everything we’d seen and done since we’d left home only six days ago. …