• Menu
  • Skip to left header navigation
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • Explore Chicago
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

The Local Tourist

Experience the fascination of a tourist; Feel the comfort of the local

  • Travel the U.S.A.
    • The Midwest
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Missouri
      • Nebraska
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
    • The South
      • Arkansas
      • Mississippi
      • North Carolina
      • Oklahoma
      • Texas
    • The West
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • Utah
      • Wyoming
  • Travel Tips
    • Travel Now
  • Road Trips
    • Two Lane Gems
  • Cultural Travel
    • Arts and Culture
    • Attractions
    • Food and Drink
    • History
    • People
    • Roadside Attractions
  • Great Outdoors
    • Camping
    • Hiking and Active Travel
    • U.S. National Parks
  • Shop TLT
    • Travel Two Lane Gems
  • Travel the U.S.A.
    • The Midwest
      • Illinois
      • Indiana
      • Iowa
      • Kansas
      • Michigan
      • Minnesota
      • Missouri
      • Nebraska
      • South Dakota
      • Wisconsin
    • The South
      • Arkansas
      • Mississippi
      • North Carolina
      • Oklahoma
      • Texas
    • The West
      • Arizona
      • California
      • Colorado
      • Montana
      • Nevada
      • New Mexico
      • Utah
      • Wyoming
  • Travel Tips
    • Travel Now
  • Road Trips
    • Two Lane Gems
  • Cultural Travel
    • Arts and Culture
    • Attractions
    • Food and Drink
    • History
    • People
    • Roadside Attractions
  • Great Outdoors
    • Camping
    • Hiking and Active Travel
    • U.S. National Parks
  • Shop TLT
    • Travel Two Lane Gems
  • Contact
  • Work with TLT
  • Travel Writing
Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge

Recent

Driving north on US-395

Hit the Road with this Epic Southwest USA Road Trip

Dreaming of hittin’ the road? Ride along on this road trip romp and discover America’s two lane gems.

Hit the Road with this Epic Southwest USA Road TripRead More

The National Road

50 Tips for Planning an AMAZING Road Trip

Anxious to hit the road? Check out these tips for planning your perfect driving adventure.

50 Tips for Planning an AMAZING Road TripRead More

Tommy Hensel

Sparkling Isolation – Day 248

Down the rabbit hole. One of the most pervasive phrases I have heard – and used during my time of “sparkling isolation” – is the one that opens this post, all about ‘going down the rabbit hole.’ That is, of course, a reference to Lewis Carroll’s novel “Alice in Wonderland.” In the first chapter, Alice …

Sparkling Isolation – Day 248Read More

Tommy Hensel

Sparkling Isolation – Days 151 through 247

I’m still here. At the beginning of the pandemic, I don’t think most of us thought it would last this long – at least the quarantine part. Alas, here we are nine months in and things look like they are just going to keep on keeping on. I started by creating a daily post, then …

Sparkling Isolation – Days 151 through 247Read More

Driving along the Mississippi River on the Great River Road, one of the many scenic drives featured in Midwest Road Trip Adventures, an upcoming anthology from members of the Midwest Travel Network

A Dozen States, Dozens of Scenic Drives: Announcing Midwest Road Trip Adventures

Explore scenic drives in the heartland of America with experts from the Midwest Travel Network.

A Dozen States, Dozens of Scenic Drives: Announcing Midwest Road Trip AdventuresRead More

Highland Restaurant and Lounge 289 at Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa, photo credit Jim Goodrich

Fresh Air and Fine Feasting at Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa

Need to get away? With delicious dining and lots of great outdoors, Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa fits the bill. We pulled out of the driveway. Suitcases in the trunk. Cooler in the back seat. GPS telling us where to go. Grins plastered on our faces. ROAD TRIP! It had been awhile since Mr. TLT …

Fresh Air and Fine Feasting at Eagle Ridge Resort and SpaRead More

Wayside exhibit and billboard at the Dwight Illinois Visitor Center on Route 66

An Illinois Road Trip Adventure: Route 66

What it’s like to drive the Illinois stretch of the Mother Road solo, and in one day.

An Illinois Road Trip Adventure: Route 66Read More

Tommy Hensel

Sparkling Isolation – Days 144 through 150

What day is it? Last week, I posted my first ‘weekly’ version of this series. I realized that I was repeating myself too often and felt that it was time to move to a less frequent approach to the chronicle of my quarantine experiences. Today focuses on Sparkling Isolation Days 144 – 150. This week …

Sparkling Isolation – Days 144 through 150Read More

Tommy Hensel

Sparkling Isolation – Days 136 through 143

Slowing down. After a solid 135 days of posting every day about my quarantine experiences, I finally hit a wall. I realized that the “Groundhog Day” nature of this experience was making me repeat myself in my daily posts. I also began to feel a strange obligation to post – and that made me anxious. …

Sparkling Isolation – Days 136 through 143Read More

Tommy Hensel

Sparkling Isolation – Day 135

To be or not to be. I had a strange emotional day yesterday – so strange in fact, that I was utterly exhausted by it and went to bed at 8:30 p.m. This morning, I woke up at 8:30 a.m. almost precisely. Rarely do I sleep for twelve full hours, but last night my sleep …

Sparkling Isolation – Day 135Read More

Tommy Hensel

Sparkling Isolation – Day 134

Power failure. This morning I had a unique quarantine experience – a power failure in my neighborhood. About 8 a.m. I heard a loud pop and the electricity abruptly went out. I recognized the sound of an exploding transformer – something that you always know when you hear it. It only took me about five …

Sparkling Isolation – Day 134Read More

Tommy Hensel

Sparkling Isolation – Day 133

The need to know. I have always had an obsession with definitions – the ability to know what something means and by extension the ability to put a label on things. That also includes labeling how I feel. My therapist – and countless self-help books over the years – have reminded me (and keep reminding …

Sparkling Isolation – Day 133Read More

Tommy Hensel

Sparkling Isolation – Day 132

A musical interlude. Some days, I run across a song that says what I’m thinking far more eloquently than I could. One of my new favorite bands is an amazing group called The Arcadian Wild. If you haven’t discovered their music, I highly recommend looking them up. This time in quarantine has given me a …

Sparkling Isolation – Day 132Read More

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 35
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Your Cart

  • Contact
  • Work with TLT
  • Travel Writing

Site Footer

Disclosure

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Privacy Policy

© 2021 · The Local Tourist · Experience the fascination of a tourist; feel the comfort of the local