Experience the fascination of a tourist; Feel the comfort of the local
What’s the #1 reason you don’t want to stay in a bed and breakfast? Come on. You can say it. You’re in a safe place. It’s the breakfast part, isn’t it. It’s not the breakfast itself. You know that’s going to be tasty. It’s the people at breakfast. You just never know who’s going to …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 14 – The Beauty & Danger of Bed & BreakfastsRead More
You might expect a tourist destination to be filled with tourist traps. You know, overpriced restaurants, gaudy shops offering cheap merchandise, and souvenir emporiums designed to get you to leave as much money as possible before you go. Old Town Albuquerque is most assuredly a tourist destination, but if the places we visited are any …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 13 – An Anti-Tourist Trap Tour of a Tourist DestinationRead More
Previous: Chapter 11 – Camping Should be a Pre-Marriage Requirement The drive into Albuquerque was an endless stream of giant yellow billboards extolling the many virtues of the Flying C Ranch. One after another after another and another and another they tease you, exhort you, beckon you to forget whatever destination is plugged into your …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 12 – Meeting the Greatest GenerationRead More
Previous: Chapter 10 – Surviving I-40 with Buried Cars, a Blue Hole, and a Big Hunk 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. When I first had the idea for this trip, …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 11 – Camping Should be a Pre-Marriage RequirementRead More
Previous: Chapter 9 – Texas is Huge. Canyons are Deep. Turkeys are Jerks. There are no two ways around it: I-40 through the Texas panhandle is a beast. That’s primarily because there are no two ways around it. You can take Route 66, but that parallels the interstate so closely that, unless you’re on a …
We learned a few things camping and hiking in Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 9 – Texas is Huge. Canyons are Deep. Turkeys are Jerks.Read More
Selecting Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and Palo Duro Canyon State Park as destinations for this road trip was based on geography, geology, and convenience. We wanted to camp, we wanted to avoid I-40 as much as possible while heading in a somewhat direct east-west direction, and we wanted to experience natural grandeur. Other than those …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 8 – Random, SchmandomRead More
This beautiful, magical place is located in southwestern Oklahoma and is home to bison, Texas long horns, and other wildlife.
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 7 – Half a Billion Years in the MakingRead More
Previous: Chapter 5 – Perseverance and Silver Linings You know how you feel when you’ve been going non-stop, pushing yourself and getting no sleep and eating everything you’re not supposed to and just feeling generally exhausted, and then suddenly your full day becomes empty and you realize you’ve been holding your breath and now you …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 6 – Remembering to BreatheRead More
Previous: Chapter 4: Big Cats and Bigger Hearts As we left Bentonville I was a touch trepidatious about the next leg of our journey. It was Sunday. We left Friday. We were already getting a little loopy and taking bets on when I’d forget what day it was, and now we were headed to the …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 5 – Perseverance and Silver LiningsRead More
This should go without saying: tigers don’t make good pets. Nor do leopards, or lions, or bobcats. Basically any species of cat that is not a domesticated feline has no place in the care of someone who is not trained. I get the desire. When they’re kittens, they’re adorable. When they’re mature, they’re beautiful. But …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 4 – Big Cats and Bigger HeartsRead More
Previous: Chapter 2 – History & Hospitality We piled back into Mae, and as we picked up I-44 we marveled at everything we’d done in the last 24 hours. We’d seen more than any two people had a right to in such a short amount of time. It was overwhelming, the sheer volume of information …
Two Lane Gems, Vol. 1: Chapter 3 – Eureka! Springs, That IsRead More
