“It’s YOUR vacation, so what do you really want to see while you are here?” I’ve been a guest in new-to-me cities enough times to appreciate that you can’t saddle your hosts with the expectation that they will function as a professional tour guide. It’s unfair to expect someone to magically know what you are... Continue Reading →
Part 1 of Exploring New Zealand: Shakespeare Regional Park and Auckland
It’s hard to believe that it had been nine years since I’ve ventured outside of national borders. I have been so busy exploring the contiguous United States after limited time off while I was working, that I just hadn’t made overseas travel a priority. But when a friend I had not caught up with in... Continue Reading →
A train ride to friends and history
I could feel the rumbling of the ground before I heard the warning horn that the train was approaching the first railroad crossing on the southern end of downtown Southern Pines. I stood on the platform in the pre-dawn morning light and waited for the Silver Star to slow to a stop at its second... Continue Reading →
Land of the Noonday Sun and Familial Ties
I stood alongside the twisty mountain road, at an elevation of 3000 ft, overlooking the 1,700-acre Nantahala Lake in southwestern North Carolina. At the bottom of that lake lies the old town of Aquone, and what was once the North Carolina Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Forest Service Camp #10 (NC F-10). At the age of... Continue Reading →
Chasing Birds at the Outer Banks
OK, the travel bug has been nibbling at me quite a bit lately, so when last week's weather forecast predicted three consecutive days of no rain and temps in the upper 50s to lower 60s, I jumped in the truck and headed east! I love playing tourist in my own state, so the NC Year... Continue Reading →
North Carolina Year of the Trail
I still have a few things to post about from last month, but I figured I’d catch y’all up on 2023 and introduce you to a fun new initiative here in NC. Believe it or not, “North Carolina Year of the Trail” is a designation for 2023 established by NC House Bill 554. Yep, an... Continue Reading →
Birmingham Adventures Part 2: Birmingham Civil Rights Museum and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I headed east into Birmingham proper from the vintage motorsports museum to the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. Not just one statue or building, this monument encompasses about four downtown Birmingham city blocks. Multiple landmarks associated with the American Civil Rights movement are located within this area, including the A.G. Gaston Motel which served as... Continue Reading →
Birmingham Adventures Part 1: Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
Welcome to 2023! If this new year is anything like the last, I’ll have lots to blog about! After returning from my epic retirement moto journey, I didn’t stay home for long. I made a return trip to Louisiana for a couple of weeks in October, then headed back in December for the Christmas and... Continue Reading →
2022 Retirement Moto Trip Wrap-up
States Visited:NC, VA, MD, PA, NY, MA, NH, ME, VT, OH, IN, KY, MO, IL, MI, WI, MN, ND, MT, ID, WA, OR, CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL, GA, SC Now that it’s over, it feels like the whole trip was just a dream! This cross-country journey was something that had been manifesting... Continue Reading →
The Only National Park in South Carolina
I knew as I left Tuskegee that I was within striking distance of my home in NC. Though I was ‘smelling the barn,’ I wasn’t ready for the trip to end just yet. Plus, there was one more park to visit along the way, Congaree National Park, and it just happens to be the only... Continue Reading →