Blogs, random thoughts, travel

  • Radio Reflections

    When I was a preteen, I discovered KTSA which played “Top 40” music.  I still remember it was 550 on the AM dial.  You could call in requests via a TOLL-FREE phone number IF you were willing to dial eleven digits on a rotary phone and then, IF the call was answered, stay on hold for 15-50 minutes.  People will say that Country music also existed at this time, but I’m not sure anyone in my family was aware of this.  I was also probably in college before I realized there were FM stations available on the radio dial.
  • Veterans Making Rookie Mistakes

    Our plan was to walk the shoreline to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse.  An online map I consulted offered a confusing trail, that looked like a road, that began in a campground somewhere behind us.  No, we were still going with our idea to walk the shoreline.  I grabbed a light backpack to carry the Nikon camera.  We debated going barefoot since it was going to be a walk on the sand but ultimately we each grabbed some waterproof shoes and tossed them in the backpack.   
  • Impromptu Blue Ridge Parkway Trip

    We said we would stop at just one overlook but that’s like eating one potato chip.  I found myself pulling into each one that offered a view.  The leaves in this lower elevation area were just beginning to change colors. I have a favorite tree on the Parkway at the Craggy Dome Overlook and it was my goal to get there.
  • No Place Like Home

    When we travel in our van Wanda, we travel with our own toilet and accoutrements.  That means “home quality” toilet paper wherever we go.  But now that the panic of the pandemic has subsided, we have taken to using other facilities as well. On the last trip I was reminded of the poor quality of toilet paper in state parks.  A friend who once traveled to Russia described their toilet paper as “wax paper at best”. I would say that most state parks use a Russian supplier who leans more towards tissue paper quality.  
  • Travel Notes


    While driving through the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, we were treated on three or four occasions to pairs of white swans living in small lakes or beaver ponds, but one time we did a double take when we saw a flock of pink plastic flamingoes on a pond in the middle of nowhere!

  • A Drive-Thru Experience to Remember

    On our recent trip to the Great Lakes, we entered into Culver Country.  Culver’s is a Wisconsin-based frozen-custard-and-more fast-food franchise founded in 1984.  They do have stores in twenty-six states but this was our first time to visit one.  (We also visited our first White Castle’s franchise on this trip but Jenni said we should never mention that again.)

  • You Meet the Nicest People

    The man in the Ford Transit van came out and we struck up a conversation.  I was as mesmerized by his Minnesota accent as he may have been by my southern drawl.  (Asking ‘where y’all headed?’ tends to indicate I ain’t from around there).  
  • Writing on the Road

    Writing on the road is difficult.   First, there’s the lack of reliable internet and no WiFi.  You would think that would be great for ‘going off g...
  • The Oil Change

    He immediately asked if I had to replace the O2 sensor (or something like that) and I replied no.  So he told me how easy it was to reach.  Good to know.  I wanted to say I had replaced my own flux capacitor but thought twice about engaging him in meaningful dialogue.  
  • Turtle People

    A legion of highly trained volunteers, affectionately referred to as the Turtle People in our conversations that week, patrol and protect the beach all in the name of encouraging the propagation of the species.  I understood that they were granted certain powers, such as the right to knock on your door to remind you “lights out” if your house lights were too bright and, thus, disorienting to newly hatched turtles.  They also monitored any holes that were dug in the sand since a baby turtle could get trapped.  
  • Oops I Did It Again

    With much less trepidation than the first time around, I published a second book this week. “Living With Wanda 2: Campervan Adventures Continue” is now available on Amazon as a Kindle eBook or in paperback.
  • Prime Day

    For the two people who have never heard of it, Amazon Prime Day is akin to Black Friday and Cyber Monday after Thanksgiving.  It is an online buying frenzy with a few super bargains but mostly just another opportunity to buy something you normally wouldn’t but a few cents-off enticed you.