Long Weekend at the NC Outer Banks

The last trip I posted about included a recitation of the many delights of the Blue Ridge Parkway; less than a month after we returned home the Parkway was severely impacted by Hurricane Helene. The storm inflicted terrible damage on many communities in Western North Carolina, and the damage to infrastructure was widespread. Sadly, our … Read more

Across the Mackinac Straits to Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island

In this part of Michigan, the indigenous Odawa (or Ottawa) and the French fur traders have conspired to turn the spelling of words and the pronunciation of those words into concepts that are loosely related, at best. Trust me when I say that everything is pronounced “MACK-in-awe” and that it’s easier to just say “Mac.” … Read more

Rounding Out Lake Superior at Pictured Rocks

Our final stop along the Lake Superior shoreline was at Munising, the gateway to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. The federally-protected property stretches over 40 miles along the southern shore of Lake Superior between the towns of Munising and Grand Marais, and contains a variety of natural wonders. The highlight of the bunch, and the … Read more

Dismal and Delightful Duluth

We arrived in Duluth on a cloudy Friday after a long (350 mile) relocation from Green Bay. Our introduction to the twin ports of Superior, Wisconsin and Duluth, Minnesota involved rolling through poorly maintained streets lined with tired 19th century brick buildings, past mountains of ore and graffiti-covered rail cars, alongside towering industrial port facilities, … Read more

Savoring Sand and Sea at Cape Blanco

The final stop in our tour of Oregon was Cape Blanco State Park, situated on the sparsely populated southwestern coast of the state. The cape is a rocky headland that juts out into the Pacific, reaching the second-furthest-west point in the 48 contiguous states. Surrounding the cape is a field of partially submerged rocks called … Read more