Open Mic Tour

I was anxious as I drove eastward towards The Badlands.  I had dutifully noted the address of my next destination, 20055 Hwy 44, Scenic, SD 57780, but as I proceeded down Route 44 I realized that (1) no place…

The next morning I was off to the Black Hills, again a little nervous about the first come, first serve campsites.  

I drove through Rapid City, South Dakota, Hilary’s hometown (yay!) and bought some groceries and cold cuts…

Montana, as I’ve said before, is big.  Seriously big: 559 miles wide by 321 miles tall.  Just for reference, Massachusetts is 190 by 50.  So it’s not impossible to drive across it in a day, just arduous and exhausting.  I’m…

Morning comes early when you’re camping and though I dozed on and off till 7:00, I was ready for the new day.  I popped out of bed, dressed and unzipped my tent flap only to find…

Hi - still here!  Now at the Visitor Center at Glacier National Park and taking advantage of their wifi access.  It's slow, but better than none.  Can't post anything of note because it would take days and I can't sit…

We finally got to Glacier, or more accurately, to Columbia Falls, a town just outside of the park.  I wasn’t thrilled by the campgrounds on the west side of the park, so I booked an Airbnb in Whitefish, figuring that…

It’s no surprise to me that I’ve only played a few open mics and coffee houses.  First of all, most places book acts for the weekend so at best we’re talking about 57% of the week available for potential gigs…

We had ended up in Hailey even though simply continuing up 93 would have been a more straightforward route.  Both had dotted lines on AAA maps, indicating scenic routes, but by cutting a day off of Arco we had some…

We left the ski chalet in Irwin reluctantly – it was a truly special place, one of the most remarkable either of us has ever stayed in.  Our next stop was Arco, Idaho, which I had chosen because I had…

Having grown up in the African bush, Andrew still sort of stays on bush time: up very early, take a nap in the afternoon.  Since we were moving south to Grand Teton the next day he rose at 5:00 a.m…

Currently in Irwin, Wyoming, southwest of Grand Tetons.  Details forthcoming.  ;-)

Weather.com proved to be reliable – reliably wrong, that is.  I arrived around 5:00, in the rain.  I guess it’s beyond the scope of current weather prediction to know just when the mountains and clouds will decide to offer a…

It’s hard to know what to say about Yellowstone – it’s a classic example of the inadequacy of language.  How many times can you say “spectacular” or “remarkable” before it loses its meaning, if it really had any to begin…

Wyoming favors the dramatic – vast open spaces and unusual landscapes with huge masses of rock, cracked and riven by time and water, reshaped by millennia of unimaginable pressure and stress, sunken under vast seas, lifted by tectonic forces.  The…

I had to park in Wildcat Hills with the tail of the car higher than the hood, even though I had set up my car bed to work in the other direction.  It turned out to function fine both ways…

I spent the night at Uncle Buck’s Lodge, based on a tip from Dean Settle via Kevin’s Facebook page.  Good call - thanks!  Nice people, good lodging and some cool horseplay.  Walt runs the ranch and Marilyn tends to the…

Wow!  That was awesome.  

I had been driving along the Interstate, eating Meltaways, a unique Nebraska confection.  Kevin reminded me that he brought Trish a giant bag of them one time when he visited.  The next morning he spied…

I plotted out three days in Lincoln so I could hang with Kevin and Val and especially Rachel, whom I haven’t had a chance to spend time with in the last three years while she’s been in Japan and Bulgaria…

• I took I-70 out of Lawrence and discovered that Kansas doesn’t recognize Easy Pass, although 15 other states do.  Speed limits going up – 75 here.  Now on US 75, which is only two lanes, but they are wide and…

Leftover pictures from Jefferson City: the state capitol, a wall mural on a deserted site I passed, and Dunklin Street (home of Dunklin Donuts?) 

Woke up in Lawrence feeling much better…

Yesterday was a long day.  I didn’t sleep well, but I roused myself at 7:30, aiming for the full breakfast being offered at Hermann Crown.  I roused myself again at 8:00 and once more at 8:30.  I had slept a…

I’m in Hermann, Missouri, a place I never would have visited if not for a book that Chris and Hilary gave me, Road Trip USA: Cross-Country Adventures on America's Two-Lane Highways. I’ve looked at a number of travel books and…

I know that I’m in the Midwest because I just crossed the Mississippi River and I saw my first Menards. 

Last night was another example of hidden treasures of…

I’m a big fan of Paducah.  When I describe it to people I sound like I work for the Chamber of Commerce.  Joe has started referring to me as The Palooka from Paducah.  I don’t mind – I’ve got a…