The only open seat at Wiley’s Championship Barbecue was at the end of the counter, sandwiched between a three-, six, and eight-year-old allowed the momentary freedom of sitting almost on their own, and their parents, at a table behind it. Before I could take my spot on the tall director’s chair, I had to wait [...]
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Within the first hour aboard the M/V Matanuska from Juneau to Wrangell, my fourth ferry of the summer and the second on the way back “Outside” after three months in Alaska, I saw a familiar face. “Weren’t you on the Kennicott in May? In the gift shop?” “Yeah, and I’m working in the gift shop [...]
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Miles of prairie stretched on either side of the highway on the drive from South Dakota up to its lesser-visited sibling up north. Blue skies backed golden grasses and, with oil trucks as my main companions on the route, I found myself crying over the area’s stark beauty. South Dakota had already captured me far [...]
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I just needed to pick up some soy milk. That’s all. But a few minutes of talking to Breadroot Natural Food Co-op‘s volunteer cashier of the day (I didn’t get her name, will have to call back to thank her) and my day’s plans shifted. (She also suggested that my trip was a walkabout. I [...]
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The photos (shot May 1-4) tell a small part of the story. To just barely start to really see South Dakota’s Badlands–a massive unimaginable otherworldy place–requires days of driving, hiking, and just looking. The first day is all jaw drop. After that, it’s still all jaw drop but you start to recognize the Badlands’ massive [...]
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One of Custer State Park’s wild burros (just before he tried to stick his head into the car) and artist Gary Underwood’s fully domesticated pack mule in Hill City, South Dakota.
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Most of the parking lots sat empty. Spring and summer travelers haven’t started pulling in yet. The park, for now, belongs to the locals. As always, the Falls and the Monarch of the Plains were waiting for them. Today there was also a game of leap frog.
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Come along for the ride as I wander the U.S., sharing the stories of some of the people I meet along the way and the places you might want to road trip to yourself.
Have suggestions for places worth stopping along the way? Want to find out if that town, museum, or crab shack you've always wondered about is worth the gas (or plane ticket)? Interested in seeing if a waiter or docent you once met is still behind the counter or wandering the museum of that little town in...wherever? Send me an email. I can't promise I'll get to every single place recommended or wondered about or get to share the stories of all the people you met on your own travels, but I'm happy to try. I look forward to hearing from you. --Jenna Schnuer
