Category Archives: Travel Tips

Alaska Part 3: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Posted on September 20, 2014 by Neil

Getting there: The park headquarters and visitor center at Copper Center are about a 4-hour drive east of Anchorage. Only two areas of the park are accessible by car, Nabesna and McCarthy, and both are at the end of lengthy … Continue reading →

Posted in Destinations, Travel Resources | Tagged Bonanza Mine Trail, Flat Tire McCarthy Road, Kennecott Mill, McCarthy Golden Saloon, McCarthy Lodge, McCarthy Road, Tonsina River Lodge, Willow Lake B&B, Wrangell St. Elias National Park | 4 Comments

Alaska Part 2: Denali

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Neil

Getting There: Denali National Park is an easy 4.5 hour drive north of Anchorage. Alternatively the Alaska Railroad offers service between the two locations. The literal high point of the trip is 20,237 ft Mt. McKinley, the highest point … Continue reading →

Posted in Destinations, Travel Resources | Tagged Alaska Road Trip, Denali Highway, Denali National Park, Denali Shuttle Bus, Dog Sled Demonstration, Eielson Alpine Trail, Eielson Visitor Center, McKinley Creekside Cafe | 4 Comments

Alaska Part 1: Seward and Kenai Fjords

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Neil

Getting there: Alaska Airlines offers direct service from Chicago O’Hare to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. It’s a six hour flight, but that’s much faster than having to stop in Seattle, which is what most other airlines make you do. … Continue reading →

Posted in Destinations, Travel Resources | Tagged Alaska Road Trip, Exit Glacier, Harding Icefield Trail, Kenai Fjords National Park, Le Barn Appetite, Major Marine Tours, North to Alaska, Salmon Creek Cabins, Seward Brewing Company | 4 Comments

On the way to D.C. – Part 2

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Neil

The continuation of our journey between Chicago and DC. First part is here. Monticello High on a hill above Charlottesville, Virginia our third President lived a pretty sweet life. Thomas Jefferson was a true renaissance man, studying languages, architecture, engineering, … Continue reading →

Posted in Destinations, Travel Tips | Tagged Appalachian Trail, Chicago to Washington Road Trip, Harpers Ferry, Laurel Lodge, Monticello, Thomas Jefferson | Leave a comment

Watch This: The Civil War – Ken Burns

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Neil

We like to brush up on a little local history before traveling somewhere. In preparation for heading to DC/Virginia next weekend, we’ve been watching the 1990 Ken Burns documentary “The Civil War.” When it originally aired it was seen by … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps, Travel Resources | Tagged Civil War Documentary, Civil War movie, Ken Burns Civil War | Leave a comment

Reading Material: Undaunted Courage

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Neil

We’ve crossed the paths of the Lewis and Clark expedition many times over the past few years. St. Louis, Columbia River, Pompey’s Pillar, Fort Mandan and Omaha, to name a few. We’ve gotten bits and pieces of the history all … Continue reading →

Posted in Reading Material, Travel Resources | Tagged Corps of Discovery, Lewis and Clark, Lewis and Clark Road Trip, Stephen Ambrose, Undaunted Courage | Leave a comment

Best things we ate and drank on the road in 2013

Posted on January 1, 2014 by Neil

It’s no secret that we take our eating and drinking seriously, especially when traveling. In 2013 we traveled over 7,000 miles and visited 17 states. We have an unwritten road trip rule that we will not eat at any chain restaurants. … Continue reading →

Posted in Maps, Travel Tips | Tagged Best Drinks 2013, Best Food 2013, Best of 2013 Travel, road trip food, Travel food | Leave a comment

Historic Hotels of America

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Neil

Every good traveler loves a great historic hotel. Our recent stay at the Pfister in Milwaukee reminded us about the Historic Hotels of America program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This designation was originally introduced in 1989 to … Continue reading →

Posted in Destinations, Travel Resources | Tagged El Tovar, Historic Hotels, Historic Hotels of America, Le Pavillon, Nottoway Plantation, Pfister Hotel | Leave a comment

Reading Material: The Lost Continent

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Neil

To continue on the theme of a solo man’s journey through America, I just finished reading Bill Bryson’s 1989 book “The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America.” His 1980s journey follows nicely in the footsteps of John Steinbeck’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Travel Resources | Tagged Bill Bryson, The Lost Continent, Travel Reading | Leave a comment

Seattle to Chicago: Planning Timeline

Posted on July 3, 2013 by Neil

The day has finally arrived! We’re flying off to Seattle this afternoon to begin our seven-state, two-and-a-half-week journey back to Chicago by car. We first imagined this trip about a year and a half ago and first posted a proposed … Continue reading →

Posted in Destinations, En Route, Travel Tips | Tagged road trip planning, Seattle to chicago road trip | 1 Comment