In search of the continuous road trip
If you’ve got the time, take the scenic route. Better yet, plan to have the time to take the scenic route. When planning your trip, we’d advise avoiding all major highways: the 5s, 80s, 90s, 94s, 15s, 70s of the country. Sure, you can get …
Like Guadalupe National Park, Great Basin National Park is an island in the middle of the desert. The Great Basin desert, to be exact. Great Basin National Park covers part of the Snake Range, a mountain range running close to the Nevada/Utah border, and the …
The Loneliest Road in America: Highway 50, east from Reno straight across Nevada. At least, as straight across Nevada as is possible. You very quickly get into a rhythm on Highway 50. Cross broad, flat valley, climb mountain range, descend mountain range, cross broad, flat …
The most famous view of Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park is the vista from Glacier Point. That’s where everyone heads, and you’ve got to see it, but try this first: stop at the Sentinel Dome trailhead and hike the 4.9 mile Sentinel Dome/Taft Point …
Hiking isn’t like walking in the city. In the city, you’re just trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible while avoiding eye contact at all times. Sometimes people bump into each other, sometimes they step in dog poop, sometimes …
When our friend, Ben, worked at a wine store in Chicago, he was always discovering interesting bottles and generously sharing them with us. This is how I had my first taste of Zinfandel from Ridge. I’ll always remember the bottle of Geyserville 2003 (or 2004?): the …
We first visited the Sonoma and Napa Valleys in 2006 — we loved Sonoma, but Napa, not so much. Anytime we leave a wine region, we feel like we’ve missed tons of great stuff, or we find a favorite wine after the fact. Happily, we …
It’s true: driving Highway 101/Route 1 is as awesome as everyone says it is. You could make an entire vacation out of driving the 101 from Seattle to San Francisco (just veer off the 101 on the 1 in northern California). Wait, you should make …
Some people call this California’s Lost Coast. I prefer to think of it as the Saved Coast. Plenty of this section of California’s coast has been tied up by ranching and grazing for generations and is closed to public access, but there are also long, …
One of our favorite treats from our local Chicago corner restaurant was an appetizer of potato chips covered with blue cheese sauce and Tabasco. It was always so indulgent, and it always seemed like something we’d never be able to make at home. But in …
The Oregon coast is special. In 1967, Oregon passed a bill making the ENTIRE coast public land. Like any legislation, it’s complicated, but Wikipedia sums it up well: The Oregon Beach Bill allows free beach access to everyone. This Bill allows private beach landowners to retain certain …
When we originally selected our trip vehicle, we were going for inconspicuousness. Just in case…just in case we got in a bind and needed to sleep on a street or at a rest area. Just in case we needed to blend in — in case …