I’ve been driving ahead pretty steadily for a while now, but every now and then it’s good to stop and look back at how far I’ve come. I mean that not just in terms of counting miles, but also the personal journey this has been for me. When I first came back to the US, I was feeling dissatisfied with life and my place in it, I was frustrated, anxious, and feeling trapped. I had tried making small changes in my…
I hadn’t intended to go further west than Petrified Forest National Park, but when I saw that the next town over, just half an hour away, was Winslow, Arizona… well, I just had to go. For the fun of it. (If anyone doesn’t know the Eagles song ‘Take it Easy’ then shame on you, you should! Go look it up!) I don’t actually know why this corner is THE corner, but it’s on Route 66, so maybe that’s half the…
Petrified Forest National Park is located in northeastern Arizona, not particularly close to much of anything. It’s well worth going to see, however. There’s a single road through the park, about 29 miles long, with only a couple of scenic side loops, so getting lost while in your car is impossible. The northern area of the part contains the Painted Desert, and the colored layers of the rock are really beautiful. It seems to me that I’ve seen other painted…
Sometime the places I decide to visit aren’t of great historical, cultural, or natural significance. I go there just because…. well, because why not? And that’s how I ended up in Roswell, New Mexico at the “International UFO Museum Research Center.” Yep. Why not? My expectations were low, and walking in to this display didn’t raise them. On the other hand, every 15 minutes or so it played creepy UFO music (you know what I mean… oooooooEEEEEEEooooooo…), fog came out…
Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico was next on my (nonexistent) itinerary. This is one of those places that Americans grow up hearing about, and always intend to go to… someday. Well, I decided to make my someday now. And before anyone asks… no, I have no idea why I’m standing like a statue, but it’s the only picture I’ve had of myself in a while, and I like to prove that I’m still alive and in one piece…