After thirteen weeks of roaming around the United States, I finally returned home to Madison at the beginning of December. I had always planned on returning to Wisconsin for the holidays, mostly to spend time with my family and friends, … Read More

My narrative trailed off as I drove through the bleak forever of the rolling plains of South Dakota. Shortly thereafter, I made an all-out push through Minnesota and ended up back home in Madison, WI at the beginning of December. … Read More

Having abandoned my hopes of employment in Boulder, I said my goodbyes and returned to the road. All that lay in between Madison and me was about 1,200 miles of rolling hills and plains stretching on into the horizon. In … Read More

Once again, I have accepted the fact that spending time with friends who I rarely see is more important than updating this blog. Although I am sure that I could have carved out plenty of time for creating and processing … Read More

After leaving the camaraderie and comfort of Telluride, I ended up in Montrose, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park (Black Canyon). With most of the day ahead of me, I … Read More

I spent most of the last week in Telluride, CO making it the longest stop (other than New Bern, NC) on my entire trip. When I first decided to route through Telluride, I did so to make sure that I … Read More

After my winding drive through San Juan National Forest, I arrived in Durango. My goals for the day were to catch up on some minor projects that I had pushed to the back burner and to get a handle on … Read More

After my nighttime trek through the dunes, I awoke just as the sun was illuminating the plains below me. Having climbed several thousand feet on a windy, well maintained gravel road, I now slept in the shadow of the Sangre … Read More

My uncharacteristic late-night exodus from New Mexico had landed me in Alamosa, the gateway to Great Sands National Park. My first day there, however, was frought with icy precipitation and high-speed winds. Not wanting to explore the dunes in freezing … Read More

Despite the fact that Carlsbad Caverns is technically in New Mexico, I really only felt like I had left Texas as the Guadalupe Mountains faded away in my rear view mirror. Texas had truly surprised me. I’ll admit that eastern … Read More

After leaving the southern bend of the Rio Grande, I jumped north towards Guadalupe Mountains National Park. In this park, a fossilized reef system has transformed over time into a stunning range of limestone peaks that run from New Mexico … Read More

Despite my best intentions, my 6:00 AM alarm was completely unrealistic. I turned it off and curled back up. The conditions were absolutely perfect for sleeping in. A few hours later, I finally stirred and headed towards Chisos Basin. My … Read More

Appearances may be deceiving. Late last night, I pulled into a decrepit and poorly reviewed Walmart in Fort Stockton, TX, about 100 miles north of Big Bend National Park. While I normally shoot for Walmarts with good reviews (rating over … Read More

After leaving Mammoth, I had a few disparate destinations lined up for the next couple of days. Realizing that my friend in Mississippi was out on an oilrig and unavailable for the next two weeks, I headed south just the … Read More

Departing the Blue Ridge Parkway was somewhat bittersweet and for more than one reason. For starters, it meant moving on from one of the most beautiful sections of my trip thus far. I intend to figure out what exactly about … Read More

Even though I had tasted some of the Blue Ridge Parkway before, I couldn’t help but be excited by the prospect of dedicating a few days to winding along its lofty route. Dotted with countless overlooks and at least a … Read More