Blog

El Morro National Monument

As a road tripper, I try to stay off the interstates and main highways...discovering El Morro is a perfect example of why I do this. Located in west central New, Mexico, along an ancient trail off highway 53, is this historic site that was once home to 1500 Zuni Indians...

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CN Tower provides view to behold

This past summer, I found myself in Toronto, Ontario for a travel blogger conference. It was actually my first time to both the city of Toronto, as well as the province of Ontario. The most iconic landmark of the city, and certainly one of the most recognizable in the world,...

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Ten reasons why travel is an investment

I was quite young when my folks got divorced, therefore family vacations were pretty much non-existent.  The highlight childhood vacation for me was the cliché trip to Disneyland, but other than that I don’t recall any others—except perhaps the occasional road trip to a relatives home.  My father was not...

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East entrance to the Grand Canyon

I have been to the Grand Canyon many times, but until today, I had no idea there was a third entrance. Nearly 90% of all the visitors to the Grand Canyon enter from the South Rim.  The North Rim, my personal favorite, is only open a few months out of...

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Trifecta of near mishaps

I woke to a beautiful pre-dawn morning and watched the sun rise above the canyon before me, just outside of Canyonlands National Park in the Moab, Utah. Just inside the park entrance is a 4-wheel drive road called, “Shafer Trail.” I wanted to take this road to the canyon floor...

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Cumbres/Toltec: Ridin’ the rails through the scenic San Juan’s

I have a good friend who is an avid train enthusiast…when he learned of my plans to visit Pagosa Springs, he highly recommend that I stop in Chama, New Mexico beforehand to take a ride on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. I decided to make plans to spend a...

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Cano’s Castle in Antonito, Colorado is a roadside attraction worth a gander

I've seen a lot of strange structures along the road during my travels, but "Cano's Castle" just might take the prize for the most whimsical. While visiting Antonito, Colorado after taking a ride aboard the Cumbras/Toltec Scenic Railway, I discovered Cano's Castle, one of the oddest structures I think I've...

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Rollin’ through Rockford

When I first entered the city limits of Rockford, IL, I have to be honest…I was not terribly excited. My first impressions were that of a generic retail big box community in the western shadows of Chicago. I had come to the area for a travel conference and was seriously...

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Galena, Illinois: Its past is our pleasure

Downtown Galena IL by MikesRoadTrip

Galena, Illinois is probably well-known to history buffs and those within a couple hundred-mile radius—but to someone from the southwest like myself, Galena was just another undiscovered small town in the vastness that makes up America. Galena epitomizes what I look for from a road trip—a place off the beaten...

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A reunion in Peoria

My main motivation for coming to Illinois was for the Travel Media Showcase conference in Rockford, IL.  I arrived in the state several days prior to the start of the show, so I reached out to some family members in Peoria, IL that I've not seen in more than a...

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Chicago, Chicago…that toddlin’ town…

Chicago, Chicago...that toddlin' town that I could not turn round... I typically try and bypass the big cities, but I'm in the area for a travel conference to be held in Rockford, Illinois. I have friends who live in the area and so it was the perfect opportunity to gather...

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The Trumbull House…A New England hide-a-way

One of the fascinating features about staying at a B&B is that there is always a story…whether that of the structure, or, of the innkeeper(s).  I recently discovered the oldest bed and breakfast in Hanover, New Hampshire, which is home to the Ivy League’s Dartmouth College.  Just a few miles...

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