At 9, I thought it was crazy. My dad was going to squeeze Mom and all six of us kids into a boxy, top heavy, narrow Volvo station wagon, and we were going to drive for three months from our home in Paraguay to Kansas where my father grew up. This trip had been his dream since coming to Paraguay in 1951 to found and manage a Mennonite leprosy mission. “Is there really a road that goes all the way from Paraguay to the States?” I asked. Dad … [Read more...]
The Imaginary Kingdom of Belarus
John M. Edwards researches a future trip to a country he suspects doesn’t really exist. . . . I’ve never been there, and neither have you. The imaginary kingdom of Belarus, way off the beaten track, so far away in fact that no one ever seems to find it, belongs more to the world of fictionalized Tintin comics than the grip of postcardy Paid Advertisements. Even asking former communist expats from the various SSRs how to get there usually … [Read more...]
Biscuits, Booze, and Bodies – 36 Hours in the Florida Keys
Normally, I'm not big on cocktails before 10am. But when we blearily wandered in at 8am to the Blue Heaven, one of Key West’s signature restaurants, that’s what our server suggested. Sitting in the crazy-quilt courtyard, with its rustic artwork and scurrying chickens, looking up at the former bordello on the second-floor, and knocking back some booze seemed in keeping with all things Keys. I opted for the pancakes, which I found just as … [Read more...]
Pilots, Amelia Rose Earhart & Patrick Carter
When we were initially made aware that Amelia Earhart was going to recreate "her" flight around the world in 2014, we thought we had scored the interview of the century. However, we quickly realized the modern day Amelia Earhart is named after the famous aviatrix. But the similarities do not end with a name - Amelia is also an accomplished pilot and is going to recreate and symbolically complete her namesake’s 1937 flight around the world. … [Read more...]
Eureka Springs Revisited
In early November, I spent two serendipitous days in the tiny resort town of Eureka Springs, located in the Ozarks, at the edge of Arkansas. I had accepted an invitation from a friend in the American Midwest to join her on her ranch in Kansas, and she was taking me on a road trip. Since we would be riding through Missouri, I asked if I might see something connected with Mark Twain. “Hannibal is on the other side of the state.” I was mildly … [Read more...]
A Road Trippers Case for Traveling by Car
Taking a road trip is my favorite way to put "things" back into perspective. It's easy to let yourself get caught up in the trivialities of daily life and forget that this is bigger than the individual. A road trip can be just the thing to spark some creativity, break out of the mundane with some spontaneity or even deal with pain. There's comfort in seeing new things and the best way to challenge yourself and your views is by meeting new people … [Read more...]
Richard Petty Driving Experience Now Allows Drivers to Go Faster
Richard Petty Driving Experience Now Allows Drivers to Go Faster...Faster Concord, NC (October 30, 2012) – Richard Petty Driving Experience (RPDE), the worldwide leader in stock car drive and ride entertainment, is introducing a new way for drivers to get the most out of their NASCAR driving experience by placing a professional driving instructor directly in the passenger seat. The all-new format known as Right Seat Instruction (RSI) will be … [Read more...]
A Hungarian Hotel in Germany
Our heads were fuzzy and our legs like jelly when we left the long, overnight flight from Kansas City to Munich, Germany. After clearing passport control and getting our luggage, my husband and I headed to the rental car area of the airport. Despite our fatigue, we managed the paperwork and check-out with only a minimum of frustration. An hour later, we settled into a Mercedes C Class sedan and made our way out of the city, Ken at the wheel and … [Read more...]
A Storm on the River Missouri
I was a hundred or so miles into a 2,341-mile canoe trip on the Missouri River when I stumbled on my first big storm. The first indication came when my hat lifted from my head and flew forward into the water. High winds came up well ahead of an advancing cold front a mile or so upriver from Fort Benton, Montana. What had been blowing before had been a breeze, but soon rose to twenty or thirty miles per hour. The filled with dust and sand, which … [Read more...]
Rattler
You plan on some things, and others just happen. Usually you don't plan on getting bitten by a rattlesnake for example. It's just one of those things when you're out in desolate country; alone, weather beaten and emotionally off guard. Of course you could argue that inserting yourself into desolate and dangerous country is, in a way, inviting an encounter with an ill-tempered reptile. True I didn't know when setting out on my two-month canoe trip … [Read more...]