Forget the GPS, but take the guitar. 

A couple of times along the way back from journeys out west, I've been intrigued by what remains of the old Route 66. Sure, certain cities like Tulsa and Tumcumcari have the clear route running through their downtowns, but for much of the path today, it merges to become one with I-40, or a boring frontage road right alongside I-40. One time when coming back eastbound from Tumcumcari on my Triumph Tiger (ADV bike), I tried to to trace out the original path and made it down a l

After camping in the Big Bend back-country I took a different route out than in to check out the path through Marathon TX. This meant skipping a visit back through Lajitas or Terlingua. In that prior post, there is detail on this drive toward Carlsbad, New Mexico. Carlsbad in a great little town which serves as nice base station for those visiting the nearby caverns. This time, I chose to only pass through while en route to Roswell. Sometimes when traveling, I find it best to

The exploration of Big Bend NP, through and through.

As part of my fall 2025 solo journey to Big Bend and beyond, and immediately following the stretch to Natchez MS via the Trace ( see that post here ), I stayed the night at the Natchez Grand Hotel on the River to get ready for drive the following day. The hotel receptionist recommended the little bar nearby, Bowie's Rabit Hole - as I got in late and was looking for any place still open for dinner. The bar was just across the side street from the hotel to the south. Both are o

A Late October Exploration of the Natchez Trace Heading out on a Wednesday afternoon from the Nashville side (north entry), I finally ventured down the Natchez Trace as part of my planned trip to Texas. While the more northern routes to Texas, such as the through the Ozarks, Little Rock and through Texarkana, have their own appeal - I felt this time of year was perfect for exploring the "Trace". Besides, this time of year it's cooling and getting further south a little faster

Photons Past at Bixby Bridge , Photo © Danny Montague Big Sur as it's now known, once known as el sur grande (the big country of the south) when Cali was Mexican territory, is that wild expanse accommodating the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) south of Carmel. This is a place where the crashing waves had sent some low resonance frequency to my brain - calling me to visit. Having spent time in the area to the north (Half Moon Bay, San Fran, etc.) in years prior, I was aware of thi