Category: Travels
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Travels 26: A Grave Situation and a Cold Grey Sky From Lake Erie
I know, intuitively, that my readers are gathered on street corners, in cafe nooks, penthouses, cabanas, taco trailers, art theater lobbies, bowling alleys, massage parlors and sleazy bars all across America saying: “The guy must have run out of ideas by now. Surely, his well of experiences has run dry. What else can the old…
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Travels 25: We Park the R-Pod Next to a Haunted House and Play a Part in Grassroots Democracy
In the last thirty hours or so, we have made zero forward progress on our trip home. We’re taking a breather, a last stretch before the last stretch, if you get my drift. A gulp of air in preparation for the final sprint to Rainbow Lake, if you take my meaning. We’re staying at our…
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Travels 24: Theological Debate Rages in Men’s Room Stall
I’ve always been interested in what guys write on bathroom walls. There’s a particular sub-culture of public rest room users who feel the need to express themselves with markers, pens or the sharp edge of a jack-knife. Remember, my interest began in days when guys didn’t have Twitter or Facebook to argue their many points…
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Travels 23: I Meet Jade, The Young Hobo
You who live on the road, must have a code that you can live by. Crosby, Stills & Nash, “Teach Your Children” We were just west of Tulsa. We needed gas. Mariam needed the Ladies Room and I needed to get out of the car and see if my right leg could actually function again…as…
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Travels 22: Deep in the Heart of Texas
Anyone can buy a ticket to Greece and view the Parthenon, considered by many to be one of the most beautiful designs made by humans. But you have to go to Greece. Or, to look upon the Pyramids, Egypt would be your destination (but who’s going there now with the country in chaos?). Machu Picchu…
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Travels 21: You Can Still Get Some Kicks On Route 66
We’re tucked away at an RV park in Albuquerque. I can feel the shadow of Jesse Pickham and Walter White all around me. I stopped at the check-in desk and asked where I could get a local newspaper. She gave me directions. I’ll bet you get a lot of questions about “Breaking Bad” from the…
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Travels 20: The Man Who Wept
To: The Department of Late Sightseers to Iconic Places REPORT # 0531474203576X [INTERNAL USE ONLY—DO NOT TAKE EXTERNALLY] Well, sir, he’s out of our jurisdiction now. We monitored his situation carefully and kept him under close watch. As you know, we had choppers in the air and “unmarks” following him in black vans that had…
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Travels 19: The Last Man And His Wife
An amazing discovery has been made here in northern Arizona by Federal, Local and International Agencies. As unbelievable as it seems, these officials (speaking only on condition of anonymity) have located the last American citizen who has never seen the Grand Canyon. It is believed that his wife is traveling with him and has been…
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Travels 18: The Call of the Desert: or If I Can’t Stand the Heat, What Am I Doing in Death Valley?
A man who refuses to acknowledge his god is unwise to set foot in the desert. Count Anteoni from “The Garden of Allah” (1936) I think it’s the isolation that attracts me to the austere places on the planet. I love the North because of the intense bone-crystalizing cold. The water-logged plants and animals without…
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Travels 17: Don’t Look Now
Acrophobia (n). An abnormal fear of high places. The American Heritage Dictionary (2012) Did you ever sit in the driver’s seat of your car with a lovely woman beside you? You are resting your right arm on the beige vinyl coated foam armrest. You fingers can touch the shifting lever. She is resting her left…
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