Most people, when asked their impression of winter in Alaska, envision lots of snow and sub-zero temperatures. Fair enough, but keep in mind that Alaska’s a big state – twice the size of Texas, as a matter of fact – and as such it’s affected by a variety of winter weather. Were you in Adak out on the far Aleutians, winter weather might mean rain and temperatures in the 40s. Over in Valdez (about 1300 air miles east-northeast of Adak) it might translate to over 200” of snow in a single month. Meanwhile, up in Barrow on Alaska’s North Slope, the total annual precipitation is only about 5 inches per year. There’s plenty of cold air but not a lot of snow. By contrast, Ketchikan, the wettest city in America, gets well over 200” of rain per year.
I live in the taiga forest outside of Fairbanks, Alaska – a community of 40000+ inhabitants located in Alaska’s Interior, i.e. the area north of the Alaska Range and South of the Brooks Range. Alaska’s Interior – with a capital “I” – is generally regarded as the coldest part of the state in the winter and the hottest during the summer. Fairbanks has the greatest temperature differential of any city on earth with summer highs routinely climbing into the 80s and occasionally even the 90s. The coldest temperature I’ve ever personally experienced in Fairbanks is -63°F.
You don’t believe me? You think maybe ‘ol Seat 2A is pulling your leg? Check out these windows into our winter and summer weather…
A Cold Weekend in the Interior
A Hot Weekend in the Kantishna
Communities to the north of us, such as Barrow up on the North Slope (North of the Brooks Range), rarely get as cold in the winter as we do down here in the Interior but - because of their northern latitudes - they tend to stay colder longer. In the month of May spring has definitely sprung down in Fairbanks (Lat. 65°N) with temperatures often climbing into the 70s whereas up in North Slope communities like Deadhorse or Barrow (Lat. 73°N) it’s not unusual to see high temperatures in the 40s.
Whether you believe in climate change or not, the past few winters in Fairbanks have been warmer than usual. Last winter, the thermometer at Fairbanks International Airport never dropped below -29°F. As for snowfall, we totaled about 60” but the vast majority of that fell in late September and early spring. During the middle of winter, we totaled less than 3”. In the month of January we set a new record with just .06” inches of total precipitation. December and February were only fractionally snowier.
The point I’m making is that you can’t generalize with Alaska weather. And while we tend to be dry and cold here in the Fairbanks area, that was about to change in a big way.
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Alright then, let’s skip to the present. It’s 10:30am on December 29th and the NBC affiliate (KBCF) is interrupting Kathy Lee and Hoda with broadcast warnings every 30 minutes or so about a major winter storm heading our way. We’ve known about this storm for a while now as it’s been mentioned over the past three or four days as it swept across Siberia and the Bering Sea before slamming into Alaska’s west coast.
Most winter storms coming out of Siberia and the Arctic tend to bring more cold air than moisture due to the fact that everything – including the ocean – is frozen out there. There’s not much moisture to pick up. This storm is different in that it merged with a mass of warm air being pushed up from the Pacific. The result is a system packing heavy snow and strong, gusty winds but not particularly cold temperatures.
Initial reports projected snowfall depths of up to 15” in the Fairbanks area. This is not particularly troubling. We’ve got a good community plow cooperative out here for our back roads while the main arteries, such as Alaska Highway 3, get first priority from DOT. Additionally I’ve got a good truck with 4-wheel drive, so I’m not all that worried about getting around.
Of greater concern to me are reports of winds with gusts in the 30-60mph range. Winds like that can cause trees to topple into power lines resulting in power outages that might last for a day or more. Should that happen I’m usually not in bad shape as I’ve put together a good emergency supply of food, water, lights, battery powered radio, etc. However, when the power goes out, my Toyo heater also goes out. I’ve got an indoor-safe propane heater that I can hook up to a 5 gal. propane tank if need be. I always have an extra one filled and ready to go out on my porch. The only problem at present is that my recent spinal fusion surgery currently has me restricted to lifting no more than 12lbs. No problem. My heater also runs on portable propane canisters. I’ll just head into town and pick up a few of those at Fred Meyers.
Uh oh. Quite a few other people were evidently also thinking the same thing. As of yesterday afternoon the shelves at Freddie’s were barren of canisters. The same was true down at Sportsman’s Warehouse, Walmart and the other sporting goods stores in town. I made a mental note to pick up a few of those next week. Then again, storms of this intensity hit so rarely around here that by the time the next one hits, I should be cleared to once again heft a full 40lb propane canister. In the meantime, what I really need to finally do this summer build an add-on to securely store and operate a back-up generator. I’ve had my eye on a nice little Honda model for about a year now. I really should have made that happen by now.
I am by nature an independent and self-sufficient guy, so my very last instinct is to prevail upon my neighbors for their assistance. Being the good people they are, I’ve no doubt they would gladly provide it. I just hate to ask unless I’m all out of options.
Which I’m not because I’m also a guy who has banked almost a million miles in my Alaska Airlines account as well as quite a few thousand points in my Amtrak Guest Rewards account. I’ve also got a voucher good for $470.00 toward future Amtrak travel. There’s nothing ever stopping me from the ability to go anywhere at any time.
Finally, I’m a guy who’s always up for a trip somewhere. I particularly like spur of the moment, seat of the pants travel, especially when I know I’ll only be gone a few days. Being single and unattached, I am beholden to no one. Here we’ve got a big storm coming into town… why not get outta town for awhile?
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The more I thought on it, the more alluring the idea of getting out of town and avoiding this storm became. Okay, okay – so I’d only thought about it for two or three minutes but like I said, I’m always up for a trip somewhere. All I really need to be thinking about is where I’m gonna go.
So I fired up my trusty old laptop and set to investigating the possibilities. Some of you may recall that last February – on all of about ten hours advance notice – I up and flew to Australia in order to celebrate flying my five millionth mile in style - style being per my interpretation best enjoyed whilst seated in a First Class Suite aboard an Emirates A380. I gave no consideration to traveling that far today however.
As I pondered the possibilities, regular television news bulletins warned of the impending tempest. With no real advance notice, buying a ticket would be out of the question, especially since this is still the Christmas travel season and most all of the cheap seats – be they revenue or award seats - have already been sold. The only way I’d be getting out of town would be by burning some of my hard earned miles and hopefully not too many of them.
Though my original plan was to head down to Death Valley and Joshua Tree National Parks, it was thwarted by a lack of affordable availability into Las Vegas or San Diego. Ultimately I ended up booking a one way 20000 mile award to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In retrospect, I don’t quite remember how exactly I settled on Milwaukee because once you jump to 20000 miles, a lot more opportunities open up. A good friend of mine who lives 160 miles west of Milwaukee in Galena, Illinois called the other night. Maybe that was it. Then again, maybe it was the chance to finally fly upon Skywest’s ERJ-175 on what is possibly the longest flight operated by the ERJ-175 in the U.S. I’ve no doubt the opportunity to ride one of Amtrak’s long distance trains from Chicago to the west coast factored into this decision. Perhaps the biggest factor influencing my decision was that time was a wasting and wherever I was gonna go I had to come up with something quick. Heck, I hadn’t even packed yet.
So – Milwaukee it was. Once I got myself booked on the 2:25pm departure out of Fairbanks (By now it was a little past 12:30pm) it was time to check Amtrak’s availability for a train to the West Coast. I should note here that the option of flying back to Fairbanks from Milwaukee was always available as a fall back position. The train just sounded like more fun. Ideally my preference would have been to book a room aboard the California Zephyr. Unfortunately, a lot of other people had similar preferences that they’d already acted upon, the result being that the only available roomettes aboard the Zephyr were pricing out at over $1000.00 one way to the coast.
Awright then, how ‘bout the Empire Builder straight to Seattle? Yes!!! There, on January 1st, was a single roomette for just $426.00. Book it, Danno! After working out the details of my voucher with an Amtrak agent over the phone, I was good to go. Milwaukee, here I come!
From Milwaukee I’d rent a car and speed off to visit my friend in Galena, Illinois – 160 miles yonder toward the Iowa border. I’d never been there before and the idea of showing up unannounced and unexpected for New Year’s Eve sounded exciting. Knowing that my friend lived in a small apartment in town with very limited space, I booked myself a hotel room and finally a rental car from Milwaukee.
Returning the car to Milwaukee on the New Year’s Day, I’d then board Amtrak’s Empire Builder for the 2,120 mile ride across America’s northern plains, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest to Seattle. Upon arrival at Seattle’s King Street Station, I’d hoof it on over to SeaTac and catch the first available flight home.
Awright then! I quickly tossed two days’ worth of clothes and a few essentials into a suitcase, ever mindful of weight restrictions and the fact that I could do laundry at hotels enroute. Then I emptied the slop bucket under my sink, set the Toyo’s thermostat to 58° and headed out to my waiting truck.
December 29, 2016
Alaska Airlines Fairbanks to Anchorage 225p – 325p 737-800 Coach Class
Alaska Airlines Anchorage to Seattle 555p – 1021p 737-800 Coach Class
Snow had already started to fall by the time I set out for the airport. On the roadway in front of me the snow swirled in ever changing patterns as I sped along. It was actually a very pretty moment as the falling snow in combination with my speed caused the snow to blow all about me as I sped along. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret at my decision to leave. I do love a good storm, all the more so while comfortably ensconced in a nice warm cabin. There was no certainty that the winds projected to accompany this storm would cause power outages in my region - just a higher than normal probability that they would. Adding up all the various ingredients affecting life at the moment, my love a good trip won out over my love of a good storm. There was no turning back now.
I parked over at Pike’s Landing, a hotel not far from the airport. With a rate of only $5.75 per day, it’s considerably less expensive than parking at the airport where the least expensive remote parking lot costs $13.00 per day.
One of the nicest things about Fairbanks International Airport is that it’s a small airport. Under normal travel circumstances there’s generally no need to show up the recommended two hours in advance of departure. If I had bags to check – I might show up maybe an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes ahead of time. On the other hand, as a single traveler with a roll-a-bord, a preprinted boarding pass and TSA Pre, arriving just 45 minutes ahead of departure is fine.
Waiting at the gate was Alaska’s colorful Hawaii liveried airplane, its warm bright colors in vivid contrast to the cold white and grey day outside. Of all the planes to fly out of town aboard on a snowy day, this one seemed quite fitting.
Alaska’s Hawaii Jet
Photo courtesy of Alaska Airlines
As you might imagine, having booked my seats at the last minute during this busy holiday travel period meant that the selection of seats still available to me was less than ideal. To wit, I considered myself lucky to get a window seat way back in row 31, one row from the rear bulkhead. As I slowly made my way back through row after row of seats packed with all manner of humanity, the stark differences between how I usually fly and how most everyone else almost always flies really struck home.
As a long time top tier elite member of Alaska’s Mileage Plan, I almost always get upgraded. On those rare occasions that I don’t, my ability to reserve quality main cabin seating at the time of booking means I’m almost always on the aisle at the bulkhead or in the reclining exit row. While I’ve spent many a flight sat in cramped economy class seating aboard other airlines, it just feels a lot different to be doing so on Alaska. It’s like walking into your own home and sleeping in the guest room.
Trudging onward, I noticed that my window seat at 31F was taken by another passenger. No problem, I’d prefer an aisle anyway. Alas, it wasn’t to be. Also standing at row 31 was a flight attendant who asked me if I’d be willing to sit in the middle seat due to a prisoner transport situation where the guard needed the aisle seat. The flight was sold out, so it’s not like there was really a choice. To sweeten the deal, she offered to give me a free picnic box or cheese plate. Alright. It was only a 45 minute flight down to Anchorage anyway. As for the guy sat in my assigned window seat, let’s just say he didn’t look overly aware of life around him. With such a short flight ahead, I decided it’d be better to leave him be.
On the short flight down to Anchorage, I nibbled on fine cheese and crackers while window seatmate looked on hungrily. This cheese could’ve been yours, pal, but not now. Check your boarding pass next time.
In Anchorage life returned to some semblance of normalcy as I repaired to the comfortable confines of the newly renamed Alaska Lounge. Known for years as The Boardroom, a quick scan of the guests on any given day would’ve suggested a group dressed more in keeping with a trip to a hockey game than a corporate business function. The Alaska Lounge seems much more appropriate.
On the flight down to Seattle I was fortunate to score a much better seat at 9D. The aircraft – a 737-800 – had been reconfigured with Alaska’s new Preferred Plus seating - a small premium coach seating zone highlighted by an extra 3-4” of seat pitch added to Alaska’s already generous 32” main cabin pitch. This was my first experience with the new seating and I must say it was a considerable upgrade over my previous digs back at row 31.
Flight time down to Seattle was projected at three hours and twenty minutes; more than enough time for a leisurely drink or two and a tasty Tom Douglas inspired meal. As a Super Duper Diamond Encrusted Kryptonite Level (MVP Gold 75K) flyer in Alaska’s Mileage Plan, I was also treated to a complimentary Digi-Player as well as a free drink. Jack Daniels on the rocks, please. Make it a double!
Do other U.S. airlines offer hot lunch and dinner entrees to passengers in Economy class? On American, Delta and United I’ve seen a variety of sandwiches, wraps, salads and picnic packs offered but never a hot meal. On Alaska hot meals have been part of the coach offerings for years and let me tell you – on a long flight through a cold night, that hot meal is really appreciated. It adds a large measure of civility and class to an otherwise basic flight in a coach seat. Of course Alaska’s fine Flight Attendants contribute their own highly regarded warmth and graciousness to the service, but those hot meals are a very welcome addition as well.
Back in late 2014, Alaska partnered with award winning Seattle chef Tom Douglas to provide quality hot meals on its flights departing to or from Alaska’s home base of Seattle. Douglas is a three time James Beard Award winner and happily accepted the challenge of showcasing his culinary talents in the troposphere. Unfortunately, Douglas’ creations appear to be limited to Economy Class offerings, but that just means that if you must deign to travel behind the curtain, the experience will be that much nicer aboard Alaska Airlines. Nice enough in fact that on a couple of occasions I’ve swapped out my First Class meal for a bowl of whatever Chef Douglas has come up with for the Economy section.
Tonight’s offering was Tom Douglas’ Miso Chicken. Normally offered on flights to Hawaii, it was a welcome addition to Alaska’s domestic offerings. Here’s a photo beneath which is a description of the meal as transcribed from Alaska’s website:
Tom Douglas’ Miso Chicken
Sliced grilled chicken glazed in a luscious sauce flavored with ginger, pineapple and red miso. Highlighted by tangy sesame carrots atop a bed of ginger garlic fried brown rice.
Costing just $8.00, this dish was both tasty and filling. More information of Alaska’s inflight meal service can be found
RIGHT HERE.
Thanks to an expedient tailwind, our arrival in Seattle was about fifteen minutes early. Now it was time to have a little fun. My neighbor was flying in from Boston this evening and making a connection to the late Fairbanks departure. We spoke just yesterday as she’d called with concerns about the impending storm. At that point, I had no idea I was leaving town and consequently, she had no expectation of meeting me in the airport.
I watched from a discreet distance as she emerged from the jetway, checked for her connecting flight on the airport flight display and then headed down the escalator to the inter-terminal train. I was able to board the train right behind her and quickly turn around. I was standing right in front of her and watched with glee as her facial expressions – which I could clearly see reflected in the train car’s window glass – registered increasing levels of curiosity and surprise. As she tried to move to one side to get a better view of me, I also moved and blocked her view. Then she tried the other side. Again, I moved with her. We went through this back and forth a couple of times before I finally turned around and gave her a big hug. Life’s more fun with the occasional surprise.
I rode with her over to the North Satellite, then continued on to the main terminal where I caught a van to my hotel for the night. $58.00 all-in scored me a nice quiet room over at the Day’s Inn up on 190th. I’ve stayed often at this hotel and while it’s not in the same strata as the Hilton and Starwood type properties favored by most FlyerTalkers, it’s always delivered exactly what I’m looking for – a clean, quiet and affordable room to sleep in overnight.
I went to bed shortly after arriving. Upon arising in the morning, I showered and caught the van back to the airport. Why pay two to three times as much as I did for last night’s room when all I’m going to be doing is sleeping most of my stay away? After all, it’s hard to enjoy the fine lobby, restaurant and furnishings of that $140.00+/nt. Hotel when you’re asleep!
December 30, 2016
Alaska Airlines Seattle to Milwaukee 910a – 312p ERJ-175 First Class ~ Operated by SkyWest
My flight to Milwaukee this morning was aboard Alaska’s new regional jet, the Brazilian built Embraer 175. I have flown this aircraft in the livery of all the other major US airlines and really enjoy the extra space and larger windows. Compared to Bombardier’s CRJ series jets – which Alaska Horizon also flies (CRJ-700), I find the 175/190 family of jets far superior. Thankfully, the powers that be at Alaska’s headquarters here in Seattle evidently agree as Alaska’s regional affiliate Horizon Air recently placed an order for an additional 30 of the -175 variant.
Alaska Horizon’s ERJ-175s are operated by regional partner SkyWest. Most of the SkyWest aircraft have been retrofitted with Alaska’s new Preferred Plus seating configuration, so when I checked in online last night I was thankful to score a window seat at 8A. I was really looking forward to checking out the comfort and approximately 38” of seat pitch on this – my first flight aboard Alaska’s version of this jet.
Even though I’d checked in online last night, I didn’t have access to a printer so when I arrived at the airport this morning I stopped off at a kiosk to print out my boarding pass. Imagine then my surprise and delight to discover that I’d been upgraded to seat 2A! To quote sports casting legend Marv Albert: “Yesss!!!”
Most Alaska Horizon flights – including the jets – depart from the commuter area over on the C Concourse. Alaska’s Boardroo- er, Alaska Lounge is located just around the corner, only a short walk from these gates. As such, I decided to stop in there for coffee and a yogurt. I usually always take a seat over at the work stations on the far side of the lounge. They’re a great place to recharge my laptop and the view of the tarmac is impressive.
The view from the Alaska Lounge
While I was in the lounge, I took a moment to check out the weather situation back home. Here’s a screen shot of the warning posted for Fairbanks on December 30th:
Fairbanks Weather Alert
Alright then, let’s go to Milwaukee! One of the nice things about the commuter gates is that boarding requires you to walk out onto the tarmac to access your aircraft. In these modern times, I suspect most people prefer boarding by jetway but for an old timer like myself, there’s nothing like walking out to your aircraft and seeing the entire airplane up close to appreciate what a large and magnificent machine it truly is. Even my Embraer jet, wearing Alaska’s beautiful new livery, looked positively radiant under the early morning sun.
Meet Alaska’s Embraer 175
Alaska’s Embraer 175 – Up Close
The First Class cabin aboard Alaska’s ERJ-175s is comprised of 12 seats configured in four rows of 2-1 seating. “A” seats are all single while “C&D” seats are paired. The seats are upholstered in dark blue leather – or is it naugahyde? – and they’re not particularly comfortable. In terms of width, they’re fine – on par with Fokker 100 or DC-9 First Class seats. Unfortunately they’re lacking in padding and for a six footer like me, another inch or two of legroom might also be appreciated. That said, this is a regional jet and I am sitting up here by virtue of a complimentary upgrade, so suck it up Bucko! This is as good as it’s gonna get for this flight.
The load was light today with only 9 of the 12 seats occupied. You mean to tell me that amongst the 40-50 people spread around the main cabin, there’s not a single MVP that could’ve also upgraded? Are these folks all Delta fliers? Milwaukee is Delta country, but then at present this flight represents the only nonstop or even direct service into Milwaukee from Seattle.
And what’s this about Delta country? Gosh, that sounds strange to say. I mean, for most of my formative years, Milwaukee’s Mitchell Field was primarily associated with Northwest red tails and North Central Airlines duck tails. The Delta widget wasn’t even seen at MKE until 1989 and then in very limited quantities. It wasn’t until Delta’s comparatively recent 2008 takeover of Northwest (which had taken over Republic which had been formed from the merger of North Central, Southern and Hughes Airwest) that one could truly call Milwaukee “Delta Country”
Anyway, had I known in advance that this flight was so lightly loaded up front, I would have tried to score a seat on the 2-seat side where the odds are I might have been able to stretch out a bit more with an empty seat beside me. As it were, I thought the seating on the single “A” seat side was pretty tight.
The view from Seat 2A
As we dispensed with the safety talk and made our way out to the runway, my seat quality reverie continued. I remember back in the mid-seventies, before the introduction of the lighter materials that eventually evolved into today’s Slimline seats, that Eastern and Continental Airlines offered very comfortable, nicely padded seats aboard their DC-9s. There was none of this faux leather stuff, either. The seats were nicely upholstered in pleasingly colorful fabrics and felt marvelously welcoming to sit down in. Today most U.S. airlines would have us believe that these leather covered seats are easier to clean but with all the flying I did back in the seventies, I don’t ever recall the old fabric seats ever looking dirty.
And what about a bit more padding? I get it that lighter weight seats save money but how much more would it cost to put say… 16 more ounces of foam cushioning into those seat backs and seat bottoms? Over a 12 seat cabin that would account for a mere 12 more pounds, and as fat as many Americans are getting these days, what’s another 12 pounds amongst passengers?
Soon we were poised at the head of the long south to north runway. The pilot throttled up his twin General Electric CF34-8E power plants and now, assisted by nearly 29000 lbf of static thrust, we roared down the runway and verily leapt into the skies above Seattle.
We were about twenty-five minutes into the flight and leveled off comfortably at 36000’ when service began with a presentation of hot towels. It’s interesting that the hot towel presentation has become such an integral part of premium class airline service in the U.S. Properly known as Oshibori towels, they’re a Japanese tradition that was introduced to the troposphere by Northwest Airlines on its Stratocruiser flights between the US and the Orient back in the 1950s. Later, the service was made available to Northwest passengers flying in First Class aboard the airline’s Regal Imperial and Royal Aloha services within the U.S.
The schedule indicates we’re to be served a breakfast on this flight. With a projected flight time of three hours and six minutes, we should have more than enough time for a leisurely service and a full sized breakfast. Leisurely flight time notwithstanding, I think the real question here is whether we have enough aircraft to support a full sized breakfast. Or even more to the point, is there enough galley space on this jet to stock a decent breakfast?
Judging from inflight service reports I’ve read here at Flyertalk over the past year, Skywest’s inflight catering is not overly impressive. But then, why should it be? The airline is – for all intents and purposes – a regional airline. Most of the routes it flies are less than 800 miles in length and/or in markets where there’s no competition. As such, I was just hoping that we’d be served something a bit more substantial than a breakfast sandwich.
And so we were. But just barely. Today’s offering was a Breakfast Quesadilla. It was served with a decent fruit bowl and accompanied by two small ramekins filled with guacamole and salsa. Check it out:
Breakfast Over America – a la SkyWest
The quesadilla was about a 5” wide wedge filled with scrambled eggs, cheese and veggie bits. Truth be told, I thought it tasted pretty good and if I could be said to have any real complaint with this meal, it would be that I wish there were a bit more of it, like maybe a couple of 4” wedges. And offer hotter salsa too, not that bland picante sauce that would only be considered flavorful in, like, the Canadian Arctic.
Out my substantial window, thick cloud cover blanketed almost our entire route. It wasn’t until we were in the earliest stages of our initial descent into Milwaukee that the skies began to clear up a bit. I had just reclined my seat to sit back and take it all in when the dreaded pre-arrival instructions rang out. “All seat backs must be returned to the full upright position…” Quietly of course, I’m thinking Alright, alright already! I swear, Alaska - and evidently its affiliates, as well - start this process earlier than any other airline I know of. I mean, we’re still twenty minutes away from touching down… Still, it is a federal offense to disobey a command from a member of the flight crew, and as such one question I’d hate to have to answer upon my arrival at the Big House would be “What’re you in for, pal?” “Um… well, uh...”
The stiff tailwind pushing us across the country resulted in a flight time of three hours and two minutes, which translated into an arrival into Milwaukee that was fifteen minutes early. We taxied briskly up to or gate and parked right between an American ERJ-175 and a Delta CRJ-900. All of the aircraft were clean and shiny and, illuminated in the late afternoon sun I thought we made quite the good looking triumvirate.
ROAD TRIP TO GALENA, ILLINOIS
Anybody who writes off the American Midwest as “fly over” country clearly hasn’t taken the time to drive through southwest Wisconsin, much less most of the rest of Wisconsin. For that matter the entire upper Mississippi Valley comprises some of the most beautiful landscape to be found anywhere on the continent. The town of Galena, located in the northwest corner of Illinois, is surely one of the most picturesque and quaint downtowns anywhere in the country.
This is where I drove to
Southwest Wisconsin
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia
Southwest Wisconsin
Scott Sinklier/AgStock Images/Corbis
Downtown Galena, Illinois
Be you an American citizen or a visitor from overseas, I heartily recommend a visit to this part of the country. In particular, I’d recommend getting off the interstate highways and onto the smaller state and federal highways. If you can read a map, our roads are generally well marked and you’ll be rewarded with seeing and enjoying what I like to call real, down home Americana, the America that still embodies everything that has always made America great as opposed to life in the fast lanes where much of the country currently yearns to be great again.
I know, I know… sightseeing around small town America… (yawn) Not when you can be touring the great cities of Europe, relaxing on a beach along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef or enjoying a safari in southern Africa. Still, for any of you that might consider broadening your horizons right here in the good old U S of A, might I recommend a couple of good books:
BLUE HIGHWAYS by William Least Heat Moon
GREAT PLAINS by Ian Frazier
THE LOST CONTINENT – Travels in small town America
Everywhere I’ve driven in my old Mazda truck
This is just that one vehicle which I drove for 21 years.
I’ve driven over many more roads in my other vehicles