Blogs from North America

We woke up to another beautiful day in Oacoma, South Dakota. Last night we all slept quite well, in fact, we overslept this morning. Raymond and Tom remembered to close all of their windows so they didn't freeze their nuts off like the previous night. We had breakfast, our morning strategizing session and scrapped the bugs off the windshield. Raymond and Tom are getting more adept with the RV after only one day. At 8:40 we hit the open road, and I mean open road as the highway was empty. The landscape is now changing into rolling hills loaded with cattle. Our first stop today will be the bad Lands. The Badlands are peaks and valleys of delicately banded colors. The Lakota people were the first to call this place "Mako Sica", which translates to "Badlands". ... read more

Bill, Kate and I waited till May 2024 to do this leg. While many people think of Utah and Nevada as desolate hot and dusty desert country, in fact this stretch includes some of the highest mountain peaks of the Lincoln Highway, and snow can persist into May. There were logistical challenges for this segment. The stretch of Lincoln Highway from Salt Lake City to Ely, Nevada included 270 miles between gas station and services and lots of rough roads. We were advised by other travelers and Kayla, our helpful host at a ranch we stayed in Callao, Utah to bring lots of water, extra gas, a spare tire and food. April 29th: Bill was super excited that we were able to get a brand new Jeep Wrangler at National Rental Car at the Reno airport. ... read more

I got a very good night's sleep, but I think Manoli got up at 4am. I guess its due to her habit of getting up at 6 or 7 in the morning back home. We checked the bus schedule, had a cup of coffee, and headed out the door. Today we're going to the North Pole.... Alaska, but by bus instead of walking, which is a good thing since the town is like 50 miles from Fairbanks. We got to the bus stop about 10 minutes early, and waited. Soon enough, along came the bus. We'd already found out that as seniors, we could ride the bus for free! Fairbanks uses a series of colors for the bus lines, Orange, Green, Red, Purple, Gery, and Blue. We were taking the Green line to downtown at the ... read more

There are many things (with the help of "Passing Through Travel" to do in Napa Valley: The Oxbow Public Market is the epicenter of Napa’s local food and wine scene, offering a vibrant mosaic of gourmet vendors, artisan cafes, and specialty shops. This bustling marketplace showcases the bounty of Napa Valley’s agricultural heritage and serves as a gathering place for locals and visitors. From farm-fresh produce to artisanal cheeses and wines, the market is a culinary adventure that reflects the diverse flavors of the region. Downtown Napa is the vibrant heart of the Napa Valley, where the region’s rich history meets modern luxury and sophistication. This bustling area is a haven for foodies, art lovers, and shoppers, offering an array of boutique shops, world-class restaurants, and galleries. The Napa Riverwalk is a highlight, providing a scenic ... read more

I slept pretty well last night, waking up at about 7:30am or so. My wife woke up at 4am, hoping to see the Northern Lights, but was disappointed again. Well, we have 2 more nights to hope. Today we planned on visiting the Museum of the North, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Again, since there was no bus, we planned on walking there. We left the hostel around 9am, and walked down College Road to University Ave., then followed the phone up and around to the museum. We probably could have taken an easier/shorter route, but we didn't know. There were some nice views along the way. We reached the museum, paid our $16 each entry fee, for seniors, and started our tour. The museum is pretty big, with some cool stuff about history and ... read more

Manoli had heard that last night you could possibly see the Northern Lights, if it was clear enough, so she stayed up late to see. Unfortunately it wasn't clear enough. We planned on taking a bus to see the Wildlife place and then go downtown, but, unfortunately, the busses didn't run on Saturday or Sunday. I wish I had realized that, cause I would have tried to rent a car from Avis/Budget, for Saturday through maybe Monday or Tuesday. Instead, we decided to walk as far as we could, and see as much as we could. Manoli woke me up about 9am, we got dressed and headed out. The main drag, College Road, that the hostel was very close to is the one with the wildlife center, among other things. We headed towards downtown, and very ... read more