A Magical Day Trip to Sintra, Portugal
They say the best way to get to know Portugal is by car. When pressed for time, day-tripping from Lisbon is a practical alternative to road tripping. There are districts outside of the city, such as Sintra, which make you feel as if you’ve been transported to a different world altogether. Sintra is home to a fairytale palace that sits on a hill above the pine trees. Rumor has it that even the drive through the winding […]
The Wonderment of Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way
The scenic roads that make up the Wild Atlantic Way along Ireland’s west coast make a road tripping nirvana. The angelic tapestry that forms Ireland’s landscape has taken thousands of years to weft and warp into a masterpiece that only nature could weave. Driving this route along the western edge of the country will take […]
Wings of the West
In these strange times, road-trips to mostly outdoor attractions are the safest way to go. When you have a theme in mind, it makes your trip more meaningful. West Volusia County offers just that. It was an easy drive for me as I live two hours away. Wings of the West are a group of six […]
Saving the Best for Last – A 50-State Road Trip Ending in North Dakota
North Dakota has a sense of humor! In an effort to visit my 50th state, we planned a pandemic-summer road trip to Fargo, North Dakota. What a delightful surprise to learn the state tourism folks have become so accustomed to travelers wandering in and announcing, “This is my 50th state!” they have created an entire campaign around the experience. […]
Day Trip to Santa Barbara and Beyond
Living in West Los Angeles, there is nothing like a day trip up the coast to Santa Barbara and beyond, especially when you feel the need to get out of Dodge, so to speak. The drive is easy because the distance to Santa Barbara is 1.5 hours and another 35 minutes to Highway 246, which takes you to Lompoc on the west […]
Roadtrip to Death Valley
Roadtrip! My rallying cry for the better part of half a century, it was never so welcome as this past Monday when we completed our vaccinations and the National Parks started opening their sites. The Coronavirus had kept us home for almost a year. The world was just shutting down as we headed home from Alaska’s dog sleds and Northern Lights eleven long […]
Cruising on the Central Coast-Morro Bay to Big Sur
Los Osos Valley Road, just before the off ramp to sleepy Morro Bay on the 101, drops you into Steinbeck country. Tidy rows of vegetables fan to the road from turn of the century farmhouses. The rich smell of fresh hay fills the air with the fecund aroma of freshly turned earth. This road delivers […]
The Return to America: Custer State Park’s scenic drives, rock stars and the beasts of the Black Hills
When Covid-19 decided to take a round-the-world journey of a lifetime, it left the rest of us grounded indefinitely. Even with fewer hurdles to barrier-free movement within the country and abroad as we move into summer 2021, the American road trip will be the go-to adventure that gets most of us going again. Road warrior Laura Watilo Blake […]
Appealing Drives Around the USA – Some Close to Where You Live
Granted, right now you may not be able to take that cross-country drive your family may have been planning. Or head for a scenic road that meanders through several states, stopping at attractions along the way. Even so, that doesn’t mean you need to stay at home and forego outings by car that can provide […]
A Sampling of Colorado Road Trip Ski Destinations
After relocating from suburban Chicago to the Denver metro area, my husband and I embraced our geographic location by taking frequent winter road trips into the nearby mountains. From our Front Range home, we could easily reach most of Colorado’s prime ski destinations after driving just a handful of hours. While many local skiers and […]