Day 10: Halfway There on Route 66, TX…
At first light we loaded the Jeep and left Palo Duro, which remained as beautiful in the early morning, as it was in the night. The vivid colors blended into a natural collage framed by the windshield as we drove up and out of the spectacular canyon. We returned to Route 66 in Amarillo, heading [...]
Portfolio: Palo Duro Canyon, Texas
Palo Duro Canyon, just outside Amarillo, is a magnificent natural wonder. With awe-inspiring red cliffs, and bright banded layers of colors representing four different geologic periods spanning over 240 million years, its buttes and mesas define a rugged skyline. Exploring the trails nestled in between gullies and brush, we discover a surprising variety of plants [...]
Day 9: Palo Duro Up Close…
The air smelled good. We woke early, anxious to make the most of our “pause” in this spectacular canyon. We wanted to explore it’s vastness up close and we actually had the time, as today was a “rest” day — it was the first day we weren’t driving since we set out on Route 66 [...]
Texas, an Unlikely Surprise…
We knew Texas was different when we drove across the border. We couldn’t exactly say why, or even what was different. But something definitely was.
It’s true that we had now crossed the conceptual line from “midwest” to “west,” which was evident by the changing landscape. But what we felt was something else. It was something [...]
Portfolio: Route 66 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Route 66 contains more of the Mother Road’s original alignments than any other state, and includes a very narrow section of the original paved route — the 9-foot-wide “sidewalk highway.” We were driving through a landscape of flat wide-open grassy plains with endless horizons and lots of cows. Small towns proud of their heritage, [...]
Day 8: Ghosts on the Edge of Route 66, Oklahoma
An amazing sunrise on the lake this morning in Foss State Park on the western edge of Oklahoma. But the heat and humidity made it less than comfortable to linger, despite the beauty. We broke camp and quickly loaded the jeep, heading out in search of Foss, the ghost town we had heard was nearby [...]
Day 7: The Endless Horizon on Route 66, Oklahoma
The landscape has changed to the flat endless horizon we tend to associate with the great big West. And the animal of the day is the cow! Lots and lots of cows. And corn. Cornfields and Cows. Cows and Cornfields — occasionally interrupted by the even taller stalks of the wind turbines generating clean energy.
Wind [...]
Portfolio: Missouri Route 66
On Missouri Route 66 we stop for a bit of rafting on the Meramec River, before getting back on the road. We follow the old road as much as possible, and make a few interesting stops along the way. The “Tribute to the Trail of Tears” in Jerome, is hauntingly beautiful even though it is [...]
A “Grapes of Wrath” Moment…
For some bizarre reason, camping at Bennett Spring State Park in Missouri reminded me of something from “Grapes of Wrath.” There isn’t really any logical connection. Bennett Spring is a nice modern comfortable state park, with camping, fishing, and lots of conveniences, certainly nothing like what dustbowl migrants experienced, even with the greatest stretch of [...]
Freedom’s Road
Route 66 is freedom’s road. And we are truly free out here, cruising down America’s highway through a country as vast as infinity. We are unplugged and untracked and unlocated. No one can “follow us” as we stopped “updating” when we left Chicago. The only tweets now are coming from the song-birds.
For six weeks [...]
Day 4: Illinois Route 66 Starts Here
Early wake up today, and it wasn’t even hard, because we were so excited to be FINALLY setting out on Route 66. We checked out of the hotel and were loaded into the Jeep by 7am, camera batteries fully charged, spirits high, and ready to go.
Now we just had to find the “start” point. Somehow it [...]
Portfolio: Chicago – The City
Chicago is an eastern city at heart. Built upwards, instead of out, with skyscrapers defining its skyline, it reminds us a lot of New York. We are comfortable in this gritty urban landscape, where lines are predominantly vertical, and light and shadow play off architectural cues creating a photographic paradise. This portfolio contains a selection [...]
Day 3: Chicago explorations…
Exploring the city, cameras in hand, we just enjoyed the urban feel.
Though part of the mid-west, Chicago is an old industrial city similar in visual style to NYC. In fact, the skyscrapers we think of as so typically “New York,” were actually pioneered in Chicago. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 had destroyed most of [...]
Day 2: Chicago, a first taste…
Not sure when we officially crossed into the “mid west,” but it was flat land and big sky, with easy open roads. We had exchanged woodland scenery for farms, and with the speed limit at 70mph, we made it to the outskirts of Chicago in good time.
Approaching the city, the cluster of buildings that [...]
Fragments from the Road to Chicago
Two days on the road so far, and we’ve already crossed several states — from NY to Chicago. Pennsylvania seemed endless yesterday. Luckily we were well rewarded in the evening. Our campsite was very beautiful, on the banks of the Cuyahoga River, not far from a cascading waterfall. Freshly cut, like a crop circle, [...]
A White Bread Town
When we got to the Cuyahoga Valley we realized we had no bread. Not a big deal, right? We could just pick some up at a store before we got to the park. Who knew we were embarking on a quest for the impossible!
Driving to the center of the town, we passed a few lone [...]
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