As Close as I Want to Get
A quick stop at a drive-through bear safari near Rapid City gave us a very close look at some impressive animals, safely from inside the car.
RobertRapid CitySouth Dakotabear safaribearswildlife
Story map
State story index
States from stories or the route music list link to their story index. Route-only states are ready and waiting.
A Sampler Day at the Denver Museum
A day exploring the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, with standout dinosaur exhibits and a few exhibits that did not quite land.
RobertAdenDenverColoradomuseumdinosaurs
A Good Day Above Albuquerque
A hard uphill bike ride paid off with an excellent view, a great feeling, and a chance to compare today with older Sandia memories.
RobertAdenBernalillo CountyNew Mexicomountain bikingSandia
Back on the Road Again
After being stuck with slide issues, even a quiet New Mexico road felt like freedom.
RobertDe Baca CountyNew MexicotravelRV liferoad trip
Qubit on the reMarkable
Putting Qubit on an e-paper tablet felt a little ridiculous, genuinely useful, and very fun.
RobertQubitRoswellNew MexicoQubitreMarkable
Desert Ride With Aden
A short-ish desert ride with Aden, starting in the middle of nothing and heading into even more nothing.
RobertAdenChaves CountyNew Mexicobikingdesert
UFO McDonald's in Roswell
A stop at the UFO-shaped McDonald's in Roswell, New Mexico. More normal than alien, but still worth seeing.
RobertAdenRoswellNew MexicotravelRoswell
The Knockoff LEGO Place Was Actually Great
A stop that started with low expectations turned into a genuinely fun scavenger hunt with Aden.
RobertAdenRoswellNew Mexicofamilytravel
Game Boy Nostalgia
A surprisingly clean retro handheld find, right down to the original terrible screen.
RobertRoswellNew Mexicoretro gamesGame Boyhandhelds
Pecos Ice Cream Bike Ride
Getting stuck in Pecos was not great, but a 9-mile bike ride for ice cream made the day better.
RobertAdenPecosTexasbikingice cream
A Calm Spot to Catch Our Breath
A quiet overlook in Swain County, North Carolina, where the point was not the destination. It was just a calm place to stop, look out at the scenery, and breathe for a while.
RobertSwain CountyNorth CarolinaNorth CarolinaSwain Countyscenery
A Classic Air and Space Day
Spending the day with Aden at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, surrounded by aviation history, space exhibits, and classic tourist-stop energy.
RobertAdenDistrict of ColumbiaSmithsonianAir and Space Museummuseums
Aden Wanted to See the Lincoln Memorial
A Washington, D.C. trip with Aden to see the monuments, including the Lincoln Memorial and reflecting pool.
RobertAdenDistrict of ColumbiaWashington DCLincoln Memorialreflecting pool
The Old Train Yard at Rockhill
A visit to an old Pennsylvania train yard that turned into a bigger lesson about coal towns, progress, and the scars left on the land.
RobertAdenRockhillPennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaRockhill
Touching History in Gettysburg with Aden
Visiting the Gettysburg area with Aden and seeing his interest in history bring deeper meaning to our RV travel lifestyle.
RobertAdenCumberland TownshipPennsylvaniaGettysburghistory
Fourteen Miles at Niagara Falls
A Niagara Falls trip that turned into proof that a long walk could still be possible, and even fun.
RobertNiagara FallsNew YorkNiagara Fallstravelexercise
I Refused the Blue Poncho
A very touristy, slightly wet view of Niagara Falls that was not a highlight of the trip, but still felt like something we had to experience once.
RobertNiagara FallsNew YorkNiagara FallsMaid of the Misttravel
A Quick Pop-Over for Niagara Falls at Night
A first-night detour to see Niagara Falls illuminated after dark turned out to be completely worth it.
RobertCity of Niagara Falls, New YorkNew YorkNiagara Fallsnighttimetravel
Pittsburgh From the Incline
Riding the vertical rail car up above Pittsburgh and getting a wide view of the city from the top.
RobertPittsburghPennsylvaniaPittsburghtravelcity views
The Capitol Complex in Charleston
A visit to the West Virginia capitol complex that was interesting for Aden, but also carried a heavy feeling because of the security and militarized atmosphere around a place meant to serve the public.
RobertAdenCharlestonWest VirginiaCharlestonWest Virginia
A Selfie for a Friend at the Chattanooga Aquarium
A great Chattanooga day included visiting a nearby friend, exploring the aquarium, and Aden wanting a picture of himself to send to someone else.
RobertAdenChattanooga, TennesseeChattanoogaTennesseeaquarium
A Hidden Gem in Chilton County
This small city park in Alabama has been a relaxing place for Robert and Aden to recover and rest after doing things nearby.
RobertAdenChilton CountyAlabamaparksfamily
Airboats, Alligators, and the Louisiana Swamp
A fast, fun airboat trip through the Louisiana swamp, with close-up alligators, old structures, and a trip we would gladly take again.
RobertJefferson ParishLouisianaLouisianaairboatalligators
A Night in a Repurposed Nuclear Silo
One of our most interesting Harvest Hosts stops, an abandoned nuclear missile silo turned into an Airbnb with the feel of a small museum.
RobertEllsworth CountyKansasHarvest HoststravelKansas
Route 66 Museum Stop
A Route 66 museum stop in Elk City with old cars, machines, and a full-size model town that was more fun than expected.
RobertElk CityOklahomaRoute 66museumsold cars
The Camel Farm
A camel farm outing in Brazos County where Aden rode a camel and we saw all kinds of animals, including kangaroos.
RobertAdenBrazos CountyTexascamel farmanimals
The Great Salt Lake Smell
Visiting the Great Salt Lake was impressive, strange, and absolutely worth smelling once, but probably not twice.
RobertAdenGreat Salt LakeUtahGreat Salt LakeUtah
Quiet Desert at Four Corners
A quiet, dry stop near Four Corners, where the desert felt wide open, peaceful, and completely different from anywhere we had stayed before.
RobertAdenSan Juan CountyNew MexicoFour Cornersdesert
On Top of the World
A Sandia tram ride up above the valley, with huge views, serious wind, and a ride up that was more intense than expected.
RobertAdenBernalillo CountyNew MexicoSandia trammountains
Walking the Oil Rig
A Morgan City stop where we actually got to walk onto an oil rig, see the equipment up close, and come away with one of those family stories we still laugh about.
RobertAdenMorgan CityLouisianaMorgan Cityoil rig
Awkward Pizza Night
A pizza night in Daphne that was not really an explore day, but turned into a pleasant surprise.
DaphneAlabamapizzafoodtravelsurprise
Sending Cookie Along
A hard little memory from Georgia: Aden was visiting with his mother, and I sent him a photo of Cookie. The visit had issues, but I am still glad we tried.
RobertAdenCookieAppling CountyGeorgiaGeorgia
The Mary Todd Lincoln House
The Mary Todd Lincoln House was not the most exciting stop, but it gave us a look at how people lived and moved through the world in that time.
RobertLexingtonKentuckyhistorymuseumsKentucky
The Little Museum in Bandera
A surprisingly good natural history museum in tiny Bandera, full of taxidermy animals from the surrounding area.
RobertBanderaTexasnatural historymuseumstaxidermy
Wildlife at the Door
A quiet Bandera moment with wildlife right outside the door, calm enough to make the whole place feel peaceful.
RobertBandera CountyTexasBanderawildlifequiet places
Legoland Indoors in San Antonio
A San Antonio Legoland stop that was not quite what we expected, but still gave Aden a good day and came with the nice surprise of being fully indoors.
RobertAdenSan AntonioTexasLegolandSan Antonio
No Story Here, Just Good Memories
No story here, just good memories of Aden in Elm Mott, Texas.
RobertAdenElm MottTexasfamilyAden
Museum of Illusions in Dallas
A great day in Dallas, with optical illusions that worked on almost everyone except us.
RobertAdenDallasTexasDallasmuseums
Map Puzzle Geography Lesson
A United States map puzzle turned into a quick geography lesson, made easier by all the places Aden had already seen on the road.
RobertAdenColumbusTexaspuzzlesgeography
A Bittersweet Favorite in St. Tammany Parish
One of our favorite places right outside New Orleans, carrying a little sadness and a lot of good memories, plus some famously strange showers.
RobertSt. Tammany ParishLouisianaLouisianaSt. Tammany ParishNew Orleans
Glow Mini Golf With Aden
Glow-in-the-dark mini golf with Aden was very fun, even if neither of us was especially good at it.
RobertAdenSpanish FortAlabamamini golfglow golf
Climbing Around in Tampa
An indoor climbing stop in Tampa where the kids got to climb everywhere and Robert got to stand around like a lump.
RobertAdenTampaFloridaclimbingindoor climbing
Tampa Aquarium, One Bench at a Time
A difficult aquarium day in Tampa that became a lasting reminder of recovery, resilience, and the gift of being able to walk.
RobertTampa, FloridaTampaaquariumrecoveryresilience
Busch Gardens Petting Zoo With Aden
One of the first times Robert got to take Aden somewhere, just a normal petting zoo day at Busch Gardens, but a really good one.
RobertAdenTampaFloridaBusch Gardenszoo