Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN: October, 2018 –Tennessee is said to have three Grand Divisions, physiocultural regions represented by the three stars on the state flag and on the Titans logo: East – Mountains – Bluegrass Music – Smokies Central – Plateau – Country Music – Nashville West – Delta – Blues Music –Continue reading “Celebrating Silence: An Autumn Hike On Mt. Le Conte”
Tag Archives: active travel
Lost Shoes, Gained Perspective: Two Columbus Marathon Stories
Columbus, OH: October 2014/October 2019 The morning of my first attempt at the Columbus Marathon, I woke on Derek’s couch at five AM and immediately began slinking around trying not to make much noise, a difficult ordeal in the dark even with the foresight of attaching the bib to my shirt the night prior. ChompingContinue reading “Lost Shoes, Gained Perspective: Two Columbus Marathon Stories”
Bourbon Chase Pt 3: Sunrise with the Horses
Lexington, KY: October, 2018 (This post is a continuation of this one and this one) “I have a problem” Alonso said as we packed the van by flashlight, breathing out misty rings like a smoker’s exhale. The temperature had dropped with the rain and the early morning was biting cold but at least dry. “IContinue reading “Bourbon Chase Pt 3: Sunrise with the Horses”
Bourbon Chase Pt. 2: Midnight in Danville
Danville, KY: October, 2018 (Part one, in which we stay in the worst hotel ever and then run through three distilleries, is here) (Part three, AKA the finale, in which we run in the dark some more and then eat a lot, is here) Danville High School students do not have school on the FridayContinue reading “Bourbon Chase Pt. 2: Midnight in Danville”
Bourbon Chase Pt. 1: Making Our Mark
Bardstown, KY: October, 2018 (Part two, in which we run at midnight in the rain and then sleep on a gym floor, is here) I crested the last hill onto the main drive into the distillery after running seven miles along a thin thread of asphalt through rolling horse farms, separated from me by hedgerowsContinue reading “Bourbon Chase Pt. 1: Making Our Mark”
Strychnine and Soulard: The Go! St. Louis Half Marathon
St. Louis, MO: April, 2018 The Metrolink was as efficient early Sunday morning as it was throughout the weekend. The last station before crossing the river was steps from the starting line and allowed us to arrive fairly close to the beginning of the race to avoid getting too cold, the temperature below thirty asContinue reading “Strychnine and Soulard: The Go! St. Louis Half Marathon”
Semi-Local Beer and a Psychedelic Jungle Gym: St. Louis by Night
St. Louis, MO: April, 2018 (Continued from here, St. Louis Half Marathon race report here) There is a large European-owned brewery in one corner of what used to be a bit of a company town. The name Busch on half of the city notwithstanding, the corporate beer centric economy of the city’s twentieth century leftContinue reading “Semi-Local Beer and a Psychedelic Jungle Gym: St. Louis by Night”
The Gateway Arch and Frank Sinatra’s Soup: St. Louis By Day
St. Louis, MO – April, 2018 Like Twain’s caravan takeoff point in Roughing It, many trips west first take shape in Missouri. I had been through the state briefly, at sixteen, on a trip to the Rockies and beyond. My family pulled off at the exit nearest the arch and we stood, necks craned upward,Continue reading “The Gateway Arch and Frank Sinatra’s Soup: St. Louis By Day”
Charleston Islands: February at the Beach and my Not-So Olympic Gold
Charleston, SC – February, 2018 James Island: I wasn’t used to watching the Winter Olympics accompanied by an open window and a warm breeze. In fact, I associate the games with being snowed into a college apartment during Vancouver in 2010. Roads were impassible so several of us made our way to the beverage shop,Continue reading “Charleston Islands: February at the Beach and my Not-So Olympic Gold”
Big Cats, Tiny Home: Lyons, Colorado
Lyons, Colorado: May, 2017 Thirty minutes north of Boulder is Lyons, a small town at the entrance of the Front Range, clutching the winding St. Vrain creek and surrounded by red dirt foothills. It’s tough to really describe the town but it had a lively enough main street that appeared to straddle the typically robustContinue reading “Big Cats, Tiny Home: Lyons, Colorado”
Hug, The Traveler* 