Driving in Cusco The slick stone streets make it feel like I am driving on ice. The dinner-plate sized tires on this tiny Toyota Yaris sedan aren't brand new, and the clutch is not behaving like I expect it to. There is absolutely nothing like the hill assist I enjoyed in
Fossils at Dawn We didn't go to Charleston for profound experiences of nature. We went because we always felt we'd love the city if we had more time to explore its urban pleasures. But the only sublime experience on our recent trip was a sunrise Fossil Tour of Morris
Beaches out of season, Uruguay part 2 Uruguay is a beach destination. The population of the country doubles in summer beach season. From crowded and glitzy Punta del Este to the wilds of the Rocha department just south of Brazil, the beaches of Uruguay apparently have something for any type of beachgoer. But would they have something
Montevideo, Uruguay Visiting Montevideo was incidental to our trip to the beaches and countryside of Uruguay. The experience of place while traveling is intense, but limited. Although our awareness is heightened by the lack of familiarity, we don't really see that much on a short visit. The desire to interpret
Uruguay, Part 1 How we accidentally had our best trip ever We woke up that Wednesday morning from the best sleep either of us had enjoyed in years. My husband, Randy, usually feels so excessively groggy in the morning that we paid several thousand dollars to find out he does not have sleep
Failure and Accomplishment I got home a few days ago. I started my big trip hoping to accomplish a change in my health habits. Although it certainly was not the before and after story I hoped to create, maybe I nudged my health habits in the right direction. That feels like something of
It's a long drive to California I made it to California with the travel trailer, truck and dogs intact. I have a few dings myself, but everything else got here just fine. When I think of my earlier optimism about how I would take care of myself on the trip, it seems charmingly naive. For the
Success Stories I just read yet another pilgrim's account of the Camino de Santiago, Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim's Route into Spain by Jack Hitt. Even though I have only the vaguest of notions that I might someday walk a long path, I read
Muscle Shoals Daybreak in Alabama In this state infamous for attempts to maintain rigid segregation by race, connections between people of different races gave us some amazing music. Visiting this place renewed my hope for our common humanity and our multiracial country.
Holy City The old port cities of the American south are mysterious places. New Orleans and Savannah wear their cloaks of charming intrigue proudly. Perhaps surprisingly, the use of this unusual spiritual atmosphere in visitors' bureaus advertisements doesn't seem to weaken the feeling that other dimensions are closer to
Travel Unexpected Oasis We followed the path to a courtyard with solar-powered recharging stations as well as inviting places to sit and rest... I wish we had known about it when we took more intense trips to D.C. when our children were small.
Rome Rome I felt like I was in a beautiful dream, among Italians again for the first time in five years. As we walked around that afternoon and evening, I felt lightened and comforted and wonderstruck. How could I ever stay away from Rome?
Travel But why though? I saw a Muslim family taking pictures of their children beside some of the Arabic inscriptions in the Nasrid Palaces, and I was struck by the parallels between them visiting Spain and me visiting Turkey.
Camping Roadtrip! Atlanta to Quantico We can't be full-time nomads. I'm not really even sure I would want that because I do love my home, but we like to try and be part-time nomads, which means working from the road sometimes. We recently upgraded our travel trailer to make working and
Poetry, Mindfulness and Travel, pt.2 I mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to try and write poems to help focus my attention on my surroundings and improve my memory of travel. Photographs can capture reminders, but too often I'm not fully present in the location when I take the photo. Maybe
Travel Does everyone really love Hawaii? Maybe now that we are totally past the pandemic, I would love Hawaii enough to overcome the strange claustrophobia of island fever. It is undeniably fascinating and beautiful. Still...it's a big world to see, why risk it?
Virginia Travel to Chincoteague on something like a pilgrimage. A celebration of the freedom and companionship contained in the paradoxical notion of having your own wild pony. It always struck me as magical that they were actually going to Chincoteague--as if they were going to Narnia.
Camping Lowcountry Camping Along the South Carolina and Georgia Coast, part 2 Marsh ecosystems may not have the grandeur of a coastline lined with cliffs and thundering waves, but the quiet beauty of these places is uniquely restorative.
Camping Lowcountry Camping Along the South Carolina and Georgia Coast, part 1 pristine natural beauty, enjoy two of the most elegant cities in the U.S. (Charleston and Savannah), and explore fascinating historical sites.... an antidote to the all too common commercialized homogeneity of American towns.
Books Poetry, Mindfulness and Travel It is Lent, the 40-day period when many Christians strive to put aside things that distract us from our life in Christ so that we can participate more fully in the celebration of His resurrection on Easter. Lent is often referred to as a "journey." As much as
News Welcome I'm Elizabeth and this is my brand new website devoted to travel and reading. When I first started traveling many years ago, I always loved reading about the places I wanted to go. In those days, it seemed easy to find honest, personal stories from travelers, but now
