This, as we all know, has been an odd year. While the virus appears to be surging again I have sincere gratitude for all the good things that have happened and are happening this year. To date no one in our family has become seriously ill from the virus. Sadly, I did have a former colleague - younger than I am - pass away from COVID a few months back.  I think of him and his family and the families of so many others right now and it's clear that 2020 while challenging has not been an altogether bad year for me personally and we have much for which to be thankful. I have healthy and beautiful children and grandchildren and a new granddaughter is on the way! I sincerely hope things are tolerable for you and yours and may you all remain healthy and safe  until this scourge is eradicated. 

I've shared previously that many of my plans had to be altered this year. I'm guessing yours have, too. All of our lives have been disrupted.  I decided some months back to cancel my "big" travel plans and look for more local opportunities to find peace and solitude.  So... I went again to another couple of favorites.

Lately the weather has been quite warm and the summer feels like it might, finally, be ending here in Southern California but it's been brutally hot. The beach sounded nice and I was able to escape on my annual trip to Gaviota.

Each time I return to a place I know that it is different. It has changed and so have I. I've certainly learned that nothing stays the same in this life and all things are temporary. There are a few places that I return to - again and again -and they are always different - I get some comfort from the familiarity and joy from the changes.  This year Gaviota was warm but not hot and had a few days of foggy weather.

Eugene O'Neill, my favorite playwright - of life - wrote eloquently about the fog in his remarkable play, "Long Day's Journey Into Night":

“The fog was where I wanted to be. Halfway down the path you can’t see this house. You’d never know it was here. Or any of the other places down the avenue. I couldn’t see but a few feet ahead. I didn’t meet a soul. Everything looked and sounded unreal. Nothing was what it is. That’s what I wanted—to be alone with myself in another world where truth is untrue and life can hide from itself. Out beyond the harbor, where the road runs along the beach, I even lost the feeling of being on land. The fog and the sea seemed part of each other. It was like walking on the bottom of the sea. As if I had drowned long ago. As if I was the ghost belonging to the fog, and the fog was the ghost of the sea. It felt damned peaceful to be nothing more than a ghost within a ghost.”

Some of my favorite outdoor haunts of my youth are in the hills above Santa Barbara.  I decided to take a drive up to Figueroa Mountain in the Santa Ynez Mountains. I wanted to check out the campgrounds and places I hadn't been to in awhile in those old oak covered sedimentary hills.

Unfortunately, when I got two miles from the campground the road was closed. The Los Padres, and many other National Forest lands in California, were closed to ALL visitors  due to the extreme fire danger. I understand why and believe it was a good call but I wish it had been advertised a bit more and that I'd known they were extending the forest ban past the originally publicized  dates. Regardless, I had an enjoyable drive.

When I returned to my campsite I realized I had a cold blooded visitor. I notified the camp host who called the cavalry and they moved my friend to a less populated spot.

Mr. Rattler wasn't a happy camper.  After all, he'd been enjoying this view of the creek for at least a few days.

I got up early the next morning and made a series of photos of the sunrise. I hope you enjoy this gallery.

Before we travel inland to Allensworth I'll leave you with a few more photographs of Gaviota State Beach.

My little fiberglass trailer, "El Correcaminos" is now 5 years old and has gone on nearly FIFTY trips. It is starting to show a bit of wear. I had electrical problems in the Sierra Nevada and a propane leak at Gaviota. I fixed those things (hopefully), got new trailer tires, and then headed to Colonel Allensworth State Park. 

I am in love with Allensworth. I even joined the Friends of Allensworth to support the Park. The story of the place is fascinating and I encourage you, if you don't know it, to revisit my previous posts or to read the Wikipedia page right here. 

I believe that Allensworth, like my musician pal Ray Wylie Hubbard would say, is "an acquired taste." It's in the heart of the Great Central Valley. Most Californians would complain about the highway to get there - Highway 99. They would argue that Highway 1 and 395 and 101 are much prettier and, well, it's easy to see why they'd make that point but, life is short, so lets look for beauty everywhere - even in the desolate and dry farmlands of California.  The sunset photo at the top of this blog post is an example of that beauty. Further, there are two National Wildlife refuges within a half hour drive of Allensworth near Highway 99.

I also decided to check out the Carrizo Plain National Monument to see if the roads had been improved over the years in order to perhaps camp there this spring. The Monument is 75 miles from Allensworth but closer than from home (about 200 miles).  The place is famous for its spring display of wildflowers. This time of year it's hot and dry. I only saw a few other people (nice!) explored a bit and had a very nice day.

A friend and former colleague, Debbie, is a reader of this website and has mentioned, for several years now, that she'd like a barn photo - and while the light isn't at it's best it is a pretty cool old barn - so...to my pal Debbie...

After driving back to Allensworth I spent the evening over the barbecue and sitting outside and watching the sunset.

The following morning I got up at the crack of dawn and drove to the Kern National Wildlife Refuge. I saw no one. Unfortunately,  most of the birds were a bit shy too.

 That afternoon, to beat the heat, I decided to cruise around aimlessly with the AC on in the truck. I saw a crop duster and got out to take this photo. Within, no kidding, a minute, a truck pulled up and a guy yelled. "You gotta move!" Ok, ok... I'm moving. Settle down...I'm a bit slower than I used to be.

I found a place called, "China Alley" on the map in Hanford and went to take a few photos. It too has an interesting history.

The following day I drove out to the Pixley Wildlife Refuge at dusk. The mosquitoes were THICK but it was a lovely evening - not as much water as my last visit but still a calm, solitary and peaceful walk.

It started getting HOT the next day and I was (am?) so damn tired of the heat. I spent one last beautiful but sweltering day and then headed home. I had a fabulous time.

I couldn't leave you without, of course, a lonely road and old telephone poles...

Off to the desert in a few days... has autumn arrived in your world? Mask up! See ya soon.

Last month I took a quick jaunt down to San Clemente State Beach.

My friend Dell was supposed to join me. Turns out, he stayed one night in San Clemente but had scheduled work. With my plans to camp with him dashed I took a few photos and decided to go home the following day because I felt like Hell. 

I woke up the next morning - reminded myself that life is short - and decided, what the Hell, to drive to an obscure State Park which I had recently heard about in the California Central Valley. 

Interstate 5 and Highway 99 are notorious in California. Recognized as either the "most boring" or simply "ugliest" drives in California they are only to be used to get from one place to another in the quickest manner.  I used to subscribe to this notion, too - especially when I was younger.  

My 4th grade teacher, Eve Boram (yep, her last name was pronounced BORE 'EM) instilled in me a bit of California love.  In particular, she loved to pull down the map and talk about "The Great Valley" and its impact on American agriculture and how it fed Americans.  She talked about the "hot Mediterranean climate" and said the valley had its own special beauty. 

I never really saw that - after all, Yosemite is east of the valley and Big Sur is west - and well - that's BEAUTY.  But you know....I realize now - she was right. 

So, let's go. The weather was perfect and I had a leisurely drive up 5 to the 99 to Earlimart and then to Colonel Allensworth State Park. Do you know the story of this place?  

It reads:
"Established on August 3, 1908, the town of Allensworth was the vision of Lt. Colonel Allen Allensworth. Born in 1842, Allensworth escaped slavery during the civil war and joined the Union Navy. In 1886, he became the chaplain of the 24th Infantry Regiment, retiring in 1906 as the highest ranking African American officer in the US Army. 

On June 30, 1908, Colonel Allensworth, Professor William Payne, Dr. W. H. Peck, Harry Mitchell, and J. W. Palmer formed the California Colony and Home Promoting Association.  They purchased land at this location to build the town of Allensworth - the only town in California founded, built, governed and populated entirely by African Americans."

Here is the link to state website. 

The town, due to water problems, slowly dwindled in population. ​By the 1950s Allensworth was an impoverished area without drinkable water. Colonel Allensworth himself had been hit and tragically killed by a motorcyclist in 1914 in Monrovia, CA.  

In 1968, Cornelius "Ed" Pope, a former Allensworth resident, helped restore the area to a state historical site.  In 1976, the site was established as a State Historic Park.  The preserved town features nine restored buildings, including a schoolhouse, a hotel, a general store, and library and several homes. 

In my life there have been 4 places where the feelings I had upon arriving were psychically overwhelming. I experienced an energetic calm and a feeling that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Those four places? Arches National Park, Chiricahua National Monument, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and, strangely, Colonel Allensworth State Park.   The isolated, stark, flat beauty of the Park was different than any of the places I've visited over the last 10 years. The air was clean and birds were everywhere.  

As I was setting up camp one of these birds was raising hell with me with sharp and shrill chirps and an odd display of its feathers. It looked like a plover to me but I'm not well versed in bird identification.  After I got the campsite ready I walked over to see why the bird was being so aggressive and, after nearly stepping on her eggs, I discovered why she was acting that way. 

I took a photograph of the bird and the eggs and posted them on iNaturalist. Since this park is renowned for birding opportunities I assumed they'd get back to me quickly and, in 24 hours, I found out the bird was a Kildeer (indeed a type of Plover) and they often nest and lay their eggs right on the ground.  Further, they engage in a "broken wing display" to draw predators away from the nest. In this scenario, I was, of course, the threat and the photo below was Mom's response  to get my attention. 

In my short time at Allensworth I fell in love with this Mama Kildeer and kept a sharp lookout for any people (or animals) who might get near her nest. I do believe we became friends and that she knew she could trust me before I left because she was calm around me and stopped using the broken wing display.  I loved her. 

Additionally, this place - besides the history -  was, to me, a photographers dream. I have already made reservations to go back in November.   I hope you will enjoy the following gallery of photos. 

​

Abandoned roads, clouds, trains and telephone poles. Southwest Dude stuff. 

One late afternoon the famed Tule fog started rolling in from the northwest.  The sun was slightly obscured and made a photo that I enjoy.  

Here are some other color photos of the Park. 

I'm definitely not trying to sell this Park. It isn't for everyone, but it is just as "California" as the beach or Sierra Nevada. If you find yourself on old Highway 99, I  would certainly encourage a quiet and reflective respite where, despite an overwhelmingly daunting past, one man, Colonel Allen Allensworth, an old escaped slave and war hero, had a dream and dared to make it a reality.

Recently I read a story, in High Country News, about a campground in Colorado that was overrun by gun "enthusiasts".  It sounded pretty bad and reminded me of a trip I took to Mojave a year or so ago. 

I was camped in the site you see above at Hole-in-the-Wall campground. It was quiet and calm and fairly private. One late afternoon, while entering the trailer, I grabbed a small exterior  handle to hoist myself inside and didn't see that a bee had decided to latch on to the back of handle.  I felt a burning sensation and then - DAMMIT! I'd been stung.  I saw the poor dying bee, sticking to the side of my hand, but felt little sympathy for the SOB.  I went to the first aid kit and got the tweezers, pulled the stinger out of the side of my hand but it immediately started swelling.  I took three aspirin, ate a pain filled dinner and iced up my hand. 

At about 8:30 that night I decided I'd better turn in but, wimp that I am, my hand was hurting and continuing to swell and I couldn't fall asleep.  I read and listened to the radio and finally, I'm guessing around 11:00 fell asleep.

At around midnight I awoke to a light, bright as day, shining in my trailer.  I then heard the gunning of engines and went to open the door and my campsite was bathed in light from some jerk's spotlight that he had mounted on his Jeep.  I was pissed.  I decided to get dressed and have a word with my new neighbor.  As I was getting my pants on I heard several more vehicles drive around the campground and started to get a little nervous.  Still, I was mad and with adrenaline kicking in decided to confront these morons.  

Charging out of my trailer I heard the "Pop-pop-pop" of gunfire.  I stopped.  Directly across from my campsite there were four or five men armed with rifles and shooting at something in the vast darkness. 

​OK - new plan.

I high-tailed it back to the trailer and locked the door (which I never do) and looked for my bear spray and machete.  Yeah, that's me...I bring bear spray and jungle clearing implements to a gunfight.

The gunfire, now sporadic and accompanied by loud, drunken shouting continued for probably 20 minutes. I decided, at that very instant, to become a pacifist and not confront these "people". I tried to go back to sleep and the throbbing in my hand really kicked in (from the adrenaline kick I'd guess).  I had the persistent  thought that I might have to go to the emergency room, an hour away in Needles, if the swelling continued.  After awhile the gunfire stopped completely although my campsite was still lit up like Fifth Avenue and 45th street.  Around 3:30 or 4:00 AM, I eventually fell asleep. 

I woke up the next morning to the racing of engines and more loud voices.  I looked out the window and there were probably 6 or 7 Jeeps and maybe a dozen guys  packing them up.  I made coffee, fretted a bit about my hand, and stepped out into the sunlight.  I heard these guys talking and discussing their plans for the day.  They were talking about a route on the old Mojave Road.  As they got ready to leave one guy, with a minor conscience, I suppose, walked over and said, "I'd tell ya I was sorry about the noise last night but we're all retired cops and we don't apologize- hahaha".  I didn't say a word.  I did give him a bad ass glare, however. 

They were gone within 30 minutes.  I jumped into my truck and drove to the nearest Ranger Station to report these community pillars. 

It was closed and locked. 

​My hand got better. 

America, 2016. 

The month of June in California typically signals two things; the start of the glorious summertime and "June Gloom" when the marine layer hovers over Southern California. I happen to be a lover of both. While September may be the best month of the year at the beach for those of who are sun worshippers June offers morning fog and overcast that usually "burns off" in the afternoon. After a lifetime of living in SoCal I've grown to love both months but June has a certain charm and I scheduled three coast trips this year. We had originally planned a large family outing to Lassen but, as I write this, the highway through the Park still isn't open due to the massive snow California received last winter. The water is a blessing and, hey, despite missing family and friends, the beach ain't bad!

I started at a longtime favorite-Thornhill Broome Beach near Point Mugu. In the early 1980's I was living in Ventura, CA and attending UC Santa Barbara. On the weekends, to survive, I would work at my father's typesetting shop in Los Alamitos. While taking the 101 to the 405 was much faster I invariably found myself taking "the long way home" along Highway 1 through Santa Monica, Malibu and up to Ventura County. I'd drive by Thornhill Broome and see campers literally right on the beach and think- "one day I'm gonna go there". I have followed through on that thought - many, many times.

The stretch of coast from Port Hueneme to Neptune's Net in Northern Malibu is some of the best in Southern California. There are very few homes and the beach is often desolate and lonely despite its proximity to LA.

Lupe and Banjo joined me for the weekend. In addition, her cousin Mundo and his wife Jenn also joined us on Saturday night for a wonderful outdoor barbecue and bonfire. Prior to their arrival I hiked each day in Sycamore Canyon and near the wetlands just north of Mugu Rock.

After the weekend Lupe went back to finish off the school year and I drove north to windy Gaviota State Park.  I like it there and there may be more photos of that place here on the blog than any other place.  It is almost always ridiculously windy and this trip was no exception.  At one point I looked out the window and saw a dome tent rolling, end over end, directly at me.  It ended up hitting the side of the fiberglass trailer with a thud and then flew over the top and about 50 more yards away where it was finally stopped by a wooden fence.   Those folks left pretty quickly afterward.  

The wind is one of the reasons I like Gaviota so much.  It's in a small bowl along the coast, Kerouac slept here in "The Dharma Bums" and a train trestle is just overhead.  But, the wind howls down through Gaviota Pass and makes camping there, sans an RV, difficult (although I did it for years).  It generally keeps the amateur campers away.  After a few hours of contending with the wind they often, while loudly cursing, get in their car and go.  Can't blame them and gives me a bit more solitude.  

​Rumors abound that it may be closed soon.  I certainly hope not.  It's a treasure. 

Marty, famous Marty, joined me the last night of my stay in Gaviota.  He and I decided to hoist our old carcasses up a nearby peak to see some wind caves that I'd recently heard about.  While it's a short hike it is very steep in places.  We labored up the hills, sweating and mumbling to ourselves, but the destination was worth it. 

I returned home for a few days and then my 16 year old daughter, Lilly, and I drove up to an old favorite of ours Pismo Beach.  Lilly and I have been going to Pismo since she was a tot and we know the drill.  We shop, bowl and head for the pier.  Unfortunately, this year the Pismo Pier is going through a much needed rehabilitation and so it was off limits.   

I brought my camera but didn't really plan on taking any photos.  I wanted to devote my time and energy to "The Lilster".  However, on one of last days we were there Lilly asked if we could go to Margo Dodd park since she'd heard it was pretty cool.  Well, despite the heavy marine layer, it was indeed, "pretty cool".  The rocks were covered with pelicans and it was a joy to discover. 

I know, with Lilly reaching the latter part of her teen years and me getting older, we may not have many more trips with just the two of us.  It was a memorable trip and she is a wonderful traveling companion.  Her old man couldn't love her more if he tried.   Here are some photos of Lilly's day trip suggestion. 

"Beauty is and always will be blue skies and open highway".

Dave Hickey

I grew up in Southern California in the 1960's.   I suppose, to some extent, everyone who grows up in the West has a permanent mark left on their psyche from our "car culture".  

I remember loving to drive anywhere with my parents in 1965 so I could count the Ford Mustangs on the local roads.  Conversations with other boys in school invariably ended up with sports or cars.  "Which is your favorite?"  "What size is the engine?"  "Chevy's suck!"  "NO WAY- Ford's suck"  "Four on the floor" "Three on the tree".  "Mooneyes or Mags?"  STP stickers were all the rage.  If you didn't know who Big Daddy Garlits or AJ Foyt or Parnelli Jones were or the difference between a 283 and a 389 then, well, you were completely lost and ran the risk of being laughed off the playground. 

 What is the cliche?  The "lure of the open road"?  It had us all firmly in its' grip and we were all too young to drive.  There was (and is!) romance in asphalt, steel, chrome and the freedom it represents.  I have spent many hours trying to determine why I craved and still crave the open road.  It's a spiritual, mystical and oddly ethereal concrete symbol for getting the Hell out of my head and out of here.

I fantasized before retirement about just hitting the road as soon as I could...

​THAT dream has become a reality.  I have been traveling the highways about half the time since June of 2013 but I have been loving highways my entire life.  

Recently, on Twitter, I asked my followers to tell me some of their favorite highways.  I was surprised at the number of responses I received.  It's obvious that I'm not the only one who is in love with the road.  Of course, were it not cut into pieces the "Mother Road"- Route 66- might have been on everyone's list.  While I appreciate the efforts to preserve or re-create that route, I've done bits and pieces and it's a puzzle to even find it at times and much is gone in favor of the interstate system.  So, we won't include that here which is too bad.  
So what criteria did I use to determine my favorites?  In two main  ways- how the road makes me feel and whether I'd recommend it.  That's not too subjective, is it?   Well, of course it is but it's also very simple...

Here's the list:

1. California State Route 1 Growing up in SoCal this one was king.  Commonly called PCH it stretches from San Juan Capistrano in the south to Leggett in the north- encompassing some of the world's most beautiful scenery and vistas.  Big Sur and environs is typically considered the most beautiful part of the drive but there are little stretches - from it's southern terminus to it's northern end that are emblematic of everything that represents the "California culture".  The drive from Santa Monica to Oxnard is an example...waves, surfers, sand, seafood, fishermen and the shaka sign.

2. Highway 101 is also known, in places, as "PCH".  This, if I had to pick, is the highway that I think I've loved more and longer than any other.  As a young man I read and was captivated by John Steinbeck and his descriptions of the land (I still am). Highway 101 (one oh one) traverses the heart of what I think of as "Steinbeck Country"; the rolling hills with large oaks that are shimmering green in the spring and golden in the autumn. The world changes as you approach the Gaviota Pass and I cannot describe how glorious it feels to go through the Gaviota tunnel heading north - I simply leave all the Southern California bullshit behind me, get out of my overthinking mind, and embrace the visual poetry of the drive. 

There have been times, I'm not ashamed to admit, when the stretch between Santa Barbara and the Bay Area has literally brought me to tears. It's also known, of course, as "El Camino Real" and even that name, as a child, filled me with romance as I pictured Californios walking the Royal Road.  I feel more "connected" to the 101 than any other Highway.

Now that I've taken up photography as a passion I'll be traveling more on 101 in Oregon.  Most of the highway skirts the Pacific there and the sights are as peaceful and stunning as these eyes have ever seen.  When I met my wife Lupe one of the first places I wanted to show her was the Oregon coast.  

3.  Highway 395 - this highway, lesser known than the coast routes is a gem.   The granitic Sierra Nevada, sloping and gentle on the western slopes is completely different on the eastern side. On the western side you see the mountains off in the distance, on 395 they rise seemingly straight up, off the valley floor.  I believe that I will probably spend more time on this highway than any other in the next few years.   In fact, next month I'll be fishing with my sons in the Bishop Creek area and then I'll be exploring the Alabama Hills in October.  

Of course, this is a federal highway and runs to the Canadian border from the Mojave Desert but I do not know the Oregon and Washington sections very well having only traveled them a few times.  I believe in the next few years I'd better correct that. 

4. Highway 89 - Strong arguments could be made that this is simply the best highway in the West and, therefore, the entire USA.  If someone were to ask me to "show them the West", I'd head right for Highway 89.  Highway 89 used to run from the Mexico border to the Canada border but that was changed in 1992 and now there are two sections.

Remarkably, Highway 89 links seven National Parks.  In addition, 14 National Monuments are located close to this route.  It is mind blowingly beautiful.  

Here is a list of highlights:

Arizona
Saguaro National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and near Casa Grande National Monument and the Hohokam Pima National Monument. There is Tuzigoot National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Sunset Crater National Monument, and Wupatki National Monument. 

Utah
Zion National Park, Bryce National Park.  Two sections of U.S. 89 in Utah have been designated Scenic Byways. The Kanab to Mt. Carmel and Long Valley Scenic Byway is a designated Utah Scenic Byway. From Logan to Bear Lake is designated as the Logan Canyon Scenic Byway by the National Scenic Byways project.

Idaho
This stretch, bordering Utah, does not have a National Park nearby but it's pastoral and enchanting as it goes through Montpelier and you know you're getting closer to the mountains and grandeur of Wyoming's National Parks.  

Wyoming
Here you go.  Highway 89 leads to Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park which is, of course, the gateway to Yellowstone National Park - the granddaddy of National Parks and subject of my next post.

Montana
The highway winds through the state, with breathtaking scenery along the way, to magnificent Glacier National Park.

​My friend, Eric Temple, who I've mentioned previously, is the creative force behind ​Highway 89 Media.  Our man knows how to name things...

If you have the time you'd be smart to put this road first on your list.

5. US Route 550.  I was on this highway two years ago and it is an unforgettable and spectacular drive.  It is known as the "Million Dollar Highway" as it stretches from Durango, CO to Montrose, CO.  The road goes through and around some of the most impressive mountains in the United States.  It is glorious and if you have not been on this road, as I suspect a few of you have not, I encourage you to make plans to see it post haste.  I guarantee you will not be disappointed- just check the weather forecast.  You can see some of the sights on this road if you scroll down my Trip Review Page to September 2014.

​6. Utah Highway 12.  While Highway 395 was my inspiration for this blog the first other highway I thought about was this dramatic road.  It's only 125 miles from beginning to end but what an irresistible stretch it is.  Starting at Bryce Junction (off Highway 89) and ending at Capitol Reef National Park it captures Southwestern Utah and its' uniquely sculptured magnificence.  It travels through some of the most picturesque country in the West. Red Rocks, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and Kodachrome State Park are along the way.  While Highway 89 may be the highway I would recommend to "See the West" it is a long route.  If you have limited time then get yourself over to Highway 12 and check out its' wonders.  I offer a 100% money back guarantee that you'll love it.

7. Beartooth Highway. Many people consider this the most beautiful drive in America (including none other than Charles Kuralt according to the always reliable Wikipedia page).  This is the Northern Rocky Mountains at their very finest.  It leaves Yellowstone and then twists and turns and switchbacks all the way to Red Lodge, Montana.  I've only been on this road four times but I can remember each drive...the clouds and sky...where I had lunch and those breathtaking mountains.  It's that unforgettable.  It is notorious for its' unpredictable weather and summer snowstorms, while rare, are not unheard of.  I have a dream of doing this drive some early September morning and stopping every few miles along the way.  It's a nice dream.  I hope to make it a reality quite soon.

There are other roads that I must mention even if I don't give them the words they deserve.  I drove Interstate 93 through Massachusetts and New Hampshire about 15 years ago in October which started and ended my career as a "leaf peeper" but I'd go back in a heartbeat.  My teen years and first years of driving were on the "Rim of the World" Highway 18 in the San Bernardino Mountains and I still think about it often...I drove it for 20 years in my career as well from the little town of Running Springs to Lake Arrowhead through every possible kind of weather and I'll always love it.  On those rare clear days you can still see Catalina Island.  A current favorite is Highway 70 in New Mexico that runs by the Organ Mountains and White Sands National Monument in New Mexico along the way to Alamogordo  Going over the La Veta Pass on I-25 from Pueblo, CO to Santa Fe, NM is another fave.    

So, there you have it.  My top 7 American Highways and some honorable mentions.  My hunch is lots of folks would disagree with this list and that's great.  Educate me (but be gentle).  I know that my eastern US knowledge is fairly weak and I probably missed some great roads in the midwest too. I also know there are many local highways that may provide for your escape and, perhaps, your inspiration too.  The terrific photographer Alex Kunz mentioned, for example, California Highway 78 which runs from the beach to the desert and is an underrated heavenly drive that has inspired much of his remarkable work. Tell me about yours and I'll put it on the list of my future travel destinations...

I plan on sharing more of my "favorite places" in the coming months.  Next up will be my favorite National Parks and, I guess, I'll try and limit that to seven as well... it won't be easy.  

​See you on the road...

​Peace.