traveler

Business First–AAASA Conference

Posted on October 30, 2022July 13, 2023 by traveler

Usually when I drive, I am free to take as much “stuff” as I want and leave at my convenience. However, I had scheduled a hair appointment in Des Moines because I wanted it to look its best for my presentation. I somehow managed to get out late yet still arrive only ten minutes late…

A Bit of Business, A Bit of Fun

Posted on October 11, 2022October 11, 2022 by traveler

This “how many national parks can I visit in a week” trip has been on my radar for quite a while. I finally have a shot of actually doing it! The trip is now part business and part pleasure. I am scheduled to give a lecture on the development of concert spirituals during the Harlem…

NATS-Tennessee Workshop

Posted on June 5, 2022July 28, 2023 by traveler

It’s always good when I can combine business and a few days of vacation in one trip. Sorry that this posting is being added eight months after the fact, but better late than never, I guess. This was my first journey since the world went on lockdown due to the COVID pandemic. I’d done several…

Seven National Parks in Ten Days–Can It Be Done?

Posted on May 24, 2022February 15, 2025 by traveler

I’m not sure exactly when I became a fan of national parks, but I am one. I couldn’t wait to be able to get my senior pass, but now I have it I want to put it to good use. I had visited both Rocky Mountain NP and Zion NP with my mother in 2012,…

A New Normal? Prepping to Get Back on the Road

Posted on May 12, 2022July 13, 2023 by traveler

Sorry it’s been so long since I last posted. Real life has been REAL for everyone! I’ve limited most of my interactions to virtual events, but I do owe a post or two about the trip to the NATS workshop in Tennessee in October 2021, so I’ll try to get to it after I finish…

Have Card, Will Travel

Posted on November 15, 2020July 28, 2023 by traveler

Now that I had SB and she had proven herself to be road worthy, I wanted to really put her to the test. Also, with my recent last birthday, I could now purchase a senior lifetime national park card, thus ending the annual card fees. The only thing I had to determine was whether there…

Changing of the Guard

Posted on November 14, 2020July 28, 2023 by traveler

On my birthday (Thursday, September 17th), I took my usual day off. I decided to do some car shopping while I awaited the final steps before the insurance company claimed RB. My research had led me to decide on the Kia Soul for my next car. The closest dealership is in Des Moines, so I…

Some Backtracking–Ann Arbor, Detroit and Motown

Posted on September 7, 2020July 28, 2023 by traveler

(Blogger’s note: the trip mentioned below occurred several months before I finally got around to posting about it. Sorry about that.) In October 2019, I published my first book, So You Want to Sing Spirituals. Just the month before the book was set to be released, I was invited to the University of Michigan to…

Bidding a Fond Farewell (Pt. 2)

Posted on September 6, 2020July 28, 2023 by traveler

RB and I have visited all 48 of the contiguous United States. I even took her to the Atlantic Ocean’s Newfoundland, the easternmost point of North America. We’ve been to Key West, Florida, seen the Pacific Ocean in Washington State, the Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in fog. My mother even dared to boldly go with…

Bidding a Fond Farewell (Pt. 1)

Posted on September 6, 2020July 28, 2023 by traveler

My 2006 Food 500, which I’ve dubbed the Red Barron (or RB for short) because of the way she handled herself on the road and anywhere I deigned to take her, and I have been through a lot since I bought her in 2009. I’ve noted many of our road adventures on this site…