Random Thoughts – Singin' One's Journeys

Thoughts about My Latest Long Stretch and Upcoming Plans

Posted on August 3, 2024August 16, 2024 by traveler

So, I finally got that bucket list entry, Glacier National Park, taken care of! After so many aborted attempts, I just wasn’t letting my hopes get too high until I actually steered SB through the park entrance. Anyway, it was definitely a visit that didn’t disappoint, even with the winter storm that cut the trip…

Call Me Crazy, But…

Posted on April 19, 2024April 20, 2024 by traveler

I am planning to attend the 2024 Association of Recorded Sound Collections conference to receive an award for my book, Recorded Solo Concert Spirituals, 1916-2022. The conference is in St. Paul, Minnesota, so I want to take advantage of the opportunity to get some of the national parks–especially Glacier in Montana. The current proposal is…

US Maps

Posted on January 23, 2024January 29, 2024 by traveler

I purchased a cloth map of the United States in January 2024 that I have used to pin stops I made during journeys referenced on this site. A photo of the map is below: As I added pins for each trip I posted about, I took pictures of those additions to the map, beginning with…

Catching Up and Looking Ahead

Posted on January 22, 2024January 23, 2024 by traveler

In the months since I last posted, I made my move from Iowa to Maryland, or the DMV (DC/Maryland/Virginia). It was wonderful to spend my first Thanksgiving in years with my family. It was also nearly as wonderful to miss the 20 inches of snow that fell in Iowa and below zero temperatures they experienced…

Back to Boone, And the Arboretum (Sort of), Too

Posted on October 30, 2023October 30, 2023 by traveler

Sorry, but my transitioning back to the East Coast has caused me to fall behind with my posting here. This is the first of three posts that will have to serve as placeholders until I can find time to catch up. Only this one will be published in the meantime with references to all three…

A Fair (Almost) Day at the Iowa State Fair

Posted on October 30, 2023 by traveler

I had agreed to volunteer a couple of hours at the state Democratic Party booth at the Iowa State Fair. I hadn’t attended the fair since my first visit with my host daughter in 2009, so this seemed a great excuse to make a final trip before I head back East. Considering that I was…

Gateway Arch NP-Backtracking

Posted on July 25, 2023August 10, 2023 by traveler

I *knew* I had taken pictures during my 2010 trip to the Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri. I found the ones posted here on my Facebook page. I’m still hopeful that I will find the rest on the camera I used or the computer to which I uploaded them. Unfortunately, the only…

Coming Together and Another Quickie Iowa Weekend

Posted on July 12, 2023July 18, 2023 by traveler

When I first started sharing stories and pictures about my travels, I had set up the blogs on WordPress, taking advantage of their free service. However, I’ve noticed that the free service has been adding more and more advertising to the pages, whereas this blog–which uses WordPress to create the posts but is hosted on…

Transitions (An Update)

Posted on July 4, 2023 by traveler

I was on the road a lot in June, but I expect things to quiet down on that front for a bit. Mainly this is because I now have SIX events scheduled for September (two public concerts, three private performances, and a lecture) that I need to prepare for. Plus, I must get serious about…

A Three-Day Tour… of National Parks

Posted on June 21, 2023June 23, 2023 by traveler

I’ve been back from my three-day tour of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Voyageurs National Park for two days at the point I created this post, and both parks are still on my mind. What an impression each made on me in such a short time! Folks crowd onto Yellowstone, Yosemite and other big parks–and…