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OREGON HISTORICAL BUSINESS

The Oregon Historical Society holds a special place in my heart. I took a temporary job there as a museum guard, a six month assignment to watch over an exhibit called Soft Gold. Six months turned into twenty-odd years before I signed off. It was a dream job from guard, to exhibit worker, to curatorial […]

CAR LOVE, OR LOVE CAR

Car love depends on who is in the car. Of course we all love a car we can pack to the rafters and drive down the road. But it’s not about what’s in there, it’s who. After 4100 miles of togetherness I’ve got nominations.

AMERICAN PIE REVIEW

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buckWith a pink carnation and a pickup truck The song came out in 1971. My older brother had a pickup truck. After he graduated high school it became my pickup truck. But not really.

EVERY DAY IS A FRESH START. WHAT IF IT’S NOT?

That fresh start includes a shower and a shave. Okay, a shower, but keep it short. I felt a fresh start every day on the road for 4100 miles. And then? Husband time.

THE WESTERN WAY + + +

The western way shows a solitary figure on a journey of self-discovery. That was my goal when I started. Just me and the boys and a dog. John, Bill, Stu, and Ruby. I would encase the memory like high-silica ground water does to fallen logs buried in mud. Except my memory would take three weeks, […]

4100 MILES IN THREE WEEKS. WHAT I LEARNED:

e How it started. Wife: We could fly to Albuquerque and rent a car to see Monument Valley. Me: Or we could drive down and see what we miss from the air. Wife: You drive and I’ll meet you in Albuquerque. Me: Then I’m taking the dog with me. Wife: What?

SCREEN LAND UNCOVERED IN MAP

When a map comes to life what happens? Wonder happens. Awe happens. Unreal happens. In Southern Utah it all happens around every corner.

AMERICAN LETTERS FROM THERE

  My American letters began sixty-eight years ago. But that wasn’t nearly old enough. So I pulled a college history degree, American History with an emphasis in NW History including seminars on the Origins of WWI, and post-WWII Germany. Was I intrigued, or just taking classes that fit my time frame? Both. And it still […]

REST STOP AMERICA 0R PIT STOP

Rest stop America doesn’t get much better than Idaho. With a speed limit of 80 mph, and regular traffic at 90, getting off the road is a relief in more ways than one. Or two.

ROAD SONGS FROM HERE TO THERE

Road songs define generations. Baby boomer road songs? Still the best? Let’s take a drive around the block and find out.