The Scenic Route: Mystery On The Natchez Trace
Alan Rider
October 12, 2012
When it comes to the payoff awaiting those who take The Scenic Route, no one would understand the benefits of exploring the off-the-beaten-track world better than those original American road-trippers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. While everyone knows the story of the two men and their Corps... Read more »
The Scenic Route: Keepin’ It Scenic
Alan Rider
October 5, 2012
As we traveled the country on our Scenic Route adventures this summer we frequently saw entire hillsides covered with dead trees. Which got me to thinking about what could cause such widespread devastation. Turns out that, in many cases, it’s a little bug called the pine mountain beetle and it’s... Read more »
The Scenic Route: Civil War Battlefields
Alan Rider
September 28, 2012
Over the thousands of miles we’ve traveled on the adventure we’re calling The Scenic Route, some of our favorite stops have been at Civil War battlefields, sites of both unimaginable carnage and unfathomable courage. As we’ve made our way from coast-to-coast exploring the roads less... Read more »
The Scenic Route: Pacific Coast Scenic Byway
Alan Rider
September 27, 2012
Standing 500 feet above the crashing waves and rugged cliffs of the Oregon coast, I am struck by a somewhat counterintuitive notion. As inspiring as this panorama is, my family and I aren’t necessarily here for the scenery. In fact, if this first trip in our yearlong quest to explore America’s... Read more »
The Scenic Route: Navigating The Roads Less Traveled
Alan Rider
September 21, 2012
When we started planning the year-long trip we’re calling The Scenic Route we knew we’d be facing more than a few navigational challenges. Have a look at some of the convoluted routes you’ll find on the National Scenic Byways program’s website and you’ll see what we mean. While... Read more »
The Scenic Route: Minnesota’s Gunflint Trail
Alan Rider
September 14, 2012
Even as I extol the virtues of taking The Scenic Route both here and on the pages of the magazine (see the feature story on the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway in the September issue of Trailer Life, for example), I’ll be the first to admit it’s not always about the actual scenery. That said,... Read more »
Goldilocks, Eat Your Heart Out
Alan Rider
September 7, 2012
In the story of The Three Bears, Goldilocks invests a fair amount of time and effort in trying to find items that were “just right.” Well, let me just say I know how our blond-haired heroine must have felt. You see, when my wife Christina and I began making plans to hit the road for a year... Read more »
Where To Next?
Alan Rider
August 24, 2012
If there’s one problem with driving the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway which we profiled in the September issue of Trailer Life, it may be trying to find another stretch of road that tops it. Fortunately for Scenic Route readers, I’ve found several nearby byways that offer a similar combination... Read more »
Taking the Scenic Route
Alan Rider
August 17, 2012
In his classic 1962 book Travels With Charley, John Steinbeck lamented that with the coming of the interstate highway system “… it will be possible to drive from New York to California without seeing a single thing.” Alan Rider & Family on the Outer Banks Scenic Byway Fast forward... Read more »
