The fog lifts and the weather forecast predicts fair skies for the next 48 hours. We aim Blackie south hugging the coast to follow the famous California Highway 1, aka the Pacific Coast Highway. This is one of the most scenic drives anywhere and we are thrilled to have good weather to enjoy the…
“But no temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite…” John Muir Autumn is advancing quickly so we set our sights on the Sierra Nevada Mountains and one of our country’s most well known parks. We drive across California’s central valley and head east on Route 120. It is late in the day and clouds…
California is an amalgam of extremes. It is the most populous state, has the highest point (Mt. Whitney) and the lowest point (Death Valley) in the contiguous US. Its history often showcases the fledgling trends that later become the norm for the rest of the country. From the Gold Rush frenzy to the aerospace and…
We have traveled as far northwest as we can on our DNA Expedition so south we go, leaving the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. The Pacific Coast of the US stretches ahead of us 1500 miles to the Mexican border. We travel on the mostly two-lane road of Highway 101 as it snakes its way along…
Heading out of western Wyoming, we crossed into Idaho and traveled up the eastern edge of a state best known for its potatoes. To the east we can see the Bitterroot Mountains so named after a small, leafless plant with a fleshy root that provided food for Native Americans. The road weaves through a wide…
On our Discover North America Expedition (DNA X) we have seen some incredible scenery. As the road weaves west we encounter the sagebrush covered high plains with herds of pronghorn antelope grazing among cattle. Western Wyoming is still cowboy country and ranches mix with the wild lands. The best way to get around and check…
The Black Hills Weather- sunny, 65F There are certain American icons that we grow up hearing about. In every history book there is a picture of Mount Rushmore; can you name the presidents? We read about the battle of Wounded Knee, Custer’s Last Stand, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. These pieces of our history played…
Called the Great Plains, the prairie or simply the Mid-west this large expanse of land west of the Mississippi River is flat or sometimes rolling slightly. The land is fertile and threaded with rivers. Not so long ago, 40 percent of the US was covered in prairie grasses interspersed with a multitude of wetlands; a…
Weather – partly cloudy, 60F For most of the summer we have hugged the east coast of the US on our DNA X adventure. We aim Blackie west, away from the heavily populated metro areas of the north east and into the state of Pennsylvania. This state is known for its steel, chocolate, coal and…
As we left off in the last DNA X blog we had met Horatio Earle an insightful Vermonter who was dubbed the “Father of Good Roads. He laid the groundwork for another visionary Vermonter to follow. Horatio Jackson Nelson, no relation to the famous British Admiral Horatio Nelson, was a Dr. from Burlington Vermont. In…
