Around the corner, or following an historic byway

Whether close to home or further away, I enjoy finding those serendipitous moments and spots that can become the most memorable event of a trip. My short travel articles have been published in magazines, including one for an extinct airline.

I’ve driven the entire Oregon Trail, the Natchez Trail in Tennessee, the Civil Rights Trail from Pettus Bridge, and the Freedom Trail in Boston. I’ve tramped across Custer’s Last Stand and the Confederate battlefields. I’ve been to all 21 California missions along the old Spanish Royal Highway. And a gazillion historic sites and homes in between. One summer I put 10,000 miles on my van toodling around the Southwest, including the lonesomest highway in America crossing Nevada.

Local hotspots

 Everywhere, when I see a town or settlement out in the boonies, I always wonder what people do for a living, why they choose to live where they do.

Canada, Mexico, Hawaii, Europe, even a little of South America, I want to get a feel for the place — what spots the locals love, where they like to hang out. 

I don’t have to pack a bag if you need an article about Los Angeles! The second largest US city has everything bright and shiny, old and beloved. Neighborhoods are distinct. Food is ever-evolving. Nature shapes our experience with ocean and mountain activities.

I keep up locally on my website LoveSanFernandoValley. The “Valley” isn’t a small affair — if fellow Los Angelenos would allow it to break away, we’d be the fifth largest city in America instantaneously! We can fit a few San Franciscos within our mountain boundaries. We’ve got some pretty interesting spots: it was here that “Manifest Destiny” was achieved by the United States in 1847, directly below Universal Studios. You can visit the very spot at Campo de Cahuenga!

So, yes, I’m a very local writer with a broad view.