The Santa Fe Train Diner along the I-90 in South Dakota is actually a part of “1880’s Town”, a roadside attraction fashioned after a movie set. There’s perhaps a hundred of signs along the freeway advertising the set, and by the time you actually reach the off-ramp, you feel compelled to check it out....
Like many other roadside attractions in the State of South Dakota, Wall Drug Store has signs along the highways beckoning travelers to visit. But Wall Drug Store is perhaps the most prolific sign-posting highway haunt of them all. Along the I-90, there’s about one Wall Drug sign every mile from both directions, east to...
Carhenge of Alliance, NE is one of those strange places that begs the question, “Why?” It makes you wonder who, when, and why a structure of old automobiles was erected into a circle out in the middle of empty Nebraska farmland. Was it a boy scout troop looking to earn badges? Was it aliens...
Scotts Bluff National Monument came into significance during the 1800s, when Americans travelling west followed the Oregon Trail from Illinois to the Oregon Coast. The trail passed through Nebraska, going through a narrow passage between two ridges known as “Scott’s Bluff”. The significance of Scott’s Bluff is that it was a landmark travelers used...
Probably the most popular scenic drive in the greater Salt Lake region of Utah, the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway is a narrow, twisty mountain passage known for spectacular views of fall colors, valleys, and mountains. Officially designated as State Route 92, it’s a 27 mile run along a narrow, single lane road with dozens...
Of the 1,433 miles that Interstate 15 runs north and south from Mexico to Canada, there is no other 14 mile stretch more beautiful and pleasurable as the Virgin River Gorge. It runs entirely through the State of Arizona, in the north-west corner of the State, following the Virgin River through a twisting, winding...
Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada is one of those stunningly beautiful places that few people care to go to, unless you live nearby. As it is, travelers moving between Las Vegas, NV and St. George, UT are content to remain on the I-15, believing that seeing the majestic red rock formations is...
Riding up Arizona Highway 386, a twisty mountain road that takes you up Kitt Peak, a mountain just west of Tucson, AZ, I felt a sense of isolation and spirituality. Located inside the the Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation, it’s a short 12 miles of easy to moderate turns that gains 3,600 feet in elevation...
Catalina Highway, also known as Mt. Lemmon Highway, and officially name, General Hitchcock Highway, is probably the best motorcycle riding to be had in the Tucson, AZ area. Roughly a 30 mile jaunt that ascends Mt. Lemmon, the road takes numerous sweeping curves winding its way up to an old ski resort some 8,000...
La Siesta Motel in Ajo, AZ might be the best deal to stay in the town. $60.00 for a cabin with a queen bed, AC, microwave, fridge, coffee maker, shower, Cable TV, pool and spa? Yup, it beats the two other lodgings there. Albeit, La Siesta Motel isn’t in town, it’s effectively on the...