I planned out my trip with some great mid-point stops. I had never heard of the Schedel Arboretum and Gardens, but it was the perfect distance for my lunch break so I thought I would check it out.

The gardens were beautiful and I appreciated the labels identifying all the trees, shrubs, and flowers. I’ve been trying to keep a log of all the birds, bugs, and wildlife I have seen this year and having labels is much easier than trying to search the internet for photos.

The Japanese garden was beautiful and it was fascinating to see the collection of bonsai trees. [More]

I’ve been working on this for a little while now, but I’ve only shown a couple people the work in progress. For those who don’t know, I drive a Ford Ranger. Actually, I’ve always driven a Ford Ranger. I can’t really picture driving anything else at this point despite being capable of buying pretty much anything else.

This is what my truck has looked like since I got it. When I got my first Ranger I remember telling my father that I didn’t want to keep the cap on the back because caps are for old men. I ditched the cap and got a roll-up tonneau cover. [More]

Boston is a great city filled with history, great food, and huge events. This weekend the Boston Marathon and PAX will be going on in the city, but that doesn’t mean people going to either event shouldn’t take a few extra days to explore.

I’ll admit, the last time I spent a significant amount of time in Boston was for my school’s 6^th grade whale watch. It was an insanely fun time though we did end up on a bit of a Gilligan’s Island whale watching tour. (The boat got caught in a storm, but instead of shipwrecking us we just lost our dinner reservations and had to eat from to-go boxes on the bus.)

This time around I’ll be spending most of my time at PAX, but I’ll be visiting a few of those destinations that 6^th grade me just wouldn’t have appreciated. [More]

It wasn’t until I was an adult that I traveled internationally. My family went on one vacation my whole life. Even still, we took a lot of day trips locally for various events so it did feel like I was traveling a lot.

Day trips are a great way for those who are restless to fulfill their need to travel without breaking the bank. So take day trips, and take them often! And I know what people say, “there’s nothing to do around here,” but I highly doubt it. I grew up in a county where the biggest city was constantly claiming to be a “micropolitan.” Yes, they made up a word to make it sound like they were a real city with people in it. [More]

Some of my friends and family know that I’m preparing for an exciting road trip. This won’t be my first long haul I put my vehicle through, but I know the preparation for a road trip is always stressful when you’re taking an older vehicle.

Obviously having a newer vehicle decreases the chances that you’ll experience vehicle problems while traveling, but I’m a bit sentimental about my vehicle and just can’t let it go. This means I ‘ve got to plan carefully to avoid a disaster while making long drives. [More]