In 2023, my wife and I set out across the USA and back, mostly on the roads less taken, 8,006 miles across 23 states in 39 days. We had friends to visit in North Carolina, Texas, Southern California, Nevada, and Iowa, but no set dates to be anywhere. Day 1 Here is how the back […]
Moseying 2023
A road trip across the USA in 2023, mostly on back roads. Here the most recent posts are listed first. Click on any thumbnail or headline to see the full post.
Day 2, Abandoned ATM
Our second day on the road was like a dream. First, we were in Warrenton, Virginia, a charming town self-consciously holding onto the past, to the point of not having traffic lights downtown. Then we climbed west on the Lee Highway to Shenandoah National Park, hoping to take Skyline Drive south, but the higher we […]
Day 2, Warthog
Warrentown, Virginia — founded in 1810 — has the largest tack shop in the United States. My wife had to visit! While she delighted her eyes with saddles, bridles, riding clothes, and more, I was free to explore the small but vibrant downtown with its strong historic zoning laws. I talked briefly with a fellow […]
Day 3, Monticello
Thomas Jefferson’s home, Monticello, has his love of innovations on display, scientific and otherwise. It is hard to imagine a contemporary candidate for president of the United States who would have such an active curiosity and who would still be electable. I was sorry to learn that Jefferson’s financial affairs were in shambles when he […]
Day 3, Camera Store
Charlottesville, Virginia, home of the University of Virginia, impressed me, especially that the city made its downtown a pedestrian plaza and succeeded in making it a lively place on Saturdays, with live music by local performers and open-air seating for restaurants. This storefront of a camera shop caught my eye, all these old film cameras. […]
Day 5, Google Map Troubles
This day was the first of several when we abandoned our plan to leisurely drive across the USA on back roads. Instead, we took I-40 from Hillsborough, North Carolina to Asheville in a day. Using Google Maps got us in trouble. This began when, after looking for restaurants in Winston-Salem, my wife decided she wanted […]
Day 6, Etowah Indian Mounds.
The night before, we planned our drive from Asheville, North Carolina south into Georgia. Driving five hours or so south through the Smokey Mountains would put us in Cartersville, a county seat. This was the essence of moseying, not knowing where we’d drive from one day to the next except for the most general direction. […]
Day 7, Fireworks Stand
Our 39-day, 23-state drive around the USA was not a photo expedition, so it was rare for me to stop the car and turn around. That is what I did when I saw this colorful fireworks stand just after entering Alabama on Route 278 on our way through Piedmont. I took several shots. As I […]
Day 8, Dollar General
Driving the roads less traveled across 23 states in 39 days, one constant was the ubiquitous presence of Dollar General. These stores are found pretty much everywhere in the United States except in urban areas. We’d be in the sticks, reach a crossroads, and there would be one of these small businesses, sometimes with no […]
Day 9, The Single Tax
Fairhope, Alabama is a Single-Tax community on Mobile Bay. Like the Village of Arden, Delaware (where I live), land there is held in trust and property taxes are based on the square-feet of land you lease from the trust, not the value of your house. Confused? Look up Henry George, a political economist in the […]