I still remember exactly where I was in the summer of 1994 — sitting cross-legged on my grandmother’s living room floor, watching Brazil lift the World Cup trophy at the Rose Bowl on a fuzzy tube television. I was eight years old, and something about that tournament lit a fire in me that never went … Read more
Every summer, millions of Americans flock to the same stretch of coastline. Myrtle Beach. Ocean City. Virginia Beach. The Outer Banks bottleneck. I’ve done them all, and I’ll be honest — there’s a reason they’re popular. But there’s also a point where popularity becomes its own punishment, where you spend more time looking for parking … Read more
There’s a stretch of highway in the American South where the air changes. Somewhere around mile forty on US-17, between Charleston and Savannah, the Spanish moss thickens, the marsh grass turns impossibly green, and you realize you’ve entered a part of the country that doesn’t need to try hard to be beautiful. It just is. … Read more
There’s a window every year — usually sometime in mid-to-late May — when the mountains wake up. Snow that’s been accumulating since November starts melting in earnest, and every creek, stream, and drainage swells into something thunderous. If you’ve ever stood at the base of a waterfall during peak spring runoff, you know the feeling: … Read more
I showed up in Taos on a Tuesday afternoon in late June, windows down, the Rio Grande Gorge stretching out to my left like the earth had cracked open just for the drama of it all. My plan was simple: two nights, maybe three. I stayed five. That’s the thing about Taos — it doesn’t … Read more
Every year around this time, I start scrambling for the perfect Mother’s Day gift. Flowers wilt, chocolates disappear, and honestly, most moms I know — my own included — would trade every bouquet in the world for a weekend away from the daily grind. This year, Mother’s Day falls on May 11th, which means there’s … Read more
There’s a moment about two hours east of Duluth when Highway 61 narrows, the birch trees crowd close, and Lake Superior opens up on your left like something out of a painting you didn’t know existed. I’d driven a lot of American roads by that point — the Pacific Coast Highway, the Blue Ridge Parkway, … Read more
The Memorial Day Camping Crush Is Coming. Here’s How to Outsmart It. Last Memorial Day, I learned the hard way what happens when you leave campground reservations to the last minute. After three hours of scrolling through Recreation.gov at 11 PM on a Tuesday—refreshing, searching, and watching every decent site within 200 miles vanish—I ended … Read more
Why Texas Hill Country in Spring is Magic There’s this moment every spring when Texas transforms. Overnight, it seems, the limestone hills and rolling countryside explode in a blanket of electric blue. I’ve chased wildflowers across the country—California’s super blooms, Arizona’s deserts after rain, Washington’s meadows—but nothing hits quite like driving Texas State Highway 16 … Read more
Discover breathtaking scenic byways you’ve never heard of. From Montana’s Beartooth Highway to the Oregon Coast, these drives rival anything in America.