There are places in the world which defy description and leave you speechless. Pictures, such as the ones below, do not even begin to do justice to the actual experience of being there. The vast grandeur and majesty of the western National Parks, the medieval splendor and charm of Europe, the warm and inviting beaches of the Caribbean, are all places which are best seen in person. Travel is usually an expensive undertaking, but it’s money well spent, for you will never truly understand a place until you’ve been there yourself. Start saving now. 😉

Some days I just can’t deal with the highway, especially when it’s raining. So today I had a somewhat solitary ride home. Very relaxing. 🙂

I travel backroads quite often. There are virtually no cops or traffic, and the scenery is almost always better than that seen from an interstate. This past October we were driving around Cadillac, MI and decided to hunt down an old cemetery for some genealogy research. The route took us on some serious backroads. I’m talking no-pavement-lotsa-dirt backroads here. I had just acquired a Bluetooth GPS receiver, so I was game for some “let’s get lost” backroad fun. We found the cemetery easily, but what was more amazing was the incredible scenery. The foliage was almost at peak and the cornfields had yet to be harvested. Here’s the result.

So next time you’re out and about, get off the interstate and check out some backroads. You might be pleasantly surprised at what you may find.

My wife and I were in Boston this past week for a conference. I grew up south of Boston and while I was in school I drove a truck into Boston daily, so this trip was like coming home. It was great to be in a city and not feel like a total stranger. Still, with all the changes the Big Dig has wrought on Boston, it took me a bit to get my bearings back. It’s so weird not seeing the raised central artery. Now there is open space and sunshine where darkness once prevailed.

We had some great food, which is something we don’t often get out here in central Boonieland. We ate at a small Turkish/Greek place called Sultan’s Kitchen on Park St. Not much in the way of atmosphere, but the food was incredible. We also, of course, indulged in the seafood multiple times. I had some superb fish cakes with baked beans at Durgin Park pub in the Quincy Market area. I also had dinner at my folks’ one night and Mom made her baked haddock. Always perfect. On the same night, my wife had scallops at Grill 23. She’s still raving about that meal.

There is much to like about Boston, traffic notwithstanding. I used to hate cities, but I find more and more that leisure time in cities can be very enjoyable. It’s driving in and out for work on a daily basis that ruins the experience of living near one. Chicago is the same way. I occasionally have to drive to Chicago for work. I always hate the trip. But when we go there for a weekend or a conference, we always enjoy ourselves. The only city I’ve worked in that I enjoyed all the time was Nürnberg, Germany. Nürnberg is what every city should be.