"Rock Star" road tripper checking in! Self-proclaimed anyway! Road trips and visits to all 50 states are my game. Find your next road trip destinations here. Fill your bucket list with fantastic US journeys. I love road trips and spare no effort in making my travels and experiences inviting for members of the road-tripping family! Pick a trip you want to take, or get inspired to plan your own. - - The Driveby Tourist (or call me Stan!)
Great American novel and travel
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Travel and novels get you into American history. While driving Route 66, some of the museums you visit along the way display scenes that may represent The Grapes of Wrath. It’s about a family in Oklahoma who lose everything. The Dust Bowl of the 1930s yielded little to no crops. They lose their land. The family reads about “the land of plenty” in California. They, along with thousands of others, go west. The book details their struggles along the way with no money, deaths, auto breakdowns, and more. Nearly half the book deals with their hardships while traveling on Route 66. Both Grandpa and Grandma died en route. A couple of family members leave the family to strike out on their own. Of course, the book is about much more than just traveling on Route 66. However, it’s a significant part of the story of Route 66, and how it became a tale of both the trials and tribulations of some and a great new beginning for others. Although the new beginning led some to a comfortable and even wealthy life, many found the same poverty they left behind, along with discrimination and more hardship. I’m currently rereading The Grapes of Wrath. I read it in high school for an assignment, but reading it as an adult gives a person a significantly different perspective on the book. Other American novels include driving the roads of America, such as Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road.” William Least Heat-Moon wrote “Blue Highways” about America’s back roads. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote “The Cruise of the Rolling Junk” and so many more. While these books may not be your “cup of tea,” they give you a different perspective on traveling across the US. And things to see along the way. ”Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason!” Classic Rock song: "On the Road Again” by Willie Nelson Please email me about your experiences traveling roads grounded in history. Here is the Premium Subscription page: You will get early views of new blog posts, one extra weekly newsletter, and views of all past published newsletters. And occasionally, I'll ask for votes on content! Stan Featured Post: Of course, the Grapes of Wrath story is intertwined with Route 66. Here’s a link to an overview of my experiences with that historic highway. |
Stan Wiebe
"Rock Star" road tripper checking in! Self-proclaimed anyway! Road trips and visits to all 50 states are my game. Find your next road trip destinations here. Fill your bucket list with fantastic US journeys. I love road trips and spare no effort in making my travels and experiences inviting for members of the road-tripping family! Pick a trip you want to take, or get inspired to plan your own. - - The Driveby Tourist (or call me Stan!)
Check out this post about the Gunsmoke Trail in Hays, KS. Here's the link. It's part of the Gunsmoke Trail around Kansas which includes Abilene, Dodge City, and Wichita. The Trail is becoming quite a tourist attraction in Kansas! Check it out when you're in Kansas, even if you're just driving through! Until next time... Stan Here's the link to the overview of all four of the cities involved. ,
Because it’s there! Sac City, IA, is home to the world’s largest popcorn ball. They made it to celebrate the history of popping corn grown in the area. Initially, their popcorn ball was removed from the record because the Indiana State Fair made one larger. Theirs was 6,510 pounds, eclipsing the Sac City former record of about 5,000 pounds. In 2016, Sac City residents decided to reclaim the record. Their efforts weighed 9,370 pounds and were twelve feet in diameter. The record still stands...
A b, Why, it’s Grand Island, of course! That’s one of the taglines the tourism group uses in their promotions. I’m attending a travel writers conference presented by the Midwest Travel Network. It’s an annual conference, and Grand Island won the bid for this year’s event. (#MWTRAVELCON25) Along with presentations by DMOs (Destination Marketing Organizations) and other travel writers, the Grand Island group showed us their town. While many places in town draw visitors’ attention, here are a...