"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!)
The World’s Most Misnamed Race? 🏔️🏃♂️
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If you’re in Seward, Alaska, on July 4th, don't expect a standard road race. If you are visiting Alaska for any reason, why not see this race? Whether you are here because it’s Alaska, or if you are on a 50-state quest, or you just love Alaska, check it out! The legendary Mount Marathon Race 🏔️is one of the oldest and most grueling traditions in the U.S., but there’s a catch: it isn’t actually a marathon! While a traditional marathon is 26.2 miles, this race is only 3.1 to 3.5 miles. However, don't let the short distance fool you. Runners scramble up 3,022 vertical feet to the summit of Mount Marathon and then "controlled fall" back down through treacherous shale and scree. 📉💨 The name stems from a 1915 bar bet. Legend has it that two locals argued over whether it was possible to climb the mountain and return in under an hour. The challenger lost the bet by just two minutes, but he sparked a tradition that has lasted over a century! 🍻⏱️ Today, thousands of spectators flock to Seward to watch elite athletes navigate "the cliffs" and "the gut." It’s a muddy, bloody, and exhilarating spectacle that defines Alaskan ☔️ grit. Whether you’re brave enough to run or prefer cheering from the sidelines, it’s the ultimate way to celebrate Independence Day! ✨ Stay gritty, The Driveby Tourist “Team” ✌️🏔️ "Run for your life!” Classic Rock song: "Country Roads” by John Denver Please email me about your Alaska adventures or why you want to visit there! Here is the Premium Subscription page: You will get early access to new blog posts, one extra weekly newsletter, and access to all past newsletters. And occasionally, I'll ask for votes on content! Stan Featured Post: I’ve had material for a post about Sitka, AK, for a long time but haven’t written it. Maybe this will be the push? Here’s a link to dangerous road trips, featuring one in northern Alaska. |
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!)
If you’re traveling through the heart of Ohio, you have to pull over in Lebanon for a meal at the Golden Lamb Restaurant & Hotel. Established in 1803, this legendary landmark holds the title of Ohio's oldest continuously operating business! 🐑✨ Since its days as a "house of public entertainment" on the road between Cincinnati and Columbus, the Golden Lamb has been a sanctuary for weary travelers. Its guest list is a literal "Who’s Who" of American history. No fewer than 12 U.S. Presidents have...
Mansfield, Ohio, might seem like a quiet town, but it’s home to one of the most iconic locations in cinema history: the Ohio State Reformatory (OSR). This massive Gothic-style prison served as the primary filming location for The Shawshank Redemption, standing in for the "Shawshank State Penitentiary." 🏛️🧱 (The movie's actual setting is in Maine, but it's almost totally filmed in Ohio.) Walking through the eerie, towering cell blocks, you can almost feel the presence of Andy and Red. You can...
This is a "non-typical" newsletter (and off-schedule). I found a category called First Level Administrative Divisions within countries. The largest is over 1 million square miles in Asian Russia. It has nearly a million people but a population density of less than one per square mile. Western Australia is second. Alaska, the largest in the US, comes in at 7th. Twelve US states are in the top 100, with Minnesota coming in at 97th. But, how much of each is land area, and how much is water?...