FAQ

Where exactly are you starting off from?

Our treks generally launch from the South Chicagoland suburbs, right off of I-80.

For all of the time you spend in nature, why don’t you camp?

That would make a lot of sense, and it does happen from time to time. However, when we’re on the road, spending long days either in the car or hiking around, a comfy bed is one of the ways we compromise. That said, my camping experiences in the desert have been some of my favorite trips.

Are those your pictures? What camera do you use?

Yep, they’re our pictures. I love documenting our trips visually. I use a Nikon D5200 with a handful of different lenses. Taking pictures is one of the reasons our hikes last longer than they generally should.

Why spend all of that time in a car – how do you pass the time?

Our trips have changed over the last 15 years quit a bit. These days, instead of bringing a case of 40 cd’s for the car or audio books on tape, we use our phones for just about everything. We’re big into Podcasts – we tend to agree on those more than music.  Otherwise, checking out digital books is a great way to pass the time. For better or worse, especially when we are “OUT” there, I’m fine with silence.

You don’t mention too much about food – do you eat?

Yes, and… for the most part, we stop when and where we can, though we also pack a good bit with us – we eat enough P & J  on one road trip to last a year. We’re both vegetarian, so when we are “OUT” there, our choices can be limiting (much less so than 15 years ago.) There’s a bit more Subway and Pizza Hut than we’d like, but when we do get a chance to stay in more developed areas, we love seeking out local Indian and Ethiopian restaurants.  When we do eat at a place that is remarkable in some way, we’ll mention it in a post.

Kids?

No

You seem to like most of the places you visit – maybe a little too much.

Well, who wants to write about the boring stuff? No, in all honesty, we are pretty good at appreciating where we are and finding things to do that we enjoy. All it takes is a hiking path and we’re easily happy.

What’s your favorite?

That’s an unfair question. Few of our trips or the places we have visited are not worth a second trip. While it may not be my favorite, Yellowstone is the one nature spot I would encourage everyone to go to domestically. Washington D.C. is the U.S. city I could go back to every year, though I don’t think I would like to live there.

Do you go overseas?

Yes – those posts are coming.

Why road trips? When did you start road-tripping?

Road trips were the way my family generally traveled when I was a kid. As I got older, my friends and I made our way around parts of the country over summer breaks. For the last fifteen years, my wife and I have just made it an almost annual event. We just sort of love the thrill of the journey. Cross country road-trips, when time permits, are definitely our preference. If time is limited, but $$$ permits, we’ll fly out and rent a car to do the road tripping.

Not too many cities in your travels.

They’re there, but at this point, unless it’s a place we’ve been dying to get to, or have a specific reason for going (museums – maybe,) we tend to bypass.