National park system Archives - The Road Goes On Forever

The Best and Worst Place in the World: Weeks 35 and 36

Hello to all our loyal readers – here is proof of life that we have survived our two weeks in Las Vegas, and at least haven’t lost so much money that I’ve needed to pawn my computer.

The title of this post comes succinct piece of wisdom delivered by a slightly buzzed Morgan on our first night here, marveling at the chaos of the Strip. After all, we’d just spent a week in a town where the excitement was limited to minor league baseball and watching a semi-regular flow of people hotboxing cars down the street from our Airbnb.

Nick PisanoJune 16, 2022June 17, 2022Nick's Blog

Fres-slow: Weeks 33 & 34

Hello from the recently reunited Nick and Morgan, as we undertake yet another New Development. That’s right, the Great Swing Back East has begun, as I write to you from Sin City itself, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Definitely NOT Fresno. Las Vegas, NV – May 2022

It’s a fairly absurd Vibe Shift™ from our most recent stop, Fresno, California.

Nick PisanoJune 1, 2022June 1, 2022Nick's Blog

From Sea to Shining Sea: Week 30

“San Diego has always been where Americans go to escape America and find they have run out of country.”
Charles Bowden, Red Line

The southwesternmost point of the Continental United States, Imperial Beach, CA – April 2022

Greetings from San Diego where, it’s true – I’ve run out of country on our journey west, even though escaping has never been our goal. It’s taken a little mental adjustment not just leaving the desert, but coming to California, with everything that means. Morgan is firmly settled on a different coast, enjoying a quiet few weeks in one of the quieter corners of Florida.

Nick PisanoMay 4, 2022May 4, 2022Nick's Blog

Life in Florida, and the Florida of the West: Weeks 28 & 29

Greetings to all our readers, and welcome to our latest and greatest destination: San Diego, California. I will do my damnedest to avoid too many Anchorman references, but no promises.

I arrived here on Sunday after departing from the criminally underrated city of Tucson. I’ve jokingly referred to Arizona as the Florida of the West early on in our visit here. But the longer I’ve thought about the concept, the more appropriate it seems. Consider the following:

Nick PisanoApril 25, 2022Nick's Blog

Torrid Temps in Tucson: Weeks 26 & 27

Hello again from the Sonoran desert, where we’ve gotten used to daily 90 degree temperatures much faster than I’d have expected, considering we were snowbound in Santa Fe just a few weeks ago. Life is different in a real city after a month in Adobe Disneyland, and we’re making the most of it.

Nick PisanoApril 12, 2022April 12, 2022Nick's Blog

Meth and PBR in ABQ: Week 25

Hola and buenos noches from our new home for the next month, Tucson, Arizona – set in the Sonoran Desert less than an hour from the Mexican border, and home of Saguaro National Park. I’ve always had a fondness for cactuses – probably because I’m not nearly as good at keeping plants alive as Morgan thinks I am. In any case, we’re sure to make plenty of spiny friends over the coming weeks.

Nick PisanoMarch 30, 2022March 30, 2022Nick's Blog

It Grows As It Goes: Weeks 22 & 23

Hello again from Santa Fe, America’s oldest capital city and a significantly nicer capital city than the one we previously lived in. We’re just over halfway through our month here, which has flown by in a way that makes me wonder how I ever did trips shorter than this. This place is different than anywhere I’ve ever experienced in so many ways – including one of the cooler and weirder state mottos. But we’ll get to all that in a second.

Santa Fe from Cross of the Martyrs Park – March 2022

This one’s another long one, so get comfortable. I promise to try to get back to shorter, weekly posts now that I’ve mostly caught up.

Nick PisanoMarch 15, 2022March 17, 2022Nick's Blog

Park Views: Theodore Roosevelt Side Trail and Pulpit Rock

pulpit rock theodore roosevelt side trail — Pulpit Rock, Rock Creek Park – June 2021

Teddy Roosevelt loved to hike, and Rock Creek Park was his favorite place to do it while president. We’re taking a look at one of his favorite spots and the trail that leads there and bears his name in another installment of Park Views. Let’s head on down the Theodore Roosevelt Side Trail and see what we find.

Nick PisanoJune 5, 2021August 3, 2021By Foot, Park Views, Videos

Park Views: Rock Creek Park’s Miller Cabin

Joaquin Miller Cabin Rock Creek Park Washington DC — Miller Cabin, Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC – April 2021

Those who’ve traveled through Rock Creek Park just north of Military Road may have seen a small wood structure set between the creek and Beach Drive. It’s known as Miller Cabin, and it provides a unique glimpse into DC’s past. But why is it even here? Let’s take a closer look.

Nick PisanoMay 19, 2021August 3, 2021By Foot, Park Views, Videos

4 Days In Big Bend: A West Texas Road Trip

A long weekend road trip to Big Bend that’ll have you coming back for years to come.

It’s called Big Bend for a reason – people aren’t kidding when they say everything is bigger in Texas. Also known as Far West Texas or Transpecos, it’s larger than South Carolina. Still, it is home to fewer than a hundred thousand people outside the populous El Paso metro. The area is defined by the beautiful, desolate Chihuahuan Desert, North America’s largest, and the sweeping bend in the Rio Grande that gives the region its name. And remote doesn’t even begin to describe most parts of the area. No matter where you are, you’re practically a few hours from anywhere.

All of these issues mean most Americans (and even many Texans) have never made the trek. But they’re missing out on some of the state’s most unbelievable natural beauty, quirkiest small towns, and authentic border culture. With just a few days, you can get a taste of the region that’ll have you coming back for more again and again.

Nick PisanoMay 3, 2021August 3, 2021By Road, Places To Go, Travel Guides