Sleep was fitful on Thursday night. I kept waking up, walking over to my phone to check the time (no outlet next to the bed) only to see it had been an hour, maybe an hour and a half, since I'd last performed the same ritual. Finally, at 4:55 AM (five minutes before my alarm) … Continue reading The Route 66 Relics Tour
Waking up with the sun isn’t that difficult when you have a full day of exploration planned. What IS difficult, for me anyway, is ensuring that I balance my time adequately between wants and needs. As I wrote about a few days ago, I can sometimes get carried away and take way more time than … Continue reading A Dash of Enchantment
I was startled awake Tuesday morning by a strange sound. As I stirred from a deep sleep, my brain tried to assign a source to this sound. At first, it sounded like the crackling of wood burning...which was slightly alarming. Then, I thought it was someone knocking on the bedroom door. As the last bit of fog … Continue reading Eastward Ho!
I get antsy before a big trip. What if I have a lousy time? What if I don't get any good pictures? What if I don't get to meet any new people? As with several areas in my life, I tend to go to worst-case-scenario in my brain before anything actually happens. One of the things … Continue reading The End is the Beginning
Saturday was a special day! Not only did I get to take a drive, not only did Samantha join me, but I was able to start introducing her to some of my Route 66 family! Over the last six months, I've met dozens of people from all over the world that have become 'Friends for Life' … Continue reading Sharing my Route 66 World
My original plan for this weekend was to venture north to the Tallgrass Prairie with a few friends for a cleanup project, but that didn't pan out for me due to a high chance of rain and a cold that was trying to gain strength. Still, I had already taken Saturday off of work and found … Continue reading Change of Plan
I still consider myself the 'shy kid'. Although I recognize that I've grown a lot in the last few years and my worldly experiences have broken me of many habits, I still have the same tendencies when I am with a group of people for the first time. My little demon of insecurity tells me … Continue reading Friends for Life
Since I started traveling around Oklahoma with my camera, there have been a few things I've seen that have stopped me in my tracks and filled me with a child-like sense of wonder. The abandoned high school in Skedee, the old Bird Creek bridge in Avant, and the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School immediately come to … Continue reading The Lincoln County Express
There's a small town southwest of Springfield, Missouri called Paris Springs. Well, "town" is generous; technically it's a "small unincorporated community". It probably wouldn't even be that, but it has a special lifeblood: it sits on old Route 66. In Paris Springs, there's a small service station called Gary's Gay Parita. It's an odd name, but … Continue reading The Turning of Time
I remember the day I saw Dad's new 2005 Mustang for the first time; he had driven down from Topeka, Kansas to visit Mom. Although they were divorced (and had been for a little while by then) acceptance was tough for him, which meant frequent visits. He had bought my Ford Focus a few months … Continue reading Built for the Road Ahead
Rhys' Pieces 