My five previous travel ebooks (here) all had musical titles, so I figured I had to pick a good one for my Summer Road Trip 2022. And since I grew up in Michigan listening to local boy, Bob Seger sing about his life on the road, I thought it only right to pick one of his big hits. However, little did I know when I began planning this trip how the last line "Next time. We'll get it right." would prove to be so prophetic. With that said, I'll let the guy who used to play our high school dances kick off this adventure with his epic lyrics and video of the song below.  

Stood alone on a mountaintop starin' out at the Great Divide.
I could go east, I could go west, it was all up to me to decide.
Just then I saw a young hawk flyin' and my soul began to rise
And pretty soon, My heart was singin'
Roll, roll me away, I'm gonna roll me away tonight
Gotta keep rollin', gotta keep ridin',
keep searchin' till I find what's right
And as the sunset faded, I spoke to the faintest first starlight
And I said next time. Next time. We'll get it right.

Bob Seger, "Roll Me Away" < link to song ​ 

Table Of Contents
01. Roll Me Away. 
02. Deep In The Heart Of Texas. 
03. Amazing Places: Marfa, TX. Part 1. 
04. Amazing Places: Marfa, TX. Part 2. 
05. Amazing Places: Marfa, TX. Part 3. 
06. Amazing Places: Marfa, TX. Part 4. 
07. Amazing Places: Marfa, TX. Part 5. 
08. Davy Crockett. 
09. Amazing Places: Luckenbach, Texas. 
10. Lessons Learned On A Long Dark Road. 
11. Amazing Places: Rock Hill, NY. Part 1. 
12. Amazing Places: Rock Hill, NY. Part 2. 
13. Amazing Places: Rock Hill, NY. Part 3.  
14. Amazing Places: New Paltz, NY. Part 1. 
15. Amazing Places: New Paltz, NY. Part 2. 
16. Amazing Places: Roscoe, NY. 
17. Amazing Places: Livingston Manor, NY. Part 1. 
18. Amazing Places: Livingston Manor, NY. Part 2.  
19. Amazing Places: Phoenicia, NY. 
20. Steve Heller's Fabulous Furniture Part 1.  
21. Steve Heller's Fabulous Furniture Part 2. 
22. Amazing Places: Woodstock, NY. 
23. Amazing Places: Stone Arch Bridge.  
24. Amazing Places: Jeffersonville, NY.  
25. Take Me Back To Church.  ​
26. Amazing Places: Callicoon, NY. Part 1.  
​27. Amazing Places: Callicoon, NY. Part 2.  
28. Amazing Places: Narrowsburg, NY. Part 1.  
29. Amazing Places: Narrowsburg, NY. Part 2.  ​
30. Hippie Paul Bunyan.  
31. The Dove Trail.  
32. Amazing Places: Michigan Brewing Works. 
33. Honoring Those Who Have Served. 
34. Amazing Places: Dexter, MI. Part 1. 
35. Amazing Places: Dexter, MI. Part 2. 
36. Amazing Places: Chelsea, MI. Part 1. 
37. Amazing Places: Chelsea, MI. Part 2. 
38. Amazing Places: Clarkston, MI. Part 1. 
39. Amazing Places: Clarkston, MI. Part 2. 
​40. Stumbling Onto The Stumbling Mice.  
41. Welcome To Utica, Michigan. 
42. Trinity Lutheran, Utica, MI.  
43. Sunsets Near Utica, Michigan. Part 1. 
44. Sunsets Near Utica, Michigan. Part 2.  
45. Sunsets Near Utica, Michigan. Part 3. 
46. Amazing Places: Utica, MI. Part 1. 
47. Amazing Places: Utica, MI. Part 2.  
48. The Portal To Heaven.  
49. Peace Lutheran, Shelby Township, MI. 
50. Amazing Places: Midland, MI. Part 1. 
51. Amazing Places: Midland, MI. Part 2.  
52. Amazing Places: Midland, MI. Part 3.
​53. Amazing Places: Mason, MI. Part 1. 
54. Amazing Places: Mason, MI. Part 2.  
55. Amazing Places: Mason, MI. Part 3. 
56. Eastern Market, Detroit, MI. 
57. The Murals Of Detroit, MI. 
58. The Heidelberg Project, Detroit, MI. 
59. The Basilica of Sainte Anne de Detroit. 
60. Eastern Michigan University. 
61. Animal House. 
62. Sidetrack, Depot Town, Ypsilanti, MI.  
63. Amazing Places: Wyandotte, MI. 
64. Trinity Lutheran, Wyandotte, MI. 
65. Roosevelt High School, Wyandotte, MI. 
66. A Trip Down Memory (Bowling) Lane. 
67. The Coffee Lounge, Wyandotte, MI. 
68. JP McGuire's Waterfront, Gibraltar, MI. 
​69. Macomb College.  
70. Amazing Places: Milford, MI.  
71. Amazing Places: South Haven, MI. Part 1.  
​72. Amazing Places: South Haven, MI. Part 2. 
73. You Ain't Seen Nothing Yeti.
74. Amazing Places: Saint Joseph, MI. 
75. Been There. Dune That. 
76. Amazing Places: Grand Haven, MI. 
77. Amazing Places: Rockford, MI. 
78. Flower Power, Rockford, MI. 
79. Thoroughbred Park, Lexington, KY. 
80. "Horse Mania", Lexington, KY. 
81. Metropolis, IL, Home Of Superman. 
82. Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, Omaha, NE. 
83. Gene Leahy Mall, Omaha, NE. 
84. The Old Market, Omaha, NE. 
85. The Edge Of The Universe. 
86. Nebraska Rocks!
87. Colorado Is Just Plane Terrific. 
88. Amazing Places: Salida, CO. 
89. What On Earthship? 
90. I've Seen It Raining Fire In The Sky. 
91. Ghost Writers In The Sky. 
92. Villa Grove or Villa Groovy? ​
93. Something To Yak About. 
94. Amazing Places: Moffat, CO. 
95. Going To The Grammy's. 
96. Rust In Peace. 
97. Amazing Places: Crestone, CO. Part 1. 
98. Amazing Places: Crestone, CO. Part 2. 
99. Amazing Places: Crestone, CO. Part 3.  
100. Sand Dunes Recreation, Hooper, CO. 
101. Gillette's Trading Post, Saguache, CO.  
102. 4th Street Diner, Saguache, CO. 
103. It's Showtime! 
104. The Truth Is Out Here. 
105. It's A Sign. 
106. Amazing Places: Pagosa Springs, CO. Part 1.  
107. Amazing Places: Pagosa Springs, CO. Part 2. 
108. Thank You For A Super Trip. 
109. Roll Me Away: Parting Shot. 
110. For More Travel And Encouragement.

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I try to take a different route every road trip, hence the pun, "Stories From The Road Les(s) Traveled". And to be truthful, I have avoided Texas in the past because it takes FOREVER to drive across it. How big is Texas? Well for one, the entire world population of 7.8 billion could fit into the state if it had the population density of New York City.​ But like most states in America, Texas has so many Amazing Places to see that it is well worth the drive to experience them. And what follows is just a taste of some of the wonders I discovered deep in the heart of Texas. 

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I wanted my first stop to be Marfa, Texas for two reasons. First, in my research I found out it was a world renowned art center located in the middle of nowhere. (More on that in the next post.) Secondly, it is the home of the Marfa Lights, a legitimate UFO phenomenon. Need proof? Well, countless people have regularly witnessed mysterious glowing red, white and sometimes blue orbs that "hover, merge, twinkle, split into two, flicker, float up into the air or dart quickly across" the desert randomly throughout the night. Note that I went to the viewing site, but didn't see any signs of E.T..

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Prada Marfa is a permanent art installation that was built in nearby Valentine, TX in 2005. Surrounded by sweeping desert vistas, the building is stocked with real Prada shoes and bags. The eerie and serene structure sat on the highway in relative obscurity until 2017 when pop singer Beyonce released a photo of herself jumping in front of it. And according to Wikipedia, it has since been featured in The Simpsons episode "Mad About the Toy." and in the science fiction film Destination Marfa.
 
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What I didn't know until I researched Marfa, TX was that much of the acclaimed movie Giant was filmed there. The film starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean, Carroll Baker, Dennis Hopper, Sal Mineo and Rod Taylor was a big deal in Hollywood and won multiple Oscars. But it was - and still is - a much bigger deal in Marfa, TX, as you can tell by this Giant art installation alongside the road. In fact, the movie that was years ahead of it's time championing social equality, is still remembered fondly by the locals, celebrated in documentary form, and even became the centerpiece of Kevin Costner's first movie, Fandango.

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Hotel Paisano is a gorgeous place in the center of Marfa, TX. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in October, 1929 just days before the start of the "great depression". It opened in June, 1930 and soon became known as "the most elegant hotel between El Paso and San Antonio". In June, 1955, Warner Brothers made Hotel Paisano it's headquarters for the filming of Giant. And so James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and the other cast members and crew made the Hotel Paisano their gathering place. And today the hotel still honors that unique period in it's storied history with a "Giant" memorabilia room. 

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When I heard that there was a statue dedicated to Davy Crockett in Ozona, TX, my inner 9 year old boy started freaking out. Because like most kids from the 50's, I grew up watching this frontier hero lead epic Disney adventures on our black and white tv. And I dreamed of wearing a coon skin hat while singing his very catchy theme song...

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee,
Greenest state in the land of the free.
Raised in the woods so's he knew every tree,
Killed him a bear when he was only three.
Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.   

Fess Parker, "Ballad Of Davy Crockett" < link to song 

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I think road trips are a good metaphor for life. There are times of surprising joy, wonder and adventure. And there are times where you have to travel down a long dark road - one that usually teaches you a lesson. The latter happened to me when I discovered on route that I had contracted Covid despite being triple vaxed. I immediately realized that I couldn't responsibly visit all the amazing places and wonderful people I had spent months planning to see. I was debating whether to turn back when my extended family graciously offered me a safe place to quarantine. Since my symptoms were relatively mild, I was able to marathon drive the nearly 2000 miles - all while taking measures not to infect anyone else. 

So what's the lesson here? Well, as John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans." And what I learned is that life had a different plan for me that meant I had to let go of all the fun plans I'd busily made...for now. But ever the optimist, now that I'm healthy again I'm already plotting a do over for next year. And with a little luck and grace from above, the Bob Seger lyrics I quoted in Chapter 01 will come true..."Next time. We'll get it right."

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