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Author Archives: smspangler
Shadows & Reflections of Reality
If you seek the fountain of youth, check out Fort Dodge, Iowa. When I asked about a single room for the night of August 22, 2016, the Comfort Inn clerk immediately offered me the senior-citizen rate. “It’s our best!” she … Continue reading
Posted in Community, Craft Beer, Lodging, Main Street
Tagged AZ, Grand Canyon, Laundromat, Route 66, Williams
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Lessons Learned in the Search for New Nouns
Crossing the burnt-brown desert leg of Route 66, I asked myself, Why am I doing this? At 70 mph, opening my helmet visor was like sticking my face in a convection oven set somewhere between 110°F and 115°F. The answer … Continue reading
Posted in Motorcycle, Travel, Writing
Tagged Creative Process, Travel Experiences, Travel Lessons
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Serendiculous Diversions & Nice People
Where we would sleep the night after the start of the great flat tire adventure depended on who had a Michelin 170/60 ZR17 Road Pilot 4 GT. After about a half hour of calling shops located in ever longer ridges … Continue reading
Posted in Main Street, Motorcycle, Travel
Tagged Motorcycles, Ozzie's BMW, Travel Challenges
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Following the Scenic Dotted Line & Other Adventures
In the 1970s, I made my inaugural exploration of California Highway 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Highway or, concisely, the PCH. On a series of trips I extended it through Oregon and Washington to Seattle, a route we … Continue reading
Posted in Lodging, Main Street, Motorcycle, Travel
Tagged Motorcycle, Pacific Coast Highway, Small Town Service
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Route 66 Connections: No Expectations, No Focus
When traveling without expectations, a journey is at first a series of disconnected experiences because it occurs organically, not in a series of marketing meetings that plan it from start to finish. That’s where I’ve been for the past two … Continue reading
Posted in Community, Food, Main Street, Motorcycle, Museum
Tagged Route 66, Small Town Cafe, Small Town Survival
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Route 66: There Will be Serendiculous Wrong Turns
With a multitude of cutoff towns and rerouted roads, there is not one true path for Route 66. You pick an era and hope for the best. For the most part, Ed and I have been following the 1926-30 route … Continue reading
Posted in Community, Food, Main Street, Motorcycle, Museum, National Historic Register
Tagged Route 66, Small Town Cafe, Travel Serindipity
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Route 66: Pink Lines & Roads Previously Traveled
Morning dawned gray and wet in Pacific, Missouri. Waiting it out seemed the best option because riding in the moist contrails of the semis barreling down the road unabated by the weather, seemed the best course of action. The Quality … Continue reading
Posted in Community, Main Street, Motorcycle, Museum, Travel
Tagged Highway Progress, Route 66, Small Town Cutoffs, Small Town Survival
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Route 66: Following the Pink Line From Chicago to LA
As an aficionado of small towns and the people who live in them, there seemed no better way to explore those not yet visited than by following the path of the road that once connected them: Route 66. The towns … Continue reading
Posted in Community, Main Street, Motorcycle, National Historic Register, Travel
Tagged Motorcycle, Route 66, Small Town Survival
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Unrealistic Expectations and Geographic Surprises in Washington, DC
As all of my past half dozen or so trips to Washington, DC, have been for business, I’ve never had the time—no, I’ve never felt comfortable taking time from my appointed business mission—to visit the headquarters of the magazine that … Continue reading
Posted in Community, Museum, Travel
Tagged Lincoln Memorial, National Geographic, Reflecting Pool
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Community and Culture Survives and Thrives at Camp Lejeune
It has been 40 years since I was last immersed in the culture and community of the United States Marine Corps. At the time, I was a Navy photojournalist stationed on the USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), an amphibious command and … Continue reading
Small Town Traveler 