We travelled down the coast as far as Florence before bailing on our plans for Bandon. As much as I’d like to play Bandon Dunes, we saw enough of the coast and had a stronger urge to get to Bend. Fortunately, we were able to cancel our hotel in Bandon, and booked a ...

We checked into the Ocean Lodge at Cannon Beach yesterday. Upon checking into our pet-friendly room, Cali marked her trail by immediately taking a leak in the living room. This caught all of us off guard. We can’t remember the last time Cali “went business” in the house–but the urge must have ...

Our trip from Bozeman to Hood River, OR was uneventful, 700 miles and about 12 hours with a brief stop through Coeur d’Alene, Idaho–where they had run the Ironman Triathlon the day prior. Once in Hood River, we grabbed dinner at 3 Rivers Grill–where we sat outside on a deck overlooking the Columbia River ...

The journey from Rapid City to Bozeman seemed like an easy drive (460 miles), so we decided to sleep in and push off a bit later. This proved to be a mistake as we typically get on the road at the crack of dawn in an effort to arrive to our destination earlier. ...

We left Chicago on Thursday morning and drove 900+ miles to Rapid City, South Dakota–where we spent two nights. It took the better part of 15 hours, but the driving was easy…75 MPH speed limit and all one road (90 West). This was some of the most remote countryside seen, and the drive ...

Tuesday, June 21 would represent the first day of our Summer roadtrip. It was spent driving to Chicago, where we stayed a couple days with Yvonne’s family. Upon our arrival (after spending 12 hours in the car), we were greeted by severe thunderstroms and loss of power that evening. Unfortunately, power still ...

Our Spring Break getaway to St. John got off to a rocky start to say the least. After spending more than an hour trying to get through TSA at Dulles airport, we arrived at the gate just as they were closing the door. Unbeknownst to us, the airlines habitually overbook flights and reassign ...

As my sabbatical draws to a close, I inventoried how time was spent the last 8 months. Not surprisingly, people’s reactions were varied upon hearing about my time away from the business. “What’s wrong”?, they would ask. People presume that extended time away from work represents health, marital, or other personal issues. ...

With my sabbatical winding down, we returned Saturday evening from our final vacation of the Summer. We left a week ago Thursday, and our first stop was Niagra Falls—one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We spent a few hours exploring the massive Falls, and particularly enjoyed Cave of the Winds and ...

4th of July is Yvonne’s favorite time to return home to Glencoe, IL—a quaint suburb on Chicago’s North Shore. We returned last night from a week-long stay with her family and had a fantastic time. This trip represented Cali’s first long road trip and she handled the 12 hours in the car like ...