4 Favorite Stops (2022)

To be honest, it’s hard to pick my favorite stops because almost every place I’ve visited this year has had something that made it worth the time and energy to get there. From museums to special events, sightseeing boat tours and window shopping, it came down to these four wildly different places as my picks.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, AZ

Way south, almost to Mexico, this is a place you have to want to visit because it’s not on the way to anywhere else. But, it is so worth it, even when it’s brutally hot in March and there’s no electric sites anywhere and precious little shade. As a late-in-life desert rat, I found this place to be one more stop in my continuing education of the beauties of the sparse, dry desert land. You have to look to see that beauty but once you slow down and really absorb the place, it will never leave you.

Related posts: Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Ajo Scenic Drive

Eureka Springs, AR

After being buffeted by high winds and extremely hot weather, the little hippie-ish town of Eureka Springs turned out to be just what I needed. A couple of diner-style breakfasts with friends, an afternoon of window shopping (and for-reals shopping, too) in town, and some mellow vibes definitely restored my equilibrium, ready to continue my eastward journey.

Providence, RI

I originally decided to check out Providence on a whim, because a good friend had mentioned it as a possible landing spot at some future time. Despite living in or near Boston for 12 years, I’d never actually made it down to Providence. (I know, crazy, right?!) So I camped about 30 miles away in Connecticut (West Thompson Lake USACE campground) and drove into Providence twice. The first time, I wandered around the downtown area, found a great little bookstore (be still, my heart!) and then took an open-boat tour to get a proper introduction to the city’s history and architecture. I went back a few days later and enjoyed the street party known as Waterfire. Now I’m kind of in love with Providence, which feels to me like a smaller, albeit slightly different, version of Boston, right down to the pedestrian paths on both sides of the river.

Goose Point Park, VA

I was only here for three nights, but it was also probably the best three days of fall foliage I’ve experienced in my life. As a SoCal native, I never saw (or appreciated!) fall foliage till I moved east and then I could never quite get my timing right to see the full-blown majesty of trees making one last beautiful stand before sliding into the bareness of winter. Every day, twice a day, I wandered around the campground taking pictures of the colors and admiring nature’s handiwork. Even the road in and out of the park, five miles of twists and turns, was beautiful. This might not be a super-fun place any other time of year, but for my October visit, it was perfect and that’s why it rounds out my Top 4 list.

Ask yourself what makes you come alive.

Howard Thurman