Take Back Roads

02/04/2025

Does anyone even post or interact on Facebook anymore?

09/05/2024

GUESS WHAT!

I'm going to be on Sirius XM radio this Saturday morning! I got an email a few weeks ago from Dave Nemo Show asking me if I would like to be interviewed on their show! I actually thought it was a spam/spoof email and very nearly deleted it... but I'm glad I didn't! Details on how to listen in are on the homepage below. (I'll be on Dave Nemo's show, Saturday morning 7-11AM EST)

***EEK***

09/04/2024

Well, in today's annoying news, the last two hours or so of writing I did did not auto-save .... and though I thought I had hit the "publish changes" button before taking a break, apparently that did not work either. I've been struggling to find motivation to write as it is, this doesn't help! 😒😒

A comprehensive cross country road trip guide, with things to see & do, the best routes to take, plus insights from seasoned road trippers.

08/22/2024

This is no bu****it. I'll post a picture of mine along this route in the comments. I've done nearly this entire route, heading north on 550 from Durango, around and back down past Telluride on 145, the onto 160 heading west into Utah. It's in my top five most beautiful drives in America, easily.

Telluride Publishing is proud to produce the San Juan Skyway Visitor Guide. We showcase the people, places, and activities that make it so special here.

05/31/2024

It's Friday - you made it! Now... Make it happy!!

05/14/2024

Which version is your favorite?

I used to stop taking photos of the night sky when the moon comes up, because it completely washes out the Milky Way. Once I opened my mind to the concept, though, I quickly realized that I was missing out on a wide range of new photographic possibilities!

During my recent trip to the eastern Sierra late last month, the rising moon provided rather dramatic opportunities to capture the stars over the stunning snow-capped peaks!! Let me know in the comments which version - 1-4 - is your favorite!

#395

05/02/2024

Warming my ass by the fire while staring at the starry sky is one of my favorite things to do

04/26/2024

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to wild camp I go!! Wish me luck! If things work out well... I should have some ... stellar ... pictures to show you! 😁

04/25/2024

Hello my faithful friends! Just wanted to let you know, I'm in another bonus earning period with Amazon, so if you need to order any gear - whether camping, photography, or ANYTHING else on Amazon - please go to my website and click on ANY of the Amazon links you'll see on ANY of my pages to do your shopping! By clicking on any of the Amazon links you'll see on TBR, I'm able to earn both commission PLUS bonus payouts - at NO COST to you! Shop the same way you normally would... and help support Take Back Roads while you're at it! Again - this costs you nothing - the prices are exactly the same as if you went to Amazon's homepage and started shopping.

Thank you all for your endless support!!

Seeking authentic travel experiences, one back road at a time. A great place to find more info about driving on back roads! Welcome to Take Back Roads, where you will discover authentic travel experiences, adventures, and local businesses... one back road at a time!

04/16/2024

Free entry to all National Parks this Saturday!

Also... this is their photo of Badlands National Park... mine is in the comments!

Save the date! This coming Saturday, in celebration of National Park Week, the National Park Service will waive entrance fees so everyone can explore our country's vast history and beauty.

There is a national park closer than you think — find yours today: https://www.nps.gov/findapark

Photo at Badlands National Park by Donna Schneider

04/16/2024

So apparently my instagram posts are no longer posting here at the same time... That sucks. The last thing I want/need is a reason to spend even more time on social media. BLAH.

That said - I'm going back to the desert to camp in a few weeks!! I'm **really** hoping to see a ton of blooms when we're there.

If I'm going to be posting separately from here on, I need to have something to give me some interaction and excitement - what would you all like to see / read / learn about?

Or, what travel-related questions do you need answers for?

04/13/2024

So my best friend sent me a couple pictures from his trip to Patagonia last night (not the one I'm posting, of course) and it got me thinking... it's time to start traveling for real again. Like... outside of the state of California. sooo.......

Where should we go next? Mom, I already know your answer is MV so don't bother LOL!

03/28/2024

I'm a recent transplant. There's a saying I'm discovering as the days turn to weeks to months and years: "The rainy days are my favorite." Moving here from the second rainiest city in America ( ), this didn't exactly resonate with me at first....

But... as I've come to learn more and more about life in my chosen home, the better that I'm starting to understand this expression. The rainy days are often the most beautiful ones here in .

Sure, the months and months of sunny, warm, breezy days are absolutely dreamy. Yes, I'm bragging - coastal California is very close to paradise. But... it has it's raw edges. It's definitely not "ideal." You can fly to Hawaii and experience weather perfection, I suppose.

But it often takes going out on those raw days to experience the most picturesque ambience here. Maybe I'm thinking too highly of my photography skills, but this feels like an image you could see in a news story or NatGeo even. Sure, I'm being ridiculous, but I'm proud of my work.

This view is beautiful 365 days a year, I'm quite sure: I've seen it in all sorts of weather conditions over the past three years. But it's when the weather has that biting edge that it takes on the kind of mood that Northern California is most widely known - and loved - for.

This is such a perfect analogy of life. If you could have dreamy weather 24/7/365, sure.... who wouldn't love that? But you need those raw, rainy afternoons to really experience the truest beauty of life. For without the humidity and rain, we wouldn't have the clouds and the colors of a stunning sunset.

The cherry on top of it all? The image file number is 707 ... the area code for SoCo.

02/27/2024

Say cheese!

02/13/2024

I would say Happy Monday ... but I think we all would know that I'm lying. LOL! Anywhoooooo... enjoy this shot from a year or three ago out on the Pacific Coast Highway. I need to get back out there before the fog season starts to shoot more images like this.

02/09/2024

Remember the hoodoos I posted yesterday? I think I got pretty close, given that I was on Day 2 of a five day SOLO cross country road trip! Have you ever ventured off-road and off-route during a road trip? What was your favorite off-route adventure?

02/07/2024

The allure of unique desert rock formations is often far too strong a force for me to resist the temptation to get closer... a lot closer. How close to those distant hoodoos do you think I dared to venture?

02/05/2024

Calling the Bay Area's biggest bridge a back road is a bit bombastic, but I'm here for a handful of hyperbole - and alliteration, apparently!