Phoenix, February 14-21, 2026

Posted: February 27th, 2026 | Filed under: Out Of Town

Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area:

Last year I ran by Central Park and got a kick out of the name, so I wanted to return:

The amount of classic design on display at the Martin Auto Museum is really impressive and you can even sit inside many of the cars — really luxurious:

Sunset on February 17, 2026:

Bacanora on Grand Avenue:

Lost Dutchman State Park just outside of Phoenix:

Sunrise happens relatively late — 7 a.m. — so you can often catch it:

Papago Park:

Arcosanti, an hour north of Phoenix is a fun artifact of 1970s-era utopian design principles:

Love’s Travel Stop is just down the street from Arcosanti before you get back on I-17 and has an amusing hot dog roller grill:

Sunset on February 19, 2026:

The first day of Spring Training at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick:

El Norteño‘s chimichangas are highly regarded:

Ocean City, New Jersey For Christmas

Posted: December 30th, 2025 | Filed under: Out Of Town

The Ocean City Boardwalk in Winter, first on Christmas Day:

Then a couple nights later in the waning hours of flurries:

JiLLy’s Arcade is open daily all year round:

Lake Placid, Twice

Posted: December 23rd, 2025 | Filed under: Out Of Town

Two visits to Lake Placid. The first was in 2019, when the temperature dipped all the way to -16 degrees, which was the coldest I’ve ever experienced. We intended to go cross country skiing and have fun in the snow and ended up spending most of the time inside at Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort:

Mirror Lake from the resort:

The second visit was during Covid, at the end of March/early April 2021. Stayed at the Crowne Plaza Lake Placid:

More Mirror Lake:

A hike in Henry’s Woods:

This being Spring Break, we drove on to Ocean City, New Jersey direct from the Adirondacks on April 2. Here’s one of my favorite spots, along New York State Route 73, at 11:45 a.m.:

Now an aside — I’ve spent over a year “catching up” on posting things — from as far back as 2017 until about April 2025. First NYC things, then updating region by region. I am all caught up and this is the very last picture I posted, the New Baltimore Service Area on the New York State Thruway — “Quizno’s is not open,” 2:00 p.m.:

Kingston, 2:56 p.m.:

Ocean City, 6:35 p.m.