Well, I’ve seen something unexpected in Cincinnati  … In my first days here, while walking in one of the city parks, I happened to see a lizard run across the path in front of me, and though he was too fast for me to get a photo, I saw enough of him to stop in … More An Unexpected Lizard Surprise …

The William Howard Taft National Historic Site in Cincinnati is the boyhood home of President Taft. Perhaps one of our more obscure Presidents, Taft was unique in that after leaving the White House he was appointed as Chief Justice on the Supreme Court, making him the only American to ever head two branches of government. … More William Taft Historical Site

The Cincinnati Zoo is probably most famous for being the home of the last living Passenger Pigeon and also the last living Carolina Parakeet, before both species went extinct. But it’s actually a very nice zoo with a great collection. Despite all the zoos I have been to, it even managed to have some species … More Cincinnati Zoo

This is a small park in Cincinnati (well, technically it is in the suburb of Colerain) that is within walking distance of my camping spot. It’s a great place to walk around for an afternoon. Some photos. ​The park ​One of the trails ​Catbird ​A fly pretending to be a bee ​Not sure what birdie … More Farbach-Werner Nature Preserve

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] If you live in a van, of course, the simplest way of getting around to the places in the city … More Vanlife: Getting Around

This is a powerful museum in downtown Cincinnati. It’s mission to present the history of slavery and the resistance to it, past and present. Some photos from a visit. ​The museum ​A slave pen, from Kentucky, used to house slaves who were being transported for sale ​The story of “Box” Brown, who mailed himself to … More Underground Railroad Freedom Center

I’ll be here for about a month. After that I am thinking about Omaha NE, depending on what the weather is like then. Like most cities, Cincinnati was built along a river—in this case the Ohio. There’s a series of parks that run along the river, and they make a great place to walk around … More Greetings From Cincinnati

Stopped in Pittsburgh for a day on my way to Ohio. This is sort of a homecoming for me, since Pittsburgh was the very first city I visited way back when I started traveling four years ago. I spent most of the day in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History (one of my favorites), then … More A Day in Pittsburgh

[NOTE: I’ve blogged all these “how-to” posts before, but am gonna re-run them on occasion, since folks may have missed them, and many of them have been updated or expanded since they were first posted.] Most people can’t live without their TV or DVD. I don’t have a TV set or DVD player in the … More Vanlife: Entertainment

The Spotted Lanternfly, an obscure insect from Asia, has recently established itself as an invasive species in Pennsylvania, where frantic efforts are being made to halt its spread. ​Spotted Lanternfly ​A squashed Spotted Lanternfly The Lanternflies are a widespread group of insects in the order known as Hemipterans, or “True Bugs”. There are about 125 … More Pennsylvania’s Invader: The Spotted Lanternfly