Tag United States of America

The Holy Grail

Almost The Holy Grail at the Grand Junction Museum

The Holy Grail is in Grand Junction, Colorado. It sits in a plexiglass case case in the Museum of the West. At least, they thought it was the Holy Grail. In 1910 when the Chalice of Antioch was first discovered, it toured the world as the Holy Grail. It competed for attention at the 1933 Chicago World Fair. It took over thirty years before anyone noticed that the piece was from the 4th or 5th century. To add insult to injury, the spoil sports at the Walters Art Museum question whether the artifact even warrants the title of chalice as it is more likely an ornate lamp.

Read MoreThe Holy Grail

Doc Holiday’s Grave

The grave marker for Doc Holiday...which does not mark Holiday's grave. Or does it?

While driving through one of the most scenic highways in America (a stretch of highway 70 through White River National Forest) we discovered that we would be driving past Doc Holiday's Grave in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Apparently, he came to Glenwood Springs for treatment before succumbing to consumption. We had just come through Tombstone, AZ a few months before, so we considered this an appropriate stop. While the hike to the graveyard was only half a mile, the elevation had us huffing and puffing. But we were rewarded, not only with the monument to Doc Holiday, but a spectacular view.

Read MoreDoc Holiday’s Grave

Garden of the Gods

In what is clearly nature's escalation in geologic awesomeness for our exclusive delight, Colorado sought to out-do Kansas's Monument Rocks with the Garden of the Gods. This rock formation features slabs of earth turned nearly vertical to form a unique ridge of stone. On such a beautiful day, the park was swamped in tourists enjoying the first warm day after a surprise spring blizzard had piled the city high with snow only a week ago. In a way, we almost couldn't blame the other cars that had filled the parking lot. Of course everyone would want to get in on this beauty. We were content to drive the main loop twice before heading on.

Read MoreGarden of the Gods

Starr Kempf’s Kinetic Sculptures

Most people go to museums to experience professionally curated art. We rely on the road and serendipity to guide our experiences. Such was the case when we had an hour to kill in Colorado Springs and a general heading—one that took us near the house of the kinetic artist, Starr Kempf. While Kempf may be constructing etherial whirligigs beyond this mortal coil, several of his striking structures still grace the front yard of his former home.

Read MoreStarr Kempf’s Kinetic Sculptures

Monument Rocks

We love National Parks with massive rock formations. But the title of "National Park" tends to also be synonymous with "overcrowded." There is, of course, a paradox in National Parks: they are meant to preserve unique natural wonders but also share them at the same time. Rarely are those two missions compatible. That is why it is great to visit stunning parts of America that haven't quite become National Parks. Instead, they could be, say, a National Natural Landmark like, Kansas' Monument Rocks.

Read MoreMonument Rocks

City Museum

Crawling through the winding passages of the museum can be a truly surreal experience—particularly when traveling through spiraling wire mesh, unsure where, or even if, you will get out.

Yes, we are back in St. Louis and this time, it's serious. We woke up at 5 am to arrive with enough time to explore the City Museum before it closed at 5PM. Oh, it was worth it.

Read MoreCity Museum

I Watch The Watchmen

It's another Saturday night, and I'm parked in a hotel. I'm actually sleeping in something other than my van. But it seems like others are sticking with their cars. Looking out on the hotel parking lot, there is quite the selection of boats parked behind pickup trucks. Quite a few people went fishing this weekend. What they are doing now, though, is watching their boats. While they clearly do have hotels rooms, several are sitting in and around their boats. Granted, this certainly isn't the nicest part of town. (We aren't willing to shell out the amount of money it would take to stay there.) Yet, it just seems pointless to rent a hotel room, cheap as it may be, only to spend the night watching your boat.

Read MoreI Watch The Watchmen

The Mistake

Some mistakes lack any humor. Like yesterday: a photographer walks into a restaurant and leaves their camera. See, not funny. Maybe if I had walked into a bar, there would be some value in being able to say "a photographer walks into a bar..." but there isn't even that.

Read MoreThe Mistake

Surfside Beach, Texas

Sunset over Surfside Beach, Texas

Ours can be quite the tough lot in life. We get woken up by sex workers, compete with drug dealers for hotel rooms, and occasionally find ourselves at restaurants with rancid bacon.* But once and a while, it all pays off. Sometimes we find a culinary gem or a hidden oddity. In this case, we got an upgrade. To celebrate Valentines (on our own time) we reserved a room with a king bed at the Ocean Village Hotel, right on Surfside Beach, Texas. The morning we were to travel there, I got a phone call: "Unfortunately, the room [we] had reserved is under construction. Is it ok to climb stairs? Really? That's great! We'll put you in the Honeymoon suite."

Read MoreSurfside Beach, Texas