It was a beautiful sunny morning as we drove south through the Santa Cruz Valley towards Tumacacori National Historic Park, just about twenty miles north of Nogales on the Mexican border. This scenic valley has a long history of human occupation; the earliest evidence stretches back into the last Ice Age over 12,000 years ago, [...]
The name Tucson comes from a Spanish interpretation of a Tohono O’odham phrase meaning “at the base of the black hill.” An appropriate, descriptive name since the earliest inhabitants did live near the base of a small hill made of dark basalt, a volcanic rock. For us it means home. I have lived here since [...]
It would be strange to be in Kentucky and not stop at Mammoth Cave National Park, after all it is the world’s largest cave system. Even though it has been mapped at over 350 miles long, all of the known cave fits well within the Park’s 53,000 surface acres. Through the ages, as slightly acidic [...]
Though the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has many enticing reasons to stay and explore we only had time for a brief stop in the northern part of the state. Pennsylvania means “Penn’s Woods” and was named after William Penn who was given the land by the King of England. The tract granted to Penn in 1681 [...]
We were in the Buffalo area to visit one of Lance’s many homelands; he lived here with his family in the mid–1980s while his father was attending SUNY. Amazingly, many of the things Lance remembered have stayed the same: his old house, his school, the pond where he used to play. Of course a great [...]
We entered the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York with no preset plan, we just figured we’d find something interesting in the area, and we did. The Finger Lakes themselves consist of either seven or eleven (depending on who you ask) long river valleys that were dammed by glacial moraines at the end of [...]
Our first stop in New York wasn’t far from where we crossed Lake Champlain: Fort Ticonderoga. The strategically located fort stands on a peninsula that juts out into Lake Champlain. The lake was once an important part of a network of waterways; it is near Lake George on one end and connects to the St. [...]
What do you get when you combine big apples, long lakes, Dutch spices, and British dukes? New York, of course!
Erin details her take on the state’s rich history in New York State of Mind.
What’s so special about Vermont? These Green Mountains have a story to tell. From Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to Ethan Allen to The Jungle Book, the state’s history is rich with illustrious characters.
Curious? Read Erin’s account in The Green Mountain State.
New Hampshire: mountains, rivers, world-class skiing, and… politicians? Yes, the state does have its share of characters, including one President and a Secretary of State.
Read Live Free or What? to learn more about the history of the Granite State.
fautrever.com chronicles the Travel Adventures of Lance and Erin Willett. We are traveling across North America in a 34’ RV—living and working from the road. Contact us or read more about us.
Where are we now? Tucson, AZ 85719. 
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