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May 3, 2012 In 2012 Best of the Road Rally, Alaska, People, Photos

best of small town america

Here’s what Rand McNally and USA TODAY are sending teams out in search of, for the Best of the Road Rally 2012. The:

Most Fun
Most Patriotic
Most Beautiful
Best for Food
Friendliest

…small towns in America.

This Blue Lollipop Road sure has been to plenty of small town stuff on that list, so how about some daily pix until the voting ends to inspire you all to VOTE FOR US?

Ketchikan, AK local Mike took me and another traveler from “the lower 48” out fishing and touring on his boat one day during my summer 2010 visit. We stopped at a few spots, did some hiking, saw black bear and had a blast. The nature around the Naha River Trail was gorgeous!

I am not so good at fishing for what we were trying to catch though. Talk about a crack up when I caught these giant gelatinous things!

Just call me a fisherman on the Deadliest Catch.

Speaking of, later that evening after a shower for $1.25 in a laundromat (if you’re ever road tripping to AK and sleeping in your car, don’t forget your quarters for your every few days shower at various places like marinas and laundromats. It will be the best $1.25 you ever spent!)- I walked into an empty restaurant and ponied up to the bar for some eats and relaxation. 5 minutes in chatting with the staff, I was bombarded by a crew of fisherman “fresh” off the boat. These guys claimed they were the ones who actually caught the fish for the deadliest catch to stage for the TV show. I don’t know what the truth is, all I know is they were ready to P-A-R-T-Y and they were so entertaining I stayed for several hours observing. (They thought I was some secret spy reporter.) They made me stand up on the piano when another patron started playing so they could serenade me. I laughed so hard for 2 hours my stomach hurt. These guys were characters and then some. Quite the stories these Alaska Fishermen who spend 22 days straight on boats have.

I’d definitely categorize Ketchikan, AK as some amazing small town fun, friendly and beautiful. I met the real deal people that night!

May 2, 2012 In 2012 Best of the Road Rally, North Carolina, Photos

goin’ to carolina in my mind

…and body!

If you want a last minute flight deal to get outta cold dodge (like I did this past weekend) check outÂ Spirit Airlines. This is my second time on Spirit air in the past 6 months and I am loving them. They were cheaper than any other airline by hundreds of dollars once again, and I got my tickets 2 days before leaving. Some might say this is a big hitch: You have to pay to bring any luggage and you don’t get free soda. I think- what does that matter if my end cost is still less that $200 total with all taxes, fees, luggage, etc. to fly half way across the country? I’ll bring my own soda thanks.

So to the sunny warm south I went, and oh was it a much needed and awesome weekend! (Chicago is a truly amazing city but 38 degrees and rain on April 28th was my Windy City limit.)

I love me some NC. Not just for the sweet tea, hush puppies, heat and tanning time, but that southern charm and hospitality, the good friends I made when I lived here, and everything from the mountains and green of Boone and Blowing Rock, to the sandy beaches and sunsets of the Outer Banks. NC and all in between. This was taken at Border Station on my way to the Outer Banks a few months back:

(I always stop there for Dairy Queen Blizzards. Mmmm…chocolate ice cream, M&M’s and Oreos…)

OBX is by far my favorite beach area in the country. So much wide open:

and uninterrupted space to relax:

I’ve spent time there every summer for 14 years with a group of friends I love like family:

(I have a lot of cute pix I have taken of their kids they don’t know about. Plans for gifts later in life…:)

I lived in the Outer Banks during the summer of 2001 too. I always love to play on the dunes at Jockey’s Ridge:

… to lunch at Tortugas Lie:

….for yummy fresh sandwiches, fries and cold beer:

…and spend time alone on the beach at sunset:

Naturally I’ve explored spots like the Wright Brother’s National Memorial:

…where even the Park rangers like blue lollipops!

(I love a guy that’s a good sport:)

The Cape Hatteras LighthouseÂ is quite a sight to see:

Piping hot of the press, fresh Duck Donuts are always a good treat too:

…after you go for a run on the beach of course.

I love the back roads of the green and lush Boone and Blowing Rock:

…and other back country road all over the state:

Another coastal area I love and have lived in isÂ Wilmington. BeautifulÂ sun rise mornings:

…and sunset nights:

There’s something to be said about that warm humid air, the active lifestyle all over the state and that southern twang that leaves me always wanting more.Â If you’ve never explored around North Carolina, grab a bathing suit and a pair of hiking boots, throw the kayak on top of the car and don’t forget your sunscreen for all that sun. Road trip! Â If you need a guide, give me a call.

The Best of the Road Small Town America for 2012? I’m thinking some spots in NC could give others a good run for their money and I want to go find them! Vote for Team Blue Lollipop Road and we will come pay you a visit!

April 25, 2012 In 2012 Best of the Road Rally, Maine, News & Updates, People, Photos, Restaurants

VOTE FOR TEAM BLUE LOLLIPOP ROAD!

Team Blue Lollipop Road is leading votes so far, but we still have 20 days to go, so we still need your support!

CLICK HERE to vote for my Mom and I to be a part of the 2012Â Rand McNally and USA TODAY’s 2nd annual search for the Best Small Towns in America!

Here’s the dish on this Road Rally:

Rand McNally and USA TODAY send amateur travelers (that’s us!) across the country From Washington DC to Seattle exploring the Best Small Towns in America naming the Most Beautiful, Most Patriotic, Friendliest, Most Fun, and Best Small Town for Food with blogs,Â photos, reviews and videos to take you on the journey from wherever you are. (As if you are riding in the car with us!)

Talk about the perfect trip and exactly what Blue Lollipop Road exists for! I have always been an advocate of not just “vacation” travel (like only seeing sights at sites) but the immersion experience, actively engaged vs. passively observing. The nooks and crannies where you nosh and spend time with local characters is where you find the good stuff. Â Mom and I have always been fascinated with small town America (probably because we both grew up in a tiny town and appreciate where we came from so much) so we would LOVE to be one of the teams selected for this trip.

Here’s my mumsie and I:

Pick us! The Peacock’s (that’s our actual real last name) are ready for adventure!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Mom and I and cracks me up. The guy behind us is really enjoying his food while were relaxing on the patio at the Sea Dog Brewing Company in Maine with my brother and sister. It’s pretty awesome to be best buds with your Mom and siblings as an adult. (I couldn’t resist adding this photo of my adorable smilin’ brother with his yummy Sea Dog samples):

During this trip we stayed in Bath, (The City of ships!) and wandered different spots in Brunswick and around the Portland area. New England in the summer is just absolutely gorgeous, and Maine is one of our favorites.

…even on a cloudy day it’s beautiful:

If you’ve been following here of any amount of time, you know I have photos Â and stories galore of people, places and food from my 50 state adventures. But? I know I have only touched the surface of what the USA has to offer for small towns, so help Team Blue Lollipop Road get on the road this summer to go search for more!

April 17, 2012 In Illinois, Inspiration, Live the life you want to live, Photos

there’s no such thing as aimless wandering

I wander around alone in silence a lot.

I always feel incredibly powerful, capable, and hopeful when I take the time to.

People don’t believe me when I share that most of my hundreds of thousands of road miles have been spent in silence with only the sounds of the wind passing by my ears, but that’s the truth. There’s something that’s magical and empowering that happens when you let yourself wander and see your surroundings without interference.

Last week I was sitting at my desk, attempting to knock out a mile-long list of to-do’s and assignments and I was just not feeling in my groove. So? I got up and left my apartment to wander and get air in hopes for an energy boost. After a mile or two of walking, I became enamored with the bright sun, clouds, and blue sky reflecting off various buildings:

(…and some bright spring flowers too.)

I got that energy boost I hoped for and then some, to go back and knock out that pile of work I had.Â Quiet wander time relieves me when I am stressed, inspires me when I can’t seem to get creative, and it gives me giant injections of anything is possible feeling.

As adults, we don’t encourage or allow ourselves to be curious, or to wander to take in that zap of often needed healthy energy. Why? What’s the cutoff age for curiosity anyway? Why do we push kids to try, try, try everything, explore that field of flowers, play that game for hours, or look up at that plane in the air to imagine where it’s going, but never look up at it ourselves?

Blue Lollipop Road promotes travel for education and self-empowerment. When we allow ourselves to be curious and wander (aka travel), we learn heaps of valuable information, and we become incredibly smart, resourceful, confident, and self aware. (Talk about a rock-solid foundation to build off!) Travel doesn’t have to mean far off lands around the globe. It could simply mean just getting up and out of whatever place you’re sitting in when you feel like you’re not growing or being productive. Just taking some time to step out and feel passion or re-energize. Like I did last week when I took this photos.

All who wander (and let themselves be curious) are definitely notÂ lost.

April 12, 2012 In Alaska, Inspiration, Live the life you want to live, News & Updates, Photos

oh the places you will go

As I’ve been working with my talented, patient, and generous web guy Bobby sending him information, photos, links, etc. for the BLR face lift we are doing, I found this link from A Skirt! Magazine issue I was featured in before I drove to Alaska.

My, my, the things that have happened since this photo and article. Oh the places we have been.

This BLR-mobile got different license plates, added branding on the bumper, it drove all the way up to the Gateway to the Klondike:

…and went through the Inside Passage of The Last Frontier, then all the way down the west coast spending nearly 5 months total on the road with an extended work stay in Napa, back east, then a move to Chicago, travels back east again, back to Chicago, back east once more and just back to Chicago this week. (With so much in between.)

Phew!

I don’t think I’ve ever shared here after that Skirt! photo shoot, I left the east coast headed for Alaska with only $600, a fresh oil change, a few paper maps, and all my belongings in the trunk. (As in everything I owned.) If you do any sort of calculations on mileage and gas, $600 is not even enough money for gas to get to Alaska let alone any other expenses. I made it there and back and then some as listed above because at the time I wanted to make that journey happen so badly I would’ve walked there if I had to. Not only was I safe, happy, and did I have an amazing time, but I didn’t have to walk there. Why? Because along the way things just happened.Â

It’s so fun to look back and have thoseÂ hell yeah- I did that!Â moments.

When you take a step towards life (and work your ass off) the universe responds. That is no joke, and this photo above is a perfect example. There are no secrets or superpowers I have that you don’t have too.

Is there a “place” that you want to be so badly, you’d be willing to walk there? What’s holding you back from starting that walk?

This calls for a little Dr. Seuss moment:

Oh the Places You’ll Go:

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You’re on your own.Â And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets.Â Look ’em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you’ll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don’t worry.Â Don’t stew.
Just go right along.
You’ll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU’LL GO!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.
You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you’ll be the best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

You’re right Dr. S!

We have brains in our heads, we have feet in our shoes, and we can steer ourselves in any direction we chose!

April 6, 2012 In New York, Photos

worth the 700 mile drive…

…and then some:

This was morning coffee today. Talk about a great view to get a bunch of work done on our lake retreat!

I’m happy to share that we are getting a big ol’ face lift as part of the transition that’s happening here so watch your screen over the next few weeks for our makeover! I’ve already begun a few little changes you can see at the top page tabs.

Until more exciting announcements about our growth…

April 3, 2012 In New York, Photos

road trip!

Time for a BLR work retreat and meeting of the minds. We have mountains to move and things are rolling!

Eastbound I go, where I will have one of my favorite people greet me, and more to join. There will be music made (surprise on that soon,) fresh food eaten, wine for sipping, hills to run, a dock for sitting, and mornings to wake up and be utterly inspired to get things done.

No better place to have kick off to the new life of Blue Lollipop Road than here:

Where do you get inspired to do your best work?

March 17, 2012 In People, Photos

direct from ireland this morning

Meet Erin:

Yep, he’s an “E-r-i-n” male Erin. Irish you think?

Erin and I have been pals for years since living in Virginia. He moved to Ireland about 8 years ago. Each year on St, Pat’s Day he sends a photo of himself in some Irish spot with a big smile. It’s become my favorite part of this day. (I think I have posted his pix here before…) This just came in via email with a caption:

“…from the top of Carrauntoohil, Co Kerry – highest point in Ireland!”

Love it. Thanks Erin!

Here’s to tradition, fun days with friends, green rivers, and people who move for adventure because they’s always wanted to.

March 10, 2012 In People, Photos, Wisconsin

road trip!

To my horror, I realized the other day that I had not been out of the state by car in 5 months. How did that happen?- I though. Simply unacceptable for me.

So I decided I’d drive to Nashville this weekend.

The week didn’t turn out quite the way I had anticipated, so I am taking a a shorter, quicker road trip. Hint: To a cheesy place with really cute kids:

I’ll have to go get my country on in Nashville another weekend soon. This face is too hard to resist.

The road and good old friends await, so I am off…

Here’s to not letting too much time (like 5 months) pass in between doing what you love and seeing who you love.

February 13, 2012 In Food, Funny signs, Photos, Wisconsin

hot date

Reader and friend Grace sent this to me yesterday with a caption: “Only in Wisconsin!”

Hilarious. I wonder if they are all booked up? Nothing says Valentine’s Day love like a White Castle burger!

Thanks Grace! Keep ’em coming. I dig reader participation.

Photos

best of small town america

goin’ to carolina in my mind

VOTE FOR TEAM BLUE LOLLIPOP ROAD!

there’s no such thing as aimless wandering

oh the places you will go

worth the 700 mile drive…

road trip!

direct from ireland this morning

road trip!

hot date

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