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Driving Out the Darkness, or Christmas 2025
It’s harder to drive out the darkness this year. And it doesn’t just come from the world outside. It bubbles up inside, too. The truth is, I doubt the decisions I’ve made and make every single day. I rage at my inability to do more, to go further, to be better. I try to see…
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A week in Wales by train
Wales is mostly rural, and best suited for adventurers (of any skill level) who enjoy the outdoors, want to get off the beaten path, and don’t mind a little rain. While it’s great to have a car, it’s also totally possible to get around by train and bus.
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Finding My Way Back
When a friend from undergrad heard about my plans to pursue a master’s degree in Wales (Cymru), she told me, “It’s wonderful to hear you’ve found what brings you joy—and will send you to Wales, where you’ve always belonged.” And it’s true. Call it a longing or a calling, but I’ve felt it for a…
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Life in Bangor, Wales: The Weather
I spent the 2023-24 school year working toward a master’s degree in Arthurian studies—and there’s only one place in the world where you can do that: Bangor, Wales. Bangor is a terrific community and a place I was proud to call home. Like anywhere else in the world, it comes with its highs and lows.…
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The road behind, and the road ahead
As I close in on two years since my Lake Superior Circle Tour, I take one more look back at the trip as a whole. In particular, what I would do differently the next time around—and what I would keep the same.
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Lake Superior Circle Tour, 2022: All good things must come to an end
More than a week into my circle tour around Lake Superior, I had experienced so much: a chance encounter with a fox, sunrise over Lake Superior, an ancient arctic canyon. Now, the road was leading back home to Michigan.
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Joy on the Journey: Top 5 Travel Moments of 2022
After a 2018 road trip along the Saint Lawrence Seaway from Michigan to Cape Breton Island, I started dreaming of going even further—all the way to the edge of the continent. To Newfoundland, and the adjacent French outcropping, Saint Pierre et Miquelon. I started mapping routes. I watched YouTube videos of people taking their cars…
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Welsh Travel Myth #1: You need a car
In November 2022, I spent two weeks in Wales—or Cymru, in the native Welsh language. There are quite a few misperceptions and myths about this small but mighty nation, and what it’s like to travel and spend time there. One of the biggest ones I hear is that you really need a car to experience…