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RoadTrip
America is the joint effort of editors, book reviewers, contributing
writers, forum moderators, information technologists, Web designers,
photographers, and hundreds of knowledgeable road trippers who share
their discoveries, concerns, and dreams about roadtripping in North
America. In the months ahead, we'll be adding new planning tools and
articles about getting out there. For a list
of articles by contributing writers, click
here.
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Mark
C. Sedenquist took his first solo road trip
(a 10,000-mile, two-week, cross-country cruise in
a Fiat 128) shortly after graduating from high school
and is an ardent supporter of the "mosey
style" of road tripping. Founder, publisher,
and managing editor of RoadTrip America, Mark has
never passed a back road country lane or a dirt road
without wanting to follow it to the horizon. These
days, his adventures are often virtual, gained through
participation in the Great
American RoadTrip Forum, the remarkably creative
and knowledgeable community that shares tips, suggestions,
and road trip tales with newbies and old hands.
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Megan
Edwards is founder, editor, designer, writer,
and book reviewer for RoadTrip America. RTA's "idea
person," she's always on the lookout for new
ways to enhance the site and better serve the road
tripping community. Her incurable case of wanderlust
may have been inherited from her forebears who came
west on the Oregon Trail, or maybe from her parents
who often took her on roads less traveled. Megan chronicled
RoadTrip America's unlikely beginning in a Southern
California wildfire in Roads
from the Ashes. Also a novelist, Megan writes
features
about life in Las Vegas, Nevada, her current hometown. |
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An
expert solo road tripper, Geneviève Lauzière
is an ex-lawyer and ex-professional truck driver. For the moment,
home is Cowansville, QC, but Gen prefers to be on the road as
much as possible. She is a jazz aficionado and likes to tour
alternative clubs when traveling around North America. Gen is
always on the lookout for funny
road signs. A frequent contributor to and Moderator on the
Great American RoadTrip Forum, Gen files field reports from
locations as diverse as northern Quebec, Key West and the desert
regions of the southwestern United States. She can be reached
at gen@roadtripamerica.com |
Judy
Carter, a resident of Hoquiam, Washington, and pictured
here in her roadtrip car "Bilbo," longs for the day
when she can start a moseying road trip with no end date and
no firm destination. Until that time arrives, she takes frequent
daytrips around Oregon and Washington and is an accomplished
contributor to and Moderator on the RoadTrip Forum. Judy's posts
are treasure troves of information about exploring
the northwest, outfitting
a roadtrip vehicle, and in "The
Art of the Speed Run," she provides tips for driving
safely when you're in a hurry. Judy's wanderlust has led to
trips to Roswell,
New Mexico, the southwest, and parts of the midwest in the
company of fellow VW Beetle owners. If your roadtrip plans include
travel in the Pacific Northwest, get
in touch with Judy. |
Sylvia
"Syv" Johnston is "hooked on travel".
Born and raised on a farm in Ontario, Canada, she attended university
in South Carolina. Sylvia is a licensed insurance adjuster who
also works part-time in police communications. Adventures include
bus tours of Europe and Great Britain, and solo driving trips
across Ireland, Canada and the USA, usually sleeping in the
car. "Half the fun of travel is the months of fine-tuning
to plan itineraries in meticulous detail," she says. Syv
is a "RoadTrip Advisor" on the Great
American RoadTrip Forum. |
Joel
Briggs is an avid part-time archaeologist who has turned
soil at the Lost City of Caral in Peru, ventured deep into the
Sahara Desert to find lost ruins, and is currently surveying
and documenting many Native American prehistoric trails that
wind through California's deserts. He is a regular tour guide
for the Coso Petroglyphs located within the China Lake Naval
Weapons Center. On any given weekend, you can find Joel in his
FJ40 Land Cruiser, exploring Death Valley, Baja California or
somewhere else he can learn about hard rock mining. Joel was
the inspiration for an RTA roadtrip
to the former mining camp at Skidoo in Death Valley. Joel
is currently pursuing a master's degree in Archaeology. |
Del
Albright is an internationally published columnist who
has been exploring and writing about off-highway destinations
for over 20 years. He is an advocate for sensible management
of public lands and works tirelessly to ensure access for motorized
recreational users through his work with the BlueRibbon
Coalition. His articles have appeared in magazines, newspapers
and off-highway enthusiast periodicals. Del shares advice for
properly equipping road trip vehicles and insider tips about
little-known off-road destinations. If you have any questions
about off-highway adventuring, Del may be reached at del@roadtripamerica.com. |
Dennis
Weaver -- having burnt food from Miami, Florida to Point
Barrow, Alaska -- is RTA's road food expert. He has logged thousands
of hours on the roads, trails, and waterways of America including
many of Alaska's wilderness rivers and has consistently been
elected the trips' "chief cook and bottle washer."
Dennis is currently general manager at The
Prepared Pantry, a company in Rigby, Idaho, that produces
ready-to-eat meals and baking mixes packaged in Mylar. Weatherproof,
bug-proof, and critter resistant, they're ideal for both roadtrips
and back woods camping. Dennis may be reached at dennis@roadtripamerica.com.
In his Road Food articles,
Dennis shares tips, advice, and recipes to make good eats a
part of every road trip experience. |
Rod
and Judy Ness of Hermantown, Minnesota, are intrepid roadtrippers
and primary contributors to RTA's Roadside
Marvels and Roadside
Murals departments. Pictured
here at the source of the Mississippi River, they can be found
prowling the back roads of Minnesota, Michigan, Wiconsin, and
Ontario in their "40th Anniversary" 1993 Corvette.
If you are looking for ideas and tips for travel in these areas,
Rod and Judy can be reached at ness@roadtripamerica.com.
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Anne
Sponholtz has traveled the eastern coastline from Key West
to Canada and west to the Mississippi River. She and her husband
are former tent campers who have discovered the fun of RVing.
They set off in their RV almost weekly, taking road trips through
Florida and Georgia. And even when on the road, Anne writes
her weekly column for the Florida Times-Union's "My
Clay Sun" section, coming home to cover news stories and
features for the newspaper. Yet she always remains anxious to
set out on the next road trip in hopes of discovering a new
adventure to share. On the road or at home, Anne can be reached
at anne@roadtripamerica.com. |
John
Mormon is a retired teacher from Henderson, Nevada, who
has taught subjects ranging from math and history to landscape
design and horticulture to students from Head Start to college
level. A WW II Marine veteran and survivor of Iwo Jima, John's
keen wit and sense of humor has transformed his recent severe
loss of vision into an asset. He has gone from "avid reader
to impassioned listener" as a reviewer of audio
books for RoadTrip America. John may be reached at mormon@roadtripamerica.com. |
Ruth
Mormon of Henderson, Nevada, is a librarian and experienced
world traveler who listens to audiobooks on her daily 55-mile
roadtrip (commute). She has served as advisor for several reference
works including Grzimek's Student Animal Life Encyclopedia,
Chemical Compounds, and Major 21st Century Writers.
An avid roadtripper, Ruth enjoys spotting funny signs (like
this one in Las Vegas and this
one in Buffalo). She also contributes resources for scenic
drives and reviews audiobooks.
Ruth can be reached at mormon@roadtripamerica.com. |
Aaron
Reed is a native Texan and works as a news writer for the
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, based in Austin. An avid
outdoorsmen and roadtripper, he has written for Texas Fish
& Game magazine (where he was boating editor), Texas
Parks and Wildlife magazine, Texas Outdoors Journal,
Gulf Coast Connections, Lone Star Outdoor News,
Good Old Boat magazine and scores of other publications.
He is currently the paddlesports editor for Texas
Sporting Journal and is hard at work on "Paddling Texas",
forthcoming from Falcon Guides in 2008. Aaron can be reached
at Aaron@roadtripamerica.com.
Read more at
his blog. |
Tamara
Dwyer's love of travel started with a roadtrip from Washington
State to Tennessee at the age of three. She has lived in and
traveled through most of the US. Texas is her adopted home state,
where she designs computer software by day and enjoys Austin's
live music and great food by night. |
Mark
Helmlinger is a Northrop Grumman planetary sciences engineer
who builds radiometric sensing equipment and is usually found
testing it in some of the most remote places on earth. His field
work allows him to pursue his interest in geo-caching,
and he provides RTA with expert tips about RV boondocking in
off-the-beaten-path places all over North America. He also contributes
funny roads signs (like this
one from Massachusetts) to RTA, and he's an incredible source
of information about GPS, satellite communication systems, and
exploring desert playas. Mark can be reached at hellwinger@roadtripamerica.com. |
Jillian
Imilkowski is a fearless roadtripper
and photographer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In her wanderings,
she has immortalized roadside wonders and funny signs in California,
Wisconsin, and Florida.
She works for a wine distributor and spends most of her work
days on a roll throughout southern Wisconsin. If your roadtrip
plans call for local intel in the Milwaukee area, Jillian can
be reached at jimilkowski@gmail.com. |
"I
live for road trips" could be Bob Schaller's mantra.
His love for exploring began at the age of three when he explored
his neighborhood by tricycle. Following a stint in the US military,
Bob was a long-haul truck driver, a commercial pilot, an industrial
supply salesman, a college student, and a civil servant working
in Arizona's judicial branch for thirteen years. A recognized
expert in Arizona traffic law, Bob teaches defensive driving
classes all over the state and is author of the online defensive
driving manual Drive
Safe with Uncle Bob. His wanderlust remains as hearty
as ever, and when he isn't wandering
the West on "the Yellow Streak", he is an occasional
contributor to the Great American RoadTrip Forum. |
Mark
Holloway of Anniston, Alabama, has guided RTA to Leadfield
and other ghost towns & little known destinations in and
around Death Valley. Mark and his wife Freda own the popular
Web site www.KittyMother.com.
Currently, Mark is working for the Defense Logistics Agency
at the Anniston Army Depot, which builds and supports the U.S.
Army's tank program. |
Dr.
Bruce Jones of Pasadena, California, pictured here capturing
wildflowers on film in California's Antelope Valley, is RTA's
train expert. Click here for
a day of train watching in the Tehachapi Range, where freight
trains circle the world-famous "Loop" to pull the
grade over the mountains. |
David
Kirby of San Mateo, California, has directed RTA to a number
of great destinations in Northern California, such as the Jelly
Belly jelly bean factory in Fairfield. He's pictured here
listening to ocean music at the Wave
Organ in San Francisco. |
Matthew
Brennesholtz of Pleasantville, New York, is RoadTrip America's
New York guide. Pictured here aboard a vintage subway car in
Brooklyn's Transit Museum,
Matt has guided RTA on a number of trips, including a subway
ride to Brighton Beach &
a boat trip around Manhattan. |
Mike
Booth
keeps his mobile office/home, a 2001 Freightliner Classic XL,
on the road at least 28 days a month. We met "Moon Rider"
in an ice storm in the Texas panhandle in November, 1999, when
the Phoenix One was marooned
with more than 200 eighteen-wheelers one frigid night. Since
then, Mike has shared his knowledge of the trucking industry
and the technology he uses to stay connected and run a business
on a roll with RoadTrip America. When he's not on the road,
Mike calls Chesterfield, Virginia, home. |
Dan
Sedenquist's gorgeous photography often illustrates the
featured Forum posts on the home page of RoadTrip America. Dan
is an expert roadtripper and has traveled extensively in Alaska,
the south and throughout the West in conjunction with his professional
background in geology and mineralogy. These days, Dan is a real
estate broker in Santa Cruz, California. To view more of his
gorgeous photography around Monterey Bay, click
here. In addition to providing real estate services, this
Web site is an excellent resource for recreational and homeowner
information in the area. Dan can be reached at dan@roadtripamerica.com. |
Forty-eight
weeks a year, England-based writer Peter Thody finds
different ways to say essentially the same thing again and again
about IT-based consumer goods. This pays for the trips to America
where he and wife Carole indulge their love for exploring "the
bits in between," risking cheap motels and making friends
in the type of bars their daughters would be horrified to know
they were visiting. More of Peter's evocative prose and extraordinary
photographs are online
here. Peter may be reached at peter@roadtripamerica.com. |
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