And the rest is huskory: Looking out the window at the great state of Nebraska

I've visited 46 of the US states and can honestly say it's been a thrill to see every one. One place in particular, not normally known as a vacation destination, is the great state of Nebraska. If you're traveling by car from the east coast to the west, you know you're a long, long way from home when you get to Nebraska, and you've still got a long, long way to go. We took one of our all-time best detours when we drove a couple hours northwest off of Interstate 80 to the small town of Alliance to see Carhenge, the replica of Stonehenge made out of old cars. Well worth the trip, and the getting there really was fun. Who knew Nebraska was full of such pretty sandhills, plains with those cliche windmilly things and lonesome, melancholy small towns? People from Nebraska, I imagine, but its beauty was quite a revelation to us native New Englanders. Maybe Nebraska should be a vacation destination after all, dad gummit. Here are a few shots of our travels through the Cornhusker State, some shot from the highway, some when we got out to stretch our legs a bit. How can you not love a state whose state beverage is milk, state dance is the square dance, and state song is "Beautiful Nebraska"? Long may your goldenrod bloom, Western meadowlark sing and White-tailed deer roam.

No need to be coy Arroyo: The small charms of Arroyo Grande, California

We had the privilege of working our way down the California coastline back in 2011 and happened upon the charming village of Arroyo Grande in San Luis Abispo County. It was a bright, sunny late morning with very few people about and it gave me the sense of an early 1960s "Twilight Zone" set; pleasant but melancholy. I love small towns like this and seeing them on long trips is every bit as satisfying as visiting the big tent-pole sights like the Grand Canyon or the World's Biggest You Name It. Small but Grande...I like that.