Marine veteran, retired IT professional, lifelong problem solver, and co-creator of Rolling Nichols. These days, Phil and Lisa travel in Harriet, sharing worthwhile stops, history, and stories from the road.
Nebraska
On October 15, 2024, we walked a section of the Cowboy Trail just outside Valentine. The timing could hardly have been better. Fall color was starting to show across the Niobrara River valley, the weather was comfortable, and the wide-open Nebraska scenery looked about as good as it gets.
Nebraska
Smith Falls was part of our October 2024 Nebraska trip, when we also walked a section of the Cowboy Trail near Valentine. The fall weather made it a particularly good time to be there. The park sits along the Niobrara National Scenic River and is home to Nebraska’s highest
Nebraska
We stayed at Fort Robinson State Park in October 2024, and it turned out to be a really pleasant place to spend a few days with the RV — even if the weather was starting to remind us that winter wasn’t far away. The park has plenty of room, beautiful
New Mexico
We visited Carlsbad Caverns in April 2023 with my brother Fred and his wife, Gina. Our timing happened to coincide with the park’s centennial year — Carlsbad Cave was first protected as a national monument in 1923 and became Carlsbad Caverns National Park in 1930. The caves themselves are far
New Mexico
We only spent a few hours in Roswell in April 2023 — long enough for lunch, a little shopping, and a look around town. It wasn’t a major destination for us, but when you’re already passing through southeastern New Mexico, it’s hard to resist stopping in the place
Tennessee
We visited Graceland during the same May 2024 trip to Memphis. Elvis Presley bought the property in 1957 at age 22 and lived there for the rest of his life. The mansion opened to the public in 1982 and has since become one of the best-known music landmarks in
Tennessee
During our May 2024 trip to Memphis, we stopped at the Lorraine Motel, now part of the National Civil Rights Museum. This is where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, after stepping onto the balcony outside Room 306. The museum preserves the motel and uses
Tennessee
We were in Memphis in May 2024 primarily for the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, held that year May 15–18 at Liberty Park. That was the reason for the trip, but once we were there we made a point of seeing more of the city as well. We spent
Tennessee
We visited Memphis’ Victorian Village in May 2024, the stretch of Adams Avenue once known as “Millionaire’s Row.” During the mid-to-late 1800s, wealthy Memphis families built a series of elaborate homes here, many tied to the city’s cotton, riverboat, and business fortunes. Several of the surviving
Arizona
We spent some time in Tombstone in February 2024. It’s one of those places where the history is impossible to separate from the modern town — old storefronts, saloons, historic sites, and plenty of reminders of the characters and stories that made Tombstone famous. We took our time wandering around,
Wisconsin
We visited Circus World in Baraboo in July 2025. The site occupies part of the original Ringling Bros. winter quarters, where the circus was based from 1884 to 1918, and today preserves historic buildings, artifacts, and an extensive collection of restored circus wagons. The wagons were what stood out most
Texas
We’ve been to Gruene many times, and Gruene Hall is one of the places that keeps drawing us back. Built in 1878, it is Texas’ oldest continually operating dance hall, and remarkably little about the basic character of the building has changed. One of our favorite visits came during