Scenes from Shamrock, Texas

With a nickname like “The Road To Nowhere,” it’s fair to expect the drive on U.S. 83 from Canada to Mexico to be quite boring.  And I can attest that, at times, it is exactly that. 

But the drive also delivers its share of pleasant surprises.  And one of the stops along my drive that I felt most rewarded by was my overnight stay in Shamrock, Texas.

A commoner dines at Fried Green Tomatoes, Galena, Ill.

When Midwesterners are looking for a romantic weekend getaway, Galena, Ill., often makes the short list of ideas.  Wedged in the northwestern tip of Illinois, Galena offers a superb blend of history (the town is full of sites related to its most famous resident, Ulysses S. Grant), shopping, outdoor activities and small-town charm.  With the surrounding area being unusually scenic and hilly for Illinois, Galena tends to be more popular in the fall and winter months (the only ski resort I know of in the state is nearby), but it truly is a year-round destination. 

It should be no surprise, then, that Punky and I try to make a trip to Galena every year at a minimum.  And whenever we go, we rarely miss an opportunity to dine at one of our favorite restaurants in the downtown area.  Its menu and décor might make you think of a modern Tuscan-style trattoria, but its namesake dish is a classic southern appetizer – Fried Green Tomatoes.

Driving the Road To Nowhere – Kansas and a pair of panhandles

I started my third day driving on “The Road to Nowhere” with fairly low expectations for what I’d find south of North Platte, Neb. 

For the most part, Kansas proved those expectations were warranted.

Doing the Hilton timeshare hustle

Poolside at the Hilton Las Palmeras Vacation Resort, Orlando, Fla.

It can happen to anyone on vacation.  No matter your level of travel experience, you’ve let your guard down, and now you’re cornered by someone I like to call the “pitch person.”

He or she may look like they’re acting in some official capacity for a tourism bureau or visitor’s center or maybe the place you’re staying, but they’re real job is to sell you something … and it’s very pricy.  It may start innocently with a question like: “Are you enjoying your stay here?”  “Have you seen this attraction or that site yet?”  “Would you like to come back?”

Then the pitch person hits you with the offer.  And it seems like it’s worth it at the time.  Maybe you’re offered free tickets to an attraction, or free dinner vouchers, or free points added to your hotel chain’s rewards program.  Perhaps it’s even a combination of freebies.  All you have to do is one thing – sit through a timeshare presentation.