Spring 2013 Edition of Airstream Life Magazine

I was so thrilled to hear that the portrait I took of Robert at Alumapalooza 2012 made the current cover of Airstream Life Magazine.  This image was one of my favorites from the event. Robert and his pups were such great sports to pose for me!

This will be my 3rd cover image for Airstream Life Magazine.  Looking back, I noticed that all three covers have a dog in the photo.  There must be something about traveling with pets that is so appealing.  I know that I can't even imaging traveling without Max.  The article in this issue is all about traveling with your pet...something Max and I know a little something about.  

Thank you, Airstream Life!

Where are you going?

When someone learns of my plans to live in my van and travel around the USA, the first question I get is, "where are you going to go?"  My answer is "I don't know" or "everywhere!"  I wish I could be more specific but I really never know.  I tend to have a general direction on where I will go and depending on the weather and circumstances, it determines the next day and so on.

I admit that it's not the best way to travel, but it's worked for me so far.  I would like to see Marfa, TX and perhaps make it out to the salt flats but other than that, it's a blank canvas.  I am assuming I will travel with the weather so that usually means I will head North during the hot months and South in the Fall.  I always enjoy being on the East coast in late summer.

I will be making goals along the way and sharing photographs, including portraits of people I meet on the road.  If you know of a place I shouldn't miss, please let me know.

You can always follow me here:
Instagram - user name is alisontravels
Facebook
Twitter - @alisontravels
Photos

Also, to help fund the trip, I am thinking of publishing small books in limited numbers to sell with portraits and travel photos. Once that is completed I update that here.

Thank you for your support!

Photographs Published In Airstream Life Magazine Fall 2010 Issue

I wanted to take a pause on my travel blog adventures to mention what a thrill and honor it is to have a few of my photographs printed in the newest issue of Airstream Life magazine!

As you might have guessed, I love Airstreams.  I joined the Silver Sisters at a rally back in March and took a few photographs of the ladies having a great time together at lake San Antonio, California.  I wrote to Airstream about this wonderful group of women and their "unofficial" club and now they get to share their story with all of the readers of Airstream life in an article about the Silver Sisters written by Becky Blaton. I was even able to get in the magazine with a strategic timed group photograph. I was just keeping Holly (the yellow lab) company while we huddled together in the below normal, extremely cold temperatures in California last March.

I am thankful to the editor of Airstream Life, Rich Luhr for the opportunity to be the official photographer the first annual Alumapalooza event held in Jackson Center, Ohio last June and for publishing a few of those photographs in the newest issue of the magazine (to view current issue online click HERE).  It was a wonderful event to be a part of and I enjoyed meeting and getting to know all of the proud Airstream owners!  Some of whom I keep in touch with and will get the chance to visit with on the road...stay tuned!  Don't miss out on next year's Alumapalooza event!  You can click on their official event page to see what it's all about and register HERE.

If you want to get a flavor of what happened last June, I put together a little slide show of my photographs from the event that you can view HERE . I look forward to more Airstream adventures and owning my very own Airstream trailer someday.

On Route 66 "The Mother Road"

Our national landmark highway spreads throughout the country so there is a chance you have been on Route 66 once on your travels.  It's referred as the Mother Road or the National Olds Trail Highway and stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles.

There are several old west stops along this historic highway and on this day, I stopped in Seligman, Arizona.  The small town is famous for its old route 66 relics including shops and landmarks that cover small stretch of highway.  It's a tourist dream.  You can take your picture with "Elvis," drink at an old saloon, buy knick knacks or take a seat to watch the entertainment pass you buy.  That is exactly what the locals did.  A typical Saturday for them includes pulling up a chair, enjoying a cigar and watch the tourists pass by.  I decided to chat with them for a while.  I told them I was from California and they were pleased that I was even speaking to them with everything going on in Arizona at this time.  One gentleman wanted to tell me he met the pope and pulled out his pocket photo album to prove to me that he in fact, met the pope.

As I walked along the town, there were plenty of sights to see.  It was a mini amusement park with tour buses pulling up every twenty minutes or so with herd of people unloading to take pictures and browse shops for things they can't live without.

I enjoyed my time in this town and I look forward to visiting more towns on this stretch of road.  I would recommend getting off of the freeway to see these little towns full of history.  Who knows, you may never get the chance to meet someone who met the pope or admire the carefully placed mannequin art on top of a gift shop.

Long Beach

It was a rainy day in Southern California and that means it's storm watch time!

I decided to head out in the rain and take some pictures along the shore in Long Beach. Max wasn't too happy to get out of the house in the cold, but I took him along anyway. After the morning walk we had, he looked like a wet rat.

A cute wet rat.

I know that the majority of the country is living in freezing temperatures and snow so I can't complain. But...it was cold! My hands were so cold that after a while I couldn't move them to push the button on my point and click camera. I would run back and forth to the car and back out to warm up.

I know...big wimp.

It was nice to get back out to snap a few pictures and breathe in the fresh air. I miss the road sometimes. I know I will be back on it again soon and it's always there for me when I decide to go.

For now I will enjoy the beauty in my backyard. Here are some pictures from today. For more, please click HERE

Back On The Road

The sun is out, it's a beautiful day here in Southern California. I am feeling the urge to get back on the road. This picture is from the very first day I took trailie camping for a "trial run." What a great time I had with Maggie, Karen and Heather. So, I am writing this blog inside of "trailie" in my driveway...with Maggie, of course. Some of the toughest days I had on the road were in the first 6 weeks. It's interesting being alone, not really having a schedule and exploring America. As "difficult" as it was, I miss it so much! I am ready to go again. This time, I want to explore the Southern route.

This map is what I did last summer so I am hoping to explore all of the areas I didn't see on my 120 days on the road. Also, I am going to do things a little different this time. I want to write more. I want to meet more people and listen to who they are. Besides seeing some amazing places, I especially enjoyed meeting people and learning more about their life. As I meet them, I look forward to introducing them to you on American Life Today.

For now, she sits in my driveway. It's my glamorous writing cubbie hole/guest house. However, nobody has taken me up on staying in it so far. Maggie enjoys hanging out with me inside. The only difference between now and when we are traveling (well, there are several) is there isn't anyone coming up to us asking:

What is that?
Do you sleep in it?
Is it for your dog?
Can you stand up in it?
How much does it cost?
Is there a bathroom in it?
How big does it pop up to?
Does it have air conditioning?
Where do you get one?
What's it called?
Just you and your dog?

Seriously....look at it. Of course I am friendly and happy to answer (most of the time), but it's just a hard tent in a sense...a really cool one at that! :) So, we are beginning our plans for the next outing. Perhaps I will be in a town near you. If I am...remember these answers:

It's a teardrop trailer
Yes
Yes
Depends on who's standing
Lots
Define "bathroom"
What you see is what you get
2 Doors that open
Where they make 'em
Trailie!
Yes...and misc. items

Anything I'm missing?