I’m living my dream life. I’ve got my mother, friends, and health. I’ve got no debt. I live in Taos, write for a living, and travel when I want. I’m blessed beyond belief. Recently an acquaintance said to me, “I’d love to write and travel, too, but I’m not ready. I don’t have my shit together like you do.” Wait. I was supposed to get […]
Author Archives: Deonne Kahler
Where to Stay and What to Do in the Texas Panhandle (and Oklahoma)
In the interest of providing useful information, which is rare with me I know, here are links to a few things I recommend. (Real reason: it’s a hodgepodge link-fest because I’m still comatose from the giant meal I made yesterday. And even though I’ve been trying to lose four pounds for, oh, the last six months, I made a feast that is basically the opposite […]
Posted in Travel
Tagged Museums, National Parks, Oklahoma, Roadside attractions, RV parks, Terror, Texas
Why I Love Small Towns
Though I now live in Taos, I’ve spent most of my life in big cities – San Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, New York. I love them and their energy, the sense that you can make anything happen. But these days, I seem to only care about exploring small towns.
Posted in Travel
Tagged Dying towns, Oklahoma, Roadside attractions, Route 66, Texas
Love and Sweetness in Vega, Texas
When I had lunch in Adrian, TX, the waitress told me to go to Vega, a slightly bigger town east on Route 66, and visit Dot’s Mini Museum (105 N. 12th St.). She had me at Dot, then you throw in mini and the cuteness is too much to ignore. So I went.
King of the Road and Rednecks
Erick, OK is in the Oklahoma panhandle, just across the border from the Texas. I bet Oklahoma’s petite panhandle feels inferior to Texas’s giant one, and Oklahoma is like, Hey ya’ll! We’ve got a panhandle, too! And it even looks like an actual panhandle, not like Texas’s where you have to turn your head sideways to see it! And then Oklahoma sighs a weary sigh […]
Posted in Travel
Tagged Oklahoma, Roadside attractions
What’s funny to Texans?
Apparently bodily functions, alcoholism, obesity, and racism. I know! Hilarious!
Groom, Texas: Size Matters
Like at Cadillac Ranch, I truly admire the American impulse to build something big in the middle of nowhere. Maybe even something huge, just because. Something so big it’s impossible to ignore, something brave and bold that represents belief and passion. Here’s what someone in Groom, TX built:
Posted in Travel
Tagged Roadside attractions, Texas
Cadillac Ranch, Texas: A Case of Mistaken Identity
I’d heard Cadillac Ranch was somewhere near Amarillo, and I was excited. I’d get to visit a real brothel! I pictured myself schmoozing with the pros, picking up dating tips, maybe even sitting around at the end of the day, swapping stories and passing a bottle. It would be fun in a prostitution-is-only-fun-in-the-movies kind of way: think Paul Newman and Lolita Davidovitch in Blaze. Or […]
Posted in Travel
Tagged Roadside attractions, Texas, Weirdness
Palo Duro Canyon, Texas: Where I Did Not Earn My Hiking Badge
Palo Duro Canyon State Park is the second largest canyon in the U.S. (Second to, you know, that other canyon you may have heard of.) It sits about 15 miles south of Amarillo, and is a beautiful spot for camping, hiking, and biking ($22/night for a 30-amp site – look at me, knowing what that is! – plus $5/day access fee).