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| Outer Banks - Tanya and Ron stand before one of the lighthouses on the Outer Banks of North Carolina in 2009. They wish they could travel together in 2010, but it remains to be seen. |
Ron started traveling at an early age, visiting the Southeast United States with family while still in diapers. He first flew (with his mom and sister) on the trip home from El Paso, Texas to Little Rock shortly after his parents' split. To help him cope with the divorce, Mama and Papa took Ronny with them as they visited the Great Smoky Mountains and Stone Mountain in Georgia. He claims to vividly remember meeting Chief Fish and seeing a dancing bear caged in Cherokee, N.C., as well as seeing people get too close to the bears in Smokies.
By the age of 7, he'd been to Niagara Falls, Plymouth Rock, Gulf Shores, Four Corners and the Rockies; saw Canadian Mounties, the lighthouses and crags of Maine, the battleship in Mobile Bay, Abraham Lincoln's birthplace and jellyfish next to a Pinta replica; and lost himself in the Delta ricefields flying away from the backseat of the car. On a trip to Ft. Worth with Grandpa Andrews, Ronny let everyone know, "I'm a traveler."
An Arkansas Traveler, that is. As of 2010, Sitton has visited 48 of the 50 states, i.e. all of the continental United States - just Hawaii and Alaska to go. You'll find pictures from some of those excursions in The Camera Eye.
In 2004, he married Tanya and gained a full-time travel partner. When time permits, stories of their excursions will be added. Visit enough places, you'll see some beautiful things; it'll make you want to see more. Thinking about a trip? If you can't get there, it's your own fault.
| Travel is ... Observing rituals never seen. Finding people in general homogenous; in particular, unique. Learning to respect culture for its diversity. Leaving a piece of yourself in a different element. Good for the soul. |
Sitton itches to get off the North American continent. Apparently good deals can be found at Global Online Travel and SuperTour. For student travelers, apparently Council Travel provides a good place to search. International travelers will need a Visa and access to a Universal Currency Converter ... and a metric converter. But you can make an international trip rather inexpensively if you're willing to volunteer. Tanya likes the idea of globe-trotting so much that she's scoped out expeditions to Belize, Costa Rica, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and Ireland.
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| Rushing people, where are you going? Nowhere Fast. Fly on by (while I sweat in the sun) Through so fast, you forget the trip and lose compassion for the cool breeze ... |
The Sittons enjoy camping, but you can also offset lodging costs through hospitality exchanges. Ron met a doctor from England traveling across America who worked with Doctors Without Borders, and used these links while writing for Lonely Planet Online. Travelers tell you where to visit via Virtual Tourist. It seems like a very interesting way to meet people.
If you're looking for a package deal, you ought to try Orbitz, Travelocity or Travel.Org. You might want to try Virtual Travel Search Engines.
Of course, these days it seems money doesn't stretch as far as it once did. So it's not a bad idea to see what you can find in your own back yard (so to speak). Sitton recommends checking out the state and national parks or forests, then see what else you can find nearby. At the very least, you can probably find a bed and breakfast nearby. A little night away can be really romantic and Arkansas offers beautiful views all over the state. The Sitton's "To-Do" list includes Mountain View and a return trip to Hot Springs to visit The Arlington and Quapaw Baths & Spa.
The Sittons don't always camp in tents as they've been amenable to cabins in Eureka Springs — they have yet to check out the economy versions, Can-U-Canoe or the King River Retreat — and White Rock Mountain. If you've got a little money to spend, the Lodge at Mount Magazine offers a spectacular view from the highest point in Arkansas.
BY FOOT Ron didn't shine to hiking the first trip he took as a Boy Scout. Granted, it could have been due to breaking in new boots while hiking all over Shiloh. Luckily, the trip did not completely wipe out his enjoyment of "footin' it."
Since married, Tanya whetted Ron's interest in the Ozark Highlands Trail. If they could start with the smaller Arkansas trails and build up to the Ozark Highlands, he sees no reason to keep them from tackling the Appalachian Trail in time. Since they'll be in Southeast Arkansas, it shouldn't be hard to check out trails in Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee. And when there's a need to find more, Trailsource provides interesting ideas.
BY ROAD While the Sittons typically take the Prius these days, some people prefer riding motorcycles. Ron respects this and hosts a secret desire to one day own either a BOSS, Harley or an Indian. You might want to check out the stories from Sturgis.
Reading Kerouac's On the Road or Heat-Moon's Blue Highways will make you long for the Road. Sitton feels at home there, perhaps explained by frequent trips between Knoxville and Little Rock, or the 100-mile commute to Monticello from central Arkansas. Something about drivin' down a two-lane blacktop with the radio blarin' and wind runnin' through the hair. Rather serene. Time to think by not thinkin' — subconcious workin' overtime, knockin' out the lists in the head.
Though Sitton swears by FREE maps at the Welcome Centers sitting on the state line, he suggests Mapquest and Rand McNally online. You might also try OnLine Travel Guide or AutoPilot. If you're in trouble and need some help contact a State Trooper. Don't forget to check out the National Speed Trap Exchange and the National Traffic and Road Closure Information sites. Knowing that a rockslide closed I-40 once saved the Sittons hours in traffic!
BY RAIL Now that Trevor's off to school in Illinois, an opportunity to travel cross-country by train looms. Perhaps due to train songs about the Texas Eagle and the City of New Orleans, Ron REALLY wants to take an excursion by train.
He actually started looking into a possible route to go across America by train. They would need to take the Cardinal from Cincinnati to the Windy City. From Chicago, the Lake Shore Limited would take them to New York.
From the Big Apple, the Silver Service will cover the East Coast on the way to Miami. After a few days of sun and fun, they'd have to backtrack to Orlando to grab the Sunset Limited to Los Angeles by way of New Orleans. That would be a LONG ride.
From Los Angeles, the Coast Starlight runs to San Francisco, which would be a great way to see California. From the Emeryville station, the California Zephyr runs back to Chicago. From there, they could take the Cardinal back to Cincy or maybe catch the City of New Orleans to Memphis or the Crescent City. Better yet, they could run home by taking the Texas Eagle to Little Rock with a stopover in St. Louis.
Apparently you can get a North American Rail Pass from Amtrak if you're willing to go into Canada; bet they could put that in somewhere. If you book online, you may even get a special! The maps for the routes they're interested in so far follow.
| Cardinal | Lake Shore Ltd. | Silver Service |
| Sunset Limited | Coast Starlight | California Zephyr |
| City of New Orleans | Texas Eagle |
BY AIR Sitton felt leery about getting on an airplane after 9/11. The first time he did so was to fly to Ohio for a job interview. On that flight and the next couple, things got weird. Sitton must look like a terrorist or something, because they pulled him aside just to rummage through his stuff. Yet on his most recent flight to New York City with UAM students (circa 2008), nobody checked a thing ... hmmm.
If you are only worried about flying, check out Discount Tickets or Internet Air Fares before booking anything. Sitton prefers to fly Southwest Airlines because they have good rates and used to have a "Friends Fly Free" deal if you asked for it. Of course, it's been awhile since Sitton considered flying a primary mode of transportation. Maybe from Little Rock to the Big Apple, sure; otherwise he prefers to be the one driving.
BY SEA Tattau and Sitton actually had this idea to cicumnavigate the world by boat a few years ago. They figured it'd take about one solid month of labor to ready Tattau's Cris-Craft. Then they could cruise around the world in 10 years by staying along the shorelines. To make the trip worthwhile, though, they figured it would take 22 years. That includes spending time to see the sights. They figured six years in Europe, five in Africa, five in India, one along the Siberian Coast, one along the North American west coast, and four while circling South America.
Though that hasn't panned out yet, Ron considered taking a freighter to the island of Palua in the Pacific Ocean. But it's more likely you'll find the Sittons in state and national parks until some bills get paid.
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©Copyright Ronald W. Sitton, 1998-2011.
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