In the midst of the Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend is so large it contains its own mountain range, the Chisos. Tucked in the lower-S of the Rio Grande, it is three-sided by Mexico for 118 miles, with the US only to the north, which may explain why is it the […]
Among the most beautiful, and long, border-hugging roads in the US, Texas Farm Road 170 runs alongside the Rio Grande and, further south, enters Big Bend State Park. This is my third drive along the enchanting valley, whose desert blooms and emerald rivering startle every time. Running fifty miles from […]
One of the most compelling artistic adventures in Miami is IlluminArts, a relatively new Vocal Arts organization founded by (Artistic Director) mezzo-soprano star Amanda Crider, which recently received a coveted Knight Foundation grant. Their latest endeavor is a performance at Miami’s Pérez Art Museum of a haunting piece, titled “the […]
El Malpais: the badlands of central-west New Mexico offer sharp lava rocks covering a 40-mile valley sided by smooth sandstone bluffs, just east of the Continental Divide. The McCartys Crater poured lava 2,000 to 3,000 years ago, making the valley all but uninhabitable. Sandwiched between Navajo and Acoma reservations, the badlands […]
Come explore the wilds of our northern border with Canada. Long heralded as the longest peaceful (since 1813 or so) border in the world, it also boasts unimaginable wilderness and a handful of wild, out-of-the-way National Parks. [please hover over images for captions] Not long ago, dense forest was everywhere. […]
On a recent roadtrip, I got to take my time along Florida’s Gulf Coast, from Tallahassee south. What a quirky variety the coast boasts, with more old time Florida than the Atlantic corridor. Unfortunately, my mission to see the Mermaid Water Extravaganza at Weeki Wachee was stymied for the second […]
Sunday’s reading of Borderlands USA in Santa Monica was delightful. A dozen friends came by the intimate and relaxed Primo Passo coffee shop for a book excerpt, Q & A, and to take home a signed copy. Some old friends I haven’t seen in 7 to 25 years! This was […]
Come by for a reading by Ben Batchelder of “Borderlands USA: or, How to Protect the Country by Car” at the delightful coffee shop Primo Passo in Santa Monica, CA. This is the author’s first reading west of the Rockies and he is pleased to return to the borderlands of […]
While surveying the nation’s defenses along the coast, one still needs fuel. Here I stopped, during a foray in September, in Madison, Conn. at Lenny & Joe’s, a truly fine seafood eatery whose humble roots were a roadside fried clam stand from 1979.
The first reading west of the Mississippi was so welcome and overdue, as much of the story takes place out West (north and south). An edited video from the reading: My nephew Christopher is the professional-level videographer. Thanks to everyone who attended and asked such good questions. As reward, a […]
Coastal Maine is like no other in the States. Austere. Cold. Foggy. Mega-tidal. The water in September is winteresque. I spent a weekend in Sebasco, south of West Bath, east of Casco Bay, with family, and recalled that Maine in its entirety was one of the greatest discoveries of my […]
You are cordially invited to a reading & signing by Ben Batchelder of his recently launched American adventure, Borderlands USA: Or, How to Protect the Country by Car, presented by the op.cit. books and Earthdog Press, in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Friday, July 10th from 6-7pm. Come travel with Ben […]
The book reading in NYC’s Roger Smith Hotel on Sunday, May 17th was quite emotional for me: to see so many old & dear friends, both from while living in the city and from three levels of schooling (only grade school friends were out napping somewhere). Several dear friends from […]
You are cordially invited to a reading & signing by Ben Batchelder of his recently launched American adventure, Borderlands USA: Or, How to Protect the Country by Car, hosted by the Roger Smith Hotel and Earthdog Press. Refreshments will be served in the ground floor Lily’s Room, where a stunning […]
The Pacific Northwest boasts the most scenic coasts of the States. US 101, outside of busy California, hugs the coast here, and strings together an endless series of state parks: on a good tourist map their names crowd the entire border line. Along with the Gulf Coast, this is among […]
The remote border between southwest Texas and Mexico is among my favorites. It follows the Rio Grande and dips down into Texas’s big bend (following the river), entering several of the least visited parks in the nation: Big Bend Nat’l, and State, Parks. TX Farm Road 170 has to be […]
In the continuing adventures of Zeno, the border patrol dog par excellence, here we are in the massive South of the Border tourist trap just south of the South-North Carolina state line. Called “America’s favorite highway oasis,” it is referred to by aficionados as Camp Pedro and Pedroland, due to its […]
Zeno, the fearless border patrol dog, and yours truly recently scanned the East Coast from North Carolina through Georgia, much of it along the long barrier islands of the Outer Banks. I can report back to you, dear reader, that the coast was clear. [please hover over images for captions] […]
The Miami launch of Borderlands USA in October had three separate readings, with an exhibit of photos from the journey plus a “border tasting” of Blenheim Ginger Ale (lots of ginger!) from South Carolina, and took place in the lovely Miami Beach Botanical Garden. Thanks so much to so many […]
See the neglected northern border in its full glory. Shots supplement those in the Borderlands USA color ebook. [please hover over images for captions] ” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]
