Author Archives

When Silvia’s car breaks down, the traveling siblings are forced to find an auto body shop. Fortunately, this happens near Bakersfield, California, a freeway-filled city with no shortage of automobile services. Located about 100 miles north of

After their visit to the Grand Canyon, Silvia and Cosmo travel to Flagstaff, Arizona. Established in 1882 as a railroad stop, this charming city today has a population of just over 67,000 and is home to Northern Arizona University, Lowell

There are few places in the world as sacred and culturally rich as the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. Located in the northeastern part of the state and entirely surrounded by the much larger Navajo Nation, the Hopi Reservation has been

After a long day of driving, Cosmo and Silvia stop in Gallup, New Mexico for dinner. Founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, Gallup is now the largest city between Albuquerque and Flagstaff, with roughly one-third of

Cosmo and Silvia make a stop in a charming town just west of Albuquerque, New Mexico, modeled after Tucumcari. Named after a nearby mountain, this small city exudes Southwest charm, featuring vintage hotels and restaurants built as early as the

Soon after crossing the border into Texas, Cosmo and Silvia encounter an unusual and striking landmark: a 190-foot-tall freestanding cross. Located in Groom, Texas, a small Panhandle town with fewer than 600 residents, the cross stands as a

Cosmo and Silvia reach the western edge of Oklahoma and spend the third night of their journey in a small motel near Texola, Oklahoma. This nearly abandoned ghost town, perched on the Oklahoma-Texas border, dates back to the early 1900s. Texola

On the second night of their journey, Silvia and Cosmo arrive in Memphis, Tennessee, where Silvia has a friend, Clay, a talented Blues musician. When Clay explains that he moved to Memphis to study the Blues, Cosmo initially assumes he is

After a near-fatal accident involving a Mack truck shortly after entering Virginia, Cosmo is profoundly grateful to be alive, his senses heightened to the physical world around him. As they drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains, he is struck by

At the start of the second chapter, Silvia picks up Cosmo, and they’re ready to begin their journey—or so he thinks. Silvia realizes she forgot her phone at their father’s house in New Jersey, forcing them to return there before hitting the