The Journal
Stories from the open road.
Driving the Highway for the First Time
Every new driver looks at the on-ramp like the edge of a cliff. Then you do it once, and something clicks. How to merge with confidence, make peace with speed, and let the highway open up the whole map.
Your First Time Behind-the-Wheel: What to Expect
There is a moment you will remember, the first time you sit behind the wheel actually meaning to go somewhere. It feels enormous because it is. What to expect on your first drive, how to prepare for it, and how to make it one you will remember.
How to Practice Driving Between Lessons
Your lessons show you how to drive. The hours between them are where you actually learn it. A field guide to practicing on purpose, from who should ride along to doing the hard part first to the homework that makes it stick.
Learning to Drive at 30, 40, or Later: It’s Never Too Late
You were handed a schedule. Licensed at sixteen, and missing the mark meant falling behind. The clock was never real. A reflection on learning to drive at 30, 40, or later, and why the freedom that arrives late is the kind you feel most.
Learning to Drive as an Adult
It is not too late; it was never too late, and you are not behind. A complete field guide to learning to drive as an adult, from the paperwork to the first quiet street to the open highway, and the freedom waiting at the end of it.
How to Get Over Driving Anxiety
Driving anxiety is rarely about nerves. It usually traces back to an old memory, and it loosens the same way it formed, one quiet mile at a time.
Two Days and One Full Tank Around Baltimore
Close enough for a real weekend, unpretentious enough to explore without spending a fortune, but is it worth the drive?
How to Drive in the Rain
Rain is the most common dangerous driving condition you will ever encounter, and it is the one almost nobody is actually taught to handle, so let’s talk about it.
Preparing for a Road Trip
A good road trip is half preparation. Here's how to get your car sorted and the details handled, so the only thing left to do is drive.
Thanksgiving at Gaylord Palms
Some resorts you visit; this one you disappear into. An honest look at the Florida-under-glass giant near Orlando, and whether it earns the drive.