Hey Backroads readers, welcome back to my new run of blogs. I certainly hope to get back to the scavenger hunt items and smooshed pennies in the next blog (and heck I will have to cover at least one penny). But first I have something of an open question to all of you that still read this blog. What companies are the kind of American icons that you feel compelled to tour and learn a little more about?

I am personally something of a fan of good old fashioned capitalism. That is different than new fangled capitalism, which seems to be about buying garbage made in other countries, and selling it as cheaply as possible, while still turning a profit. I am talking about the good old days, where if you made a good product, or provided a top notch, or at least well marketed service you could do well. There are certain companies, that no matter how corporate they are, they still make me feel good about this country.

Hello folks, welcome both to the Backroads and to 2010. I am to assume I am most likely the last person to welcome you to the new year, but I would like to get me greeting in all the same. The holiday was busy for me, as I am sure it was for all of you, but I am happy to be back on the Backroads, and ready to examine this fine country in all its tourist trapped, odd attractioned splendor (yes I did in fact invent a word there).

Welcome back to Bruce on the Backroads, I have taken a hiatus for a week or two to adjust to the holidays, and I must say I feel very well adjusted. I have always said that even as Bruce on the Backroads has become more and more a blog about souvenirs that I have always had the intent to look at whole collections that people keep, as well as, single items I feel you might want to look out for while you are on your own adventures. I hope that this weeks item will be the first, but certainly not the last of its kind.

Welcome to this weeks edition of Bruce on the Backroads. I have to say the muse has not been with me lately. I feel like the same things that stop us all from doing the things that we love have made writing a little difficult. Work, friends, family, relationships all are great parts of your life but also cause a certain amount of stress. It has been said by many people much smarter than I that you have to block time in you life for certain things, for instance going to the gym, which is the context in which I have heard this advise the most. I would say this is also true of adventure. I believe if you are the type of person that really loves adventure, as we do here at the Backroads, you need to find a way to block time to look for adventure. Try a new restaurant, see a play, be a tourist in your own city. I feel that the best way to support local business, and help people commercially is to keep finding new people, learn about the things that go on in the areas, and most importantly find some adventure.

Well that was plenty enough time on my soapbox now time to talk about this weeks Scavenger Hunt item. On a trip to Atlanta a few months back to see my fiancées family, we heard about this place he HAD to see. We HAD to see this place so much that her aunt sent us a greeting card with a single picture on it, it was a picture of The Big Chicken. That card looked almost like this picture that my fiancee Rocki Yost took while we were there.

Hello friends, fans and anyone who happened to stumble upon this corner of the interwebs, welcome to this weeks “Bruce on the Backroads”. First I would like to apologize for not having a blog last week, I was very busy with my job, and was not near the computer enough to put together a good blog, hopefully this week will make up for that.

Of course I took an unscheduled week off at the very worst time, as I was about to announce the winner of a contest. I received a few entries for the Lighthouse envelope contest, and with the help of our friends at random.org the Internets home of randomly generated numbers I choose a winner. Donna Suchomelly of Reading, PA won the postmarked envelope from the Blackistone Lighthouse Station, and I will be sending that out by the end of the week. Congratulations Donna, and thank you to everyone who participated.