by laser2k

One of the most exciting things about travel is all the things you haven’t planned for. From an unexpected roadside cafe to a museum exhibit featuring your favorite artist or a shop with the perfect pair of shoes, there’s just so much you can’t know before leaving home. But not all of these things are so pleasant, but, as seasoned travelers will tell you, that’s to be expected. For those compulsive types like me, who want to control as much as possible, there’s a new website to ease at least one of your travel concerns: bad cell phone service. At DeadCellZones.com, users submit data about spots across the country with bad cell service. Before you book that week-long stay at a certain hotel, it could be worth the time to check that you’ll be able to use whatever mobile devices you’re attached to.—Hilary Solan

by stevendepolo

Flu season—it’s upon us. And if there’s a sick member of your family, you’ve probably spent a lot of time Lysoling all the doorknobs and handles in your home. But don’t forget about cleaning your car! It’s another place where germs can live and be passed on. Here are some simple tips for keeping your car clean during flu season or before a trip:

• Think about what you touch when you are in your car. Door handles, keys, stick shift, glove compartment, interior trim. All of those things should be cleaned with a car-interior cleaner.
  
• Spray the car-interior cleaner onto a cloth and wipe the length of the dashboard gently.
  
• Using standard window cleaner, wipe down all windows and mirrors inside and out with a dry cloth.
  
• Throw away any garbage, and consider putting a plastic bag in your car for tissues and other waste.
  
• Keep a hand sanitizer in each row of your vehicle. Be sure to use it after pumping gas.
  

—Hilary Solan

Grand Canyon by joelh085

A quick roundup of travel-related items:

• In appreciation of their service and dedication, all veterans and current members of the U.S. military, along with their families, will be admitted to the Grand Canyon and all other national parks free of charge on Veterans Day. To learn more about the battlefields, military parks, and other sites that will be open, visit this NPS website.
• The final batch of 2010 Winter Games tickets goes on sale Saturday morning for the events around the Vancouver area. Overall, more than 1.5 million tickets will be sold to the Games.
• Each summer, I’m wowed by just how many people come to Chicago for Lollapalooza. For next summer’s event, organizers are trying something a little different. They’re asking attendees to tell them who they’d most like to see. Voting ends the 10th.
• Confident that its hometown team will take the World Series, the Philadelphia Zoo is promising free admission, set for the day after the victory. Visitors are asked to bring an item that can be donated to nearby animal shelters.
• This collection of stills has been edited together to show one man’s journey from Denver to Singapore, complete with stops in Chicago, L.A., and Tokyo. It’s fascinating watching such a long journey be condensed to less than 5 minutes.

 — Hilary Solan

by laser2k

If you’re planning a holiday trip, you may want to see what deals you can find through coupon sites. Rental car companies, hotels, and attractions have been posting coupon codes to boost their end-of-year sales. Here are some of the sites that have the most travel deals:

• In its travel section, Coupontweet.com has codes from companies including Zipcar, Thrifty, Fairmont Hotels, and Travelocity.
  
• Retailmenot.com features coupons for Orbitz, Busch Gardens, Days Inn, Circus Circus, the San Diego Zoo, and more on its Travel and Tourism page.
  
• The Travel and Ticket section of FatWallet.com has coupon codes for W Hotels, Sandals resorts, Jet Blue, and Expedia.
  
• Couponcabin.com boasts nearly 1,000 deals in its Travel & Luggage category. Codes are for companies from Priceline to Skymall and Ramada to Tumi.
  
• If you are looking to cut own on meal costs, Restaurant.com is searchable by city, offering gift certificates to popular restaurants at a fraction of the price. One popular deal is a $25 gift certificate sold for $10.
  

If you know of any other good sites, tell us about them!—Hilary Solan

Steep Grades, Sharp Curves on Utah’s State Route 12 by Wolfgang Staudt

Want to submit a shot from your U.S. or Canada travels for consideration as a Picture of the Week selection? Please put a Creative Commons license on it, and add it to our Flickr pool, drop us a line, or post a link to it in the comments.

First Presbyterian Church in Port Gibson, Mississippi by Brett Gover

When I was a teenager, my family passed through Port Gibson once on a spring vacation. I remember my mother reading from a guidebook as we drove through the town. We learned that it had escaped destruction during the Battle of Port Gibson in the Civil War because General Grant declared it “too beautiful to burn.”

Ever since that day, I’ve carried around a hazy mental picture of the town: well-kept old brick homes along a quiet, shady street, the late-afternoon sun throwing long shadows and casting a warm glow over the whole scene.

Today, en route from Natchez to Vicksburg, I stopped in Port Gibson. I drove along Church Street, which is also US 61 and almost certainly the street on which my family passed through the town all those years ago. I looked for the place where I had snapped my mental picture, but I couldn’t find it.

But there were other things to see. Thanks to Grant’s clemency, Port Gibson has dozens of pre-Civil War homes and churches, and many of them are located along Church Street. I parked my car and walked a few blocks, pausing to look at the First Presbyterian Church (circa 1859), the Methodist Church (1860), St. Joseph’s Catholic Church (1850-51), and Oak Square (1850), the town’s largest antebellum mansion.

It seemed unfortunate that all of these lovely historic buildings should be located along a busy four-lane street.

And then I noticed that in almost every yard there was a "Save Church Street" sign. "Save it from what?," I asked a woman walking a dog. Her answer shocked me. She explained that the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) had announced plans to make Church Street even wider and more expressway-like. She spoke darkly of powerful local timber interests whose only concern was how quickly their big trucks could race through town. She said that the project threatens the beautiful old oak trees that line the street and give it much of its character.

Could all of this be true? Was there more to the story? I couldn’t stay around to find out. But as I drove out of town I was hoping that the townspeople would win this Second Battle of Port Gibson.—Brett Gover

A good magnet collection by turtlemom4bacon

Blame the change of seasons or how quickly the January 2010 page is approaching in my day planner. But I can’t stop thinking about all the places I’ve visited this year. I was lucky enough to drive the California coast, make it north into parts of rural Canada, and see most Midwestern states. Along the way I’ve picked up books, wine glasses, and sunburns but my quest to find a common souvenir from all the trips has gone unfulfilled. One of my mentors used to collect rocks from each trip she had taken. After a while, she was unable to tell the difference between the stones, and her collection froze in time. Another friend scouted out antique shops for the perfect picture postcard. Me? I haven’t decided yet. But when I was waiting at the Miami airport on Tuesday, I picked up a bright magnet in the shape of Florida along with my overpriced bottle of water. Maybe it was just a lark or the start of something bigger. I haven’t decided yet. So, what do we think? Magnets—too pedestrian or a fun (and easy-to-bring-home) momento?

Have a good collection of your own? Let me know! I may just steal your idea.—Hilary Solan

by allygirl520

It’s upsetting to report that I’ve seen a lot of pets riding in the front seats of cars lately. The Humane Society recommends that pet owners put their dogs and cats in the backseat during car trips car to avoid potential injuries should a passenger-side airbag deploy. Since we’re talking about safety, here are some of The Humane Society’s other car travel tips:

• Before putting a pet in a car, be sure that the animal is wearing a collar and proper identification.
  
• Although not all dogs need to be in a carrier while in the car, all cats should be. These carriers should be secured by seat belt.
  
• Restraining harnesses (found in most pet stores) are a good idea for dogs.
  
• Unrestrained dogs should not be allowed to stick their heads outside the window. Dogs can ingest a lot of dirt and other debris this way or become sick by inhaling too much air.
  
• Pets should never be allowed in truck beds.
  
• Be sure to budget in time to stop for bathroom breaks and exercise.
  
• No matter what the season, pets should not be left unattended in cars.
  

—Hilary Solan

Photos by Hilary Solan

The days leading up to my departure for Miami Beach were spent refreshing weather.com with an alarming frequency. Wasn’t I leaving the Midwest to escape the endless rain and cool temperatures? Menacing weather icons told me my weekend away was going to be an unpleasant one, full of thunderstorms and high winds. So much for wasting away my days, napping underneath a beach umbrella. In the 11th hour, I accepted my fate and started researching indoor activities.

The Bass Museum of Art? Never made it there. The shops of Lincoln Road? Didn’t see a dime from me. Instead I was on the beach in full sun catching up with a friend and on my reading. How grateful I was that the forecast was way, way off. I may have not left a mile radius of my South Beach hotel, but it was exactly what I wanted.—Hilary Solan

For more pictures from South Beach, visit Rand McNally’s Flickr account.

Pumpkin Patch in Boxborough, Mass., by Muffet

Want to submit a shot from your U.S. or Canada travels for consideration as a Picture of the Week selection? Please put a Creative Commons license on it, and add it to our Flickr pool, drop us a line, or post a link to it in the comments.