How to wander like a Wilbo.

First, start with a full tank of gas and a car that runs a lot of
miles of an gallon of gas. You have the option of buying carbon offset
credits.

Second, plan your trip by studying a map but when you pick a
destination, only have a general idea of route. For example, last
night I wanted to visit Kalamazoo and I wanted to drive M-40, and
those ideas were enough to generate an interesting trip. After that,
no maps are allowed unless one feels totally lost. Remember, you
started out with a full tanks of gas and a cell phone. What is to
worry? Major highways are to be resorted to if and only if you really
have to call the wandering to a close. In other words, you see the sun
setting and you don't want to be on the road too long after dark. Why
no maps and no freeways? The key is to wander a little bit so that the
discoveries show up. One begins to read the road and tune into ones
inner compass that always keeps track of north, south, east and west,
if you trust it. Signs grow in importance. One begins to read the
lights of cities in the sky, keep track of service stations, keep
track of places where community can be sought.

Third, book your hotel in advance so that it's awaiting you at the end
of a wander. I love booking off-the-beat cities through Priceline
Name-Your-Own Price. Lately, I've been booking into very nice Marriott
properties with late checkouts, well appointed lobbies and free
breakfast spreads.

Fourth, make frequent stops when a town or a feature of the landscape
strikes you as interesting and have a routine for making that stop and
adventure. You will do well if you make one stop every hour, if not
one stop every half hour. I note the stop in my Moleskine journal. I
send off one or more tweets. I take a walk along the main street and
look into the windows if the stores are closed. I go in and browse
around if the stores are open. I look for details that might be
overlooked by the locals, and this is a matter of picking your local.
Some locals notice nothing. Some locals notice everything. Last night
in Ostego, MI, a number of locals smoking in front of the primary bar
had never noticed the Peloton storefront. Turns out, it's an
Engineering, Manufacturing and Design boutique shop. If you are close
to two major airports, Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, and you have access
to high speed Internet, you can be a consulting powerhouse on the main
street of a river village.

The game is to talk with at least three local people, and the
bar-tender, clerk or waitress doesn't count. If possible, eat or drink
something local, such as a microbrew or a local glass of wine. It's
important to remember that one is driving and to apply principals of
good alcohol management or go wandering with a designated Wilbo at the
wheel. So in Flint, Michigan, have a Coney Island with a Kogel
frankfurter or order up a Halo Burger from Bill Thomas. So in Benton
Harbor, lift a pint from a firkin tap at the Livery Brewing Company.
Scan the stop for a sign of the past, and historical markers and
plaques are helpful passports into a city and its story. You win grace
points if you stumble upon an overlooked work of art, no matter how in
need of restoration or how native in execution. Last night, I was
stunned by a Harley motor carved by a chain saw. It was an entrant in
downtown Otsego's local Art Prize competition. Recently, during their
Coho Festival, Honor Michigan asked local businesses to create an art
work in the image of a Coho Salmon. These are still on display and
topics of conversation after winner was selected by a penny vote.
Since the undocumented trip is not worth taking, be sure to snap
pictures and post them on the internet. Record your conversations and
discoveries in your moleskine journal. And please, fire off a few
tweets just so we know you had arrived and departed and helped out the
locals by paying a visit. Yes, you are paying a visit and you hve
noidea how many people will follow your trail.

Peloton: http://www.pelotoninc.com/home.html