About Harrison Smith

Harrison Smith was born with an insatiable need to learn. His wife Nancy often refers to him as "Johnny 5" in reference to the robot in the movie "Short Circuit" who was obsessed with learning. Today after 38 years of working and overseeing Research and Development at a major software company he pursues topics of his own choosing. His thrust for knowledge spans a wide variety topics including traveling, history and a deep fascination for how and why things works the way they do.

Part VI — Brazil: The Final Stretch North

Overview This is part 6 of a 6-part series which covers the Brazil portion of our 54-day journey.  Our trip took us through Central America and then down the west coast of South America to Antarctica before ending in Brazil. The Complete Series can be found here: Part I — Central America & the Panama Canal: The Journey Begins Part II -- Across Ecuador & Peru: Markets, Monasteries, and Lost Civilizations Part III [...]

By |2026-03-02T14:47:34-05:00March 2, 2026|Brazil, South America|Comments Off on Part VI — Brazil: The Final Stretch North

Part V – Uruguay: Beach Resorts and Wineries

Overview This is part 5 of a 6-part series which covers the Uruguay portion of our 54-day journey.  Our trip took us through Central America and then down the west coast of South America to Antarctica before ending in Brazil. The Complete Series can be found here: Part I — Central America & the Panama Canal: The Journey Begins Part II -- Across Ecuador & Peru: Markets, Monasteries, and Lost Civilizations Part III [...]

By |2026-03-02T14:21:53-05:00March 2, 2026|South America, Uruguay|0 Comments

Part IV — Argentina, The Falkland Islands & Antarctica: To the End of the World

Overview This is part 4 of a 6-part series which covers the Argentina, Antarctica and Falkland Islands portion of our 54-day journey.  Our trip took us through Central America and then down the west coast of South America to Antarctica before ending in Brazil.   The Complete Series can be found here: Part I — Central America & the Panama Canal: The Journey Begins Part II - Across Ecuador & Peru: Markets, Monasteries, [...]

Part III — Chile: Ten Days Along the Edge of the Andes

Overview This is part 3 of a 6-part series which covers the Chile portion of our 54-day journey.  Our trip took us through Central American and then down the west coast of South America to Antarctica before ending in Brazil. The Complete Series can be found here: Part I — Central America & the Panama Canal: The Journey Begins Part II - Across Ecuador & Peru: Markets, Monasteries, and Lost Civilizations Part III [...]

By |2026-03-02T14:05:24-05:00March 2, 2026|Chile, South America|0 Comments

Part II – Across Ecuador & Peru: Markets, Monasteries, and Lost Civilizations

Overview This is part 2 of a 6-part series covering the Ecuador and Peru portions of our 54-day journey.  Our trip took us through Central American and then down the west coast of South America to Antarctica before ending in Brazil. The Complete Series can be found here: Part I — Central America & the Panama Canal: The Journey Begins Part II -- Across Ecuador & Peru: Markets, Monasteries, and Lost Civilizations Part [...]

By |2026-03-02T13:59:33-05:00March 2, 2026|Ecuador, Peru, South America|0 Comments

Part I — Central America & the Panama Canal: The Journey Begins

Overview Back in early spring of last year, we decided we wanted to do something different in the late fall and early winter — something we’d never done before. Neither Nancy nor I had ever been to Central America or South America, and when we found an Oceania itinerary that not only explored both but also dipped down to Antarctica.  We couldn’t resist, even though the trip was during Christmas and New Year's which meant [...]

A North America Road Trip: Part 4 – Cody Wyoming to Home

Overview This is the fourth part of a 42-day, 9,700-mile road trip from Virginia to Vancouver Island and back, blending epic scenery, old friends, quirky roadside attractions, and the quiet joy of the open road. This road trip came about from our goal of visiting 65 friends this year. We first put a map together to mark where everyone is located and then built a road trip to try and get as many as we [...]

By |2025-11-06T08:28:55-05:00November 6, 2025|MIssouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, USA Travel, Wyoming|0 Comments

A North America Road: Part 3 – Pacific Northwest to Cody Wyoming

Overview This is the third part of 42-day, 9,700-mile road trip from Virginia to Vancouver Island and back, blending epic scenery, old friends, quirky roadside attractions, and the quiet joy of the open road. This road trip came about from our goal of visiting 65 friends this year. We first put a map together to mark where everyone was located and then built a road trip to try and get as many as we could [...]

A North America Road: Trip Part 2 – The Canadian Western Provinces

Overview This is the second part of 42-day, 9,700-mile road trip from Virginia to Vancouver Island and back, blending epic scenery, old friends, quirky roadside attractions, and the quiet joy of the open road. This road trip came about from our goal of visiting 65 friends this year. We first put a map together to map out were everyone was located and then built a road trip to try and get as many as we [...]

By |2025-11-06T08:13:13-05:00November 6, 2025|Alberta, British Columbia|0 Comments

A North America Road Trip: Part 1 – The Canadian Prairies

Overview This is the first part of 42-day, 9,700-mile road trip from Virginia to Vancouver Island and back, blending epic scenery, old friends, quirky roadside attractions, and the quiet joy of the open road. This road trip came about from our goal of visiting 65 friends this year. We first put a map together to mark where everyone was located and then built a road trip to try and get as many as we could [...]

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