ROADS • RAILS • RUNWAYS
The journey counts.
Interstate routes, rail trips, airports and the stories collected between destinations. Yes, highway signs are part of the collection.
Follow the mileage →STEVEN R. BECK • WILSON, NORTH CAROLINA
Transportation is my career.
Getting there is the fun part.
I’m Steve: transit leader, Eagle Scout and the guy who notices the Interstate designation before the scenery.
Illinois roots. North Carolina home. A life full of roads, rail journeys, airports, LEGO and dogs with opinions.
A theatrical tribute inspired by Catherine O’Hara’s performances, from Home Alone to Schitt’s Creek. An unofficial fan homage; not affiliated with or endorsed by Catherine O’Hara or the creators of Schitt’s Creek.
EXPLORE STEVE’S WORLD
Pick your destination.
THE WORK
Career & leadership
From driving a bus to leading transit operations. The people, systems and lessons along the way.
Explore my career THE MILEAGERoads, Rails & Runways
Interstates traveled, Amtrak memories and 50 aviation locations. Getting there deserves its own story.
Explore the collection LIFE WITH DOGSMeet the crew
Tucker, Wilson and Winnie “Pooh Bear,” with Ike’s legacy still supervising. Life outside transit starts here.
Meet the dogsABOUT STEVE
Getting there is part of the story.
Illinois roots. North Carolina home. A life measured in more than mileage.
HI, I’M STEVE
Steven R. Beck
I’m a transit leader, Eagle Scout and Western Illinois University alumnus. I grew up in Rochelle, Illinois, and now call Wilson, North Carolina home.
Transportation is both my career and something I enjoy off the clock. Give me an interesting interchange, an Amtrak trip or an airport terminal, and I’ll probably have questions. And opinions.
At home, there are dogs, LEGO projects and usually something else I’m trying to improve. The goal is the same one I learned in Scouting: leave it better than you found it.
Explore my career →BEHIND THE NAME
Steve, Ike, Tucker & Wilson.
That’s where SITW began. The name carries the dogs who have been part of my life, including Ike, whose memory stays with me. Today, Tucker, Wilson and Winnie—better known as Pooh Bear—keep things interesting at home.
Roads, Rails & Runways brings the other part of the story together: the places I’ve been, how I got there, and the details I can’t help noticing along the way.
LIFE AT HOME
The dogs run the place.
Tucker, Wilson and Pooh Bear each bring their own personality. Pooh Bear has already discovered that a water bowl can double as entertainment.
Meet the dogs →LEGO & PHOTOGRAPHY
Build it. Notice it.
I enjoy building with LEGO and photographing the things that catch my attention. Both reward taking a closer look at the details.
See the LEGO collection →SCOUTING
Leave it better.
From earning Eagle Scout to serving as Scoutmaster, Scouting helped shape how I approach responsibility, service and leadership.
My Scouting story →How I got here Illinois roots, Scouting and the start of my transit career.
ILLINOIS ROOTS
Scouting, college, and an unexpected turn toward transit.
I was born in 1975 to Robert and Deborah Beck in Rochelle, Illinois. I attended Lincoln School, Rochelle Junior High and Rochelle Township High School, graduating in 1993.
Scouting became a major part of my life beginning in first grade with Pack 552. In 1987 I joined Troop 312, where I earned Eagle Scout. I later returned as the final Scoutmaster of Troop 312 and helped two young men earn Eagle Scout.
I graduated from Kishwaukee College in 1998 and Western Illinois University in 2000, then returned for my master’s degree, finally finishing in 2011 after a transportation internship. During college I was recognized in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges and inducted into Rho Phi Lambda.
My first career began with the Boy Scouts of America in 2001. After leaving professional Scouting and spending a few years figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up, I returned to graduate school.
Then transportation found me.
I began driving a bus for Laidlaw in 2007, became a transit supervisor with First Student in 2009, and became a General Manager with Durham School Services in 2012. From there came transit systems, startups, moves, executive roles and considerably more mileage than any sensible career path should require.
SITW is personal too: Steve, Ike, Tucker & Wilson. It is the professional side of my life and the guy who can spend entirely too much time studying an interchange, airport terminal, transit map or highway sign.
STATES I’VE LIVED IN & VISITED
A life with a lot of mileage.
Purple marks the states I’ve lived in. Yellow marks the states I’ve visited.
The map is probably the fastest way to explain why I have opinions about so many highways, airports and places that nobody asked for.
COUNTRIES & TERRITORIES I’VE VISITED
The passport has mileage too.
Gold marks countries visited. Purple dots mark Caribbean territories and islands that are too small to show cleanly on a world map.
United States • Mexico • Bahamas • Haiti • Jamaica • Dominican Republic • Puerto Rico • U.S. Virgin Islands • Sint Maarten • Aruba • Curaçao • Bonaire
And yes, Curaçao counts: I landed there. Getting off the plane was apparently optional.
MEMORIES FROM WORK
A couple of things that followed me to the office.
Not everything in the office is there because it belongs on a desk. Some of it is there because it tells part of the story.
FAMILY HISTORY
Roots & surprises
Genealogy, family stories and the chapter that included finding an older sister at 46.
Explore the family tree →
TRAVEL
Planes, trains & automobiles
Trips are better when getting there becomes part of the story.
HOME
The collection problem
Some people decorate. Steve acquires things with route numbers, airport codes, Scout history or several thousand plastic bricks.
FAMILY ROOTS
Where I come from.
Family, ancestry, and the people who made me the luckiest boy alive.
Before the roads, rails and runways, there were the people who made my world what it was. My family roots reach across Europe, but the part I treasure most is the family I was fortunate enough to know.
Apparently Europe was a group project. DNA estimates offer a snapshot of where some of those roots began; the stories are what make them matter.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BRANCHES
The Luckiest Boy Alive
I have always considered myself one of the luckiest boys alive when it came to family.
Growing up, I had something pretty special: three grandmothers. Grandma June, Grandma Dorothy, and Grandma Chris.
And if that wasn't enough, I was fortunate enough to meet six of my great-grandparents:
- Great Grandpa Schuler
- Great Grandma Schuler
- Great Grandpa Copeland
- Great Grandpa Henry Beck
- Great Grandma Lena Beck
- Great Grandma Bonnie Soden
Not everyone gets the opportunity to know so many generations of their family. I was fortunate enough to have those connections, even if I was too young to fully appreciate just how special they were at the time.
Looking back, I realize how fortunate I was. My childhood wasn't just filled with parents and grandparents, but with connections to generations of family who came before me.
Three grandmothers. Six great-grandparents. And more family love than one little boy could ever ask for.
I really was the luckiest boy alive.
SEPTEMBER 19, 1975
My Grand Entrance
I was born on Friday, September 19, 1975, the first child of Robert and Deborah Beck.
My arrival was anything but uneventful. Mom experienced serious complications during childbirth, and while thankfully we both made it through, a rather important message never reached Dad.
Apparently, I was about eight hours old before he learned that I had arrived alive and healthy. The doctor had forgotten to tell him he was the proud father of a bouncing baby boy.
Eight hours old, and I had already caused a medical emergency and a communications breakdown. Not exactly a quiet entrance into the world.
THE JOURNEY BEHIND THE JOB
Moving people is the career.
Getting there is the story.
The people, places, and unexpected assignments that shaped my career—without making you read my entire résumé.
WITH GRATITUDE
Jude Kiah — Mentor
Many people teach you how to do a job. A true mentor helps you become the leader you were meant to be. For the guidance, friendship, confidence, and occasional reality check: thank you, Jude.
A LITTLE ABOUT MY WORKING LIFE
From the driver's seat to leading the operation.
I began working in transportation long before I held an executive title. Driving, washing buses, and learning what it takes to get people where they need to go shaped the way I've approached every leadership role since.
That journey has taken me from Illinois to Texas, Indiana, Colorado, the Carolinas, and beyond—leading everything from university transit systems to large urban operations and rural transportation networks.
Along the way, there have been unforgettable assignments, including transportation for Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers events, service changes that made a real difference for passengers, and the occasional night when the best place for a manager was back on the front line.
ROADS • RAILS • RUNWAYS
The collection is mostly mileage.
Not everything worth collecting fits on a shelf.
🛣️
ROADS
Roadgeek
Primary Interstates, 3DIs, complete routes, partial routes and occasional designation nonsense.
🚆
RAILS
Amtrak
Illinois corridor trains, sleeper trips, stories and one telephone pole that was not on the itinerary.
✈️
RUNWAYS
Airport Geek
Airports visited, terminal opinions and rankings absolutely nobody commissioned.
ROADS • THE ROADGEEK FILES
The destination is only half the fun.
I keep track of the Interstates I’ve traveled, collect license plates, and have opinions about route numbers that probably deserve their own exit.
ROADGEEK
Interstates I've Driven
My personal route log: end-to-end drives, stretches traveled, passenger-only rides and one designation under protest.133Driven / Ridden Routes
91Complete
41Partial
793-Digit / Branch
Complete: end to endPartial: some portionsRidden only: passenger3DI: three-digit InterstateDisputed: Steve’s editorial objection
No routes match that filter.
Editorial policy remains unchanged: Wyoming receives no unnecessary 3DI without compelling evidence and adult supervision.
ROADS • MOVES • MEMORIES
My Life in License Plates
Some people collect souvenirs. I apparently collect license plates. Over the years, my plates have followed me from Illinois to Texas, Colorado, Kentucky, Indiana, and back again. They are more than pieces of metal on a wall — each one represents where I lived, where I worked, the vehicles I drove, and the roads I traveled.
AND THEN THERE'S BUS 144
Not every plate came from one of my cars.
BUS 144, from St. Maarten, represents another huge part of my life: transit. After spending much of my career around buses — driving them, managing them and building transit operations — it seems appropriate that a bus plate made the collection.
It connects two things that have followed me for most of my adult life: roads and buses.
Because apparently even on vacation, I can't get away from buses.
RAILS • MY AMTRAK TRAVELS
Some trips are better by train.
Illinois corridor rides, a sleeper west with Dad, and one telephone pole that was definitely not on the itinerary.
4Routes ridden
9Stations in my travel log
1Bucket-list sleeper trip with Dad
THE ROUTE LOG
Four routes. Different kinds of journeys.
Illinois Zephyr
Part of my Illinois corridor travel, connecting the rail story with my home state.
Carl Sandburg
Another Illinois corridor route in my travel log.
California Zephyr
The bucket-list sleeper trip west with Dad, with Denver as our destination.
Southwest Chief
Ridden from Galesburg to Chicago.
STATIONS IN MY TRAVEL LOG
Chicago UnionNapervilleMendotaKewaneeGalesburgMacombQuincyHoldregeDenver
A record of stations from my travels, rather than a single itinerary.
RUNWAYS • MY AVIATION LOG
Airports are part of the adventure.
Major hubs, Caribbean arrivals and a couple of local flights. The airport code is only the beginning of the story.
50Airports & aviation locations in my log
This records places from my own travels, including local airfields. And yes, Curaçao counts: I landed there. Getting off the plane was apparently optional.
MACOMB • LL27
A different view of Illinois.
An aerobatic airplane ride with my great friend Brandon Sparrow, flying from Macomb’s original grass field.
ROCHELLE • RJP
Home, from above.
Up, around and back down—a short local flight over Rochelle.
CURAÇAO • CUR
The landing counts.
Landed. Stayed on the plane. Still made the travel log.
EXPLORE THE LOG
Find a familiar terminal—or an unfamiliar code.
No airports match. Try another search or reset the filters.
Eagle Scout rank emblem • click for official Scouting America documentation
Vietnam Veterans Memorial • Atwood Park • 1991
Eagle Scout Project — Troop 312, Rochelle, Illinois
SCOUTING & SERVICE
A pretty important part of the story.
DEDICATED TO
Norvin L. Moss, Scoutmaster
W. Dale Bearrows, Assistant Scoutmaster
Two men whose leadership, guidance and example helped shape not only the Scout I became, but the man and leader I became afterward. Thank you for helping show me the way.
Eagle ScoutAtwood Park service project, 1991.
Illinois Eagle Scout Report to the GovernorSelected council representative.
JCPenney Golden Rule AwardRecognition tied to the Eagle project.
Honorary State DirectorCommerce & Community Affairs for a day.
BEYOND THE EAGLE PROJECT
Camp summers, national events & a trading post.
Scouting also meant summer camp, staff assignments, leadership roles and plenty of reasons to pack a bag.
PROFESSIONAL SCOUTING • JANUARY 2001–DECEMBER 2003
Peace Pipe District Executive
Served as Peace Pipe District Executive with Calumet Council, Boy Scouts of America, in Munster, Indiana, from January 2001 through December 2003.
District service area: Calumet City and Burnham, Illinois; Chicago’s Hegewisch neighborhood; and Whiting, East Chicago and Hammond, Indiana.
- Council Advancement Advisor.
- Cub Day Camp — Co-Professional Advisor.
- Attended PDL I and PDL II.
Scouting became my first professional career, building on my experience as a Scout and volunteer leader.
Trading post logistics, Steve style: I could walk into Sam’s Club during early-morning business hours and be back out in 15 minutes with $500 worth of candy, soda and other snacks for the camp trading post. Apparently, snack procurement was one of my professional specialties.
SUMMER CAMP
Canyon Camp & Camp CS Klaus
- Canyon Camp: First summer in 1987; last summer in 2007.
- JLT staff: Canyon Camp, 1990.
- Camp intern: Camp CS Klaus, Colesburg, Iowa, 2000.
Twenty years between my first and last Canyon Camp summers. Camp became a recurring chapter of my life.
THE NATIONAL GATHERINGS
From visitor to staff
- National Jamboree visitor: 1989.
- National Jamboree staff: 1997.
- National Order of the Arrow Conference (NOAC) staff: 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2000.
- Section Conclaves attended: 1991–2000.
Five NOAC staff assignments, a Jamboree on each side of the visitor/staff divide, and a decade of Section Conclaves.
ORDER OF THE ARROW LEADERSHIP
Lodge, chapters & conference
- Wulapeju Lodge Chief.
- Sinnissippi Chapter Chief.
- Gohkos Chapter Chief.
- Conference Vice Chief — Trading Post.
- Section Realignment Committee.
Many Januarys were spent at the Copa Cabana in Wisconsin Dells for the Conference of Chiefs Winter Meeting. And yes, you’re probably hearing the song now. The Wisconsin January weather supplied its own interpretation of “tropical.”
HONORS & DEVELOPMENT
Recognition and room to grow
- Order of the Arrow Founder’s Award recipient.
- Vigil Honor.
- National Leadership Seminar (NLS) training.
Earning Eagle Scout was one milestone. Service, leadership and learning continued long afterward.
GIVING BACK • GRATITUDE • PAYING IT FORWARD
Paying It Forward
A thank you to the people, places and programs that helped make me the person I am.
There is a very complicated story behind most of my philanthropy:
someone asked me.
I have been fortunate to have people and organizations invest their time, patience, encouragement and trust in me. Some of the causes I support are tied directly to my own experiences. Others matter because someone I respect cared enough to ask me to help. Either way, this is one small way I can say thank you.
SCOUTING & SERVICE
Friends of Canyon Camp
Scouting helped shape how I think about leadership, responsibility, service and leaving things better than I found them. Supporting Friends of Canyon Camp helps preserve those same opportunities for the next generation.
Thank you Dan Dick, for asking me to support Friends of Canyon Camp.
Visit Friends of Canyon Camp →
WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Live Mascot Program
Colonel Rock is part of the personality, tradition and spirit of Western Illinois University. Supporting the Live Mascot Program helps keep that Leatherneck tradition alive for students and alumni who come after us.
Thank you Joe Roselieb, for asking me to support the Live Mascot Program.
Meet Colonel Rock →
GO WEST
SECURITY
WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Go West Security
Go West is part of where my transportation story really began. It connected college, public service, operations and eventually a career I never expected to have. Supporting Go West Security is a way to give something back to a program that gave me a great deal.
Thank you Joe Roselieb, for asking me to support Go West Security.
WIUSTUDENT SERVICES
WESTERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Student Services
College can change the direction of a person's life. Supporting Student Services helps students reach the resources, guidance and opportunities that can make that difference when they need it most.
Thank you JB, for asking me to support Student Services.
St. JudeChildren's Research Hospital®
CHILDREN & FAMILIES
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Some causes do not need a complicated explanation. Children and families facing serious illness deserve every possible chance to focus on treatment, recovery, hope and being together.
Thank you Nicole Wheatley — and especially my Grandpa — for giving me the reason to support St. Jude.
Visit St. Jude →
❤️
THE POINT OF ALL OF IT
I would not be where I am today without people who gave me opportunities, taught me, challenged me, encouraged me and occasionally pushed me when I needed it.
I cannot completely repay everything that was given to me. But I can pay some of it forward.LIFE WITH DOGS
My house. Their rules.
Tucker, Wilson and Winnie “Pooh Bear” keep home interesting. Ike’s place in the family—and his HR title—remains permanent.
Always on welcome duty.
THE CURRENT CREW
Three personalities. One home.
THE SENIOR MEMBER OF THE CREW
Tucker
Joined the family August 18, 2014.
This was the day I met Tucker. I looked at that face and decided he was coming home with me. The decision had been made.
In retrospect, Tucker may have been the one who made the decision. These days, the cool bathroom floor remains one of his favorite places to settle in.
REPORTING FOR DUTY
Wilson
Joined the family October 29, 2024.
Fresh from his first grooming and immediately back to work. Nobody was getting past Wilson without authorization.
His own departures are another matter. Open doors are opportunities, and Wilson has always had his own ideas about freedom.
THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE CREW
Winnie “Pooh Bear”
Pooh Bear joined the family on September 25, 2026, and quickly made himself at home alongside Tucker and Wilson.
A water enthusiast with a talent for splashing the kitchen and an interest in joining me in the hot tub. His other specialty? Looking completely innocent afterward.
OCTOBER 10, 2026 • POOH BEAR'S LATEST ADVENTURE
Pooh Bear Attempts to Walk on Water
On Saturday, Pooh Bear followed me through the gate and up onto the pool deck. He took one look at the solar cover and apparently concluded it was an excellent place to take a stroll.
It was not.
Before I knew it, the little shit was in the water. Thankfully, he swam straight back toward me, and I was able to lift him out. I was about thirty seconds away from jumping in fully clothed to get him.
He was startled, understandably, but he was okay — and very, very wet.
Between flooding the kitchen, trying to join me in the hot tub, and now attempting to defy physics in the swimming pool, I'm beginning to think Pooh Bear believes he's a Labrador trapped in a Cavapoo's body.
For the record, the pool is gated and inaccessible to the dogs unless I open it. And no, the solar cover is not a sidewalk.
POOH BEAR & WILSON
The neighborhood inspection team.
Two noses, plenty to investigate.
ALWAYS PART OF THE FAMILY
Some places can’t be filled by anyone else.
The dogs who came before are still part of this story.
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN • CIRCA 1977–1978
Sam — My First Dog 🐾🌈
Sam was my first dog, joining the family around 1977 or 1978. He loved being outside and was as gentle as could be. He rarely wanted to come in the house, but when storms rolled through, he made an exception and headed straight for the basement to hide.
You could leave a steak on the counter and Sam wouldn't touch it. A tub of butter, however, was another matter entirely. That would disappear.
Thanksgiving 1978, Lakeview: We had just moved into our house on Lakeview when Mom noticed things had gotten suspiciously quiet. She went looking for me and found Sam and me sitting together in the kitchen, a bag of cheesy puffs between us. I would eat one, then give Sam one, taking turns like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Mom said she couldn't even get mad. We were behaving, staying out of the way, and the sight of a little boy sharing his cheesy puffs with his dog was just too funny.
My first dog, and one of my earliest memories of friendship.
2010–2024 • DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Ike Beck 🐾🌈
Joined the family November 29, 2012. Crossed the Rainbow Bridge May 10, 2024.
Ike did not hide his opinions. If he was mad at you, he ignored you. If he wanted attention, subtlety was not part of the process: he climbed into my lap and smacked me in the face with his paw.
Mom said “no,” and Ike listened. I said “no,” and Ike apparently heard, “Challenge accepted.” He escaped, visited the neighbors, begged for treats and returned as though absolutely nothing unusual had happened.
At work he sat on the desk, watched everyone and quickly learned who would feed him and who would not. A friend at the Illinois Department of Transportation simply referred to him as HR. The title stuck.
Management structure: Mom outranked Ike. Ike outranked Tucker. The neighbors were treat vendors. Steve was management on paper.
Little Ike
Before HR had officially taken over.
Home
Ike at home, where he belongs.
THE CHILDHOOD DOG
Bocephus 🐾🌈
Bocephus Bear Grizzly Beck was his registered name. To the family, he was Bo—a long-haired German Shepherd with his own rules about security and snacks.
Bo wouldn’t leave the garage or bark at anyone from there. But he would run out into the yard and bark from the fence. Apparently, an announcement required the proper location.
He knew exactly where the hot dogs were in the refrigerator and expected one from Dad every day when he got home from work. Some days, Bo decided it was a two-hot-dog day and pestered Dad until the second one appeared.
Eventually, he had Aunt Carol trained to give him one too. The hot dog operation had expanded.
Bo also loved Wiffle balls so much that Mom ordered an entire case from the company. Once he found the box, he quietly helped himself to a new one whenever he wanted. Nobody really knew he was getting into the supply.
For years after he passed, we would still find a random Wiffle ball in the house—a little reminder of Bo and his private inventory system.
COLORADO SPRINGS MEMORIES
Four Dogs, One Balloon Festival
Bailey, Bo, Tucker and Ike—left to right—lined up on the balcony to watch the annual hot air balloon festival in Colorado Springs. Four very different personalities, sharing one remarkable view.
Moira Rose’s commentary: “Four precious darlings assembled on their private balcony to witness enormous, brightly colored objects floating through the heavens. A spectacle of such grandeur! Though I suspect at least one of them was more interested in the possibility of airborne squirrels.”
MY PARENTS’ DOGS
The favorite children.
THE FAMILY SUCCESSION PLAN
Bo 🐾🌈 & Bailey 🐾🌈
Meet Bo and Bailey, my parents’ dogs—the two who replaced my sister and me as the favorite children.
Here they are posing in front of the Beck stone for what looks very much like their official family portrait. My sister and I were apparently demoted to supporting cast.
THE NEXT GENERATION OF FAVORITE CHILDREN
Duke & Beckett
Mom and Dad now have Duke and Beckett carrying on the proud family tradition of replacing my sister and me as the favorite children. Apparently, the succession plan is still working perfectly.
Photos coming soon.
THE BRICK ZONE
Okay, yes. There are LEGO.
Architecture, vehicles, oversized builds and the ongoing belief that there is always room for one more set.
FEATURED OBSESSION
Some people collect souvenirs.
Steve builds them.
Roads, rails, runways and buildings make considerably more sense once they have been reduced to several thousand interlocking plastic pieces.
GALLERY
Minions
Because apparently one Minion was never going to be enough.
GALLERY
Everyone Is Awesome
Pretty self-explanatory.
TRANSIT — SORT OF
The Knight Bus
All destinations. Nothing underwater. A triple-decker bus seemed entirely reasonable to add to the collection.
TRANSIT
London Double-Decker
A classic red London bus — because the transit collection was never going to stop with American buses.
ARCHITECTURE
The Sears Tower
Chicago's skyline legend. Always will be. Some things simply do not need to be renamed.
DESK DECOR
F-CAW-F!
My official workplace ambassador for professionalism, diplomacy, and Christmas cheer. Yes, this actually sits on my desk at work.
MORE BUILDS
The table was free once
The larger the set, the more convincing the argument that it counts as home décor.
ROADS • RAILS • RUNWAYS • AND APPARENTLY SHIPS
CRUISES
Because sometimes the road less traveled is water — and every trip seems to come with a story, a witness, or Jeff.
⚓ Royal Caribbean preferred • Carnival was given one chance
THERE IS ALWAYS A STORY
This is a travel log, not a ship encyclopedia.
It is the collection of trips, places, people and moments I actually remember — which, in my world, is considerably more entertaining.
Royal Caribbean became the cruise line of choice. Carnival got one cruise. That was sufficient research.
The Cruise Log
May 2008
🚢
The First Cruise
CarnivalFirst Cruise
Who went: Steve, Jeff Dodd and Phillip Bryan.
Sailing from New Orleans, the itinerary included the Yucatán and Cancún, Mexico.
The cruise that started the sea-going chapter and established a very clear cruise-line preference.
Official retrospective: Carnival SUCKS. We tried it. Research completed.
January 2010
🏝️
Haiti — Two Weeks Before the Earthquake
Royal CaribbeanHaiti
Who went: Steve and Jeff Dodd.
The trip included the Bahamas, Jamaica and Haiti. After helping Jeff move, we went on a cruise that included Haiti. Two weeks later, the devastating 2010 earthquake struck.
That timing turned what had simply been a vacation memory into something I would always look back on differently.
2011
🌈⛴️
Pride on Lake Michigan
ChicagoPride RideJeff, Al & Ms. Lucy Foozie
Who went: Steve, Jeff, Al and Ms. Lucy Foozie.
A Pride boat ride on Lake Michigan. Not a traditional ocean cruise, but a boat, Chicago, Pride and this group absolutely qualifies as a travel story.
Sept. 19, 2015
🎂🚢
My 40th Birthday Cruise
Royal CaribbeanOasis of the Seas40th Birthday
Who went: Steve, Jeff Dodd and Al Stout.
I sailed from Fort Lauderdale on Oasis of the Seas.
Itinerary: Nassau, St. Thomas and Sint Maarten. Jeff upgraded us to a two-story loft suite.
There are ordinary birthday trips, and then there is turning 40 in a two-story suite on Oasis.
Oct. 18–26, 2025
👑🎂
My 50th Birthday Cruise
Royal CaribbeanOasis of the SeasRoyal Suite50th Birthday
Who went: Steve, Jeff, Al and Jason.
Back aboard Oasis of the Seas, sailing from Fort Lauderdale.
Planned itinerary: Curaçao, Aruba, Cabo Rojo (Dominican Republic) and CocoCay. This time the accommodations were a Royal Suite.
What actually happened: A passenger was injured on board, requiring us to divert to Jamaica for a medical evacuation. After that unexpected stop, a hurricane disrupted the itinerary and prevented us from visiting Curaçao.
Forty established the standard. Fifty made absolutely no attempt to lower it.
Feb. 10–14, 2027
🎤🚢
Suite Rife on Deck — Matt Rife at Sea
Upcoming CruiseMSC Poesia4 Nights
February 10–14, 2027: A four-night comedy cruise aboard MSC Poesia, sailing round-trip from Miami.
Early booking bragging rights: I was among the first 500 to book — and reserved a two-room suite. Apparently I have no intention of lowering my cruise accommodations standards.
Itinerary: Miami → Day at Sea → Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos → Day at Sea → Miami.
Matt Rife and friends, stand-up comedy, live music, themed activities, and a guaranteed seat for one Matt Rife theater show. Sun, sea, and more than enough material for another cruise story.
Status: Upcoming adventure. Official Suite Rife on Deck website ↗
⚓ Where the Ships Took Me
The actual 50th birthday cruise route, plus the earlier cruises and stories that earned permanent map status.
Actual 50th birthday cruise route • 18–26 October 2025 • 2,789 nautical miles
40TH BIRTHDAY • 2015Fort Lauderdale → Nassau → St. Thomas → Sint Maarten → Fort Lauderdale
50TH BIRTHDAY • 2025Planned: Fort Lauderdale → Curaçao → Aruba → Cabo Rojo → CocoCay → Fort Lauderdale
Actual: Diverted to Jamaica for an injured passenger’s medical evacuation; afterward, a hurricane prevented the planned Curaçao visit.
Actual: Diverted to Jamaica for an injured passenger’s medical evacuation; afterward, a hurricane prevented the planned Curaçao visit.
2010Haiti — visited just two weeks before the devastating earthquake.
2011 PRIDE RIDE • CHICAGOAl and Ms. Lucy Foozie get an honorary map entry. Lake Michigan is a little far north to squeeze honestly onto a Caribbean map.
40th Birthday • 2015
50th Birthday • 2025
Earlier cruise history
THE JEFF FILES
Every trip needs witnesses.
🍽️
The Dining Room Incident
Jeff went to the maître d’. Whatever happened in that conversation worked, because the main dining room service for the rest of the cruise was spectacular.
Conclusion: do not underestimate Jeff when dining standards are involved.
🥂
Jeff’s Other Travel Damage
Jeff deserves credit for helping turn me into an Amtrak business-class and five-star-hotel snob.
Airplane first class, however, was entirely my own mistake. Once experienced, coach became considerably less charming.
Current Cruise Line Rankings
Preferred
👑 Royal Caribbean
Would cruise again. Has earned repeat business.
Dignity-Free Zone
🛟 Carnival
One cruise. Enough data was collected. No dignity has been allocated.
HISTORY • CONVERSATION • CURIOSITY
20 Historical Figures
I’d Have a Drink With
Some I admire. Some fascinate me. A few simply have a lot of explaining to do.
THE PREMISE
One table. Twenty seats.
If I could sit down for a drink and a real conversation with twenty people from history, these are the people I would invite. The reasons are all over the map: leadership, politics, science, aviation, philosophy, art, war, faith, invention and plain old curiosity.
An important distinction
This is not a ranking of greatness, morality or admiration. It is a list of people I would want the chance to question, listen to, challenge or hear tell their own story.
The Twenty
Abraham Lincoln
The Civil War, preserving the Union, leadership, politics and his famously dry sense of humor. I suspect this conversation could last all night.
George Washington
What did the first president really think about the country he helped create — and what would he make of the country it became?
Adolf Hitler
Not admiration. I would want to confront one of history’s most destructive figures and understand how he rationalized his ideology, decisions and crimes.
John F. Kennedy
The Cold War, Cuba, the space race, the presidency and the questions that still surround one of America’s most analyzed political eras.
Ronald Reagan
Hollywood, the presidency, the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the stories. Reagan seems like someone who could keep a table entertained for hours.
Richard Nixon
Watergate would obviously come up, but so would China, Vietnam, foreign policy and the complicated personality behind a fascinating presidency.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The Great Depression, the New Deal, World War II and what it was like leading the country through two enormous crises.
Benjamin Franklin
Scientist, inventor, diplomat, writer, politician and professional troublemaker. This might be one of the livelier drinks on the list.
Thomas Edison
Invention, entrepreneurship, competition, electricity and the difference between the Edison of the history books and the actual man.
William Shakespeare
First question: how much did you actually write? After that, literature, theater and several centuries of people analyzing every damn word.
Pope John Paul II
Poland, communism, faith, world travel, the Cold War and his influence during one of the most consequential periods of the twentieth century.
Ulysses S. Grant
The Civil War, Lee, Reconstruction, the presidency and what history has gotten right — and wrong — about him. We may monitor the bar tab.
Winston Churchill
World War II, Britain, Roosevelt, politics, leadership and enough wit to make this one of the more entertaining evenings on the list.
Walt Disney
Animation, creativity, risk, business, theme parks and one obvious question: what would Walt think of the company carrying his name today?
Neil Armstrong
Apollo 11 alone earns him a seat. I would want to hear what walking on another world actually felt like from the man who took the first step.
Amelia Earhart
Aviation, exploration, breaking barriers and — yes — eventually I would have to ask exactly what happened on that final flight.
Aristotle
Philosophy, ethics, government, science, education and human behavior. It would be fascinating to introduce an ancient thinker to the modern world.
Albert Einstein
Relativity would only be the beginning: science, nuclear weapons, war, politics, religion and how one of history’s great minds viewed humanity.
Marie Curie
A pioneering scientist, two Nobel Prizes, radioactivity, perseverance and succeeding in a scientific world hardly designed to welcome women.
Leonardo da Vinci
Artist, engineer, inventor and anatomist — a mind that seemed centuries ahead of everyone else. There might not be enough hours in the evening.
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FIRST ALTERNATE
Mark Twain
Probably the funniest evening on the list. If anybody above cancels, Twain gets the chair immediately.
SARCASM • OPINIONS • QUESTIONABLE WISDOM
What Would Steve Say?
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Even my mother won’t give you my cell phone number.
