The Written Road began in 2008 as a collection of personal stories, musings and photographs by Ryan Eugene MacDonald, a journalist who travels the globe and lives to write about it. Most of the entries featured at The Written Road describe experiences being lived right now, while others recount adventures from years gone by. All are vivid, literary snapshots of life taking place somewhere in the world.
Throughout its evolution, The Written Road has intended to capture the heart and soul of a city away from home and provide readers a blogging destination where they can share their own traveling experiences.
All published content featured at The Written Road is created by Ryan MacDonald, unless otherwise noted. Please contact him directly for reuse or distribution; he can be reached at ryan.e.macdonald@gmail.com.
Hello Ryan,
Ross directed the Blog Buddies to your new blog and I want to share with you how outstanding it is! I look forward to reading about your adventures around this wonderful earth. I might not be able to travel, yet with you and your blog, it will be like I’m on the road with you.
I pray for traveling mercies to you and God’s blessings to you.
You are one of my favorite Ross Blog regulars. What a friend you have in Ross.
Take care Ryan!
Sally~
Ryan (Ross’s Friend),
It is great to see you have started your own blog. We’re especially excited about it because your blog chronicles the adventures of one of our own passions — traveling. We love to travel and experience new and exciting things.
Whenever we decide to travel we do extensive research on the location, sights and eateries. Our main sources of information comes from other people’s blogs, travel postings on travel websites, and travel books (i.e., Rough Guide, Frommers, Lonely Planet) — and now your blog.
We’ve created a blog on the last two trips (which was inspired by Ross’s Blog) to share our adventures with our friends and family. Posting on the blog became an obsession while on the road. Everyday was a new experience and we had to share it with everyone. Plus, doing a blog “on the road” made it easier for us to come home and relax. We didn’t have to tell everyone what we did on our travel because it was posted on the blog.
We wanted to share our blog with you and hope it will inspire you to visit these countries.
Australia: http://bryannolandaustralia.blogspot.com/
Ecuador: http://bryannoland.blogspot.com/
Keep blogging!
Take care,
Noland and Bryan
I am an avid Rosie and Ross fan and found you on Ross’s site today. Have to say I have driven across the US about five times now (born in NJ and moved to CA and now am back East) and you recount of the midwest was dead on. Hate to say this but the no teeth, cigarette smoking pregnant girl and WalMart for fun is so rife in this country and so very amusing. I guess I am jaded being an East Coast person who also had 14 years in California. Also having been in the middle of the country I am so afraid that McCain is going to be elected because those of us who really know what is going on don’t have enough numbers to win this damn election. Unfortunately our “great” country is mostly made up of ignorant people who buy anything. How very sad. Rosie has a piece on her website today that needs to be read. Wish the news and entertainment shows would show it but unfortunately they only show the negative. Anyway just wanted to comment and hope there will be more from you. I will keep checking now that I know you are here. Do some more talkys with Ross.
Hi Ryan,
Loved the entries I’ve read so far. I have also traveled quite a bit and agree that it is sometimes embarrassing to be lumped in with so many ignorant Americans that you meet along the way. I have cousins in France and I emailed them when the whole ‘Freedom Fries’ thing happened to tell them that did not represent all Americans and their attitudes. I look forward to reading about your trip to Prague (one of my favorite cities in Europe!) and your time in Greece and Turkey, which I also loved. Hoping your adventures will bring back fond memories for me! Keep up the good work- I’ll be back!
Janice
Ryan,
Very enjoyable reading. As I read, the pictures of your experiences and the people you met were in my head as if I was there. I look forward to your future writings.
Thank you for taking the time to let us know a bit more about you. Your being a long-time friend of Ross, on his blogs it was like a mystery of what was behind that face. Appreciate your filling in the some pieces of the mystery puzzle. I knew there was something much deeper than ‘BB’!!!
Take care and happy trails on your future advertures!!
Hi Ryan,
I am a Ross and Rosie fan and just came here after hearing about it on Ross’s blog. I can not even begin to tell you how much I can relate to what you wrote so far. I am a meteorologist, and have loved storms as far back as I can remember. Even though I live in New Jersey, I have storm chased here and my first car got all dented by hail on one chase. I also love to travel the world and never get tired of seeing new places, scenery, people, lifestyles, geology, etc… and it all interests me. Your description of the Midwest is what kinda keeps me from ever going storm chasing in the true “Tornado Ally” not to mention the fact at how hard it is to be in the right place at the right time as I am sure you can attest to. You have gained another loyal reader…
hey ryan. as you know, ross directed his bb here. i look forward to reading about your adventures.
good luck with the blog and happy travelling!
Are you familiar with http://www.bravenewtraveler.com?? If not you should be!! A friend of mine runs the site and it truly is excellent! Check it out, and adventurous travelling!
namaste,
Roldan Smith
http://www.on-common-ground.com
Hey Ryan,
I am a unicorn at Ross’s blog
. Anywho. You are deffinetly right on about the Midwest. and heck the girl who was smoking probably just found out she was pregnant too. That happened to a friend of mine. Storm Chasing is always fun in the Midwest it is one of the great adventures I like to take part in when there is a Tornado.
I am looking forward to reading about your travels. Always remember when driving in the midwest the only food you will come across is Fast Food, that is not so fast and not so great.
take care Ryan, be safe,
Alesha
ryan-
love this blog! so fantastic for a 20 year old student who can’t travel!
i talked to you once on webcam with ross during a chatroom thing…
anyway, i’m very excited about this blog!
nicole
tonicolecase@gmail.com
Ryan,
You’ve always had an amazing way with words. You’re blogs are poetic and entertaining. Congratulations on all the travels and great things going on in your life. Seeing as how I will NEVER get out of Monrovia…I am going to live my travels through you
Robin <3
Hi Ryan,
Directed here from The Ross Blog. I have always enjoyed when you blog with Ross, actually you are my favorite of Ross’ co-bloggers. You are an amazing writer, I enjoyed reading of your travels and will visit often. Good luck to you.
Hey Ryan,
Just wanted to stop by here and tell you that ur blog is AMAZING!
All the best,
Denis
Hey Ryan,
I’ve never been to Norlins but if you say they’re laid back, they really are laid back!
Ross fan here and thought I check out your website. Very nice I must say. Read some of your writings and found it hard to believe that you struggle with the laid back way the people in NORlins are. You seem very laid back, calm, in control of all your senses.
Ross sent me here Ryan. I really enjoy your writing style. It flows smoothly and keeps you captivated. Call me a regular.
Ryan, I enjoyed reading your blog. I know that you certainly don’t / can’t judge the entire Midwest / plains states from the few brief encounters you have described in your storm chasing entries.
I am not sure that you would meet the best and the brightest working at Taco Bell anywhere in the states, nor maids at the Best Western. Although fine people, I am sure, living the life they were dealt through generations of circumstances of which we are not privy too and certainly thankful for the hand we were dealt. I live in one of the plains states, in a university community, which has a very high level of education – city wide. The schools are excellent and safe and the students score well nationally. Now I haven’t chatted with the kids that work at Taco Bell. I actually don’t go to Taco Bell, the food is lousy and I can’t believe the conversation would be extremely satisfying or stimulating.
I too have traveled the US. There are those without education nationwide, not just the center of the US. Children are raised in so many locations without hope, in very depressing surroundings. There are those citizens that live among us who do not have the aptitude to handle jobs more taxing than simple jobs you have written about. These folks need to be rewarded for a job well done and guided to make more enlightened choices than those described, i.e. racial slurs and other inappropriate behavior. Where are their employers? People need leadership and modeling of appropriate behaviors if they have not been taught at home. It is never too late to learn at whatever level you function.
IF you ever visit one of the states in the center of the US again, do choose a better location to visit with the locals – to form your opinion on the entire region. Amazingly enough, there are extremely bright interesting people everywhere, as well as those that struggle – who live everywhere / every direction.
Come again sometime, blog about your upcoming trips, your readers can guide to better choices of where to visit. As it is, the truly interesting locations are not on the traveler guides – the locals could guide you to the cultural highlights and people to visit with on your level of intelligence. By the by, how were those SAT’s? LOL!
Surrey Hills
I was referred here by a friend of mine, but wow! I must say that this is a fabulous blog and I’m going to have to put you on my blogroll. I just started a new photoblog today, but I’ve kept one for over a year now.
If you care to visit: http://irrationalexposure.wordpress.com
great writing — keep going. waiting for more.