Today we’d like to introduce you to Stan Wiebe.
Hi Stan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I started The Driveby Tourist in 2018 when I drove Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. I enjoyed the trip and the blog I started, and I’ve kept it going. While I’ve completed posts about my trips around the US, I’ve got about 15 – 20% of my content about Minnesota.
Initially, I focused on the Twin Cities, with several posts about Eat Street and other areas, including parks, street art, and other topics.
I’ve traveled to other parts of the state and visited National Parks, historic sites, and natural areas, including, for example, the Eagle Center in Wabasha. I have content for posts that I haven’t written yet in many parts of the state. I grew up in Ottertail County, so I have a couple of posts from there.
I’ve visited most of Minnesota’s state parks and have included about half of them in various posts. For the other’s I have info to include in a post, “someday!”
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My struggles are getting at the writing/publishing part of the journey.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m retired and do the blog and other publishing as I complete the travels. My travels to different states include visiting state capitals, national parks, historic locations, US Presidential sites, and the occasional quirky attractions to keep things light!
I started by publishing about the Yellowstone Trail, with two articles in their newsletter. I’m unsure what happened with that communication, which stopped after two articles. I’ve published three sets of posts for the SHRPA.com group. The articles include the Park Rapids and Headwaters area, Snowmobile racing on Ottertail Lake, and the Twin Cities Gateway, including Anoka and other cities in the North Metro.
Before retiring, I worked in healthcare across hospitals, healthcare systems, vendors, and consulting firms. I held various management roles, including project management, director, and Chief Information Officer roles. During my working life, I got my first love/hate relationship with writing when I obtained an MBA.
I’ve visited over 100 national park sites, including 36 National Parks. State parks in Minnesota and some in other states also attract my attention.
Over the last five years, U.S. presidential sites have been major draws for me. I’ve visited most of the “official” Presidential Museums and libraries, as well as birthplaces, boyhood homes, later homes, and burial places. I’ve also included other historical places like the JFK assassination site in Dallas, TX. By my latest count, I’ve seen nearly 60 of these various sites.
My unique writing includes the above, spiced up with quirky attractions written in an often light-hearted style. Another focus is visiting and publishing about visiting all 50 states. Of course, Minnesota is the best!
I belong to a travel writers group called the Midwest Travel Network. I’ve made attempts to attend Minnesota tourism conferences, but other life events have gotten in the way!
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I tell stories from my perspective without trying to be more than a traveler who enjoys the trip.
Since I’m retired, I typically only do what I like doing. I could likely have more viewers/readers if I expanded into other avenues to attract them. Or, I haven’t yet met the right person/group to drive up my readership!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.the-driveby-tourist.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stan.wiebe.399/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Drivebytourist
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stanwiebe/
- Twitter: https://x.com/StanWiebe372682
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@stanwiebe9
