This is our map one year ago, October 1, 2021. At that time we had no intention of filling in the eastern states. I thought if we filled in the ones west of the Mississippi that would be totally cool. I did not want to deal with the eastern state roads, toll roads and low bridges in our motorhome.
Then after talking with Bruce and Katie we decided to do a project in Maine and one state lead to another. Before you know it we were planning on going to all the states we needed filled in as we traveled to Texas.
We met up with Bruce and Katie in Ohio in the middle of June and have run over 6,000 miles together. Deciding to take on the East Coast together helped give us a little extra confidence, more help planning the days route, and just fun doing things together. Each travel day, after we got our rigs ready to roll, we would get together asking God to keep the crazy drivers away, keep us safe, and help us be a blessing on our way.
I don’t know how to sum up the last 3 months, but to say it has been a great journey. God has truly blessed us being able to do this with friends. We are thankful.
Here are some random thoughts:
I thought that America was flat once you got past the Rockies, wrong.
We have the Giant Trees in the West, but the east has little trees everywhere. Lots and lots of little trees and logging trucks hauling all those skinny logs.
Put the Ark Encounter on your list, you won’t be disappointed.
Driving a Motorhome, towing a Toad (car) you will get into a place where you have to unhook the toad to turn around, that is just the way it is. Side note*Listen to your wife.
When your alternator quits charging and your wives are stranded in a parking lot, be thankful you have jumper cables and are traveling with friends who have a pickup truck.
Honda hides the alternator, but GOD gave us a beautiful day to find and replace it.
We don’t like hot humid weather.
Can’t make s__t run up hill, something to remember when designing a sewer dump.
California might not have the worst roads in America, just sayin.
The water in the Atlantic Ocean is warm.
Buffalo wings started in Buffalo, NY, they don’t come from wings on Buffalos.
Lobster Rolls are really good.
Google maps shows you a flat map, don’t believe it, nothing is flat or level when you go east.
When you are away from familiar landmarks for a long time, it is hard to figure out where north is.
Bruce text me this quote a while back. “It is good to have a end to journey toward; it is the journey that maters, in the end. Ursula K. Le Guin
We have reached the end of this journey and what a journey it has been. Bruce and Katie will be volunteering here in Lindale Texas and we will be heading northwest to Idaho. This will start another journey for us, that we will talk about in 3 weeks. Enjoy your journey where ever it takes you!
Congratulations! You have accomplished something that many people dream of, but not that many do–visit all 50 states! I loved your random thoughts!
I also enjoyed the pictures of the Mississippi. Every time that I’ve crossed it (in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri) or traveled along it’s banks, it has been awe-inspiring. You may want to travel on the Amtrak Empire Builder train from Seattle to Chicago sometime–for a good stretch coming from the middle of Minnesota the tracks on only feet away from the river bank.
Safe travels on the way back to the Northwest!
Julie