Florida, The Sunshine State!

It was good feeling this morning to wake up and know that I had no need to get in my little Fiat and drive to a new destination!   As a matter of fact,  today is the first day that I didn’t even start up the car and drove it to Nowhere.  I walked from my studio apt to the beach… from the beach to a lunch spot… from the lunch spot back to my studio for a nap… from my nap back to the beach!  As much as road trip’n is fun, hanging around one place for the day and home loaf’n can be just as fun!   I did just that today.   Thank You Mauri, with Atlantic Dawn Surfside Studio, for having your place readily available for me to R&R from the weeks travels!    Mauri is a great host and she puts a lot of effort to making her place welcoming and relaxing.

I enjoyed being in and around JAX Beach, aka Jacksonville Beach, to watch the Sun Rise as well as watch the Sun Set.   It was a good day of rest and relaxation and R&R is exactly what the plans are for this weekend into the next week!   I’m looking forward to recouping my energies (as crazy as it sounds energy is what’s needed to travel so many miles in a short period of time), in order to finish up the last leg of my continental 48 road trip!  Florida was my target 40^th state to get to… the Sunshine State… the place where many snowbirds flock to… the place where I will be at for the near future!

The best part of being in Florida and the highlight of this next week… is that this is the state where I will meet up with my best friend; my life companion; my soul mate; and my better half!  That’s right,  my beloved wife, who has supported me from day one is making the sacrifice (for those who know her, you’ll know that she doesn’t travel well, let alone road trip very well as she gets air and car sick very easily) to fly out here to join me on this adventure of a lifetime.   I’m so looking forward to seeing her and have her assist in leap frogging the driver seat on our way home!

I’m excited to have journeyed 40 of the 48 so far and once I’m sick of being a beach bum… and once my new travel companion feels ready to hit the road… we will finish up the last leg of this crazy trip!  I’m super excited to have a travel buddy on the last leg… the most challenging part of this trip has been flying (driving) solo… I’m glad my son was with me on the first leg to get me going and I’m stoked my wife will be by my side to finish up the last leg to keep me going across the finish line!

Looking forward to being Salty; Sandy & Happy here in Florida!

40 States Down, 8 States to Go!

North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida

I woke up… not as early as yesterday… yet I at least work up!   Goal today… make it to FLORIDA!!!   I found an Airbnb in Jacksonville, FL  (closest beach to Georgia) and in honor of the Wright Brothers of North Carolina, First in Flight, I totally Flew Right Thru not only North Carolina, but South Carolina as well as Georgia!  It was a long day in the car, yet I’m glad I did it as I was eager to make it to Florida!   As I arrived at my Airbnb, my host greeted me and said I was lucky to have been able to book her place as she posted it just the night before due to a cancellation she had.   She went on to explain that this weekend is the Blue Angel annual air show and thousands are expected to be on ‘Jax Beach’ aka Jacksonville Beach (Established 1907 in case you’re wondering) to part of the festivities.

On my way, I of course had my little side trips, not as long as other days yet side trips the same.   First stop, Raleigh North Carolina Temple… I never get sick of going to Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  They are such special places and I always feel at peace while there.   Next, the Averasboro Battlefield… Thank you Jerry Jensen (Volunteer Worker) for the very informative 45 minute live; one on one; in person; personal tour of the visitor center!  South Carolina stop… 158 S Rest Ln, Santee, SC (Look it up on google to see where Eddie was).   Last stop of the day, Georgia… I was going to visit the Okefenokee Swamp, yet it was dusk and was too tired and personally, scared of Alligators, so I passed and instead, enjoyed a nice walk around one of the Best Rest Areas of the US!

Averasboro Battlefield

Where’s Eddie?

Welcome to Georgia!!!

 

Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina

I started off my day in Delaware, stopped to check out the Winterthur Estate;  then on my way to Maryland where I stopped by the Antietam National Battlefield Park I took a pit stop at this cool Chapel called The Dahlgren Chapel in Middletown where I found a trail behind the chapel heading into the woods… I hiked in about a mile and then a mile out where afterwards I pulled out my camping chairs to relax and enjoy lunch in the parking lot (It was nice time of day as I was the only one in the lot and the only one on this nice trail); West Virginia… Harper’s Ferry National Park; and last but not least., sun set drive in Virginia thru Shenandoah National Park , where I saw a black bear cross the street; had an owl fly right in front of my car; and almost hit three deer, two bucks and a doe (three different parts of the drive).

Highlight of my day… as has been the highlight of many of my 10,000 miles driven (which is the milestone I hit on my drive today)… was seeing this trail off the side of the road this morning on my way to Winterthur Estate.  I parked off the side of the road… started hiking and it was early enough in the day that I was the only one hiking in this cool part of Delaware,  BrandywineCreek State Park, where I saw a cool fox; tons of cool birds; geese; ducks; and squirrels that could jump from tree to tree without hesitation.   I know this because I spooked all these animals from their quite morning!

It has been said before that it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.  The past 10,000 miles has been just that… A journey filled with different paths that I’ve chosen to take.  Paths that have led to cool experiences that I hope to remember always.   I’m looking forward to future adventures…  I have destination points set and we’ll see where this journey will take me next!

Sunset at Shenandoah

Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware

It felt a little like the movie ‘Groundhog Day’ today… I got up… worked on my computer for a bit… got ready… packed my suitcase and backpack… got in the car… started driving to my next destination… Next destination… Historic site (church or national) and/or Temple visit.   I’m not complaining, just saying, after 24 days of doing the same routine I feel that I may need to switch things up and spend a couple of days somewhere doing something different other than driving and touring these cool places.

One thing that was different today was that it started off cloudy, drizzly, and then totally rainy by the time I hit Delaware.   It was raining so much that I decided I would find a hotel to stay in Delaware in lieu of driving thru the evening which at one time I was thinking may be a good thing to do.

Theme of today… Haunted Mansions and Haunted Bridges!   I have visited some pretty cool places during this trip; some of them have had stories of being haunted and some of the places just felt spooky being in!  It was a good day, just felt a little slower than other days, hopefully I’m able to get up early and have a head start tomorrow to get moving closer to the south as I feel I’m ready for some resting and relaxing beach time!

Here are some honorable mentions that I’ve been thinking about today:

Golden Gate Bridge

(Did you know they are installing ‘suicide barrier’ to prevent future incidents?)

Fergus Falls Insane Asylumn

Looks pretty cool from the outside, yet this place for sure has some ‘insane’ people that likely died here and haunt this place! Click on this to learn more:

 Ferus Falls State Hospital

The Breakers, Newport RI

Joey told me of a story about 5 workers that were crushed to death while building this place, did they ever recover their bodies in the basement?  Fact or Fiction?  Not sure about the workers, but check this Ghost Story out:

The Breakers Ghost Story

George Washington Bridge, Photo Credit: The Observer

I drove across this bridge today with mist coming down and up from it, just as shown on this picture, it was a spooky drive for sure!

 

 

Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island

As you may or may not have known, I have been Unplugged for the past 10 days.  What I have I been doing… Well, let’s just say, I have been driving… driving some more… and then driving again… let’s just say, I’ve been driving a lot!   This past 10 days I have traveled thru 14 total states; visited multiple historic church sites; multiple temple sites; national monuments; national battlefields; scenic countrysides; state capitals; beaches; an old cemetery without a face mask (my in-laws would be proud of me); a historic mansion;  a trading post; lakes; rivers; streams; cool rest areas; toll road travel plazas (yes there is such a thing); historic hotels; state parks; metropolitan cities and the list goes on and on.

What many of you may not know, is that this past week has been a bit of a challenge.  I’ve been on the road, traveling solo (for those of you who really know me, know that I’m not one to be ‘alone’), and have had quite a bit of ‘me’ time to ponder; pray; and reflect on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (sound familiar).  Reflecting back, it’s been good for me to have this past week to not only crank thru the states that I did, but to also re-affirm my testimony in not only the truthfulness of this great country that we live in built by our founding father’s who believed in God and religious freedom; It also reaffirmed by belief and testimony of the truthfulness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, known as The Church of Jesus Christ.   So, in case you haven’t figured out already, I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I Believe in it’s teachings to be the true word of God and that by living by it’s precepts, we can find true happiness on this earth and live eternally with our Heavenly Parents!  To learn more about what I and others of my faith believe to be true, please click I Believe and you’ll read what our beliefs are.

I have had many tender mercies this past week and am grateful for not being involved in 2 ‘close call’ car accidents; 1 ‘almost fall’ off a cliff into the Atlantic Ocean; and last but not least, I am grateful for the love and support of my soul mate back home who keeps encouraging me to fulfill my dreams and goals.  If it were’t for her, I would have totally sold ‘Leo’ in Cleveland (where I passed thru last Saturday); given all my stuff to the Cleveland Homeless Shelter; and boarded a plane back home!   I’m glad I didn’t and am looking forward to more memorable moments.   Just like a marathon,  I ‘hit the wall’ and I feel I have pushed thru a difficult time on my journey and am ready to keep going and experience the rest of this crazy journey that I’m on!

 

St Louis; Kentucky; Palmyra Temples

 

Collins Beach, Rhode Island

 

 

 

Minnesota, Wisconsin

I got up and out of Minneapolis pretty early to try and avoid any type of city traffic and drove thru a good part of Wisconsin to my final destination in Dodgeville where I stayed at an existing full time bed and breakfast home that sat up on a hillside with a most amazing view!   Marshall and his kids (wish I could have made it to the House on the Rock Haunted House event!) were great hosts and I recommend anyone to book a stay at Private room #3- center of everything driftless.

Highlight of the day… My long chat with Yvonne, the rest stop info desk lady (yes this rest stop on the side of the highway had an info desk with a full time lady there to answer questions for you) She told me all about how the vending machines have cheese curds stocked in them; told me I needed to check out this local Cave (which I didn’t as I would had to have backtracked); gave me an info booklet on Dodge County and all the cool things and places I could visit while I was staying (even though I told her I was just passing thru); and even gave me a map of all the ‘Cheese’ spots to visit in Wisconsin.   She even told me I should go up north to see all of the lighthouses along the Great Lakes area!   All in all, we had a good chat and I for sure will need to come back to see and visit all the places I wasn’t able to see and visit!

The part of Wisconsin that I traveled thru was really cool and I for sure liked the Taliesin area, where the famous Frank Lloyd Wright built his estate.   The fall colors were on and it was an inspiring drive thru the countryside.

 

Taliesin

Dodgeville Paradise

Minnesota

‘Aloha Minnehaha Falls’ is what the tour leader of the young elementary school group said thru his megaphone… ‘And what does ‘Aloha’ mean kids?’ he asked…’It’s a Hawaiian word used when greeting or parting from someone…  and that’s exactly what we have just done with Minnehaha Falls… so everyone say, ‘Aloha Minnehaha Falls’… and like a chorus in unison, this group of little kids repeated just that… ‘Aloha Minnehaha Falls!’  

This was the 2^nd school group I tagged along with today.  The first one was a middle school group visiting Fort Snelling (my destination point), an old fort built in the early 1800’’s, one of many forts build to protect northwestern territories from Canadian and British encroachment (or so Wikipedia says).   Anyway, it was a cool old fort that I was able to tour thanks to the school group as the fort was closed for public tours until the weekend.   I felt like a ‘wedding crasher’ today as I blended myself in to these two groups without anyone really noticing!   The coolest part of Fort Snelling, in my opinion, was this cold Old Catholic chapel that was built who knows when.   It had cool architecture and for sure likely a local fav spot for weddings, etc.

So, ‘Aloha Minnehaha Falls, Aloha Fort Snelling, and Aloha Minnesota’ as tomorrow, I head into Wisconsin, hopefully to eat some good cheese!  And ‘Mahalo Nui Loa’ (Thank You Very Much) to Caitlin and Kevin of the famed Ginger Bug House for having a nice room to sleep and space to recover after driving a long day to run from a crazy North Dakota storm!    You two are my heroes!

Fort Snelling Chapel

Fort Snelling, Minnesota

Meet ‘Ginger’ the coolest VW Bug of Minnesota!

North Dakota, Minnesota

It was 45 degrees when I woke up in Bismarck, North Dakota.   By the time I left, which was within a couple of hours of waking up, the winter storm of the season was fast approaching and the temperature had dropped down to 39 degrees!   I’m grateful for my Airbnb host, Pat, who advised that I should reconsider staying in Bismarck for a couple of nights as the storm was predicting 8-12 inches by the time I would be leaving on Thursday morning.

I took her advice, left early Wednesday morning and punched thru the weather as I left North Dakota and entered Minnesota, the storm was literally on my tail and I was driving as fast as I could to run from it!   Good times.

On my way to Minneapolis, I took a side trip to the city of Fergus Falls.   After buying some chocolate from a kids fund raising chocolate stand and talking to her local mom, I decided to spend some time at this quaint town of Minnesota.   She told me I had to visit this paper store that had been in the area for 100 plus years and expanded into an old bank with cool vaults (I’m a sucker for seeing old time banks and old vaults) so I did exactly what she recommended.   As I was shopping around and checking out the place I found this ‘take one mini map’ titled ‘Take a 25-minute walk to… The River Walk’… to make a long story short… that 25-minute walk turned into almost 2.5 hours by the time I spent time hanging out at the cool spots, talking to more locals and listening to their stories, and finally finishing up at a local café to eat dinner before I headed out to my final destination for the night.  This trip is for sure all about the journey and not about the destinations.  I’m so enjoying taking these little side-trips as I travel across America.   : )

 

Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota

‘Just Drive Slow’…  and ‘they’ll know what to do’… is what the cattle driver told me as I drove through their huge herd of cattle along a highway in Whitney, South Dakota!   I had never driven ‘through’ a herd of cattle before; it was kind of cool, yet freaky at the same time!   Here I am, the only car driving along the highway, a little Fiat, about the same size of one of their bulls, looking into their eyes, thinking… they’re going to charge me at any moment!   Well, good news… they didn’t and the cattle driver was right… I ‘drove slowly’ and they ‘knew what to do’.   Whew!

Life is a lot like my drive today.   You’re driving along, in a rhythm, making good time, enjoying your drive, and then all of a sudden, you face an obstacle.   In my case, a large herd of cattle!   The Cattle Herder is like that ‘Still Small Voice’ that tells you what to do when you face obstacles.   ‘Just Drive Slow’ is what I was told and is what we usually are told when we face life challenges.   Slow down and your challenges will usually work themselves out.   Be calm, collective, and trust in what you’re being told and before you know it, you’ll be through your obstacle; back to being in a rhythm, making good time, and enjoying your drive!

Scotts Bluff National Monument

Yes, this is REAL Bison and NOT part of the sign (Well, I guess he or she decided to be part of the sign!)

Not going to lie… it looks much bigger in pictures!

North Dakota Sunset

 

 

Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska

After taking some time back home to work on family and work priorities;  and planning out the best next leg of this crazy ultimate US Road Trip;  I’m officially back on the road!!!

Day one of the 2nd leg of this Ultimate US Road Trip has officially begun!   Key destination for this week… Bismarck, North Dakota.   What is in Bismarck you may ask?   Well, the destination is the closest of three destination points I’m focusing on with this trip, being either a National Landmark; Historic Church of Jesus Christ site; or Church of Jesus Christ Temple.    Bismarck North Dakota Temple is the closest destination point I was able to find in North Dakota which is one of 39 remaining states planned on our trip, so, pin dropped and I’m ready to roll!

It was a good day as I journeyed east from my home to visit Dinosaur National Landmark in Colorado (By the way, did you know there is such a place as Dinosaur, CO!?  How cool would that be to grow up in a city named Dinosaur!); then thru the amazing Colorado Rocky Mountains (Steam Boat Springs has incredible fall colors this time of year); then a short drive thru South East Wyoming to Scottsbluff NE where I was warmly welcomed by the most amazing Airbnb Hosts  on the planet!   Thank You Jim and Sheryl of Rustic Residential for making the stay so welcoming and being so generous with offering of your home’s amenities.    It was exactly what I needed to rest up from a long day of travel.

This BBQ place that plays Blues located in an old Bank of Walden, CO is the BOMB!

Sunset pit stop in Wyoming