Texas, New Mexico, Colorado

We were planning on sleeping in this morning… our bodies told us differently… I was up around 5:30ish to use the toilet, I mean ‘restroom’, then again at 6:00… then again at almost 7:00ish… then again at 7:30ish!   Tracie and I decided that we might as well just get up; get some breakfast; then get ready and start driving, which is exactly what we did.

We had two destination points.   First one was Aztec National Monument in New Mexico (It was the closest national monument via the route back home) and the Second one was Durango, the mid-point between our point A where we left and point B, our final destination, Heber City, UT!

The drive seemed to go pretty quick, we took the usual pit stops to fuel up Leo as well as get fuel for ourselves.   New Mexico for sure is stuck in the past with all stores, restrooms, and everything else we visited not updated for what seemed like 30 plus years.   We wondered if local residents just don’t care, or if they’re just not economically able to improve things.   Nicest area of the drive thru New Mexico was for sure Albuquerque where we found a Chick-fil-a for lunch and a delicious smoothie store.

We checked in to the Blue Lake Ranch just outside of Durango.   The place is in a super remote area of Southwest CO and we were both excited for the room amenities which include a nice king bed; fireplace; private back porch (where we sat and watched the sun set) and last but not least, a bathtub for Tracie to soak in!

Blue Lake Ranch Bed and Breakfast, Durango, CO

Arkansas, Oklahoma,Texas

Tracie and I have had good momentum the past couple of days!  I’m so thankful to all who have supported us as we finish up the last leg of this Ultimate US Road Trip!  It’s been so much fun, challenging, and rewarding and I couldn’t have done it without all of your support back home.  Three more states to go and I’ll have checked off 48 states driven!  Mission almost accomplished!

We had a fun morning in North Little Rock.   Thanks to the best Travel companion on the planet for finding an Ultimate Awesome Attraction called ‘Old Mill’… SO Much better than what I had planned!  Check out https://www.instagram.com/ldsunplugged/ for some cool pics and videos of this place.

It’s Friday, the start of a long three day weekend, Monday being Veterans Day.  Today, I had the chance to visit Oklahoma City National Memorial,  where The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial stands on the now-sacred ground where the events of April 19, 1995, unfolded. What was once the footprint of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Fifth Street, the Athenian Building and Oklahoma Water Resources Board are now the Field of Empty Chairs, Reflecting Pool and Rescuer’s Orchard.  I spent some time reflecting on the tragedy that occurred that day and was reminded yet again how grateful I am to the Men and Women have risked and in many cases given their lives to protect our freedoms.

May we all remember those who have died before us and those who have survived and changed forever to give us this great land of Liberty.   Amidst all of the turmoil that exists in our country,  we still have the opportunity to do what is right and sacrifice what we must in order to make this country what it has been and will continue to be… The Land of the Free!  Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: “In God is our trust.”  And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

 

Special Place to Visit

 

Each Chair Represents one of the 168 who died on April 19, 1995 and each chair is unique, larger chairs representing adults, smaller chairs representing children

And Jesus Wept

 

 

 

 

Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Arkansas

NOLA Means… “New Orleans, Louisiana”!   And the visit thru the French Quarter, specifically Jazz brunch at ‘Court Of The Two Sisters’, was our highlight of the day.   We traveled quite a bit today and are grateful for the time spent relaxing and enjoying brunch outside on the patio of this cool place in the French Quarter of New Orleans.  Great food, great atmosphere, and great music played by the local live Jazz band.

It’s crazy to think that we started our day in Mississippi and ended it in Arkansas!  We traveled quite a bit today and are pretty tired.   We did enjoy dinner at the famous ‘Marlowes BBQ Pit’ on Elvis Presley Blvd before driving the last couple of hours into Arkansas.   Good Road Trip day and it’s time to rest up as tomorrow we likely will try and keep the traveling momentum going as we officially have 3 states to go until we’re back home to Utah!

 

French Quarter

 

Elvis Lives!

 

YUM!

 

 

 

Florida, Alabama, Mississippi

After over a week break in Florida, I (WE) Woke up at 4AM today, left Satellite Beach, FL to begin the journey back home to Utah!  As WE (Have I mentioned that my soul mate; better half; best friend; travel companion; co-captain; person I couldn’t imagine living life without is with me?!) left, I was having a battle with my Google Maps App as it wanted to take me a certain route and I wanted to go a different route… It kept saying the known words… ‘re-routing’.

In case you didn’t know… google says this about getting directions and showing routes – “Some directions in Google Maps are in beta, and may have limited availability. Always be cautious when using directions on Google Maps, remain aware of your surroundings at all times, and take necessary means to ensure safety of yourself and those around you. When in doubt, follow signage from the road or path that you are on when using directions.”   (Good life advice… be cautious… remain aware… when in doubt, follow signage)  In my case today,  I wasn’t worried about safety or the path google was taking me on…  I was more concerned about how bored I would be taking a route I had already been on and wanted to make my own journey, not a google journey!

Just remember, Google doesn’t always have the best path to follow…  Sometimes you need to think for yourself to find the best path…  In my case, it’s been 40 plus states thus far of Awesome side-trips, I’ve seen so much and today was no exception from being able to drive thru where Hurricane Michael left it’s mark in the panhandle to being able to walk thru the USS Alabama Warship (Thank YOU Paul, for letting me on the ship even though I arrived 15 minutes after you closed) it was a good, great, awesome day!

Panama City Beach, Florida

 

American Pride!

USS Alabama

Sunset from the Top Deck of the USS Alabama

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