Drive the 48!

In January I had grand plans for road trips this year. Because of a couple of big trips I knew we were going to reach states I had never really thought about driving to. Basically the planned travel looked something like this:

25 states seemed like a great achievement, I mean half the states in one year. And then Covid 19 started making the news. I went on my first few road trips before anything really seemed to be newsworthy.

On the fourth road trip over Leap Day weekend I remember hearing about it and talking about it a little and then things started changing quickly. The following weekend as we drove to Jasper, Alabama I remember wondering if I would be able to continue with a series of six road trips that I had started. And then the following week as we drove through several states we could see the beginning of social distancing and states closing down. It was the middle of March and my last road trip this year. We had to postpone the remaining three trips in the series and cancelled a road trip to the Florida Keys that Meg and I had given our Mom for Christmas. Now it is May third and I haven't been on a road trip or anywhere really since March 15th. I work in retail distribution so at least that has been steady and keeping me busy.

I was talking to Meg and we got to thinking what if we drove to all 48 contiguous states, the lower 48 if you prefer that. Looking at the map there are two big glaring areas that I am missing but with two more weeks vacation I can probably cover it. And we happened to have two more weeks of vacation with no plans (well one is what would have been the Florida Keys trip).

Basically I love road trips and I love seeing new places and meeting people along the way on road trips. And what better way to take back a year that seems kind of bleak right now than do something I love and do it to the max.

So here is to all the beautiful sites we will see: natural beauties, manmade marvels, and silly roadside attractions.

And all the craft beer we will find, local favorite dishes, hole in the wall restaurants, and one of a kind meals.

I played with some ideas for a good hashtag and I think I will go with #drivethe48


So check back here for updates as we go on road trips.



First trip of the year was to Lenoir, NC My luck, right!

Second trip didn't add a state but specifically got us TN with a trip to Memphis.

Third trip took us to Alabama. Where were they going without knowing the way?

Fourth trip we passed through GA on our way to St. Augustine Florida.

Our Fifth trip brought multiple states including one stop where we stood in three different states: KY, IN, IL, OH, MI Standing in three states

Sixth trip where we got one new state and witnessed history in another: South Carolina Whirlwind Weekend in South Carolina

Seventh Trip: Two More in the Books

Eighth Trip: Spontaneity for the Win

Ninth Trip: O O O O Ohio 

Tenth Trip: We've all come to look for America

Eleventh Trip: Story of A Life

Twelfth Trip: You Just Gotta Have A Little Drive

Lucky 13 Great West Trip: part one

Lucky 13: Great West Trip: part two.

Lucky 13: Great West Trip: part three.

Fourteenth Trip: Big Skies of Montana 

Fifteenth Trip: Great Lakes!

November: Standing on a Corner

By State-
Alabama- Saturn 1B Rocket Elkmont, AL
Arizona-Hoover Dam 
Arkansas- Piece of the Berlin Wall Eureka Springs, AR
California- Sequoia National Forest
Colorado- Broken Compass Brewing 
Connecticut- Danbury library statue of Sybil Ludington
Deleware- Dogfish Head brewpub Rehoboth, DE
Florida- St. Augustine Cathedral St. Augustine, FL
Georgia- Rest Area #63 Columbia County
Idaho- Buffalo Cafe
Illinois- Evil Horse Brewing Crete, IL
Indiana- The Times Journalist on a Typewriter Munster, IN
Iowa- The Jewel Bank Grinnell
Kansas- The Czech Egg
Kentucky- Dundee, KY Home of the Goat
Louisiana- Yum Yum Dessert Bar Shreveport, LA
Maine- Atlantic Ocean Nubble Lighthouse
Maryland- Sunrise on the Beach in Ocean City
Massachusetts- Auburn, MA Robert Goddard fires liquid propellant rocket
Michigan- University of Michigan birth of the peace Corp
Minnesota-Duluth aerial lift bridge
Mississippi- Odd Fellows Cemetery in Aberdeen
Missouri- Hurt's Donuts Branson, MO
Montana- Roe River Great Falls
Nebraska- Old Market
Nevada- Boulder Dam Brewing
New Hampshire- Smuttynose Brewing
New Jersey- Van Nest Park War of the Workd’s Martian Landing
New Mexico- Santa Fe and the Yuka rest stop on I-20
New York- Mirror Lake
North Carolina - Twisted Root Brewing Lenoir, NC
North Dakota- Enchanted Highway Fish Sculpture
Ohio- Delphos, Ohio sunrise
Oklahoma- Broke Brewing
Oregon- The whole coast!
Pennsylvania- Flight 93 Memorial Shanksville, PA
Rhode Island- Narraganset
South Carolina- Reflections Wall Mural Manning, SC
South Dakota- Dignity
Tennessee- Tom Lee Park Memphis, TN
Texas- The Big Texan Amarillo, TX
Utah- San Raphael Reef
Vermont- Lake Champlain
Virginia- Black Bird Coffee 
Washington- Mt St. Helen
West Virginia- New River Gorge Bridge 
Wisconsin- Sputnik Landed
Wyoming- Devils Tower

Thank you!