Day Thirty-Seven – There and Back Again



This fall’s get away began with a plan to go to Minnesota to join my sister and brother-in-law’s celebration of their 50th wedding anniversary. After a wonderful week with family, we headed towards western Pennsylvania where our son was on a temporary job assignment. 

Mississippi River, Missouri

We hadn’t travelled east of the Mississippi River before, so that was an experience in itself. However, once we reached that goal, we pulled out our US map (Yes, we still use hardcopy maps). 


Some of the paper maps we used.

Looking at the map, we realized that we were more than half way to Maine. That had been a place Pat had always wanted to visit and Nancy had wanted to see the Atlantic.





To head further east or turn west was a debate. However, you never know if an opportunity will present itself again, so we opted to head east. We made a bee line (well, as close to a straight line as you can go in that part of the country) for the east coast.  Zipping through Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, we arrived at our campsite on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean on a blue-sky day. 


Acadia National Park, Maine

Although unintentional, reflecting on the past couple of years we realized we had been fortunate enough to dip our feet in the Atlantic Ocean... 





Mustang Island, Texas


the Gulf of America...








Depot Bay, Oregon

the Pacific Ocean... 








Tuktiaktuk, Northwest Territory, Canada

and the Arctic Ocean. 







Almost home - Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

We can’t help but feel blessed to have seen so much of the continent, met so many interesting people, and experienced so many things.

Thirty-seven days and 8,127 miles later, we travelled there and are now back home again.



A few items we noted with our cross-country travel:

·  
-Traveling east of the Mississippi was definitely more challenging to navigate. (toll roads, low bridges, and avoiding large population centers).

·   -There were far more forested areas in the east than we had thought (mostly deciduous).

·    -For the most part the people we encountered in every state were very friendly. We had many conversations with strangers during which we found commonalities and shared experiences.

·     -Many of the buildings in the east are much older than those in the west. (masonry was much more prevalent in the east as compared to the west).

Our top five experiences this trip:

·  -A great Family gathering

·  -Bison walking into our campsite 



 -Crossing Lake Michigan on The Badger  


-Walking in the Atlantic 

·   -Visiting Gettysburg 

 

Now that we are home again, it is time to unpack and clean up. Reflecting on our adventure will occupy much of our time on the deck until the urge to travel sends us off again... 

Hmmmm, there is that annual fall bison roundup in the Black Hills that sounds like quite an experience...

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