Ultimate Road Trip

I ran across this article online where a student was challenged to come up with route to cover all 50 states with at least one stop in each at a prominent landmark or historical location. I’m always fascinated by the concept of cross-country road trips, so needless to say I read on. You can read the entire post HERE.

The map above shows the route, but I thought it would be fun to check off the places I’ve already been and see what I’ve got left to tackle. Road Trips need goals, you see, and you can play along by ticking off the locations on your bucket list as well. Items in bold italics are my previously visited spots.

• Grand Canyon, Arizona
• Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah
• Craters of the Moon, Idaho
• Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming
• Pikes Peak, Colorado
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico
• The Alamo, Texas
• The Platt Historic District, Oklahoma
• Toltec Mounds, Arkansas
• Elvis Presley’s Graceland, Tennessee
• Vicksburg National Military Park, Mississippi
• French Quarter, New Orleans, Louisiana
• USS Alabama, Alabama
• Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida (aka Kennedy Space Center NASA)
• Okefenokee Swamp Park, Georgia
• Fort Sumter National Monument, South Carolina
• Lost World Caverns, West Virginia
• Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center, North Carolina
• Mount Vernon, Virginia
• White House, Washington, D.C. (haven’t done the tour)
• Colonial Annapolis Historic District, Maryland
• New Castle Historic District, Delaware
• Cape May Historic District, New Jersey
• Liberty Bell, Pennsylvania
• Statue of Liberty, New York
• The Mark Twain House & Museum, Connecticut
• The Breakers, Rhode Island
• USS Constitution, Massachusetts
• Acadia National Park, Maine
• Mount Washington Hotel, New Hampshire
• Shelburne Farms, Vermont
• Fox Theater, Detroit, Michigan (went to Detroit, did Chrysler Museum)
• Spring Grove Cemetery, Ohio
• Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
• West Baden Springs Hotel, Indiana
• Abraham Lincoln’s Home, Illinois
• Gateway Arch, Missouri
• C. W. Parker Carousel Museum, Kansas
• Terrace Hill Governor’s Mansion, Iowa
• Taliesin, Wisconsin
• Fort Snelling, Minnesota
• Ashfall Fossil Bed, Nebraska
• Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
• Fort Union Trading Post, North Dakota
• Glacier National Park, Montana
• Hanford Site, Washington state
• Columbia River Highway, Oregon
• San Francisco Cable Cars, California
• San Andreas Fault, California (does San Diego count?)
• Hoover Dam, Nevada        

The student list skips things I found of interest, but that’s the beauty of a road trip, the ability to custom tailor the destinations to your likes and choices. Getting the time is always an issue, but I’ve never had a road trip be a completely bad experience. Flying is always faster, but it lacks culture, romance, and the beauty of the journey. While the interstate highways are the most efficient means of road travel, even they can detour from some of the gemstones this country has to offer. The road is out there, and it leads to wonders that can be breathtaking to behold.

This is the difference between just having a car that is good, basic transportation or one that devours the miles while rewarding the driver with comfort and entertainment. My wife is amused at how I take pictures of my car while on vacation, but to me its a friend that has taken the adventure with me, carried me to places I couldn’t get to alone, and brought me safely home once again.

The road is never paved with yellow bricks, but it beckons with sights every bit as amazing as Oz ever could dream.

As the MINI drivers are so fond of saying, “Let’s Motor.”