Utah

The first state I was ever in was New Jersey. That is where I was born. There were only 48 states then. The last two came into the union when I was a child.

I made it to my fiftieth state while driving back to Seattle. Utah was the last one. I had planned to make it there while driving east but a late spring snowstorm kept me from going. I wanted sun not snow so I passed up the chance to finish my states then.

I actually had been in Utah – in the Salt Lake City airport a number of times but since I was only there to change planes it didn’t seem like I could count that as actually being IN the state. Until this trip I also had only been in Kentucky because I had been in the Cincinnati airport, which oddly is in Kentucky, not Ohio.

I knew I wanted to complete my state adventure on this trip. I got to Kentucky when Rachel and I went to Chicago in May.

Some of the states were easy to get to. Growing up in the Northeast, we took family trips along the east coast often. Every college student drove to Florida at least once. I picked up more states when I drove to Seattle the first time to move there. Then it was fairly easy to pick up the west coast states. The middle seemed hardest but then I had a job that I had to travel. It was during those years that I picked up most of the Midwest. North Dakota took some doing. I got to Oklahoma because I had to be in Wichita and I had a car so I drove the 70 miles to Oklahoma just to take it off my list. Hawaii and Alaska were special trips with Rachel.

Utah was beautiful. We traveled through the Northwest corner, skipping Salt Lake City. We spent a night in Ogden. The prairies give way to the mountains and the pine trees appear again. The air was clear and dry. The Great Salt Lake is huge. We were amazed to see seagulls there but then the water is salty!


What do I now after see all the states of the US? It is a HUGE country and so very diverse. I wish all of our elected officials were required to drive through all the states and go to little towns and really see how different people think about the issues. Most want food on the table, safe schools, good friends and work to support them.

Now that I have had a taste of this whole country I feel more ready to taste the rest of the world. Keep reading to see what comes next.

Westward Ho

My daughter and I got on the road about 10 AM on Friday the 17th. Traveling across the US with a companion is a new experience. I have done the trip twice alone. I like being with someone – someone I care about. We have not seen each other this summer so there is plenty of time to talk and laugh.

We have started some daily lists on the trip: best name for a town (Lover, PA, Paw Paw, Indiana, Blue Earth, MN). Signs we think are outrageous or odd: “Toe Service” in SD, “Abstain from sex to attain your goals” in Wisconsin. And we count things: 15 signs for cheese in Wisconsin and over 50 signs advertise Wall Drugs in SD.

We have eaten fresh cheese curds in Wisconsin and buffalo burgers in South Dakota. We have seen the world’s largest Prairie Dog (a statute) and the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD ( a building covered in corn cobs and husks)

On August 21, we will drive through the Badlands and go to Mt. Rushmore.

Twenty-Seven years ago I drove these same road to move to Seattle. I remember South Dakota so well – I hated it. It was very hot, my car had no air conditioning and was running poorly (the water pump was about to go- and it did in Rapid City). The land was dry and brown and bleak. It was the day I realized I was MOVING to Seattle and not just on a trip and I was filled with fear and sadness.

This time is so different. I have a wonderful young adult daughter with me who loves to be with her mother. We share jokes and driving and philosophies of life. The land is green as they have had sufficient rain and there are huge fields of beautiful sunflowers growing along the highway.

If any one had told me 27 years ago that this would be my future I don’t think I would have believed them – it is so much better than I could have imagined! I can only suspect that the next twenty-seven years will hold at least as many wonderful surprises!

On the Road Again!

Rachel and I leave today for our trip back across the US to Seattle. We will drive through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Illinois. Then we will head north through Wisconsin to Minneapolis to see a friend of Rachel’s. After that we will head to South Dakota and Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands. Finally we will make a stop in Utah before head northwest to Seattle. That way I will then have been in every state in the USA!


I am so grateful to my sister and brother-in- law for the gift of letting me stay with them these past four months. They have cared for me and supported my questions and provided me with a save base to explore the east.

Thanks to my good friend Merrill for her support and listening ear. Thank you to Barbara G for letting me sound off to her and be a part of her new journey. Thank you to the folks in the rooms that welcomed me with open arms.

Thank you to the friend I have made through being on Car Talk who has followed my journey and stayed in touch all this time. Thank you to my friends in Seattle who have continued to cheer me on.

I know it not only takes a village to raise a child but also to help anyone find their dream. As I travel the next part of this adventure – know that I will keep you all with me!

Time to Move On

I love New York and New Jersey and all things eastern AND it is time to go.

Where else but New York City could you see a Naked Singing Cowboy in Times Square on the same day that you see Van Gogh’s Starry Night at the Museum of Modern Art? Where else can you ride the subway and see and hear people from at least 10 different countries? Where else can you be in the same city and see beautiful parks and high rises and streets filled with garbage bags and people waiting for food kitchens to open? Everything happens in New York. The drivers are crazy (they even get mad when they are not voted the “most aggressive” in the country. The food is amazing – I saw a sign for Cuban and Chinese food – at the same restaurant.

The people are as passionate as the come about their city and proud of being “the greatest city on earth". It may be.

New Jersey is filled with beautiful rolling hills where I am staying. Homes built in the early 1700’s are common. History is all around me. Farms have corn growing and cows grazing and then there is “the shore”.

The “Shore” refers to the beaches of New Jersey. I know of no other state that refers to its coastline as “the shore”. From Asbury Park (home to Bruce Springsteen) to Cape May, everyone here has her favorite place. Each town “owns” their beach so there is quite the controversy that exists about access to the beach. Towns sell ‘tags’ to get on the beach each day. Old grand homes sit right on the beach in many towns and crowds? Yes in the most densely populated state – there are crowds!

Next week, I leave the northeast. It has been wonderful to be here this summer. My sister and brother in-law have been so very generous and kind to have me stay with them. I wanted to spend time in the northeast again because there was a part of me that thought I might be called to live here again. I am not. I know now that I could live here and be fairly happy but I choose not to. My heart has become so much more of a westerner than I knew before coming east again. I hope I can be back to visit more often than in the past but living here is not for me- at least not now.

Update

As the dog days of summer arrive, I find that writing has become hard to do. I think about it but then I just don’t do it.

July was filled with trips to the beach, reading in the sun, walking and running regularly. I also traveled back to Seattle to be with the women’s group I have been a part of for 25 years. It was very odd to be a visitor in my hometown.

I stayed with friends before leaving with the women for our retreat. I did not have a car so I depended on my daughter for rides. I saw the city a little more through the eyes of a tourist. I connected with a few folks but since I would be there such a short time I did not let everyone know. I felt a bit like a space alien.

Friends would say “ It is so good to have you home” and I would be perplexed. Part of me didn’t connect that I had been away at all – what were they talking about? I live in Seattle – I haven’t been away. Then another part of my brain would track that yes – I have been away for 4 months. Maybe though, my trip had been a long dream I had had and I really had never left Seattle. I felt very confused.

Having five days with the women who I am most close to helped to ground me. We laughed and shared and ate wonderful meals. We had long walks and long talks about every imaginable topic. I had a chance to go more in depth with what this experience of my trip has been. They are truly sisters of my heart.

By the time I had to leave I knew one truth of this adventure. I love so many parts of the East Coast. My roots are here and so are many family members and old friends. I used to think I would never want to live here again though and part of being here for three months was to see if I was called to return. I am not. I could live here and be a kind of happy but as of now I choose not to – the West calls me home.

So what now?? My daughter if flying out east in mid August and driving with me back across the country. It will be a faster trip – only 7 days. I will be in Seattle for September and then on to Hawaii for 3 ½ months! More to come about this next exciting part of my adventure.