#50, Wyoming WY (Not Yet)

Wyoming is squashed in the middle of all those western states with Utah. I really don't know anything about Wyoming except that it must be freezing in the winter and there must be a lot of mountains and rivers. Wyoming is one of those states that is not at all on my radar.

Generated by AI

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#49, Wisconsin WI (Been There)

Since my wife's family was in the Upper Peninsula we visited them during the holidays. Christmas wasn't Christmas unless there was snow on the ground, in her mind. So off we went, most of the trip taking place in Wisconsin. For seven years we lived a mile from the Wisconsin border and so we did our shopping in Monroe, Wisconsin, and made big trips to Madison now and then. We also had family strewn around the state and so we took trips to Milwaukee, Appleton, and Janesville to name a few. Lots of memories in Wisconsin.

The Sausage Races at Miller Park (Now American Family Field)

As a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals with family in Wisconsin being Brewers fans the 2006 postseason was a family rivalry for who who be the National League champs, with the Cardinals taking the crown over the Brewers 4 games to 2. The Cardinals went on to win the World Series over the Texas Rangers. Some years later we were able to go to a Milwaukee to watch the Cardinals play the Brewers with same family, only this time the Brewers won the game. You can't win them all.

Boating on Pine Lake

My wife's aunt and uncle had a little house on Pine Lake, which was in northern Wisconsin, and many family members took vacations there over the years. The one time I remember well was the week we went there with the aunt and uncle as I was asked if I might help them update their one bathroom. That was not a problem, except that we were told the toilet needed some special care, though specifics were not given. Turns out that that old cast iron drain was in the wrong place with it sticking up through the floor. Try as we may there was no way around an unusual solution, and that was to place the toilet on a raised platform in order to connect to the drain. We laughed a lot about that project and that became known as "The Throne" and it really lived up to that name. But we also got to enjoy water skiing and tubing and had a great time on the water.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#48, West Virginia WV (Been There)

Other than maybe driving through West Virginia, that state's claim to fame as far as I'm concerned was that my cousin lived there. We spent a Thanksgiving there one year and took the day trip to Washington D.C. That was the first time I had ever been to the Capitol, though my wife had done a family trip during her teens. So she had a little knowledge of the place before I saw it. Now my cousin lives in Springfield, Missouri, and I've gotten to see her more there.

We ended up spending most of our time in Morgantown, at the northern edge of the state. It was a very picturesque ride through the state, no doubt as about 78.1% of the state is a forest (Most Forested States 2023). I thought Georgia had a lot of trees but it is only 8th on the list with 66.5% whereas West Virginia is third on the list. So even if you're only driving through it you will enjoy the drive.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#47, Washington WA (Been There)

We flew out to Seattle in 2004 in order to get through the trip quicker. We had planned to do our big trip out West trip at the same time we were going on our cruise. But then our home sold earlier than we figured and we had to make our trip and get back in time for the closing. The day we flew into Seattle was blue skies and white clouds, a picture perfect day. We took the bus into town and checked out downtown. The day we returned from our cruise it was dreary and rainy. According to our experience it rains in Seattle half the year! That trip was a great break from reality.

Coffee shop scene created by AI

It was May of 2004 and we were selling our updated home and buying a dilapidated house that my dear wife said I could remodel. Now here's the deal about this planned trip out West. My plan was to drive through all those states I hadn't been to yet in 2004, which is pretty much the nine still on my list plus maybe three or four down in the South I hadn't gotten to since I was still in Illinois. I would go up through Nebraska and the Dakotas, then Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. We'd take our week cruise and then head back down to California, on to Arizona, and then hit what we could on our way back to Illinois. I'm not saying it was a great plan but we'd be doing a lot of driving. But it didn't matter anyway since we got a call that our "new" house was closing earlier and we needed to get the paperwork done and move in. That was the end of our "Westward Ho!" vacation. In the end we flew out to Seattle on a Friday, stayed overnight, then took a bus up to Vancouver Saturday which dropped us off at the cruise ship. The cruise concluded the next Saturday and we did the whole trip in reverse. Then we got back to the house that would take me seven years to remodel "in my spare time."

While we were in Seattle that Friday afternoon we took a bus downtown and walked around to see what it was like. We saw a Seattle's Best Coffee and went in for a look, probably getting a coffee. Across the street was a Seattle's Coffee Works and I am told there are dozens more throughout the city. We took the bus back to our hotel and got a good nights sleep before the hubbub of the cruise. With almost 3,500 guests and crew onboard it was busy busy busy.

What was the weather like you ask? The day we flew there are walked around the downtown was as perfect a day as you would ever find anywhere. The day we got back on the bus from Vancouver was the most miserable dreary rainy day you could ever imagine. So I guess we got to see the two extremes on the Seattle West Coast, so maybe most days are just average.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#46, Virginia VA (Been There)

Virginia is one of the states I remember going to as a kid. Skyline Caverns was a place we were taken to and it was always breathtaking. We parked along the highway that had tables and a standing grill, where dad would set up the charcoal and make hot dogs. That was a great time for young ones. And if you count the Washington D.C. area with Virginia then we've been to the sights there. We have silent movie snippets from the Capitol and the Washington Monument but I was only a couple years old at the time.

Shenandoah National Park

Skyline Caverns

Inside the Caverns (in a suit!)

Roadside picnics

I know this is mostly my list, but my wife took a girls trip with her mom and sisters and visited Williamsburg and the surrounding areas. They went on tours, at in nice places, and stayed in a decent hotel. Sounded pretty average to me.

A Jamestown Settlement monument

As I don't have the District of Columbia listed as one of the states (since it isn't) I'll mention that when we visited Morgantown, West Virginia, we took a day trip into Washington D.C. and took in a number of the sites. I probably have photos of that somewhere but haven't found it yet. I know our kids went to the Smithsonian and we hit the Lincoln and Washington Monuments, so I'll add those if I ever can find them.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#45, Vermont VT (Been There)

This sign says it all. The "Birthplace of Vermont" description of the town means that the Constitution of Vermont was adopted here in 1777 as the founding of the Vermont Republic, which was a sovereign state until 1791 when Vermont joined the United States.

Here's where it all began—for Vermont anyway

Our first foray into Vermont was a brief one, in 1990 as we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We spent most of the day in Massachusetts but on the way home we came to Bennington which was a small town on the Walloomsac River (don't look at me, I didn't name it). As it was on the Silk Road (no, not the one in China) the covered bridge we came upon was called the Silk Road Bridge. That's what the sign on it says, plus the year 1840, but it's been painted and new signs added since. I imagine we were in Vermont for less than an hour and then we were on our way. It would be a harbinger of things to come two decades hence.

The Silk Road Bridge, 1840

Do you remember Hurricane Irene in August 2011? Wikipedia lists it as the 18th most destructive hurricane in terms of damage, so it wasn't the worst one. But it did damage up the coast and struck Long Island and on into New England with great force. We had already put our reservation in for one full week in Vermont because all our friends in Illinois talked about their trips to New England in the fall and we wanted to take a look see. Unfortunately the ocean water that got swirled up into the forests stunted all the color changing and leaves either stayed green or turned brown. Plus we had to work our way around the roads that caved in. I turned the trip into finding all the covered bridges I could locate but we may never see a Vermont fall.

Flood Destruction on the Queechee Covered Bridge, 1970

We headed out from Illinois for the rather long trip to Brownsville, Vermont, for a resort that was at the bottom of a mountain. It was set up with a chair lift so you would be correct in assuming this was a great place to go skiing in the winter. And one would probably be correct in believing that the landscape of trees would be a color kaleidoscope in the Fall. We were sorely disappointed that such would not be the case this year as the weather had dealt a horrific blow to the area but we did our best to find as many colorful leaves as we could. And certainly the views were amazing.

All the pretty leave were on the ground

We made a few side trips around the state. Montpelier was over an hour away and we saw the State Capitol. Further up the road was Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream location in Waterbury and we took a tour. I was particularly fascinated by the "Flavor Graveyard" out back with shared the sad news of those flavors that were no longer with us. Here's the one with a tie-in to Georgia:

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Tour

Flavor Graveyard

One goal I had before leaving the area was to find the location from where the town photo was taken. It had been in all the promotional materials and all were from the same direction so I figured there must be a special lookout to take pictures. But no matter where I went I just couldn't see the same sight. As I zeroed in on the closest view of this particular town church I saw a house up on the right and decided I'd go ask the homeowners if there knew where I could find this place. Turns out it was actually their back yard which looks down on this view and they graciously allowed me all the time I wanted to savor the moment and take a bunch of pictures. That coup was probably the highlight of the trip for me!

The quintessential photo shot

Even as we drove out of the state I was still stopping along the way to take some more pictures of the covered bridges. This was below was quite nice in its handmade construction and solid feel.

Inside View of a Covered Bridge

The 10 Foot 16 Ton Covered Bridge

The Brown Bridge, 1871

The Creamery Bridge, 1979

So, in the end, we saw glimpses of the color we came to see but also found other sights we had not thought we'd see. That's the great thing about travelling. You try to make plans so that the trip is worth the effort but you've got to be willing to be flexible and ready to find new things.

The hurricane turned this in a mightier Queechee River

So, by all means, plan yourself a trip to Vermont some fall and you will likely see a sight that will take your breath away. Find yourselves all the covered bridges you possibly can take a ridiculous amount of photos. And all the while be sure to keep your eyes open for whatever surprises you might find along the way. You won't be disappointed!

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#44, Utah UT (Not Yet)

Utah is scrunched up in between all the others in the West and it would not have been that far a trip while at the Grand Canyon, probably under two hours. Missed opportunity. 

AI Generated Image

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#43, Texas TX (Been There)

The first time I made it to Texas was the trip with my siblings mentioned below. The first time we got to Texas together was a sad occasion, the funeral of a family member. But there was a lot of family in that area near Dallas and Houston and we made so more trips over the years for more joyful occasions. We have just discovered Galveston Beach and enjoy being on the ocean and checking out the town. We've made the trip there twice and no doubt will do it again.

Not a care in the world

We very much enjoy just sitting on the beach, listening to the water and watching the world go by. We've gone with family and it's a time to catch up on each other's lives and not have a care in the world. This location for us is right on the beach and there's no driving around to get there. Just watching the waves and the skies is the best.

The view from our balcony

Fun stuff to do along the main road

We also have found a favorite little cafe in town where everything on the menu is terrific. We sometimes go there every day since we haven't tried everything on the menu yet. They also have a bakery so that is a double whammy depending on how you look at it. My wife can't get enough but my wallet takes the hit. Ah well, it's just vacation. On our spring trip last year we had other family come down from Dallas and Houston and we all met in our resort for constant snacking and conversation.

This was a pretty great view as well

These have been our recent trips to Texas. The original trip was back one summer when I was around twenty years old, during college. The four of us siblings drove from Illinois to Houston, Texas, to visit our aunt and uncle for a couple weeks. That time had been a blast for us. We did take a day trip to Galveston Beach and I remember I got completely burned but I was a kid so who cared? We went to AstroWorld, played a round of golf with our uncle, played tennis till we were soaking wet (did I mention it was August and into the triple digits?), visited our grandmother, and played hide-and-go-seek in a dark house at night with the entire house at our disposal. It was an amazing couple of weeks as was the drive down and back in dad's new car.

Dad let his four teenagers drive his car

After that trip I told my dad to give me first shot at buying the car whenever he decided to trade it in. I kept it clean and changed the oil as I was taking care of my future car. A few years later we made the deal and I had the car for when I met my girlfriend/future wife. Ah, to be young.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#42, Tennessee TN (Been There)

Ah, Tennessee. This is one of my top four vacation destinations, the others being South Carolina (Myrtle Beach), Texas (Galveston Beach), and Florida (Orlando and any of the beaches). Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are terrific places to relax as long as you pick the right time of the year. Otherwise it can be crazy busy like the one time we made the mistake of going at spring break. What were we thinking? The drive from Atlanta to Gatlinburg through the forest is delightful as well.

Tennessee, The Volunteer State

Gatlinburg is at the eastern side of the state. Mostly we head to Gatlinburg from Atlanta, park the vehicle, and walk everywhere we need to go. The first time we drove to Gatlinburg the various websites suggested a convoluted way to get there during the summer when it's crazy busy. I didn't believe them and came through Pigeon Forge and found out it would take three hours to make the fifteen mile drive. My bad. Basically we don't go to Pigeon Forge anymore as it's not worth the aggravation. Since we were there that first time we ended up seeing a car show up and down the strip, and took in Dolly Parton's Stampede which I liked a lot because they served great iced tea.

In Gatlinburg we have our favorite restaurants and have taken in a day of the Ober Gatlinburg Chairlift and all the events of the Adventure Park. We've done the Cade's Cove drive, Gatlinburg Bypass, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'd love to ride the Tail Of The Dragon but I've yet to convince my wife of that one.

Downtown Gatlinburg

Log cabin off the beaten path

On the west side of Tennessee is Memphis and I have been there a few times. I enjoyed dinner at a couple restaurants for Memphis BBQ and it was amazing. Went by the home of Elvis Presley. Took a tour through the Corvette Museum south of Memphis. 

Graceland, as far as I could go without paying a fortune

While we were in the area around Memphis we took a quick detour to the National Corvette Museum, mainly for me. We happened to get there a month or two after the floor of the yellow building of the museum opened up because of a 60 foot deep sinkhole, that swallowed up eight Corvettes. Most of those cars were irreplaceable classics. They had gotten most of the cars out by this time but I appreciated getting a photo of the sight and the opportunity to get a photo of the hole.

I'm a car guy

The National Corvette Museum

A sinkhole opened up and swallowed eight Corvettes in 2014

You could have your Corvette delivered here for special pickup

In the middle of the state is Nashville and my son and daughter-in-law lived there for many years Since they lived less than four hours from Atlanta we'd see them a few times a year. Then in between Nashville and Gatlinburg is Chattanooga on the southern border of Tennessee. We've been up there a few times and have to drive through there whenever heading to Nashville, or on the way up to Illinois.

Creative Discovery Museum in Chattanooga

Interestingly enough we've had more reasons to go to Tennessee while living in Georgia, and it's a beautiful state. The drive to Nashville goes up the mountains and then down the other side. There's always something interesting to see.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#41, South Dakota SC (Not Yet)

If you haven't figured it out by now I'm writing this first list in alphabetical (and numerical) order. So if you want to catch all the inside stories from one to the next you'll need to do the same thing. Anyway, not a whole lot in North Dakota but South Dakota does have Mount Rushmore. I'm not sure if it would be amazing or disappointing in person but I'd still like to see it. (For reference, I finally got to see the huge carving on Stone Mountain here in Georgia and I was disappointed.)

AI Generated imaga of Mount Rushmore

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#40, South Carolina SC (Been There, A Lot)

South Carolina was really off our radar until 2009 when we took a trip to Myrtle Beach. That initial trip was with a lousy hotel that soured us for that trip but in subsequent years we made many a pilgrimage to that area and its beautiful beaches. It has become one of our favorite destinations, our go-to location, and we go most every year.

Cutest state sign yet

I grew up as a kid swimming in the ocean off Long Island, a section called Jones Beach which sported small waves. We went there often as a family and it was always fun and crowded. Spending time on the beach that first time in Myrtle Beach reminded me of those days and my wife loved it as well. She grew up as a kid going swimming in Champion Beach, a small lake, but the fond memories are the same. Myrtle Beach was definitely a tourist destination but we found that if you planned correctly it wasn't always so crowded. Whenever we go we spend hours sitting on the beach under an umbrella, getting out in the water and jumping waves, and walking up and down the beach looking for sea shells. We find it one of the most relaxing things we can do.

We tried out different seafood places up and down the coast

Checking out the piers

People love finding seashells

First and only time in a helicopter

The beach is a great place for relaxing, even if it means just sitting on the beach under an umbrella and enjoying the wind in your face and the sound of the water. You can't quite get the same experience anywhere else and it's always worth the effort to get yourself there. The waves at Myrtle Beach are much smaller than those I remember up in New York, but two or three feet at least keep it interesting. The most exciting experience we had was last year when a lifeguard driving a Jeep up and down the water's edge shouting at people to get out of the water. We finally heard her exact words when she said "shark!" and we thought she must be joking, but sure enough five minutes later about twelve of them arced their way town the beach in a little parade. They never did get any closer than 50 yards but that was closer than we liked. It did make us appreciate those lifeguards.

Savannah was a picturesque place, some say haunted

Fire engines and police and ambulances, oh my

On another trip my wife wanted to check out the other two larger towns on the coast, Charleston and Savannah. I think we only drove around Charleston but we stayed several nights in downtown Savannah and walked around the area during the day. One morning we heard the fire alarm go off in the building and announcements telling us to quickly get down the stairs and outside. My wife told me to wait for her while she finished getting ready as she didn't want to be seen in her jammies. By the time she was ready all the trucks and cars were leaving and a small fire was handled. Had it been a large fire then we'd have perished for want of looking good.

Brookgreen Gardens

Bird sculptures

We also took a day to walk through Brookgreen Gardens, a collection of flowers and sculptures and animals. There were many cool things to take photos of and we did. A friend of ours had a relative there and got us tickets so it was an enjoyable trek. South Carolina has many worthwhile places to visit and it's right next door to Georgia!

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#39, Rhode Island RI (Been There)

Rhode Island is another one of those really small states, tucked between Connecticut and Massachusetts. Besides being where my dad went to college, there was a trip we made with my boys and my youngest brother to find a good beach to go swimming. We had a great time getting knocked down by wave after wave, something I grew up doing. Still do it. The waves were six to eight feet tall so we had to be super careful. The bigger the better is what I say, much like with roller coasters. And, no, I never looked as cool as this AI guy on a surfboard.

AI Generated Image

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#38, Pennsylvania PA (Been There, AI Helps)

The first time I remember going through Pennsylvania was when visiting my parents in Schenectady, New York, and Cooperstown was sort of on the way. You may know that as the location for the Baseball Hall of Fame and we made a stop there, but not before navigating the mountains of Pennsylvania. Yeah, I didn't know there were any there either. We were driving our 1989 Plymouth Voyager—the original short-wheelbase model with the anemic 4-cylinder—and we were loaded with five people and luggage, with a roof top carrier filled as well. We would crawl up the mountain behind a semi doing 25 mph and then careen down the mountain at 100 mph hanging on for dear life. It was that trip I vowed to get the V-6 the next time I got a minivan. And I did.

I just had to say something about this set of drawings that CoPilot, Microsoft Edge's AI Assistant, drew for me for this Pennsylvania memory. I didn't have any photos of this journey so I tried AI. Here's what I asked for: "Draw me a photo of driving a minivan with a car-top carrier up a steep highway grade." I love the first one with all of us hanging onto the roof of the SUV. The second and third mistook me actually driving the minivan for driving an empty minivan on top of my SUV, and the last one is even clearer in that regard by a tow truck "driving" the minivan but flying down the highway instead of up the highway. To be fair, I did go careening down the hills extremely fast but that third drawing shows me burning rubber driving wildly up the mountain even though I was going about 25. Either way, AI has a long way to go or I have to learn how to better explain what I want. You've got to admit they are entertaining!

My actual 1989 Plymouth Voyager short-wheelbase minivan

So I thought I would try to clarify my request a bit better. I asked the AI, "Draw me a photo of me driving my family up a mountain with a car-top carrier of luggage in a burgundy minivan." The actual color of the small minivan was Claret Red which was close to a burgundy so I thought I'd try that color. AI responded with, "That sounds like an interesting request and a fun trip! I'll do my best to draw you a photo of me driving my family up a mountain with a car-top carrier of luggage in a burgundy minivan." I'll also add a photo of my actual minivan but I'm impressed that this first one was a far more accurate description of what happened, and the second one is what it imagined I had to do along the way. You have to admit that first AI drawing is a much better approximation of actual events, even though it looks more like a long-wheelbase Honda Odyssey with a V-6.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)