#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)

#37, Oregon OR (Not Yet)

I've not made it to Oregon, getting only as close as Seattle in Washington, but I imagine the mountains and the ocean views are breathtaking. Not sure if the weather is more like California or Washington.

Generated by AI

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#36, Oklahoma OK (Been There)

In general we have simply driven through Oklahoma, no doubt with my wife singing the theme song to that particular musical. Except for gas and food I can't remember stopping. There might have been a huge Indian statue at one of the crossroads, and I might have taken a photo as it intrigued me, but I can't find the picture at the moment. I'll have to ask the wife as she might remember.

AI Generated Image

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#35, Ohio OH (Been There)

At one time, both of my brothers lived in Ohio. Now just one of them does. You know what else is in Ohio? Cedar Point Amusement Park! I went several times with my boys but the last time I went only the youngest was able to go. That was the year (2000) that Millennium Force opened up and it was the tallest and faster roller coaster in the world—for a few months. If I remember correctly another opened in Japan that same year, called the Steel Dragon 2000. Millennium Force was advertised as the steepest and fastest at that time and indeed it hit about 90 mph going down the first drop. It was 310 feet tall, a record at the time I went on it but surpassed by the Steel Dragon 2000 and others. And yes, I love roller coasters!

AI Generated Image

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#34, North Dakota ND (Not Yet)

I guess the Dakotas would have been too large for just one state so there are two of them. South Dakota has Mount Rushmore, and according to what I have read North Dakota has "uncrowded, wide-open spaces, and amazing vistas." Enjoy.

Image generated by AI

Until next time,

Arktander
(aka David Andreasen)

#33, North Carolina NC (Been There)

I'm not sure we ever went to North Carolina on purpose when we were kids but more than likely we passed through a time or three. But as adults we had some good friends who married and move to North Carolina and we visited them one of the first times we made it to the East Coast. Come to find out my aunt and uncle moved near there and we ended up getting everyone in one place for a grand meet. The first time I drove through Charlotte I thought it was one of the most beautiful cities, with so many flowering trees and flowering plants all through the town. Fun Fact: Both North and South Carolina have a Greenville.

Taking a boat trip on the Lake

Beautiful scenery and beautiful homes

Carolina Raptor Center

The same aunt and uncle who invited four nieces and nephews to their home in Houston, Texas, were the ones who invited us to visit them in Charlotte, North Carolina, forty-plus years later. They wanted to help work on my resume as we were looking to the next step in our lives in 2012. There was one particular job that I had spoken about to my cousin and she encouraged me to go for it, and my uncle gave my resume a good streamlining. I sent that resume off with great hopes but in the end it was not to be. Yet I knew I had done everything I could to place myself in the clearest light for them. Of the scores of jobs I applied for I never received even a rejection letter, but this one employer did sent me one letting me know I was not what they were looking for but appreciated my willingness to be considered.

We were only there two or three days but they took us to the Raptor Center, on a boat road out on the Lake on a perfect day, and an amazing holiday barbecue with other friends we'd know for years. It was an amazing weekend and it touched us so very much. And we would get together with those friends from both of our connections to Upper Michigan, within a few years.

She likes the friendly dog

It would be just four years later when we were firmly making plans to move to Georgia that we met our friends in Charlotte at their home. They invited us for dinner and we had a great time connecting again. It was fun to hear how they became close friends with my aunt and uncle after we had all been together four years previous. One Sunday a few weeks later each of these couples were heading to their favorite seats it the church balcony and found themselves sitting practically next to each other. My aunt and uncle have since moved to Missouri but these friends still keep in touch. You just never know.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#32, New York NY (Been There, Born There)

Ah, New York. It was a lot different back when I was born. As a young child I had to do a report on what Long Island was like decades before that and found out it was even different from what I knew. By talking to an older person who had lived there from the early 1900's I discovered that potatoes were grown out on the island away from the city. For decades this was one of the top five locations in the country for potatoes. But after the war demand for housing kept pushing out into Long Island and many of the farms were gobbled up by developers. Fun Fact: Potatoes are still grown on Long Island though only about 1,000 to 3,000 acres total now. It was here on Long Island where I was born into this world.

The original church building

I had a good childhood. In the morning on school days we'd all march down to the corner and wait for the bus. It was less than a mile to school but we all got a bus ride. When I got a little older I walked the 8/10 miles distance, sometimes stopping off at a friends house that had a big slot car track. Kids back then did kid things all by themselves or with friends. We would get all the neighborhood kids together with their bikes and play cowboys and Indians. Don't remember what the rules were but we sure had fun on the bikes. Across the street from our house was an empty field and I used to fly kites. And then there were the times when a bunch of us kids would all ride our bikes down to the local park and stay there all day. We used to make up our own games but we just had fun.

New church sanctuary

Since my dad was a minister you could say life centered around the church. As a young man he shared the life-changing message of the Gospel and many lives were touched in that area. He led the renovation of the original church and the addition of a new sanctuary in the 1960's which remains to this day. I was there for all of it, though I didn't fully understand it all. But I'm sure that such an upbringing led me to the place where I followed in the footsteps of my dad.

New church addition

I had just finished the first semester of seventh grade when our parents said we would be moving to Illinois to start a new life. I had just done a school report on The State of Illinois in the past year, and I had picked that state mostly because my aunt and uncle had moved there. I figured they could provide me with more information than I could find myself. Those were the days you had to go the the library or seek out brochures and books that covered what you were looking for. We didn't have any say in the matter, we just went with our parents. It would be a couple decades before we took a trip, with my dad driving our minivan, back to visit the old haunts from my childhood. My wife was with me and was more interested in all of it than I was.

The Empire State Building

Fast forward to 2005 and our Australian friends were visiting us in Lincoln, Illinois, and wanted us to go with them on a trip to New York City. For years as an adult I had not been able to speak about New York City on a personal level since we had not gone there much. I had never done the touristy things like going up in the Empire State Building or seeing the Statue of Liberty up close and personal, so my wife and I were onboard with that idea. We drove there in one very long ride and stayed in a New Jersey hotel for a couple days, taking the bus into the city and then walking around. This was less than four years after 9/11 and New York City was still somewhat subdued.

New York City in all its crowded glory

The Hudson River in the distance

The emptiness without the World Trade Center

Modern Art?

Statue of Liberty

I bought my first digital camera right before we left on our trip. This would be the first trip we'd ever taken in which I didn't have to skimp on how many photos I allowed myself to take. This time I probably took just over 300 total for the entire week in New York City and Niagara Falls. Compare that to 72 photos in two weeks traveling around Europe. The best part was how clear the photos were now. I had been taking photos for over thirty years with several different 35mm film cameras and even the best ones were limited to the developing process of film emulsion which left much to be desired. But that was all we knew. As you peruse these 50 states worth of photos and stories you will find how positively blurry 8mm movies looked. The 35mm was a larger negative and it was more defined than the movies. With digital photography the resolution was increased greatly. The Canon Powershot A95 that took these photos had a maximum resolution of 2592x1944 pixels, while my present Canon 60D DSLR sports a maximum of 5184x3456 pixels which is four times more pixels. The best part of digital has been that I can store them in the computer for easy retrieval. I must have disposed of all the negatives years back and they were deteriorating even back then. We've still got a lot of photos in their albums but then I have to find the ones I want and scan them in before I can add them to the blog. So just know that you can roughly determine the age of a photo by how clear or blurry it is.

Niagara Falls from the U.S. side

Niagara Falls from the Canada side

We drove to Niagara Falls for a couple days as that is a photographer's dream. Our Australian friends were both into photography, as he would take the still photos with his Canon DSLR and she would take videos with her video camera. Remember tha photo taking in 2005 with a mobile phone was not particularly worthwhile. In the two photos above I took the first one and he took the second. I'm not sure why I don't have that many of the Canado side but my guess is I hadn't gotten used to being able to take all you want. Plus I was enjoying the scenery in the moment. We needed our passports to get into Canada though it was breathtaking from both sides.

We made the trip back safe and sound, and then our friends were back on their way to Australia as they said goodbye to a picturesque vacation. At least we both have the photos to remember it by.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#31 New Mexico NM (Been There)

On our trip to Arizona in 2012 we came the southern route through Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. I do remember we had a tough time finding a gas station and nearly ran out of gas a time or two. After filling up during the second day we came across White Sands National Park and stopped to see that beautiful sight. Got a lot of pictures too, of which I'll share a handful.

White Sands Visitors Center

I was told some people were seen sledding down the hill

Didn't seem to mind the hot sand

The other side of a very large sand collection

Sunset in New Mexico

After several hours driving and seeing not much of anything we came into Arizona and found where our son and daughter-in-law lived. This was the beginning of our two-week adventure and I will remind you that it was between 110 and 120 degrees Fahrenheit. In August. With bright sun every day. Ouch!

This was our one and only time in New Mexico. We didn't even come back through on the trip home as we were skittish after nearly getting stranded there on the way in.

Until next time,

Arktander
(aka David Andreasen)

#30, New Jersey NJ (Been There, Done That)

My fonder memories of New Jersey centered around vacation times while a kid in New York. My parents had a good friend who let them use their little cottage on a lagoon by the ocean near Staten Island. We went there many years and it was probably the first time we as kids all got to go out on the borrowed boat. It would be many more years until we learned to water ski. We also took trips to Atlantic City where I had my first taste of saltwater taffy. Still like it to this day. I get some handmade fresh water taffy whenever we go to Gatlinburg.

Heading out to the ocean

Playing in the waves

First time eating crabs

While we played in the sand and the water of Jones Beach not far from Brooklyn on the south side of Long Island, there was another place that we spent summers as us kids got older. Southwest of Jones Beach was the coast of northern New Jersey, just around the corner through the layrinth of streets and bridges. We had been given permission to use a friends summer house on a lagoon off the ocean, and that had allowed us the chance to use their boat while were there and go fishing while we rode on the waves. We would all put on those puffy orange life jackets and climb into the boats for a ride to the ocean and the smell of salt water. This was the only time and place we'd get to ride in a boat and we soaked it up as best we could. Sometimes we try fishing or putting out a trap and we seemed to catch more crabs than anything else. I remember one my mom caught a small white shark, less than a foot long, with a fishing pole. We got it off the hook and threw it back.

So that's how I know we had a great time in the ocean. We liked to go out every day in the ocean and get knocked around by the waves. In the second still above it seems like the waves were maybe three to four feet tall and we just jumped in them anyway.  We were little kids and we weren't afraid of the water in the least. There's a 5-minute section on the four of us just jumping around like we were having the time of our lives, because we were. We had taken swimming lessons on that very beach and knew how to swim. I imagine that's why I like it so much today.

That third picture shows a plate full of cooked crabs. We always seem to catch a lot of them and that was where we learned what seafood was. They were small crabs with not a lot of meat in them but I can remember us picking out the meat and using it as a garnish on a salad. But just the idea of putting a hook in the ocean and pulling up something that you would eat later was amazing. Once my dad went out on the ocean with some friends on a larger fishing boat and came home with a huge fish over two feet long. I remember we had fish for dinner many times until it was gone. I don't really remember if I liked fish or crab that much but there's a good chance I did since I love seafood today. I've enjoyed my share of endless shrimp at Red Lobster and New Jersey may be where it all started.

The 8mm Bell & Howell 252

I don't remember that we had a still camera when we were that young but somewhere along the way after I was born my dad got a Bell & Howell 252 8mm camera that was only video with no sound. These little reels of film were pasted together into larger reels and we have nine of those larger reels in digital form. Us kids recently put them all on cd's and now we can watch them anytime we want. Those first three pictures are not from a bad still camera, they are screen shots from watching them on my desktop and converting them into a still image. Most of my memories of early life were reinforced by watching these whenever mom or dad got out the projector. This movie camera in this recent photo is not dad's original movie camera, as we don't know where it is or what happened to it. But my wife saw this one in an antique store and bought it for me in 2023. I know everyone has a video camera on their phone and take them all the time, but back in the day this was a pretty big deal.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#29, New Hampshire NH (Been There)

During our stay in Vermont in 2011 during the fall colors season, we discovered that there were really no places to eat near where we were staying. Since it was a nice drive to a town in New Hampshire that had actual restaurants we made the drive every day to see what was happening there and finding something to eat. Turns out there wasn't much happening there either so we usually just went to the restaurant. Now that we had the internet to find things my wife looked for the closest restaurant which happened to be the Applebee's in West Lebanon, New Hampshire. Using her phone maps (this was before we had Android Auto or a built-in vehicle GPS) she directed me to our dining location.

Map of New Hampshire
Used by permission of Nations Online Project

Years before when I used a TomTom navigational device they had names you could choose from for the voice to guide you where you wanted to go. For years I had Mandy who led the way with a pleasant recorded voice, and later there was Susan when they gave you digitized voices. But once we had smart phones I had Kathy leading me around in the car, just like she had in life for over thirty years at that time.

I don't remember if we ever mixed it up and tried to find a different place to eat, or if we did and we decided to stick with Applebee's after that, but we did try to get different meals each day. I know we did the 2 for $20 most of the time as there were things we both liked on that menu. Plus it was cheaper and included a drink. Music to my ears.

When you get to the Maine blog you will realize that we made that trip to the Northeast corner of the United States during the trip to Vermont. There was stuff to do in Vermont and there was stuff to see and eat in Maine, but New Hamphire was the "dinner at night" and "getting from Vermont to Maine" state. Sometimes you have to just accept who you are.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#28, Nevada NV (Been There)

On a beautiful day in August of 2012 we took out from Tucson, Arizona, for a couple days at the Grand Canyon. My son was driving and I was supposed to be navigating but we missed a turn and ended up at Hoover Dam. We made the best of it by taking in the sights around there and we drove across the Dam which meant we were officially in Nevada. My wife is still miffed at me for ruining that day and said we should have gone into Las Vegas just to see more of Nevada. We didn't and she's still miffed at me for that as well.

"Nevada Time"

At least it was a rather nice day to be out and about. We were there an hour or two and got a bunch of photos, only a few which are seen here.

That's a lot of concrete

Should have gone all the way to Las Vegas

The "Dam" Angels

This one is from the Nevada side

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)

#27, Nebraska NE (Not Yet)

Nebraska has Omaha, and friends of mine moved there for a number of years, but other than that you're on your own. I have driven from Illinois to Colorado on highway 70 which brought me within 100 miles of Nebraska and Wyoming, and within maybe 200 miles of Utah, but other than that those three states have eluded me thus far.

Generated by AI

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)