Dave's 50in50

Day 1 @ Crater of Diamonds, United States, Arkansas

2012-06-17T08:23:28.000Z

I was born on a Father's Day, 50 years ago today. To celebrate my good fortune of living this great country for so long, I have decided to visit all 50 states in my 50th year.
It will take most of the year and be accomplished in a series of road cross-country road trips. The first leg begins now.

Photo 2:7000 miles..... gulp.

Photo 3: Route took me through Hope, Ark.... had to stop and see Wild Bill's stomping grounds.

Photo 4: First Quarter site: Diamonds!!

Day 2 Too, Too Long @ Taum Sauk Mountain, United States, Missouri

2012-06-18T06:41:45.000Z

Day 2- left Crater of Diamonds and drove the whole length of Arkansas on twisting, beautiful, Ozark mountain roads!!!!
Morning fog, tree lined- great folk music on the radio.... great drive.!!!

Quarter Site- Checked out the Diamond pit the night before, so
Photo 5 headed straight to AR High Point Mt. Magazine.... amazing drive.

Made the mistake of insisting on going the Branson Mo.... what a bust! and added several hours..

#6 Finally made it to Taum Sauk- Mo HP... had to run the trail before it got dark... 4 mile hustle...

Park was deserted, dark and quiet-- collapsed at 11.

Day 3... lots of looking- not as much driving... @ Champaign, Ill, United States, Illinois

2012-06-19T06:56:30.000Z

SO, after day two, where I spent way too much time driving and not enough time looking- today was the opposite... spend 8 hours sightseeing and only drove four.. another day too long!! Still working on a balance......
7,8 Quarter-St. Louis is begging for another week or so- impressive city, with a great attraction : Gateway Arch.

9,10 Quarter - Springfield, Ill... if you are a Lincoln and Civil War history buff, this is a must see town.... I also stumbled upon Lincoln's tomb and watched the re-enactors retrieve the colors- very moving. Secondly only to Arlington cemetery for visitors.

Got away late from Springfield and drove east looking for a camp ground..... found this place just outside of Champaign, Ill..... I think there is a college here, but will have to explore in the morning..

Day 4= Lots of Indiana! @ Bellefontaine, United States, Ohio

2012-06-20T08:21:28.000Z

Made myself sleep in this morning, enjoyed the campground, coffee and breakfast and didn't hit the road until 0800.
-. Couldn't stand it, had to see the Univ. of Illinois....(For some reason they put it in Campaign...) started the day driving the campus.
11. Quarter- Off to Indianapolis! to see the Speedway!
12. Sucked into driving the downtown, and almost fell prey to huge temptation to tour!! But did find the Memorial Circle..great downtown area needing to be explored.
13. Who could resist the actual gym where the Hickory Basketball team made history in Hoosier.... just as cool as it was in 1921.
14. HP- Hoosier Hill
15. Quarter- Wright brothers birthplace of aviation- if your a plane nut, this place rocks.

I am trying to find the balance between driving and seeing...between spur of the moment and never getting done.... but all very good problems!

Day 5 Ohio and Michigan @ Lakeside Park, United States, Michigan

2012-06-21T06:50:28.000Z

Most miserable night sleep yet..... long story, but one I hope I can laugh at one year......

But man, what a rebound! Started with a remarkable
16- HP Campbell Hill- the town of Bellafontaine is quite proud of this site.
17- they also claim to have the oldest concrete street in the USA?!
:
18- QS Neil Armstrong museum: what a true American Hero, very nice place to visit...... Small town America is really making an impression, especially in Indiana and Ohio. I have seen depression and decline that is often accompanied by a sense of desperation.... not the case hear, where just because we are small and may be struggling there is a palpable sense of self-assuredness; that they are going to be just fine. Great small town in the midwest!

In contrast was the city of Toledo, Ohio... that I gave a chance to impress; looking for the classic Toledo Mud Hens baseball stadium, and was pretty disappointed in most regards. Here is a town that seems to feel tired. Here is the town that has worked hard its whole live, only to learn retirement is no reward. There are glimpses of hope (the occasional trip to the gym) but overall it is not aging well.
19. Michigan got real good, real fast when I visited the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Now ATX has a great college vibe, but I must say U of Mich has a LOT going for it! Large state school with lots of money, lots of power and a town who's only purpose is to support the school Highlight was the UM Law School- renown for it architecture and scholarship.

20 Next stop was a quick peep at the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn, Michigan a Detroit suburb- Monster museum that needs a full day.

Then it was to Detroit, where I devoted an hour to driving the streets. Every stereotype is true. Man, what a study in duality: Downtown boasts many world class facilities and event centers, pro stadiums, opera houses, theaters, art and statues..... and then acts like they don't see the blight right next door. Dilapidated, burned out shells of buildings, a big homeless problem and trash lying everywhere. Looks like the adults left and the kids are running things.

21 Near exhaustion now (remember the truly miserable night sleep?) I found a great campground right on Lake Heron and crashed.

Day 6 Canada, Oh Canada, @ NY, campground, United States, New York

2012-06-22T06:31:14.000Z

and we're off!!
21- QS Great Lake 1- Lake Heron
22- QS Great Lake 2- Lake Ontario, and a great round of golf.
23- Niagra Falls
24 Niagria Falls
25- QS Great Lakes 3- Lake Eerie

In summary - the best day yet!!!!!! Don't even know where to start- but good pace, great activities, bed early.....

This day will take some serious writing..... outstanding., Hard to believe this is the end of a full week....I think I have figured out my stride, but am starting to see the effects of averaging 500 miles a day.....I it the road early because I was kind of dreading the day's drives..... and yeah, parts were the worst yet.... yet, there were also amazing sights along the way.

1. QS- Eerie Canal --- really an amazing feat we have lost sight of ....
2. More Eerie Canal in Downtown Syracuse, where canals functioned like roadways... which then got used as rail lines, and then as roads.... very interesting GC involving the early abolisinst efforts and defiance of federal law.
3. Atop the mount/crest above the city, sit's Syracuse University--- Wow! The design of the main Quad, could be a splitting image of Columbia U. ... complete with ivy climbing everywhere.

My worst drive brain cramp so far: almost to Albany, I see a sign for Cooperstown- Baseball Hall of Fall! So I quickly get off the toll road I was sprinting down,... just to realize the real Cooperstown is 40 miles behind me...... so, I decide the cut the corner headed north to Vermont, through a town called Shenectadyy. Carve this in stone: SHOOT ME if I EVER think about doing this again....... brutal, hours, getting hot, Saturday noon traffic fool of idiots... ugh.

Finally got headed North to Glen Falls, NY and cut East into Vermont during a pretty good downpour, which made me slow down and enjoy the cold front......

By Vermont, I was good but tired, but I still had a Quarter Site to go.... Vermont Maple Syrup! The short story is that Sugar Bush Farms is the BOMB! what a great experience!!! downright inspirational to see a family so committed to continuing their traditions and work ethics. Everyone should expect gift packs for Christmas...

Got lost plenty trying to get out and finally made it to Montpelier's capital downtown where I sit typing this at "The Skinny Pancake" restaurant.
Only a state the size of Vermont could be run in a town that looks, feels and acts like Breckenridge, Co.

I case you are wondering, I decided to not try for Mt. Marcy, NY HP..... it about a 8 hr hike and I don't know what it would do to my schedule.... I would rather hold off and try for it with Josh some other trip.

Tonight might be in the Walmart parking lot.... I just dont feel like hunting down a campground......

Day 7- Quarters and drivess @ Montpelier, United States, Vermont

2012-06-23T09:06:49.000Z

Hard to believe this is the end of a full week....I think I have figured out my stride, but am starting to see the effects of averaging 500 miles a day.....I it the road early because I was kind of dreading the day's drives..... and yeah, parts were the worst yet.... yet, there were also amazing sights along the way.

1. QS- Eerie Canal --- really an amazing feat we have lost sight of ....
2. More Eerie Canal in Downtown Syracuse, where canals functioned like roadways... which then got used as rail lines, and then as roads.... very interesting GC involving the early abolisinst efforts and defiance of federal law.
3. Atop the mount/crest above the city, sit's Syracuse University--- Wow! The design of the main Quad, could be a splitting image of Columbia U. ... complete with ivy climbing everywhere.

My worst drive brain cramp so far: almost to Albany, I see a sign for Cooperstown- Baseball Hall of Fall! So I quickly get off the toll road I was sprinting down,... just to realize the real Cooperstown is 40 miles behind me...... so, I decide the cut the corner headed north to Vermont, through a town called Shenectadyy. Carve this in stone: SHOOT ME if I EVER think about doing this again....... brutal, hours, getting hot, Saturday noon traffic fool of idiots... ugh.

Finally got headed North to Glen Falls, NY and cut East into Vermont during a pretty good downpour, which made me slow down and enjoy the cold front......

By Vermont, I was good but tired, but I still had a Quarter Site to go.... Vermont Maple Syrup! The short story is that Sugar Bush Farms is the BOMB! what a great experience!!! downright inspirational to see a family so committed to continuing their traditions and work ethics. Everyone should expect gift packs for Christmas...

Got lost plenty trying to get out and finally made it to Montpelier's capital downtown where I sit typing this at "The Skinny Pancake" restaurant.
Only a state the size of Vermont could be run in a town that looks, feels and acts like Breckenridge, Co.

I case you are wondering, I decided to not try for Mt. Marcy, NY HP..... it about a 8 hr hike and I don't know what it would do to my schedule.... I would rather hold off and try for it with Josh some other trip.

Tonight might be in the Walmart parking lot.... I just dont feel like hunting down a campground......

Day 8 Sunday service at Mt. Mansfield @ Old Man of the Mountain (historical), United States, New Hampshire

2012-06-24T06:20:21.000Z

turns out I slept last night in a hotel parking lot in Stowe,,...I had driven up to scout the area and finally landied in a dark corner of a parking lot, hoping no one would run me off..... it was a bad, late night.

But awoke, somewhat refreshed, to a great day!
After a bagel and coffee, I returned to the trail head and was on the trail at 9am.
HP - Mt. Mansfield-
A full account of the experience that I can only describe as spiritual deserves a long narrative of it own, so suffice for now, to simply say I made up and back in a very tough 5.5 hours, and consider it a real highlight so far.

Back at the trail head I emptied, cleaned and repacked the car- ridding my memory of the past nights cluster, chaos and confusion.... refueled, repack and but still pretty wiped out, I headed east.

A place to research.... Smuggler's Notch, not for skiing but for history and geology.... a very cool drive through boulders!

Fortunately, my drive was only two hours, and I was checked in to one of the best campgrounds I've found by 5:30 (Lafayette Place, in Franconia Notch NP)
Great shower, good food, a cool cabin for registration and camp store that was a true throw back to 1929.... wonderful nostalgia and full functional even today.

After an ice cream sandwich- I was asleep and didn't move until 0800 the next morning!!

pictures later...

Day Nine- Rugged New Hamsphire, Birthplace of NorthAmerican Skiing @ Bangor, United States, Maine

2012-06-25T07:34:50.000Z

It rained all night and I slept great- feel almost groggy, which is good!

1. Franconia Notch National Park- ****** very cool part of the worl.
a) QS- Old Man and the Mountain-(remember he fell.....)
b) The Flume Gorge
c) Cannon Mountain
d) Birthplace of N. American downhill skiing museum.
e) Augusta, ME
f) Bangor, ME
-
I am blessed today with 61 degrees and steady rain- a great day of recovery and coffee...
Northern New Hampshire is all high mountains, solid greenery- with a strong sense of place and rugged stability...

In the Green Mountains of Vermont there are lots of signs proclaiming "because in Vermont, everything is nice" and their mountain towns do have a distinct monied feel to them - Stowe is downright snooty. In a subtle contrast, the White Mountains of New Hampshire is every bit as impressive physically, but a sense of down-to-earth prevails.

I stopped to write from the Great American Road village at the road to goes to the HP of NH, that being Mt. Washington.... access is highly restricted and expensive.
Because of last nights rains, they are not allowing vehicle traffic to the top.... and I am trying to wait it out for one of their guided rides with specialize trucks... did not happen. They made the call about 3pm that no one was going up so I headed into Maine.

Could not help myself, I had to pull off the interstate and check out Augusta, ME- state Capitol...... pic attached.

Lest one be underwhelmed by the Capitol Complex's of Montpelier or Augusta- take heart in knowing that are surely not spending tax dollars to make some monstrous monument to bureaucracy..... maybe they remember that being an elected official was supposed to be a part-time job..... no-frills here.

A interesting tid-bit regarding Vermont, N.H and now Maine.... none of them allow bill-boards on their highways...NONE.

But, I found the GPS radar function in my travel software..... It looks done the road fifty miles, finds and them post on the map whatever I ask for..... "Gas Stations", Campgrounds.... a real aid.

Solid rain all day.... but found a nice campground outside Bangor... tomorrow start with a tour of the University of Maine (oooh) and then on to Canada!!

Day 10 One Huge Drive and a great beer @ Keltic Lodge, Canada

2012-06-26T05:32:58.000Z

Well I woke up in Bangor and had to go check out the University of Maine---- yeah, is kinda what you would think....

past that, boy and girls all I did was drive, in a solid, unrelenting downpour and ferocious wind.......finished Maine, thru New Brunswick and finally to Cape Breton Island.... and another hour after that I called it a day.... it rained the entire day. worse gas mileage yet... oh and gas is 1.24 a Liter (3.79 litter in a gallo)---- the math is not pretty..... but the road end up here, so there is where I followed it.

By far the bet way to explain what I did is to have you Google Cape Breton Highland National Park and view their photos.....
and find the Keltic Lodge.... possibly the best pint of beer ever consumed by man.... while seafaring Scottish musicians were singing and playing... I could only nurse the beer for an hour and had find a campground....which did on my second try and crashed hard.

Day 11- The End of the Road- and the longest day yet @ Quoddy Head State Park, United States, Maine

2012-06-27T06:51:04.000Z

6am to midnight-

the Highlands were amazing.... God gave me a five hour window of good weather..... and yes it was worth it.

My photos really catch a small corner of what is up there, the most spectacular views you can image.

I also love their approach to hazards in their parks.... plenty of signs saying " if you fall you will die.." but no guardrails. The photo saying there is a decent change you get see a coyote- but still letting you continue....
You know the rules, you are assumed to be adults, you decide! unlike the States who are so litigation-scared they have rails and barriers to over-protect you from yourself.... yuk... I they the Canadians have a better plan.
Drove all the way back to the US that afternoon /evening and crashed in the pitch black, hoping I was at the eastern most point of the US...

Quarters----- and Lots OF MAINE! @ Boston Campgroudn, United States, Massachusetts

2012-06-28T05:01:03.000Z

Eastern-most point of the United States.... I had pasted out in the parking lot outside the park the night before and was awaken by the sound of car doors slamming and people running... it was photographers hustling to catch the 4:50am sunrise: I'm still glad they showed up and woke me because I might still be there today and the sunrise was spectacular!!!

After that is was a three hour drive down the Maine coast line... every village and hamlet in full summer vacation season splendor.

Maine's Quarter shows the Permquid Lighthouse and a boat.... the boat on the Quarter was out to sea on a two week voyage..

I then turned inland and headed toward Boston for the

Mass QS- Minutemen Battlefield and Statue--- "the shot heard round the world.... very good job of the park service keeping the sites and surrounding area preserved.. I was able to take as long as i needed to refresh some very rusty American history.....
but I did not dare venture into the downtown historic district for fear of being drawn into a week worth of visit!!!

I will say the absolute worst traffic yet was getting away from the gridlocked highways....
finally got out and too a private campground called Canoe River and got a good nights sleep.

Day 13- Lots of moving and shaking...... @ Wildwood Crest, United States, New Jersey

2012-06-29T05:45:11.000Z

Woke up oustide of Boston and started knocking off items....

Newport RI for QS the Pell Bridge-- very impressive but NOWHERE to get a good pic!

Then off the Jermouth Hill for RI's HP..... Props to RI for a great road drive from Providence to Hartford called the Hartford Pike- beautiful county drive..
I have discovered that those scenic routes are very pleasurable in the morning- and I get much less tolerant by the end of the day...

Then over a few miles to Hartford, CT for their QS- the Charter Oak... funny that they insisted on this as the QS picture; because the tree blew down in 1856 and they are certainly not taking pains to make this a tourist attraction!... Hartford looks nice, state capitol, lots of history but also has some typical old big (relative) city problems.

I then made a very good decision in NOT trying to make the NJersey HP before heading into NYC..... The ONLY deadline I had given myself for the whole trip, was to been in NYC seeing Joshua by Friday afternoon in hopes that he could get away from the weekend and join Deb and I on the Jersey shore with our good friends the Tyson.....
So, I cut south and came into the Big Apple from the Jersey side and parked in Hoboken (shout out to the home town of Frank Sinatra)... took the train into Manhattan and got to take Josh to supper!!!
After a way-too-short visit I was about the leave and Josh decided he could get away and hopped in the car with me for a few days away from the city: and so for the first time in two weeks I had a travel companion in the front seat!

Three hours later we pulled in the Tyson's vacation home for several days of R&R---- whew...

Day 14- R&R on the Jersey Shore @ Wildwood Crest, United States, New Jersey

2012-06-30T05:13:31.000Z

Spending a great few days on the Jersey Shore (Wildwood Crest) with our good friends Kim and Susan Tyson..... Deb flew up to meet me as well...... and Josh is spending Sat and Sun........ if only daughter Jen didn't have school.....

Day 15- Cape May @ Wildwood crest, United States, New Jersey

2012-07-01T10:30:51.000Z

another great day of vegging at the shore....

I cannot thank Kim and Susan enough for being such gracious host to Deb and I. They have a great place, a five min walk from the water, in which they have installed a check-in counter to process the dozens of visitors that flock to their hostel......
very generous, very relaxed and very much appreciated...

Day 16- day trip and an overdue visit @ Trenton, United States, New Jersey

2012-07-02T09:30:25.000Z

Using Cape May as a base- I decided to make a few day trips and knocked off
1) New Jersey's Quarter Site- Washington crossing the Delaware
2) Turned the capitol and downtown complex of Trenton...... where it seems every one of the narrow, twisty streets is loaded with history.
3) Great WWII memorial adjacent to the NJ State house....
4)
Finished the driving with a visit to old friend, mentor and frankly the best role model of an public school educator I ever had- Ken Steel was my music director back in high school and a person I think the world of...... I had located him in a suburban Philly town and meet him at his home for a two hour visit- Very, very glad I did.

Back to the shore for beach and dinner!

Day 17- Delaware?!?! @ Mud Island, United States, New Jersey

2012-07-03T07:57:33.000Z

Second day of road tripping out of Cape May....

This time to the great state of Delaware.

1) Quarter Site visit to Caesar Rodney square in downtown Wilmington.
2) HP at the Elbrecht Azmith......someone needs to explain to me how the top boundary of this state was determined....... take a look-; it is an 180 degree arch that looks like the insisted on having a five mile radius around Wilmington.... it does not follow at river or lat line.... very curious... and the HP is right in the arch....

3) Great drive down the length of the Delaware Peninsula, stopping at DOVER MOTOR SPEEDWAY! (for all you nascar fans)

and then to Rehobeth Beach and the town of Lewes (loo-is) where history, revolution, Indians and pirate lore is never far away.

Day 18- Happy July 4th!!! @ Day 15- Cape May, United States, New Jersey

2012-07-04T15:04:49.000Z

Fireworks, Food, Friends

Day 19- Back on the Road- With Deb @ Glenville, United States, West Virginia

2012-07-05T05:29:14.000Z

Back on the road headed home--- through Penn and into West Virgina

Finally got through Philly commute traffic and had a good run to....
1) QS Harrisburg, PA to see their amazing Capitol Complex..... have to say, it rivals Texas in shear scope and presence! Multiple buildings, fountains, statues, green space and obelisks.... oh and the interior is even more impressive! quite a highlight.

2) Then took the wild hair- to explore the Flight 93 memorial in that pasture in Penn... glad we did. Very somber, but very well presented... and very much in the middle of no where......

3) knock off Mt. David (Penn HP) and had a great drive in southern PA.... complete with working Amish in their native habitat.. nothing staged here, just a cool culture going about their lives.... beautiful and remote.

Running out of daylight so we looked for dinner and found we had time to tour Morgans-town West Vir.... site of the University of West V. our new Big 12 partners.... This place never progressed out of the 70s, and somehow manages to have a viable town in the mountains of West Vir.... unlike other mountainous states that build their towns in the valleys, WV has no Valleys!!!! The entire college is built on the side of a mountain...they did have a cool statue of a mountaineer.....

First night with Deb also ended in disaster....- no hotel rooms were available anywhere!!! apparently the massive storms had dislocated tens of thousands and we were out of luck.. it was looking like car camping until I found the little hamlet of Glenville- who had an actually pretty nice hotel!

crashed at 1030.

Day 20- Kentucky!! @ bardstown, United States, Kentucky

2012-07-06T05:30:40.000Z

Glenville was nice, but not a good night sleep... although the breakfast was good..... hit the road tired...

1) QS- New River Gorge Bridge- ! wish I had better photos, cause this really is impressive. Really highlights how rugged WV remains.

now i am positive... it is the MOUNTAINS of W. Virginia and the HILLS of Kentucky.... BUT the drives were two of the best so far....
1. WV interstate flies through amazing mountain notches.
2. Kentucky's interstate continues to flatten with each mile you make going east.... so by the time we made Louisville (the far western edge of the state) we were in rolling bluegrass hills.

The cities of Charleston, WV, Huntington, WV (home of Marshall University) and Lexington, Ky all flew by..... best mileage yet: 30 mpg while averaging about 82mph.... of all of them Charlestown WV, seemed to have the most going on... a town worth exploring.

QS for KY: 1) Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby !!!!! very cool sight, tons of traditional, good tour and museum and all surrounded by a town and neighborhood area that includes the University of Louisville University and a Six Flags...... and yet is not depressed or rundown or slummy-looking... Louisville was pretty impressive.

Headed south for the second part of Kentucky's QS-
"My Old Kentucky Home"- is a real place, in a real quaint town in Kentucky.... that is also part of the Bourbon Trail!!!

Too late for the tasting tours but we did drive through the Jim Beam and Makers Mark Distilleries...... their world headquarters...don't laugh too hard, these are not small time operations...

Sleeping at the Park View hotel across from the Old Kentucky Home State Park and dinner of comfort food at the diner next door....

Sleep.......

Day 21- Two out of three in Tennessee @ Texarkana, United States, Texas

2012-07-07T07:21:03.000Z

Tennessee's quarter is all about music.... but three specific kinds of music, desire three different site visits.... history buffs will know that Tenn started as three different states: East, Middle and West Tenn before they were combined into one state...... accordingly:

1) a quick 150 miles got us to Nashville
a) home of Country music- we saw the Rymum Auditorium where they held the Grand Ole Opry for 70 years.
b) an impressive State Capitol complex with great views and great statues...
c) a famous live music street (Broadway below the Opry)
d) Music Row- the world headquarters of all things related to music publishing and copyrighting.... ASCAP, BMI, Sony, Word... all in small wood frame houses a half mile from the Ryman.
e) a large university to tour- Vanderbuilt

the comparison to Austin was very close: Capitol, big music scene, large university and a pretty river through the heart of town.... definitely worth a longer visit.

2) Three hours down the road we were visiting another type of music: the birth of Rock and Roll, jazz and the blues in Memphis.
a) Sun Records- where Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, BB Kings, Carl Perkins all cut their first records... cool tour.
b) Beale street---- 6th street, plus some.

c) Plus something different: the Larraine Hotel. Can you place it?
The site of the assassination of MLK who was in Memphis to lead the Civil Rights movement.... eerily frozen in time, along with most of the south side of downtown... preserved, intact, unchanged in many ways........ Memphis is quite the contrast from Nashville, but equally interesting..

The last portion of the quarter, the roots of Bluegrass music, are in the eastern third deeper in Appalachia, and will have to be seen in a later leg.

Two very good stops!!!!

Not wanting our last day to be long, I drove all the way thru Arkansas and found a hotel in Texarkana.... whew.

Day 22- Home Again, Home Again @ home, United States, Texas

2012-07-08T07:10:49.000Z

Since we pushed so far last night.... today was a piece of cake!!!

On the road at 0830 and home to Pville by 2:30!

a mere 400 miles at 80 mph!!!! love those interstates.

Lots of wrap up to do, but thanks to all of you who followed along, prayed for safe travels and hopefully enjoyed the virtual trip!!!!

The technical side of the next leg will be much easier after having this one to work out the bugs!!!

Bottom line? I bit off an awful lot, frankly more than I could have hoped to accomplish...... but man, the things I did do and see and experienced were worth every second and every cent!!!!

Because I learned so much- about myself and about America- it was all I hoped it would be.

Leg 2/ day 23- Tacking on FOUR STATES @ Denver, United States, Colorado

2012-08-04T16:02:40.000Z

For the second Leg, I tacked on a quick 48 tour to the end of a week long work conference in Denver.

Conference over, I grabbed a rental car at the airport and headed east....

High Point- Kansas' Mt. Sunflower!

then to bed and the Annie Oakley Hotel, in Oakley Kansas.

Leg 2, Day 24- The Great, Great Plains @ Oakley, United States, Kansas

2012-08-05T06:00:47.000Z

Huge Day!

1. Awoke at 5 to make sunrise at Monument Rocks
2. Back to Oakley, KS for QS- Buffalo!! History and statue
3. Great Sunday lunch at Hochs
4. QS for Nebraska- Chimney Rock National Landmark.-- tons of Oregon Trail history along the N. Platte River valley.
5. High point of Nebraska--- Panorama point...... crazy adventure drive through the great plains...very nearly stranded in the middle of NOWWHERE!
6. QS- Rodeo in Wyoming-- real deal in Pine Bluff.
7. State capitol complex in downtown Cheyenne, WY.... very nice town!
8. QS- Cheyenne Frontier Rodeo arena!!!

drove to Loveland for the next day's trek into the mountains....and a great nights sleep in the Hi-Way hotel.

Leg 2, Day 25- Rocky Mountains/ Estes Park @ Estes Park, United States, Colorado

2012-08-06T06:27:53.000Z

Started the day with a great drive up from Loveland to Estes Park----- beuatifull..

1 QS- Longs Peak is the mountains pictured on the quarter.... and it dominates every view in the area.
2. Toured the famous Stanley Hotel- Stephen Kings inspiration for the novel The Shining.
3. Visited the Longs Peak Trailhead on the way down....
4. to Boulder, for a tour of the University of Colorado.

Then back to the airport for some rest!!!

Leg 3, Day 26th @ Philadelphia, United States, Pennsylvania

2013-02-03T13:10:16.000Z

This leg begins in Philadelphia- after a business trip, and after a three day jaunt to Manhattan to visit my son........ 50/50 Leg 3 was a 3 day spin around the Chesapeake Bay!!

Leg 3- Day 26- Annapolis, MD @ Annapolis, United States, Maryland

2013-02-03T16:00:30.000Z

Quarter Site----- the Maryland state house! Oldest one in still in use in the US... the dome is 100% wood- no screws or bolts!!!!

Charming..Charming city.

Leg 3- Day 27, Historic Jamestown @ Jamestown, United States, Virginia

2013-02-04T09:15:31.000Z

Quarter site for Virgina---- a a great bit of American history.

Leg 3- Day 28, North Carolina @ Kill Devil Hills, United States, North Carolina

2013-02-05T08:21:44.000Z

Quarter Site for N. Carolina--- The Wright Brothers memorial to the First Flight at Kitty Hawk.....

Kitty Hawk, Plus Roanoke Island

Leg 3 Day 28, back to philly @ Assateague Lighthouse, United States, Virginia

2013-02-05T20:25:58.000Z

Back across the Chesapeak to the Eastern Shore of VA, MD and Del A War....

Great lighthouse at Cinnockteague and then back through Dover and Wilmington to Philly.

Flew home the next morning.

Leg 4, Day 29, One-way Calfornia road trip!! @ Austin, United States, Texas

2013-02-14T08:28:53.000Z

Start of Leg 4 with my Dad- head to California

Leg 4, Day 30- New Mexico @ Zia Pueblo, United States, New Mexico

2013-02-15T10:31:02.000Z

New Mexico Quarter Site- The Zia Pueblo- home the the state symbol.

Leg 4, Day 31, Utah, Arizona @ Marble Canyon, United States, Arizona

2013-02-16T08:33:58.000Z

woke up in Bluff, Arizona.... heading to Marble Canyon

Arizona Quarter site is the Grand Canyon