The state of Washington for example where it is the shape of the father of our country rather than the shape of the state. And Utah where a honeycomb marks the highway signs. Why a honeycomb? Don't worry, I asked a ranger. She said it was because the first people who settled in Utah really looked to the honey bees as inspiration: they respected how hard working and tight-knit the bees were. So, they adopted the honeycomb as their state symbol.
Water: I do not drink much soda, but of course I drank a lot of water on the road. I could have stopped at each gas station and gotten a bottle of water, but think of the cost associated with that and all of the bottles of water that I probably would not have been able to recycle. Instead, I took my own cup and filled it up with ice water at each stop I could. A handful of times I had to pay for it, and by pay, I mean either .10 or .25, but 90% of the time, it was free.
Speed Limits: Although many states have the same speed limits, that does not necessarily mean they have the same driving speed. In some states, it seems that the speed limit is a true limit. In some, it seems like the starting point.
Eating Out: I was really never lonely on the trip, nor did I regret taking the journey on my own, except when I was eating out. Eating out on your own is a real art. I did not want to eat fast food the entire time, nor did I want to just eat apples and granola bars in the car the whole time, so I had to get used to this. Food and eating out is such an important part of our culture, that I wanted to partake with the locals across the country. Whenever possible, I would sit at a counter or bar, and more often than not, I found someone to talk with, even if it was the waitress or bartender. Otherwise, I was either reading a book, playing on my phone or looking at tour guides to plan my next venture.
Public Bathrooms: Besides eating out, I found another thing that was difficult on my own was public restrooms that did not have hooks in them for purses and/or cameras. Yep, if I don't have someone to hand my things to, where else am I supposed to put them? Let this be a public service announcement: If you own some sort of establishment, please ensure your restrooms have hooks in them.
Lodging: There is a major difference in "a place to stay" and "a place to sleep." I was looking for the latter. Before going on a trip, decide which one you are after. I had never gone on a trip before where I didn't have lodging pre-booked. I was anxious about this process, but quickly got the hang of it and was thrilled that I did not plan ahead. I learned how to quickly search for lodging and I learned that reading comments and reviews can be really helpful. Often times the cheapest hotel had horrible ratings, but the one right above the cheapest had acceptable reviews. Also, don't be afraid to look at casinos in the area. I only stayed in one casino, but it was one of the nicest hotels I stayed in and one of the cheapest, as I assume they thought I'd be spending all my money in the casino. Haha, I fooled them!
Audiobooks: I absolutely love music and I love to sing, but even though I have thousands of songs, I was worried I would get bored with music in the car. So, I borrowed books from my local library through my phone and was able to listen to the books through the speaker as I drove. Audiobooks can be very expensive, so I highly recommend getting them through your local library. They kept me awake, alert, entertained and eager to get back into the car to listen.
Radio Stations: While audiobooks kept my ears busy for most of the trip, I did take some time to stop and listen to some local radio stations. I found that a quick search through the dials could tell you a lot about a community. In Montana for instance, just east of Glacier National Park, where there was almost nothing, I found one radio station. Because there was only one, it played the widest variety of music I could have imagined. The songs ranged from country to oldies to hip hop to gospel to everything in between. There were places in the country where there were more Christian radio stations than all the other stations combined. Listening to the local radio, or at least taking a few minutes to turn the dial back and forth just may give you the best glimpse into the local culture.
Road Trips: In case you ever want to venture out on a road trip (which I highly recommend!), here are a few thoughts. I was really hoping and planning to have time to take in a movie, perhaps go to a yoga class or even get a massage along my journey. This did not happen. If you are like me at all and take many photos, a couple hours' journey is quickly mushrooms into a much larger chunk of time. If you really want some "down" time, make sure to schedule at least two nights in a place.
I packed my belongings, not in suitcases, but in big plastic bins. As I arrived at each new location, I chose my clothes for the next day, put them into a small bag that contained my toiletries, and voila, no lugging of giant, heavy suitcases.
As far as places to go see, well, I truly loved everywhere that I went to see. However, I will put a plug in for a few of my favorite, less-traveled to places. Places like Glacier National Park, Seattle and the Redwood Forest are on many people's bucket lists, and I fully support those, but you may need to add a few more to your list. The first one is South Dakota. Wow! The people there were incredibly friendly; the tourism board does a remarkable job even with links to audio guides you can listen to that tell you about the places you are seeing as you drive along the highways; the landscape of the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills is beautiful and truly unique. The Oregon coastline would be another top spot on my list of places to see. The rugged coastline, light houses, sea lions, sandy beaches and rocky overhangs are breathtaking. I would also highly recommend southern Utah. The people here, too, are welcoming and generous and there is so much to see and do that you could easily fill a week, or a month, traveling to different parks, hiking and exploring.
As Dr. Seuss would say: "So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way!"
Happy Travels!
Speed Limits: Although many states have the same speed limits, that does not necessarily mean they have the same driving speed. In some states, it seems that the speed limit is a true limit. In some, it seems like the starting point.
Eating Out: I was really never lonely on the trip, nor did I regret taking the journey on my own, except when I was eating out. Eating out on your own is a real art. I did not want to eat fast food the entire time, nor did I want to just eat apples and granola bars in the car the whole time, so I had to get used to this. Food and eating out is such an important part of our culture, that I wanted to partake with the locals across the country. Whenever possible, I would sit at a counter or bar, and more often than not, I found someone to talk with, even if it was the waitress or bartender. Otherwise, I was either reading a book, playing on my phone or looking at tour guides to plan my next venture.
Public Bathrooms: Besides eating out, I found another thing that was difficult on my own was public restrooms that did not have hooks in them for purses and/or cameras. Yep, if I don't have someone to hand my things to, where else am I supposed to put them? Let this be a public service announcement: If you own some sort of establishment, please ensure your restrooms have hooks in them.
Lodging: There is a major difference in "a place to stay" and "a place to sleep." I was looking for the latter. Before going on a trip, decide which one you are after. I had never gone on a trip before where I didn't have lodging pre-booked. I was anxious about this process, but quickly got the hang of it and was thrilled that I did not plan ahead. I learned how to quickly search for lodging and I learned that reading comments and reviews can be really helpful. Often times the cheapest hotel had horrible ratings, but the one right above the cheapest had acceptable reviews. Also, don't be afraid to look at casinos in the area. I only stayed in one casino, but it was one of the nicest hotels I stayed in and one of the cheapest, as I assume they thought I'd be spending all my money in the casino. Haha, I fooled them!
Audiobooks: I absolutely love music and I love to sing, but even though I have thousands of songs, I was worried I would get bored with music in the car. So, I borrowed books from my local library through my phone and was able to listen to the books through the speaker as I drove. Audiobooks can be very expensive, so I highly recommend getting them through your local library. They kept me awake, alert, entertained and eager to get back into the car to listen.
Radio Stations: While audiobooks kept my ears busy for most of the trip, I did take some time to stop and listen to some local radio stations. I found that a quick search through the dials could tell you a lot about a community. In Montana for instance, just east of Glacier National Park, where there was almost nothing, I found one radio station. Because there was only one, it played the widest variety of music I could have imagined. The songs ranged from country to oldies to hip hop to gospel to everything in between. There were places in the country where there were more Christian radio stations than all the other stations combined. Listening to the local radio, or at least taking a few minutes to turn the dial back and forth just may give you the best glimpse into the local culture.
Road Trips: In case you ever want to venture out on a road trip (which I highly recommend!), here are a few thoughts. I was really hoping and planning to have time to take in a movie, perhaps go to a yoga class or even get a massage along my journey. This did not happen. If you are like me at all and take many photos, a couple hours' journey is quickly mushrooms into a much larger chunk of time. If you really want some "down" time, make sure to schedule at least two nights in a place.
I packed my belongings, not in suitcases, but in big plastic bins. As I arrived at each new location, I chose my clothes for the next day, put them into a small bag that contained my toiletries, and voila, no lugging of giant, heavy suitcases.
 |
| And yes, of course, my favorite traveling companion, Happy, was along for the ride! |
As far as places to go see, well, I truly loved everywhere that I went to see. However, I will put a plug in for a few of my favorite, less-traveled to places. Places like Glacier National Park, Seattle and the Redwood Forest are on many people's bucket lists, and I fully support those, but you may need to add a few more to your list. The first one is South Dakota. Wow! The people there were incredibly friendly; the tourism board does a remarkable job even with links to audio guides you can listen to that tell you about the places you are seeing as you drive along the highways; the landscape of the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore and the Black Hills is beautiful and truly unique. The Oregon coastline would be another top spot on my list of places to see. The rugged coastline, light houses, sea lions, sandy beaches and rocky overhangs are breathtaking. I would also highly recommend southern Utah. The people here, too, are welcoming and generous and there is so much to see and do that you could easily fill a week, or a month, traveling to different parks, hiking and exploring.
As Dr. Seuss would say: "So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way!"
Happy Travels!
