May 5, 2023

20 states, 5800 miles, time with family – priceless!

Life is all about balance.  From time to time, one of our Hybrid team members takes time away to recharge their batteries.  We’ve enjoyed hearing about Brandon in Egypt and Cathy in Nepal!  Last month, I took a three week drive across half the country to celebrate my Mom’s 80th birthday!  Here are a few highlights of our adventure state by state.

1. Maine – Fielder’s Choice ice cream before it started snowing & before we left the state for awhile!  Mainers love their ice cream!
2. New Hampshire – isolated wicked snow storm then Polly’s Pancake Parlor for a delicious breakfast! 
3. Vermont – temps went from 58 degrees to 70 in less than 5 minutes!  Lots of covered bridges & snacking on yummy aged cheddar cheese!
4. New York – HOT!  80 degrees, thunder, lightning, heavy rain & winds but the hail missed us!
5. Pennsylvania – some highway, some back roads & popped out in …
6. Maryland – found the perfect crab shack with crab soup, crab dip on delicious french fries, huge crab cakes, and soft shell crab sandwiches!
7. Virginia – Saw my cousin that we haven’t seen since he was just a kid.  It was nice to chat & just pick up where we left off!
8. North Carolina – Had delicious NC BBQ with my Aunt, then a quick hello to a cousin, her son & their famous dog Leo.  Spent a warm summery day walking the NC Zoo.  Had coffee with a friend from grammar school that we haven’t seen since 1987!  Drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway to our next state…
9. Tennessee – Spent the day in Chattanooga, went up Lookout Mountain on the funicular and toured The Hunter Museum of American Art!
10. Popped into Georgia for a few minutes, back to Tennessee, then on to…
11. Alabama – Stayed in Rocket City, Huntsville.  Saw Eggbeater Jesus & a rocket!
12. Mississippi – found the birthplace of Elvis and drove the Natchez Trace Parkway for a couple of days.  Unfortunately we saw a bit of tornado damage here from 6 days earlier. Toured the civil war cemetery at Vicksburg and was reminded of another time our country was divided.
13. Louisiana – Drove through & saw the capitol, Baton Rouge.  On to the gulf.  Had a DELICIOUS meal at a food truck.  It was a restaurant until a hurricane took it out in 2015, they rebuilt, then another hurricane took them out again in 2020.  They are temporarily working out of a food truck, making delicious seafood and making the best of their situation.  Took a ferry over to…
14. Texas!  Drove down to Galveston, then on down to Corpus Christi & Padre Island for a couple of days.  Up to San Marcos to see a niece and her pups, over to Lockhart (the BBQ capitol) for delicious brisket, Bastrop & Round Rock to see two of Neal’s brothers & our sister-in-law.  Had delicious pecan goodies from Bastrop and lots more wonderful BBQ and brisket.
15. Popped over to drive through the forests of Oklahoma on our way to
16. Arkansas – Beautiful wildflowers, green rolling hills – baby calves everywhere!  Back to Tennessee for our third time to hit Memphis & Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken.  Unfortunately, more tornado damage from a few days prior was witnessed going through Covington, TN on our way to …
17. Kentucky – Saw Mom’s sister & another cousin!  Had delicious homemade lasagna & carrot cake with family.  Got Mom a hot brown on our way across the rolling horse and cow farms of Kentucky.
18. Winded through West Virginia – stopped to finish up our delicious leftovers!  Made our way back to Maryland, then Pennsylvania.
19. Our 19th state was a stop in Connecticut to see more family and drop in on Neal’s grammar school friend doing a blues gig.  He got the whole bar singing happy birthday to my Mom and she became the night’s celebrity!
20. Massachusetts was our 20th state to hit.  Neal whipped us off the road at the Johnny Appleseed rest area to see New England’s largest apple!  Back through New Hampshire, then on to Maine.  We finished the trip at my Dad’s favorite restaurant, Billy’s Chowder House in Wells, Maine.  They opened in 1979 and we’ve been going there since the early 80’s.

20 states, about 5,800, lots of laughs, reconnecting with family & friends, delicious local foods, time with Mom – priceless!