Road Trips!

Oregon Trail Wagon Reproduction on the Historic Oregon Trail, Whitman Mission National Historical Site, Walla Walla, Washington. Road trips were a lot harder 125 years ago, especially since there were no roads...

"On the road again,
Goin' places that I've never been,
Seein' things I may never see again,
I can't wait to get on the road again..." -- Willie Nelson

The Road Trip was born on May 23, 1903. Really. It was early that afternoon when Horatio Nelson Jackson (and his mechanic Sewall K. Crocker) pointed his 1903 Winton east from San Francisco and became the first person to cross the country in an automobile.

Was it a race? Was this some company's marketing gimmick? Was this to somehow achieve greater glory?

No. It was done on a $50 bet.

In 1903, there were 33,000 cars in the country, and 14,000,000 horses. You do the math. Of the 2.3 million miles of road, 138,000 were considered 'improved', (a.k.a. gravel roads) and most of those were East of the Mississippi. 150 miles were paved, but all those were in cities. There were no reliable maps. Worse, most roads had no name. There were no gas or service stations, no auto parts stores, few bridges (other than those the railroad built,) no fast-food drive thrus...Not to mention early automobiles were highly unreliable.

But they did it in 63 days, 12 hours and 30 minutes. And Jackson never even collected his $50.

Now that's a Road Trip.

Some of the Road Trips I've taken

Willie's little ditty probably comes to mind anytime someone mentions a road trip. Well, at least it does to me. And I've been on a few. And I've enjoyed almost every mile.

Okay, there are a few miles there that weren't fun, like driving through a couple of tropical storms, or being in the Black Hills during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, but if I could do it all over again, I'd do it all over again!

There's nothing like seeing a double rainbow from end to end over the desert with nothing to block the view. Nothing puts the self in perspective more than standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon or the top of a mountain peak, or looking over a glacial valley where you know you can see forever. From the enclosed, twisty little passages of one of the myriad caves around the country, to the seemingly vast empty wastelands of the desert southwest, there's thousands of things to see, do, hear, drink, smell, eat, touch and/or feel.

I'm not one of those "Interstates are Evil" kind of guys, but I do think that you really have to get off the beaten path to discover this country. Yeah, you can experience some of the Wonders from the interstates, but the best places I've been were only accessed via two lane roads.

I think interstates, for the most part, are the roads that enables me to see the things I want to see. I could trace Route 66 to Los Angeles, but that would take me weeks. I'd rather take the interstates to some destination, and spend the time seeing the things I want to see wherever that might be.

There is a bit of a quandary, though, and that's the plain-ness of the prairie. You have to drive a few hours in *any* direction from Chicago before the scenery begins to get a bit more interesting. So my trips never start in Chicago. They tend to start about 10-12 hours after leaving Chicago, usually about 500 miles down the road. My destination are places that I've never been...

1986 to 1988 Business Trips were from a time I worked for a three letter marketing company. Trips included Washington DC and Fort Smith Arkansas. And a quick side trip Fort Lauderdale, Florida in January.

1992 and 1998 San Antonio Trips were both computer conferences in San Antonio. Highlights include The Ozark Mountains, the Gulf Coast and the Natchez Trace Parkway (Part 1.)

My 1996 West Illinois Vacation was really just a way to break in my new car. Highlights include Nauvoo, Illinois, and Hannibal, Missouri.

1996 Minnesota-West Vacation was half 'my annual fishing trip' and half 'real road trip out west'. Highlights include Theodore Roosevelt National Park; the Black Hills; Mount Rushmore National Memorial; Custer State Park, South Dakota; and Badlands National Park.

My 1997 West Vacation was my first real excursion out West to the National Parks. Highlights include Rocky Mountain National Park; Colorado Springs; Mesa Verde National Park; Grand Canyon National Park; Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park; Capital Reef National Park; Canyonlands National Park; Arches National Park; Colorado National Monument.

My 1998 West Vacation was a visit to the other Major parks of the west, including Chimney Rock National Historical Site; Dinosaur National Monument; Golden Spike National Historical Site; Grand Teton National Park; Yellowstone National Park; Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area; Devils Tower National Monument; Custer State Park, South Dakota; Badlands National Park.

My 2000 Orlando Trip was to a computer security conference in Orlando, Florida. It was also my reintroduction to Disneyworld, but that's another page. Highlights include the Natchez Trace Parkway (Part 2); the Gulf Islands National Seashore; Walt Disney World; Congaree Swamp National Monument; the Blue Ridge Parkway; Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

The main purpose of my 2001 East Coast Vacation was to touch the six Northeastern states, in my quest to be in all 48 lower United States. Highlights include Niagara Falls State Park; Independence National Historical Site; Disneyworld; Jack Daniels Distillery; Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Site.

My 2001 West Vacation was mainly to visit Glacier National Park. Highlights include Theodore Roosevelt National Park; Makoshika State Park, Montana; Glacier National Park; Whitman Mission National Historical Site; The Thousand Springs Scenic Byway; Craters of the Moon National Monument; Grand Teton National Park; Yellowstone National Park; Beartooth Scenic Highway.

My prophetic 2002 Florida / New Orleans Vacation was to visit Sin City before a hurricane took the city out. Highlights include Disneyworld; Universal Orlando; New Orleans area; Avery Island; Hot Springs National Park.

My 2003 Southern Florida Vacation was a late year vacation. Highlights include Disneyworld; Marco Island; Everglades National Park; Key West; Universal Orlando.

The 2005 Colorado Trip was a business trip. The only real place I visited, was Rocky Mountain National Park.

My 2005 Desert Southwest Vacation was my first long planned vacation since 2001. Highlights include Carlsbad Caverns National Park; White Sands National Monument; Tombstone, Arizona; Saguaro National Park; Disneyland Resort; Death Valley National Park; Yosemite National Park; Mono Lake; Great Basin National Park; the Colorado River & Arches National Park.

My 2006 Pacific Northwest Vacation was a vacation to fill in the last area of the country I hadn't been to, as well as a celebration of Lewis & Clark's bicentennial. Highlights include Frontier Village, North Dakota; Fort Mandan; Pompeys Pillar National Monument; Great Falls, Montana; Glacier National Park; The Lolo Trail (aka The Northwest Passage Scenic Byway); Olympic National Park; Mount Rainier National Park; Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Observatory; North Head Lighthouse; Fort Clatsop National Historical Park; The Columbia River Gorge; Craters of the Moon National Monument; EBR1; Yellowstone Bear World; Grand Teton National Park; Yellowstone National Park; Chief Joseph Scenic Byway; Bighorn National Forest; Devils Tower National Monument; Wind Cave National Park; Custer State Park, South Dakota; Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Badlands National Park; Wisconsin Dells

My 2006 Pennsylvania Trip was a business trip to attend two classes. I stopped in four places. Flight 93 National Memorial; Hershey's Chocolate World (video only); Valley Forge National Historical Park; and Independence National Historical Park.

My 2007 Fall Vacation was a quest to find colorful fall trees, but I found mostly grey in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Then it was down to central Florida...

The route for my 2008 Southwest Vacation was almost identical to my 1997 trip, but went around the Grand Staircase counter-clock-wise this time. Though an almost identical route, I'd never been to half the attractions on this years list. Highlights include: Rocky Mountain NP; Glenwood Springs, CO; SR-128, CO; Dead Horse Point SP; Canyonlands NP; Goblin Valley SP; Capitol Reef NP; Scenic Route 12, UT; Anasazi SP; Grand Staircase NM; Kodachrome Basin SP; Bryce Canyon NP; Red Canyon; Coral Pink Sand Dunes SP; Glen Canyon NRA; Glen Canyon Dam; Rainbow Bridge NM; Little Colorado River TP; Grand Canyon NP; Monument Valley TP; Natural Bridges NM; Four Corners; US-550, CO; Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP; US-50, CO; Pikes Peak, CO

My 2009 Florida Vacation was an odd trip. My first stop would be at Atlanta for a Hot Dog. Then, a visit to Disney World, and after that it was a couple of days on the Gulf Coast of Florida. We had a hotel in Venice, Florida, but also visited Siesta Key, just a few miles North. We also visted Venice Beach, Capersen Beach.