The Midwest
2010

17 Days - 22 States - 5288.1 Miles

Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania

Travel Log

Maryland to Alabama

July 23: And we're off. First stop: Fredericksburg for Allman's Bar-B-Q and Carl's Frozen Custard...

July 24: Chesapeake, VA. Binnie and Morgan!

July 25: Asheville, NC. Brunch at The Biltmore. This is the first mansion I remember visiting that didn't have a story about the owner going either broke or insane while building it.

July 25: Greenville, SC. Not the original Mast but it gave us a stop in SC and it carried Blenheim ginger ale.

July 25: Macon, GA. Fed and got fed. Thanks Joe and Paula!

July 26: Opelika, AL. $36 motel room with one double bed in a small Southern town makes me appreciate Lawrence v. Texas a bit more.

Alabama to Texas

July 27: Mobile, AL. Driving along the gulf coast and trying to support the local places. Katrina and BP sure have done a number on these places.

July 27: New Orleans, LA. We are briefly tied at 44 states each (until I get to MO). Incidentally, the Prius is at 42...

July 28: Houston, TX. House built out of beer cans: check.

July 29: The Alamo, San Antonio, TX. Being a descendant of Davy Crockett was SO much more impressive a few decades ago, I think.

Texas to Missouri

July 30: Dallas, TX. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

July 31: Archer City, TX. For movie buffs, this is our out-of-the-way stop in the town where The Last Picture Show was filmed.

August 1: Topeka, KS. 45 states under our belts and 100,000 miles for the car.

August 1: Kansas City, MO. Dinner with Diana!

Missouri to Maryland

August 2: Independence, MO. The Truman Library and Clinton's ice cream parlor where he had his first job. Seems all great men scoop ice cream...

August 2: Omaha, NE. Trying to counteract all the conservative areas we have been through so far, we had dinner at a gay-owned, organic restaurant in the congressional district that threw Obama an electoral vote.

August 3: Sioux City, IA. Spending money on this side of the river in support of marriage equality.

August 3: Fargo, ND. There really is not much to talk about at this stop...

August 4: Minneapolis, MN. The Mighty Mississippi and The Mall of America.

August 5: Austin, MN. The SPAM Museum.

August 5: Milwaukee, WI. The Safe House. States: Jay 49, Alvin 48, Prius 47. Alvin and I will get HI and AK, but I think the car is maxed out now.

August 6: Lake Michigan ferry from Milwaukee to Muskegon.

August 7: Williamston, MI. With Jack Smith and Susan Waltz. Actually, his name is really John Smith but who would ever believe that?

August 8: Mill Run, PA. Last stops: Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob.