Top 5

Well we finally have it. We have the map on the side of the RV with the little stickers for each state. It seems like something we should have had before we left, but for whatever reason it took until now to put it up.
The kids took turns putting the states on in the order we had visited them. I was allowed to put on a few and Becky placed Ohio where it belonged. It reminded me of a question that comes up often when we talk to people about our trip. What is your favorite place so far?
We have visited every state east of the Mississippi except one, sorry Mississippi, and a few west of it too. In total we have travel through 26 states.
So for the sake of argument I posed myself the question, "If I had to pick another state to live in for the next 15 years, and I could not leave it's borders, which state would it be?" In making my list, I took Ohio out, because I have lived there, and probably will return there when the trip is over. So below is my list from 5 to 1. I hope that if you don't agree, that you will email me and let me know why you think I'm wrong. danhirn@ourtriptakesus.com

#5 Massachusetts - I think any state I pick has to have a major city in it, and Boston is pretty amazing. We didn't spend enough time in Boston, but being there on the 4th of July was a great experience. I still don't understand the Neil Diamond obsession, but I liked the city. Then there is the Cape. We debated driving all the way to the tip, but enjoyed every mile. Massachusetts has coast, big city clout and some great interior natural beauty as well.

#4 Maine - This is something about Maine that separates it. It is green, and bold and rugged. The people of Maine respect the wilderness, and they work within it. The city of Bangor seemed quiet for a town of it's size, but still had a lot to offer. Although the summer is short, the coast of Maine isn't. I think I liked the pure toughness of Maine from the lumberjacks, to the fisherman to the moose.

#3 Florida - If we had stayed strictly in beach towns, Florida might not have made the list. I can only look at brightly colored t-shirt shops for so long. I think what really made me connect with the state was a visit to Everglades National Park. Standing next to alligators, and watching 10 different kinds of birds feeding all around you is remarkable. Sitting on the beach drinking margaritas in November doesn't hurt either.

#2 Minnesota - Spending a week in Minnesota is not nearly enough. We feel that way about most states we visit, but our time in Ely near the boundary waters was truly eye-opening. Just the drive north up the coast of Lake Superior was worth the trip. One majestic tree lined cliff after another, and then we turned left into a national forest that consumed us. I will never forget the sunset that we happened upon while driving past a lake in the middle of the forest. The colors of that sky and purity of the setting were like nothing I've ever encountered. I didn't even mention the Twine Ball.

#1 New York - Aside from a desert, this state has everything. Niagara Falls in one corner, New York City in another and every type of landscape in between. Mountains, lake fronts (Erie and Ontario), a city that contains more than you can explore in a lifetime, and plenty of area to escape the city when it gets too loud. For me it was surprising the variety of natural surroundings contained in this state. I hadn't thought much about what I would see after we left Niagara Falls, and I was really impressed.

I know that there will be a lot of people that don't agree. I hope that you take a minute to tell me why. I'm sure my list will change after we visit the next 22 states on our tour.

What's the big idea?

There is a point in the evolution of an idea when it passes from a funny preoccupation into larger than life reality. In the case of our road side stop today that point passed many years ago.

Over 50 years ago Alan Schafer had a beer stand just south of North Carolina on I-95. Today when you near this exit at night you are greeted by an unusual glow in the sky. Part of that blaze emits from the 200-foot tall Sombrero Tower and from a 100-foot tall neon clad Pedro who welcomes guests to the South of the Border Motor Hotel. Mr. Schafer created a destination where there was no destination before.

South of the Border is somewhere between unique and tacky, and at some point was just a crazy idea. It's exactly the kind of offbeat attraction that makes my wife light up. If not for her I would have marveled at the glowing collection of t-shirt shops, arcades, rides and hotels (yes, more than one) from the highway and kept driving. Instead, we stayed at Pedro's campground, walked passed his car wash, walked through his many souvenir stores and mailed out postcards at his post office. All the while laughing at the sheer improbability of the whole place.

The short stop makes me appreciate people like Alan Schafer who follow through on ideas no matter how bizarre. It also makes me thankful for a wife who expands my horizons, even if that means paying a dollar to ride an elevator to the top of a hat.

Not What You Know...

In high school I was told it's not what you know, but who you know. When I heard it I understood what was meant, but it was one of those phrases that I couldn't completely understand until I had more life experience. At the time I didn't know that many people, and I wasn't sure what I knew.

After a few years in college and few more in the work force I understand more clearly what I was told. What wasn't clear after that time has become obvious in the four months that we have been on the road.

Since the first mention to the first person about this journey, we have been given so much by the people that we know. Neighboring campers have helped with firewood or offered us a seat at their fire. Friends old and new have opened up their homes to us.

We could spend the year after we get back doing favors, running errands, making phone calls and performing other tasks for the people we know that have helped us out with our trip and still be in debt to them. Perhaps that's the greatest thing about the people we know, they don't look at it as a debt to be repaid.

From parents who forward mail, and paint apartments, to friends and family who look after our house and sponsor our trip, and the many giving individuals along the road, we are truly blessed by the people who surround us.

In planning Our Trip, we spent months trying to anticipate all the things that might arise as we went along. Looking back we were pretty successful in our planning. One thing that we were not prepared for was the selfless outpouring of generosity we have given by so many people.

So now, what I know is that I know some phenomenal people. Thanks to you all.