So, in the last post I talked about my slight obsession with Cracker Barrel (well, mostly its general store)... and why I'm looking forward to not eating there on our next road trip.
This summer we'll be taking a few trips here and there, but the two main ones are the two weeks we'll spend in Seattle in August, and the other is a short road trip up to Maine in July.
I've wanted to go to Maine for as long as I can remember, and I am so excited about it. This time though, I'm opting for something a little bit different than Cracker Barrel for our in-transit meal. After all, when you're heading to Maine, why would you stop at a chain restaurant found all across the nation, when you can go to Red's Eats and eat a fabulous lobster roll that has meat from 1 AND 1/2 lobsters for over 1 lb of lobster?! With zucchini fries?!? There's seriously no competition there. Not that I've eaten there yet... but the reviews and pictures are amazing and I had a friend tell me this is a MUST DO for the trip. Um, I'm sold!
Now, I will post more about the trip once we've actually gone on the trip, but I should probably explain that one reason I'm excited to go (though this only accounts for a small percentage of my enthusiasm) is that it's one of my life goals to visit all 50 states. I'm doing pretty well. So far, I've gotten to 45... 90% of the way there! I know it's not necessarily the coolest thing to do, but I really do enjoy seeing what different states have to offer, how life is lived, and just the general culture and feel.
Below is a map of the US (duh)... but color coded to show places I've lived and visited... because I'm nerdy like that:
Orange are states that I've "lived" in, which for all intensive purposes, I'm considering being there for more than one consecutive month. The biggest two possible "exceptions" people might bring up are NY and SD... I spent a summer in each place. I consider it more than just a visit, but interpret it as you will. So, lived in states account for 9 states (18%).
The green/teal states are places I have "visited". This means I spent at least one night there (though usually more), and that it actually included seeing a friend or being there for a vacation, holiday, sightseeing, etc. This accounts for most of my travel in the US, with another 20 states (40%) included.
Purple signifies places where the visit may have been more brief - but still included some sort of stop. This could include staying at a hotel overnight during a long road trip (I've road tripped fully across the country/coast-to-coast twice, and done so many other 2/3-of-the-way-accross trips I can't even count... but well over 10), or it could be stopping to see a sight or two, but not necessarily spending the night. And, for most of these 16 states (another 32%), I've been to them more than one time.
Lastly, the yellow is my remaining 10%. The 5 states I haven't been to at all: Alaska and the tip of New England... Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island. Not too bad.
So, I really do just want to go to Maine because I've wanted to go to Maine since I was old enough to know it existed. (I'm serious.) But, I can't deny that it will also feel good to add another state to my list. We'll also be driving through New Hampshire, so we'll see if we have time to stop and see some stuff so I can officially add it to my list, too. (Yes, I KNOW I'm a nerd, don't worry.) Then, perhaps next summer we'll go up to Vermont or Rhode Island... the list isn't too long at this point! If only I could convince Josh and my family to go on a cruise to Alaska sometime, I might be set...
This summer we'll be taking a few trips here and there, but the two main ones are the two weeks we'll spend in Seattle in August, and the other is a short road trip up to Maine in July.
I've wanted to go to Maine for as long as I can remember, and I am so excited about it. This time though, I'm opting for something a little bit different than Cracker Barrel for our in-transit meal. After all, when you're heading to Maine, why would you stop at a chain restaurant found all across the nation, when you can go to Red's Eats and eat a fabulous lobster roll that has meat from 1 AND 1/2 lobsters for over 1 lb of lobster?! With zucchini fries?!? There's seriously no competition there. Not that I've eaten there yet... but the reviews and pictures are amazing and I had a friend tell me this is a MUST DO for the trip. Um, I'm sold!
Now, I will post more about the trip once we've actually gone on the trip, but I should probably explain that one reason I'm excited to go (though this only accounts for a small percentage of my enthusiasm) is that it's one of my life goals to visit all 50 states. I'm doing pretty well. So far, I've gotten to 45... 90% of the way there! I know it's not necessarily the coolest thing to do, but I really do enjoy seeing what different states have to offer, how life is lived, and just the general culture and feel.
Below is a map of the US (duh)... but color coded to show places I've lived and visited... because I'm nerdy like that:
Orange are states that I've "lived" in, which for all intensive purposes, I'm considering being there for more than one consecutive month. The biggest two possible "exceptions" people might bring up are NY and SD... I spent a summer in each place. I consider it more than just a visit, but interpret it as you will. So, lived in states account for 9 states (18%).The green/teal states are places I have "visited". This means I spent at least one night there (though usually more), and that it actually included seeing a friend or being there for a vacation, holiday, sightseeing, etc. This accounts for most of my travel in the US, with another 20 states (40%) included.
Purple signifies places where the visit may have been more brief - but still included some sort of stop. This could include staying at a hotel overnight during a long road trip (I've road tripped fully across the country/coast-to-coast twice, and done so many other 2/3-of-the-way-accross trips I can't even count... but well over 10), or it could be stopping to see a sight or two, but not necessarily spending the night. And, for most of these 16 states (another 32%), I've been to them more than one time.
Lastly, the yellow is my remaining 10%. The 5 states I haven't been to at all: Alaska and the tip of New England... Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island. Not too bad.
So, I really do just want to go to Maine because I've wanted to go to Maine since I was old enough to know it existed. (I'm serious.) But, I can't deny that it will also feel good to add another state to my list. We'll also be driving through New Hampshire, so we'll see if we have time to stop and see some stuff so I can officially add it to my list, too. (Yes, I KNOW I'm a nerd, don't worry.) Then, perhaps next summer we'll go up to Vermont or Rhode Island... the list isn't too long at this point! If only I could convince Josh and my family to go on a cruise to Alaska sometime, I might be set...
2 comments:
What color is Delaware?
Delaware is purple. We're so close in Philly... but I've never visited anyone or really done anything but shop... but hey, that's the point of no sales tax, right?
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