The Explore All 50 States Project
Let's Go!
While Lilia my oldest child has settled into college, my two boys Isaac and Joel are still in high school. Last night I attended Back To School Night and as I sat and listened to each teacher give their spiel about the class I really thought about how much value our road trips have added to my children's education. Just about every class I visited I thought about some place we'd been in our travels that could … [Read more...]
Too often we only think of traveling to states that have lots of tourist appeal like Hawaii, or Alaska, New York or Florida. Sadly there are too many hidden gems that most folks miss all across the country that are definitely worth exploring. These places are not only interesting, but they illustrate the character of our country and often give meaning to what it means to be American. Here are a few places that … [Read more...]
Why exploring tastes should be part of any road trip adventure. On the road we get to see and do lots of interesting and unique things we would never get to experience at home. It’s those things and our reactions to them that create lasting memories that we share and the stories that we tell. One of our favorite ways to explore is through taste, sampling unusual regional specialties to dial in to the culture of … [Read more...]
Have you seen the latest headlines? Embassy closures, heightened security, travel advisories. Like me, I am sure Yemen, Lebanon, and Bahrain are not high on your list of travel destinations, but as a traveler I just don’t feel comfortable leaving my American home turf. I know that sounds a little paranoid but think about it. Travel to Mexico and you run the risk of being kidnapped and held for ransom by a drug … [Read more...]
Leaving Iowa behind, all my kids could talk about was the Mall of America. How big was so big, that it's the biggest in the country is what we all wanted to know. As we drove up, it looked pretty huge, but not bigger than some of the other humongous malls we've seen. By the grace of G-d we found an unbelievably close parking space and made our way to the doors right under the big red white and blue … [Read more...]
We would never have discovered the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden also known as the Walker Art Center, had it not been for my youngest son Joel's curiosity. As we were driving up to Minneapolis, Joel my front seat co-pilot was holding my guidebook staring intently at a photo of the sculpture of the spoon with the cherry that you see here. Joel insisted that we find it and after a little bit of creative sleuthing … [Read more...]
The Minnesota State Capitol Building is a stately structure with the requisite dome columns and other ornamentation like so many others. What is unique is the gold leafed 'quadriga" (a four horse chariot) up on the roof. Supposedly the four horses represent the power of nature: earth, wind, fire and water. The women leading the horses symbolize civilization, and the man on the chariot represents prosperity. We … [Read more...]
Wisconsin is known across the country for it's delicious cheese, and so we decided to break up the drive from Madison to Green Bay by sampling cheese at various stops along the way. Our favorite stop by far was Schultz's Cheese Haus in Beaver Dam. The folks inside could not have been friendlier allowing the kids and I to sample all kinds of interesting and delicious things while explaining to us about the origin … [Read more...]
The Paul Bunyan Logging Camp Museum is a wonderful place to learn about an important part of Wisconsin history and an industry that was and continues to be an important part of the American economy- logging and lumber production. Paul Bunyan was a mythical figure; however, there were plenty of real lumberjacks that inspired his legend. Inside the logging camp, we learned about what life was like for many immigrant … [Read more...]
We were so excited to head to Green Bay and visit the storied Lambeau Field home of the Green Bay Packers. This town is all about football and we felt it as we drove through making our way to the stadium wearing our cheese heads of course. Walking up to the entrance we were greeted by a statue of one of the greatest and most beloved men to ever coach the game, Vince Lombardi. It wasn't football season so the … [Read more...]
