Rural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort Collins
While our friends, neighbors and relatives have been sweating out a late summer heat wave in Charlotte, here in Colorado Kathy & I have been treated to mid-70s temperatures with beautiful skies and low humidity. We took full advantage on Thursday when we headed out into the countryside with our pal Monte Stevens.
When we headed out we had no idea what we were looking for or where we were going, but I think we found it! Overall an extremely productive and rewarding effort. Hoping to get into the high country and chase some fall color over the weekend before heading north to Montana, where it is supposed to snow. Yikes!
Rural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsRural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsRural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsRural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsRural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsRural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsRural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsAbandoned store in the rural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsRural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsRural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort CollinsRural countryside in Larimer County, Colorado north of Fort Collins
One of my favorite questions from friends and neighbors is “so, where are you off to next?” One of our neighbors is certain that we’re trying to spend all of our retirement dollars on vacations, but since we like having a place to come home to, we only spend part of it! 😉 I guess we’ve developed a well-earned reputation, and one that we’re just a bit proud of. 🙂
In a few days Kathy & I will be setting out to bag a few more states on our path toward 50. We’re looking forward to cooler temperatures and meeting up with some friends along the way. I plan to send “Postcards” from the road as we go, although they likely won’t be daily. Stay tuned!
The third “new” state on our recent DelMarVa excursion was New Jersey. We debated how to do New Jersey, realizing that the state is very diverse in terms of urban vs. rural, city vs. shore, crowded vs. not so crowded. At first we were thinking in terms of Atlantic City or Wildwood, but then we discovered (or remembered) Cape May.
Cape May, New JerseyCape May, New JerseyCape May, New JerseyCape May, New Jersey
While just barely in New Jersey, and the very southern tip of the peninsula, Cape May represented “enough” of New Jersey for us to say that we had visited. Nothing wrong with visiting the rest of the state, but we like to do things our way, and finding a town where we could park the car and leave it for a few days suits us. And Cape May fit that bill just fine.
Cape May, New JerseyCape May, New JerseyCape May, New Jersey
Cape May is recognized as the country’s oldest seaside resort, and the beach has been recognized by many “Top 10” lists, including the Travel Channel. Beach Avenue is lined with amazing homes – hilariously called “cottages” although they are often huge! – and hotels. Very little to no chain restaurants or hotels. They don’t even have a McDonald’s, a Starbucks or a Walmart! Our kind of place.
Cape May, New JerseyCape May, New JerseyCape May, New JerseyCape May, New JerseyCape May, New Jersey
Other than the fact that our hotel was full of families enjoying one last hurrah before school started, complete with loud, misbehaving children, we enjoyed our visit very much. The great part is that we spent most of our day walking around town while they were at the beach or the pool, and by the time we got back and showered for cocktails and dinner, all of the noisy families were headed off to dinner. Ahhhh!
Cape May, New JerseyCape May, New JerseyCape May, New JerseyCape May, New Jersey
Three days in New Jersey were plenty, we’re glad we went and glad to say we were there. And here are a few photos to prove it!
One of the challenges of deciding to “visit” all 50 states is defining how much is “enough” to qualify as a visit. As an example, I’ve been in both New Jersey and Texas before, but only saw the inside of the Newark and Dallas airports. That hardly qualifies as a “visit.”
Along the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, DelawareAlong the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, DelawareAlong the Boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
In order to keep this project from taking another 20 years, Kathy & I decided that in order to count a state as visited, we needed to have a representative grouping of photos from that state. It doesn’t mean that we have to (a) hit all of the Chamber of Commerce sites or (b) create a photo essay worthy of National Geographic. It just means that we need to be there long enough to come back with some representative photographs.
Indian River Inlet Lifesaving Station Museum, Rehoboth Beach, DelawareIndian River Inlet Lifesaving Station Museum, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
I’ll be the first to admit that spending a few hours in a state like Delaware is hardly enough to satisfy either of those above requirements. And while 3 days in New Jersey was plenty, thank you very much, there are states that, out of necessity, we will only get to spend a few hours. We’ll try to keep those to a minimum of course, but that is what we’ve decided.
Indian River Inlet Lifesaving Station Museum, Rehoboth Beach, DelawareIndian River Inlet Lifesaving Station Museum, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
The other part of the equation is that there will be states where we don’t get to the Big Name places. In Indiana, for example, I’d love to get to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But we’re going to find something else, partly because that’s our style, and partly because we need to keep it simple from the standpoint of time and money. As much as I want to go to Glacier National Park, I’ll probably make do with something like Little Bighorn. For now!
So anyway, here is a collection of photos from Delaware. If you are from the Delaware Chamber of Commerce – sorry! Otherwise, enjoy!
Ferry from Lewes, Delaware to Cape May, New JerseyFerry from Lewes, Delaware to Cape May, New Jersey
The main purpose for our recent visit to the DelMarVa area was to cross Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey off our “states visited” list. While I’m pretty sure I have been in Maryland previously, we hadn’t counted it under the terms of our “50 States” project, so it was time for a do-over. We spent a day traipsing around part of the state, visiting Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Historic Site, Hooper’s Island and Crisfield.
Rural Maryland countryside enroute to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MarylandVisitor Center at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MarylandLodgepole Pine at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MarylandLodgepole Pine at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MarylandBlackwater River seen from the Marsh Edge Trail at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MarylandRemnants of stakes and fencing used to restore marsh areas at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, MarylandUnoccupied Eagle nest along Wildlife Drive at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, Maryland
Hooper’s Island had been mentioned to us by a guide at the Blackwater visitor center, and that made for an interesting and unexpected detour. A place – not exactly a town, although they have a Zip code – called Hoopersville sits literally at the end of the world, accessible by a narrow strip of land and an interesting bridge over the Honga River. There wasn’t much going on out there besides some fishing, and it was a very scenic and quiet place
Boats on Back Creek as viewed from Hoopers Island Road in Hoopers Island, MarylandMarshland at the end of Hoopersville Road on Hoopers Island, MarylandBridge over the Honga River on Hoopers Island Road, Maryland
Crisfield we had heard about previously. Self-proclaimed Crab Capital of the World, it is a nice quiet town on the edge of the Chesapeake Bay. We had dinner there before calling it a day and heading back for some rest. Because the following day we were to conquer Delaware and head for the Jersey Shore!
Wind turbine in Crisfield, Maryland. When the turbine was erected in 2016 it was stated that at 302 feet tall it was not only the tallest structure in Crisfield, but the tallest wind turbine on the Eastern ShoreSunset over Daugherty Creek in Crisfield, MarylandSunset over Daugherty Creek in Crisfield, Maryland
Amusement rides on the boardwalk in Carolina Beach, North Carolina
When I made these photos I wasn’t thinking about hurricanes, but they do have a bit of a cyclonic look to them. I have all of my friends along the coast on my mind as I post this, and hope they all remain out of harm’s way.
These are a little cliche-y but I think serve the purpose quite well.
Amusement rides on the boardwalk in Carolina Beach, North CarolinaAmusement rides on the boardwalk in Carolina Beach, North CarolinaAmusement rides on the boardwalk in Carolina Beach, North CarolinaAmusement rides on the boardwalk in Carolina Beach, North CarolinaAmusement rides on the boardwalk in Carolina Beach, North Carolina
Sky and clouds reflected in cars on the Cape May ferry
Reflections of the sky and clouds in cars that I found while on the Cape May Ferry from Cape May, NJ to Lewes, DE. I was standing on the deck above the cars.
Sky and clouds reflected in cars on the Cape May ferrySky and clouds reflected in cars on the Cape May ferrySky and clouds reflected in cars on the Cape May ferry
Curvy shadows along main street in downtown Waynesville, North Carolina
Kathy & I are spending some time in Waynesville, NC trying to beat the heat in Charlotte. We’ve driven some curvy mountain roads during our sightseeing. This is a scene I have passed by many evenings without a camera, and decided to take one along last night just to capture a few shots.
Kathy & I have set a goal to visit all 50 of the US states by the end of 2020. Well, all except one. If everything goes according to plan we’ll cap the project off with a trip to Hawaii in 2021 to capture that elusive #50. We have a long way to go, but do have a plan to get there.
The Queen and her Throne. Key West, Florida
The first challenge was to define a “visit.” Do we need to sleep there, have a meal there, drink a beer there, or what? For us it is easy…we need to take photographs! There are a number of states that we have actually been to through the years, but we have not counted them as visited yet because we don’t have photographs. I know I’ve been to Arizona, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois & Indiana and others but I don’t have photos from those states, at least none I’m willing to use for this project. We’ve been to airports in Dallas and Newark, but those don’t count as Texas or New Jersey!
County Road 90 North of Fort Collins, Colorado
Every state has it’s “Best Of” locations, but we aren’t necessarily looking to do that. We’d eventually like to visit the famous places like the Grand Canyon or Yosemite or Mount Rushmore, but those are places that justify longer stays than just a “drive-by” long enough to take a picture or three. For now we’ll be happy to get photos from more off-the-beaten-path kinds of places. It’s our project so we get to decide. I love being able to make the rules!
Foggy scene in Hensley Settlement, Cumberland Gap National Historic Area, Kentucky
I’ve recently added a new section to my website titled – amazingly enough – “50 States” with a separate gallery for each state that we have visited so far. This gallery is a collection of representative photographs from each of the states that we are counting as “visited” according to our definition of having a collection of photographs. These are not intended to be the “top” anything or most famous locations from these states, simply photographs that show that we were there.
Booker Noe Statue, Jim Beam Distillery, Clermont, KY
We’re planning a trip up the DelMarVa peninsula in August to catch Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Then later this fall we’re hoping to make a road trip out west to catch a dozen or so states in the middle part of the country. I’ll update the photo gallery and the accompanying map as we go, and of course I’ll post about it here on the blog.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC
If anyone has suggestions about “must see” locations, feel free to pass them along in the comments or via email!
Kidd’s Mill Covered Bridge, Reynolds, PA. Built in 1868, spanning the Shenango River. The only remaining bridge in Pennsylvania with an all-wooden truss design patented by Robert Smith of Tippecanoe City, Ohio. The last historic covered bridge in Mercer County, extending 120 feet in length and restored in 1990.
