America the Beautiful

This past spring, I took the first steps in following my dream of traveling around the U.S. in a motorhome or travel trailer. I purchased a minivan, removed the rear seats and had a Murphy bed installed, and on April 8, began my “advanture.”

Over the next six weeks and over the course of three legs of travel, I visited all but two of the states east of the North-South line extending from North Dakota down to Texas. Along the way, I traveled 7,655 miles; visited 29 states, 11 of which I had never before visited; visited more than 35 individual towns and two large cities; and spent 27 days and 25 nights on the road, with my camper-van as my home 20 of those nights.

Along the way, I learned a life lesson or two and rediscovered a few more I’d nearly forgotten.

Early in my first week of travel, for example, I discovered when traveling solo, it is more fun to eat in a restaurant bar than alone at a table in the dining room. On a side note, my already-frequent practice of asking the waitstaff (or bartender) for a meal and drink suggestion served me extremely well every time the occasion arose.

A life-long planner, I’ve tried to become more spontaneous in the last decade or so. My itinerary for this trip was, by design, so loose as to be almost non-existent. That willingness to be totally open and extremely flexible allowed me to visit where Washington and his men crossed the Delaware, an absolutely adorable and fun small town situated along the Appalachian Trail, Cheers Beacon Hill in Boston, the phenomenal small town of Decorah, Iowa, and countless other places. I also drove a few hours out of my way to visit a town that was supposedly the most charming in its state, only to be sorely disappointed in every respect.

As a result, I learned to trust my instincts, to take acceptable risks, to be open to the unknown and to shrug off any disappointment when something fell even spectacularly short of my expectations.

All my life, I’ve felt very blessed to be a U.S. citizen. My parents, teachers and civic leaders instilled in me a love and respect for this country. More recently, though, I’ve felt inundated both by mainstream press and social media with stories of nothing but ugliness and divisiveness.

My travels reminded me that we live in a truly wonderful country. Not a perfect one, but one of which I can be very proud. A country filled with beauty from God, as well as beauty created by human hands, using the talents and materials provided by that same Creator.

We live in a nation full of truly good, hardworking people who go about their business in an honorable, positive way every day without ever being the focus of a news story or featured in a social media post.

We live in a country worthy of respect and celebration! Happy birthday, America!