Idaho

Year of First Visit – 2007
Point of Entry – I-90 near Coeur d’Alene

If you’ve ever been set up on a blind date and found yourself thinking about marriage within the first few moments of meeting her then you know my feelings about Idaho.

I had two thoughts in mind before going there: 1.) endless barren land covering potatoes, and 2.) towns dominated by Neo-Nazi encampments. I knew the speed limit was 75 and planned to fully leverage it on my way to Montana and Wyoming.

Then on that sunny July afternoon I crossed the border by Coeur d’Alene and found myself enamored by the shocking beauty. I had to slow my speed to gaze at the wonders. I started updating my resume and looking for a realtor, at least in my mind.

Later on the same trip, after two weeks of roughing it at various national parks, we arrived in Idaho Falls. It was as if they knew us when we arrived, for the motel’s pool was set to the perfect temperature and one of my family’s favorite restaurants was right next door. The sensual delights of swimming and delicious dining, combined with the wonders of a private shower and good mattresses, made me love Idaho even more.

Alas, the relationship didn’t work out. Though the summer was great, I knew winter would come again. And my tolerance for things like cold, snow, and ice was more than this relationship could handle.

So farewell my summer love. I long for another July when I can sneak away with you for a while.

A Real Christmas

Do yourself a favor and listen to my favorite Christmas story by following this link. It'll be the best 10 minutes you spend this Christmas.

Georgia

Year of First Visit – 1998
Point of Entry – I-59 near Trenton

Most of the time, Georgia has been a “Through State” for me.

My first time there I cut through the tiniest corner of the state on I-59. Later, I made several trips through on my way to and from Florida on I-95. I’ve crossed the state on I-85 as well.

Like millions of others each year, I’ve traveled through Hartsfield-Jackson as well. Though normally just a bland time to change planes, I recall one time with my friend Suzy.

We were walking through the terminal together when she discretely pointed at a woman walking in front of us. She turned to me and said, “We need to pray for her right now.”

Suzy’s prayer asked God to change the course of this stranger’s life to have it better align with His will. The instant she whispered “Amen,” I kid you not, one of the wheels fell off the prayer recipient’s bag and her course was changed, both literally and immediately.

(I won’t dissect that theologically today. That’s a whole other entry on a whole other blog.)

I did stop once at the Okefenokee Swamp taking a boat ride through it. I also participated in a fellowship service with friends in the Rome/Cartersville area when we were going through.

Someday perhaps Georgia will be my destination. Until then, I’ll continue to enjoy the hospitality of the state as I continue to go through it.

Florida

Year of First Visit – 1989
Point of Entry – Orlando International Airport

Even before visiting any of the Disney parks, she cam up from under water in the 80s pool at the Pop Century resort and peacefully declared, “Florida is a great place.”



That’s what I thought, too, the first time I landed there. It was between my freshman and sophomore year of college and it was the first vacation I’d ever taken that didn’t involve visiting family at least someplace along the way.

When the Northwest Orient jet touched down at Orlando I was amazed. It was the first time I’d seen palm trees other than in shopping malls. Everything was completely exotic. Even the setup of trams at the airport seemed like a warm-up to the rides at Disney.

That trip to Disney World with my parents was one of the best weeks of my life. The adventure of Disney was beyond what I could have imagined. A favorite thing was Illuminations at Epcot Center.

More wonderful memories came later with my kids. We took my family on vacation in the Daytona area several times in the early 2000s. We stayed with our friends at their home in Ormond Beach. With it’s screened in pool area and spacious accommodations it was like having a private resort.



From there we went out to see many places. This included a couple of trips to the Kennedy Space Center, Silver Springs, and Marineland.

Naturally, we hit the beaches of Daytona several times. On one trip there I was wading up to my knees when a wave hit and wiped my prescription sunglasses clean off my face. We never found them.

I also had one of the 10 best days of my life on one of those trips when my five-year-old son and I spent the day together at the Magic Kingdom. My wife was pregnant at the time so she stayed in Ormond Beach to sew maternity clothes. I didn’t have any particular agenda there and thought we’d just go until he got tired then go back to Daytona.

He did a great job and we were still in the park when the electric light parade came by. Once it was over he was ready to go but there was no way we could get out from our perch by Cinderella’s Palace until the after the fireworks. With his finger raised, he declared, “I’ll watch ONE firework then I’m going home!” Of course, he stood mesmerized until the fireworks finale faded.

We were riding a ways in the dark in the van on the way home when I noticed he was still awake. I said, “You can go to sleep.” He said, “OK,” turned his head, and immediately fell into exhaustion.



Not all of my memories of Florida are from the central part of the state. We drove one Christmas from Baltimore to Miami. That’s when I discovered that the Everglades are among my favorite places in the world. We also visited Biscayne National Park and Key West on that trip.

Another Christmas, we spent the week at Sea World in Orlando. Most people can cover that park in a day but we spent nearly 4 days there thoroughly absorbing the place. We even splurged and did the Hawaiian Luau dinner one night. On the penultimate day there, my daughter said to my wife, “Have you ever been someplace that you never wanted to leave?” She cried when we had to leave the last day, something that didn’t even happen at Disney World.



And, yes, we did have an amazing week in Florida at Disney World. Though record breaking heat, we thoroughly loved every minute of it. We found ourselves in line at the bus each morning with the same family from Texas. We were taking time off from our national parks trips to go to Disney. They were annual Disney vacationers who were looking to do a national parks tour the next year so we swapped notes and plans.

So much in Florida ---- and I haven’t even talked about our time in Pensacola or all the places that are still on my list to go. I hope to update this portion of my states journal many, many more times.

District of Columbia

Year of First Visit – 1998
Point of Entry – I-66 Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Bridge

I first saw DC from a Continental flight as it banked on approach to BWI in January of 1998. I looked out the window and was looking directly down on the Washington Monument shining bright in the night. Planes don’t fly that way any more.



The first time I actually set foot in DC was the Sunday of Memorial Day that year. We’d been driving since Houston and were on our way to our new home in Baltimore. We decided to drive through to see the sites.

We crossed the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge arriving near the Lincoln Memorial. Unfortunately, this was in the middle of the annual Rolling Thunder. The motorcycles were so thick on the road and parked along the mall that I quite literally couldn’t even tell for sure where the road was. Fortunately, our purple Plymouth Voyager was high enough to see over all the bikes. My wife navigated and we hit the road again.



Living so close to Washington, we’ve made many trips there over the years. We’ve taken my parents, my in-laws, my sister and her family, visiting church leaders, interns, friends, and many others. We've now got a pretty good attack plan for taking people on tour of the city.

We’ve taken the kids there several times, too. It’s a good day trip/escape for us.



Though we’ve been there many times we’ve only begun to see the many sites in DC. Plus, with new things opening all the time, like the new MLK memorial, there are always more reasons to hop the Metro and go down into our nation’s capital and bring more memories back home.

Delaware

Year of First Visit – 1998
Point of Entry – I-95 near Newark

I was surprised to find myself Delaware that day. I was on a “Press the Flesh” tour in Maryland for my new job. We learned upon arrival at BWI that the boss’s boss’s boss would be in Philadelphia the next day and that an appearance was required.

I hopped in the passenger seat in the morning not really thinking about the route to Phili other than that it was up I-95. An hour later I was able to mark The First State as my 23rd state.



Thought I get frustrated every time Delaware charges me an entrance or exit fee (East Coast drivers know exactly what I mean!) I have to say that when I’ve actually stopped the car in the state it’s been worth the price.

The Hagley Museum is a favorite place. It’s a great place to learn industrial history and enjoy some stunning outdoor settings at the same time.



We also have made several trips to the Rehoboth outlets for shopping right after Christmas. Clearance racks with no sales tax make a Happy New Year.

It’s small. It’s close to where I live. It’s a place I know I’ll be again. I just need to remember to stop the car someplace in Delaware other than at the toll booth.

10 Thoughts from Movember 2011

I first learned about Movember at the end of November 2010. I decided right then that I would join the cause by growing a mustache for the sake of men's health issues in 2011. Here are my top thoughts on the experience.


1. I need to wear glasses when shaving. I've done it half blind for years but am now aware that glasses make a real difference in the morning.

2. On the rare occasion when the fledgling mustache looked good it was a great conversation starter about Movember.

3. When the mustache looked bad people worked at averting their eyes and masking their horror. This killed all conversations about anything, much less Movember.

4. Doing something, even if it doesn't seem like much, really helps the mourning process. I lost a friend to prostate cancer not too long ago. Growing the Mo really helped.

5. Though much of the hair on my head is gray, there are only a few grays in my mustache. I might still have a few good years left.

6. Not too many people that I know were aware of Movember. I felt like an agent for a secret cause.

7. Never in my life have I heard the term "you look like . . ." so often. The accuracy what followed was suspect at best and ranged from "Higgins from the show Magnum PI" to "Luigi" of Mario Brothers fame. Perhaps others need to wear glasses more often, too.

8. My daughter was my biggest critic. She's come to accept the fuzz under my nose but is looking forward to December 1 when the mustache goes away and her regular dad comes back.

9. The mustache wasn't as itchy as the last time I grew one (which was way back in grad school). Some things do get better with age.

10. Though I wasn't around any other guys that were participating, I actually felt a part of a global community. Articles in the Baltimore Sun about teachers in a local school, posts on Facebook from friends around the globe, and updates from Movember in different countries brought an unexpected sense of connectedness.

Thanks Movember. I'm glad I did this and hope the Mo Bros across the globe are glad, too. Now let's knock out these men's cancers so we can grow our Mos in celebration.

Colorado

Year of First Visit – 2007
Point of Entry – Denver International Airport

For quite some time I had been in every state that bordered Colorado but had not managed to cross this state's border. Conveniently, Southwest started flying into Denver not long before my family planned a trip that included Rocky Mountain National Park.



We flew into DIA in the morning and were on the trails in the park that afternoon. At the Bear Lake Trail parking lot, the elevation sign indicated that we were over 10K feet. The last time I’d been at that elevation was earlier that day when the flight attendant came on to say that we could now use our portable electronic devices.

Thought I’ve traversed many mountain trails, Colorado’s trails are the highest that I've climbed. It may be the closest to the top of the world that I’ll ever get.



My ankle twisted as I was coming down one of those trails. For the first time in my life I actually fell correctly instead of trying to break my fall. The reason was that my camera was in my pocket and as I started to go down I tried to protect it and the photos it contained. In doing so I didn’t even get a scrape, though the height and severity of the fall should have required the EMS team come to carry me the rest of the way down the trail and to and Estes Park emergency room to have a bone set.



After traveling through several other states on that trip we ended up returning to Colorado before coming home. After another quick hike in RMNP we headed to Boulder to tour the Celestial Seasonings factory. Three words: The Mint Room.

Once I got some Colorado in me it became a bit like a magnet. All of a sudden my flights to the West Coast or the desert seemed to need to stop at DIA either to or from my destination.



And inside me I feel the pull to the mountains --- to get closer to the sky with my feet still on the ground.

Calfornia

Year of First Visit – 2006
Point of Entry – Sacramento International Airport



I always experience extremes in California. The stunning sheer cliffs and spectacular waterfalls of Yosemite, the giant trees of Sequoia, the towering heights of Muir Woods and the Redwoods parks, the dry depths of Death Valley ---- one more extreme place after another. From Big Sur through the Mojave, California is the place where I find my most extreme memories.



After being there a while, I lose all sense of proportion. Giant trees seem normal. Being below sea level seems obvious.



It’s no wonder, then, that the man-made things of California are equally audacious. Hearst Castle, LA’s freeways, the Golden Gate Bridge, the fresh water canals, the miles upon miles of farms with every possible food imaginable, and, for that matter, the mega-blockbuster movie, body sculpting, the self-proclaimed “Happiest Place on Earth,” and shocking levels of pollution. After a while, those audacious extremes seem normal, too.



It doesn’t take much time there to see that California is a land of big dreams and big plans. I always come home from there believing that anything is possible. There, the nature and the people seem to try to prove it every day.



Once in a while, a hearty dose of California does my soul a world of good. I can’t wait to see what shockingly disproportional thing I’ll experience there next time I go. I wonder, how will I ever fit memories this big in my suitcase to bring them home?

Arkansas

Year of First Visit – 2006
Point of Entry – US-63 near Hardy

As I pulled into Arkansas, “Tradio” was on my FM dial. As people called in to broadcast audio classified ads, they reminded me of listening to the daily “Trade Mart” on my family's radio when I was growing up. It felt like a throwback to my childhood and Arkansas made me feel welcomed and at home.

My only trip to Arkansas so far was to visit an ill friend. I’d been meaning to visit her when she was well for nearly a decade. Her sickness caused me to rent a car and make the trip. We weren’t sure how much time she had left.



Time stands still for no one. This merging of the radio “throwback” experience at the state line with the urgent need to prioritize my travels while there was still time wrapped the trip in a call to check my values and priorities.

Arkansas, thank you for calling me back home.

P.S. My friend survived and, though not completely healed, is doing well. It would be good to go back to Arkansas to visit, her and the state, again.

Arizona

Year of First Visit – 1995
Point of Entry – I-10 near Wilcox

When I got back from my first road trip out west, I found myself listing things that I saw for the first time like an elementary school student. “I saw a canyon and a mesa and a desert and a dry river bed and a cattle ranch and a cactus and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . . and . . ..”



And I saw almost all of them for the first time somewhere in the state of Arizona.

Not too far into the state I saw boulders the size of houses right along I-10. From that point the amazement with the state only grew. My white knuckled ride on US-93 from Phoenix to Kingman brought baptism by fire to my mountain driving experience. The pink desolation as we continued along 93 past Kingman was an isolation I’d never experienced before. And who can forget the oddness that is Colorado City?



My favorite road in this country is Arizona’s short portion of I-15. Passing through the Virgin River Gorge strikes awe in me each and every time I go that way.

Not all my Arizona memories are at 75 miles per hour, though. Experiencing stillness on the rim of the Grand Canyon, the magic of Antelope Canyon, the refreshment that only comes from swimming under the desert sky, and the deafening silence that comes from being alone amid sand dunes counterbalance the high-speed sites and provides balance in experiencing Arizona.



There’s much of Arizona I haven’t experienced that I very much want to. Of course, just like my unintentionally ordering the same dish at Marble Canyon Lodge at meals 11 years apart (Navajo Taco Salad), I’m eager to re-experience the Arizona I remember, too.

Alabama

Year of First Visit – 1998
Point of Entry – I-59 near Livingston

My first time in Alabama was a trip through the middle of Alabama. Most of my memories there, though, are from trips to the Orange Beach area.

We had a couple of different training retreats for work in that area. The church rented a neighboring beach houses in the off season so we flew into Pensacola and drove over.

That’s where I got to drive Linda Costello’s Porsche. More importantly, I was able to establish and build relationships with people who became important connections for me.



We also visited this area when visiting friends (Peavys, Carnahans) in the Pensacola area. On all our Gulf Coast trips we went up to Foley to have rolls “throwed” at us for dinner.

The church doesn’t rent the beach houses any more. (I don’t know if they survived the hurricanes that hit them directly.) The friends who lived there have moved on in life.

With all the reasons I went to Alabama having moved on, Alabama may only be visited by me in memories from this point forward.

Redirecting

So, clearly my initial blogging plans have changed direction and this particular blog has gone cold for a while.

As many of you know, I've been off of work for while I get healed up from an illness. To keep my writing skills from total atrophy, I started a little project on the side. It's simply a memoir of the different states I've been in. I've gotten quite a few done though clearly not all of them.

For your entertainment pleasure, I'm going to start posting the ones I have done here on Fridays for a while. I'll be posting basically alphabetically. I've been in 45 states so far so if you see a state skipped that means either I haven't been there yet or I haven't figured out what to say.

At any rate, enjoy the memories with me.

Thanks for reading.

SPECTACULAR

We're trying to send some kids from inner-city Baltimore for a week in Iowa on the campus of Graceland University. The program is called SPECTACULAR and lives up to its name.

We've already secured scholarships for the fees and now need to buy plane tickets and ground transportation. Several kids who have attended in the past have come home with academic and athletic scholarships which allowed them to be the first in their families to attend college.

Please consider helping make this happen for more kids from our church this year.

Day 39 (February 20, 2011)

I just have to say that I don't think it's rocket science to distinguish between cutting employee pay & benefits and cutting people's rights to organize. One is tough to deal with. The other is worth camping out at the capitol and standing up for your rights. Though I've never been employed as a union member, my hat is off to the protesters in Wisconsin (and the legislators who have gone to Illinois) who are helping protect the rights of Americans to organize.