A Quest to see America

My quest to see America started with a friend, his car and a route with a few detours.

When we left the story we were in Utah. From there we went to Colorado to see some friends and do yoga in a brewery. Yes, you heard that right yoga in a brewery. If you are in Boulder you must go. It’s a great flow and you get a beer after. Plus there were discounted tacos! What more can you ask for in a class?

We enjoyed hiking around Mount Sanitas and wandering downtown Boulder. We also enjoyed meeting up with a few of our WDS (see below if you don’t know what this is) friends. It’s really nice to see friends in their hometowns. It’s a treat to see how they live and to share in their special places.

After staying in Boulder for a couple days we had to move on. We ventured through Nebraska and into Iowa since those were two states that I had yet to cross of my list. In Nebraska we found another arrow. It wasn’t too far from the road but it did require a hike up a small rocky hillside which someone told me was just another grassy field. Sheesh! 🙂 By the time we crossed the entirety of Nebraska we found ourselves in a really bad rainstorm. It was so windy we could barely take a picture outside the car much less find our way to a pitstop.

From Iowa we went directly south into Missouri, unfortunately we still had the same torrential rains. It was quite a storm! By the time we reached Kansas City the rains were letting up a bit. From Kansas City on the weather was sunny and warm. We explored the waterfalls in the Ozarks. We could tell there hadn’t been much rain in the area because the waterfalls were a bit low on water even though we just experienced so much rain in one day.

The area in the Ozarks is amazing and what’s even better is staying at Stonewater Cove Resort and Spa. This place is really special. It’s a five star oasis on Table Lake with 500 acres of wilderness and very few houses in view. I felt so spoiled with all the amenities and customer service. If you could call it customer service, I felt more like I was treated as family. It’s a family owned resort and that makes a huge difference. They really welcome us into their home, they are proud of their resort and their home. It’s one of the most welcoming resorts I’ve ever been to. I felt really special staying here.

I also loved the food at Stonewater Cove. The food and drinks were incredible all the way down to the s’mores after dinner. And nothing compares to those lake views. Not just that but they’ve taken those water sounds and made them a part of the whole resort with waterfalls/features around every corner. It’s truly an oasis in the Ozarks. One that I highly recommend checking out for your next family or couples getaway. I really didn’t want to leave but we had more states to discover and my quest to see America was not yet finished.

The Ozarks were so incredible with all their water features but it didn’t stop there. I’m constantly chasing waterfalls so we searched for some in Arkansas when we crossed the border and toured down scenic route 7. We found some waterfalls and failed to find others but the journey was still fun. It always leaves me with some fun stories even if we didn’t find the gem at the end of the road.

I really wanted to see many more waterfalls in Arkansas but alas we had to move on to see Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. We enjoyed some great southern food and hospitality. The scenery was much different than I expected on our drive through the states. It surprised me that in Nebraska I didn’t see much corn but I saw a ton in Louisiana. I didn’t expect the south to be as green as it was either. The mountains were just covered with trees and bushes. The weather got quite hot and humid and it was only May. I feel like I would have been melting had it been the height of summer. Good thing there’s shade and water resorts to play in.

We traversed over into Georgia and stayed with yet another WDS friend in Atlanta. We really enjoyed some great food, laughs and good old fashioned porch games. From Atlanta we made our way to view the other ocean. In Myrtle Beach I had my first view of the Atlantic Ocean and my was it a good view and a good time to reflect on the journey to get there.

Up the east coast is where we went from there. Into Outer Banks and out into Delaware through a really cool underwater bridge in Virginia. If you’ve never been on it the bridge is something worth checking out.

From Delaware we made our way onto my friends final stop outside Philadelphia where I started to finalize the plans for the rest of my trip north. I still had four new states to hit before I could go home. I was determined to make it to my goal before I left the east coast…

Leave no state behind.

Through a series of trains and buses I made my way through New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. Once I started looking at the states I had remaining (New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine) I knew I wanted to leave Portland, Maine to be the last new city I visited on the road trip. I also thought it was really cool that I could visit another WDS friend in Vermont. That’s a great state that I intend to return to, especially in the fall for leaf peeping. Burlington was a very tranquil place to visit that also reminded me a little of home.

I felt a kinship with Portland Maine, not just because of the name but also the nice people and the proximity to water. It was a nice day I spent meandering the streets and waterfront with no plans. I was just aimlessly roaming and discovering all that I could find.

I thought it was really fitting to end my first road trip across the country in the city I flew into on my first flight across the U.S. when I was 7. It felt like the perfect end to my tour across America. It was the place where my love of travel and culture began. It was the place where I tried things and saw things so unlike home that I began to see how different the rest of the world could be if we had this difference in our own country.

What else did the world have to offer? 

I’d love to thank my hosts Stephan, Karrie, Skip, Kelly, Seth, Liz and Stu. Without you this trip to see America would not have been in the budget or as much fun as it was. Thanks to Jenna for an amazing yoga class. And another HUGE thanks to Stu for letting me tag along and detour us to many waterfalls and out of the way roads. I will never forget my first cross country adventure and I’m not sure I’d ever want to! It was everything and more!

My quest to see America continues

If you’ve never done a cross country trip I highly recommend it. If you’ve never fulfilled a quest I can recommend starting one of those too. I’m not done with my quest as I have one state left to go but I feel pretty content in having gotten this far. I know the last frontier is just around the corner…in time and geography. I hope you’ll continue to read my blog and stay tuned for the Alaskan adventures that are bound to happen this year.

Dreams are realized

Without quitting my job to work for myself this also would not be possible. I really owe a lot to WDS or the World Domination Summit for the inspiration to live the life I dreamed of and for giving me all these awesome friends. If you’ve never heard of this conference you should check it out or find one that resonates with you. Finding your tribe can be one of the best things you’ve ever done. For me it’s opened up a life of possibilities. I never know what I’ll do next but I know it’s going to be awesome.