Traveling America to see every state has always been at the tip-top portion of our lifetime bucket list. I mean the very tip-top.
As in the one thing we have always wanted to do together more than anything else.
Well – it is hard to believe, but its all about to become a reality next year!
There are so many beautiful sites to see all over the country!
And, by the way, we would love for you to help tell us what we need to see in your neck of the woods! ( More on that at the end of the article)
Traveling America. A Simple Living Tour To See It All!
With the release last week of our early retirement / reliving story, we promised a couple of big announcements in the coming weeks. (See : Reliving not Retiring)
And we are leading today with the biggest of them all. A 365 day trip in a teardrop camper to see all 50 states in a single year.
Life is short. Nothing is ever promised or guaranteed. You need to do, live and enjoy every moment while you can. And that is exactly why we want to do this trip now.
We will be traveling America state by state in a NuCamp Tab 400 Teardrop camper.
To sum it up – life is about experiences, not possessions. And we both want to create the memory of an amazing experience that will stay with us forever.
Why The Trip? – Why Not!
Above all else – this will be a trip about enjoying the sights, sounds and people of backyard America.
The plan is to spend around 1 week in every state. A bit less in some of the smaller states. A bit more in the larger ones. TO document it all, we will create a website dedicated to the trip with updates, stories and short videos along the way. More to come on that in the coming weeks.
And, while we are seeing amazing sights and meeting amazing people, it is our hope to accomplish a few additional goals.
The Goals:
(1) Visit as many of our followers as we can, and experience their gardens, communities, sights and sounds.
(2) Visit, tour and speak with as many private, public and community gardens as we can.
(3) Begin work on our next two books.
The order of the states we will visit. Where we start depends on the actual week we leave.
The first book is all about the trip itself. Following a dream to see all 50 states in a single year.
It will share the places, people and stories of the places we go.
The second book, and one we are equally excited about, is a book on backyard gardens and gardeners. It will chronicle the incredible people and gardens that exist all over back yard America.
Traveling America – The Trip Details
Upon retiring at the end of the year, our plan is to spend the coming spring, summer and early fall enjoying the farm.
We want to spend a little time next year enjoying the farm before taking off on the journey.
After being away for a year, we are anxious to garden, plant, build and have a little fun at the farm. That of course includes hosting some great Farm to Table dinners as well!
And then, in early fall, as the garden comes to a close for us – set out on our traveling America adventure.
The Route
We have planned the route carefully to hopefully put us in the best possible chance for favorable weather in each state. We also realize nothing is “perfect” – and we will simply roll with whatever comes our way.
With the dates for each state now set, once we finalize the official starting day, we will simply will drive to the state for that date – and begin the year long journey.
There are so many incredible gardens to see all over the country.
We will tour all 48 contiguous states in our NuCamp Tab 400 Trailer. (See : NuCamp)
For the final two weeks of the trip, we will fly to Alaska for 1 week, and then on to Hawaii for the last week to complete the trip.
Tell Us What To See!
We might know where we are going to be, but over the next 8 or 9 months, we need to fill in what we are going to see and do.
And we would love your help and suggestions for your community and state!
The west coast – can’t wait to drive along the shores and see the sites!
Yes, we certainly want to visit classic sites and attractions. The great redwood forests, Old Faithful, the Alamo and oh so many more.
But more than that, we want to see the hidden gems of backyard America.
Small quaint towns, a neat little farm, perhaps a classic hometown diner or hole-in-the wall restaurant that all the locals love. In addition, we want to see so many of the beautiful private and public gardens that dot the landscape of this incredible country.
So let us know where to go!
We are looking for help from you.
Email us today with your suggestions, comments, or ideas to thefarm@owgarden.com. We would love to have a couple of volunteer Ambassadors from each state that can help tell us where to go and what to see.
The Trip of a Lifetime!
And if you have a garden group and want us to speak – let us know that too. If we can make it work, we will. We love meeting fellow gardeners to talk gardening!
We hope to fill the schedule and see as many places and meet as many wonderful people as we can. After all, it is a trip of a lifetime, and we would love to share it with as many people as possible!
Here is to Reliving and Traveling America! Jim and Mary.