Our 82-day journey to see family, friends, and America the Beautiful!
There’s something timeless about the idea of a road trip—the open road stretching ahead and the freedom to follow curiosity wherever it leads. As we set out on this 82-day journey through the eastern and midwestern United States, we do so not with urgency (except for grandson Liam’s wedding!), but with appreciation. At this stage of life, travel feels less about checking boxes and more about savoring moments—lingering a little longer, noticing a little more, and being fully present for the experiences that unfold along the way.
This trip will weave together many threads: time with friends and family; family celebrations, including our grandson’s wedding and my sister’s 70th birthday; and the quiet beauty of exploring the landscapes preserved by the National Park Service. From historic towns to wide-open natural spaces, from familiar faces to unexpected encounters, we expect each day to bring its own small story. We’ll end our journey by boarding an auto train from Virginia back to Florida—a fitting pause after almost three months on the road, giving us time to reflect (hopefully, instead of sleep!) on where we’ve been before returning home.
There is a special kind of excitement in taking a long road trip later in life. We have a sense of perspective—an understanding that time is precious, that experiences matter, and that the journey itself is as meaningful as any destination. This blog will be our way of capturing those days as they come: the places we visit, the people we meet, and the simple pleasures of traveling together, one mile at a time.
So here we go…..LEG 1!!
Heading here
Heading Out….
5-15-26 This trip already feels like an adventure before we’ve even turned the key! To fit in everything we hope to see, early starts are …
Fort Sumter
5-15-26 Six and a half hours after driving from home, we arrived in Charleston, South Carolina, one of America’s oldest and most beautifully preserved cities …
Charles Pinkney
5-16-26 Charles Pinckney National Historic Site preserves and interprets the remnants of Snee Farm, the coastal plantation of Founding Father Charles Pinckney (1757–1824). It tells …
Appomattox Courthouse
5-17-26 Appomattox Court House National Historic Park was a meaningful site because it marked the ‘beginning of the end’ of the Civil War. Despite the …
Harper’s Ferry
Our wonderful drive along the backroads landed us next in Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia… one of those places where canals, railroads, Civil War history, rivers, bridges, and …
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (“the AT”) is one of the world’s great long-distance footpaths — a continuous hiking trail running about 2,190 miles from Georgia (Springer …
Saint-Gaudens
This visit to Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park in Cornish, New Hampshire, feels very different from our visits to the Civil War and Revolutionary War battlefields …
Cape Elizabeth, Maine
5-20 and 21, 2026 Cape Elizabeth: Where We Slowed Down! After almost a week of highways and destinations, arriving in Cape Elizabeth felt like exhaling …
Portland, Maine
Portland quickly struck us as one of those effortlessly charming cities. Although our main reason for being there was Liam and Madeline’s wedding (which happily …
1 Leg Down; 5 to Go!!
Surprising!! Sometimes the best parts of an itinerary are those that are unplanned! What began as a drive became an experience… the quiet beauty of …
Coastal Northeast Maine
5/25/2026 We wanted to spend as much time as possible along Maine’s unique coastline on this trip…because, honestly, we may never get another chance to …
St. Croix Island
5/25/2026 This was our first (and hopefully only!) true bad-weather day on this trip, so all things considered, we’ve been pretty lucky. The one silver …
Sherbrooke, Quebec
5/26/2026 We landed in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, for the rather unromantic reason that it sat almost exactly six hours from our last stop — our …
Thousand Islands
5/28/26 Alexandria Bay is perched along the waters of the Alexandria Bay section of the St. Lawrence River in New York. It sits in the heart of …
Charlevoix, Michigan
5/29/2026 Our stop here was to visit our friends and former neighbors, Bob and Gretchen Tambellini. We had the double pleasure of seeing them again …
Mackinac Island
Bikes, Fudge, and a Step Back in Time! Mackinac Island is one of the most charming and unique places in the Midwest. Located in Lake …
Sault Ste. Marie
6/1/26 Our visit began at the Soo Locks, the engineering marvel that allows ships to move between Lake Superior and the lower Great Lakes (despite …
Tahquamenon Falls
6/1/26 One of the highlights of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is a visit to Tahquamenon Falls, and the Upper Falls certainly lived up to its reputation …
Pictured Rocks
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore is considered one of the most spectacular natural areas in the Midwest—42 miles of colorful sandstone cliffs rising dramatically above Lake …
North Country Scenic Trail
June, 2026 The North Country National Scenic Trail is America’s longest National Scenic Trail. Stretching about 4,800 miles across eight states. It begins in North …
Keweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula is composed of some of the oldest exposed rock in the world, dating back about 1.1 billion years, and is mineral-rich. The …
Keweenaw N.H. Park
The Keweenaw Peninsula’s mining past is evident throughout the peninsula and has been preserved by the Keweenaw National Historic Park. The Park is one of …
WI Family & Friends
From Northern Michigan, we were off to an important event…my sister Marcia’s 70th Birthday Celebration in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was a surprise party… and …
2 Legs Down; 4 to Go!!
Final Remembrances….between Maine and Wisconsin As a follow-up to the Civil War Sites we visited in Leg 1 of this trip, we listened to and …
Wisconsin’s Backroads
6/9/2026 Menominee Indian Reservation After visiting my brother Jeff and his wife, Beth, in Shawano, Wisconsin, we enjoyed a beautiful drive through the Menominee Indian …
Voyageurs NP
6/10-11/2026 Finding Our Bearings in the North Woods! There was a distinct moment when we realized we had left the everyday world behind and entered …
Isle Royale NP
I don’t know how true it is, but there is an expression about Isle Royale National Park: “Least visited, but most revisited.” After spending three …
Grand Portage
6/12/2026 This visit to Grand Portage National Monument was one of those experiences that remind me why we love exploring the hidden corners of our …
Minnesota’s North Shore
June 16-19. 2026 The North Shore of Minnesota is a spectacular stretch of the Great Lakes — a rugged, rocky shoreline along Lake Superior that …
Apostle Islands
6/20/2026 Apostle Islands National Lakeshore protects one of the most beautiful stretches of Lake Superior: 21 forested islands and 12 miles of mainland shoreline near …
Leg 3 down, 3 to Go!!
Our Leg 3 adventure, northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, had a little bit of everything: national parks, beautiful scenery, boat rides, card games, old friends, new …
Leg 4! Friends & Fun
After a wonderful time with friends on Leg 3, we’re heading into Leg 4 of our six-part summer road trip—and once again, friends and family …
St. Croix NS Riverway
The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway is a 252-mile recreational corridor offering a “wild and scenic” experience along the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. We …
Interstate State Park
6/21/2026 Our visit to Interstate State Park in Wisconsin proved that potholes are not limited to highways! Some of the park’s most interesting features are …
Ice Age Trail
Our hikes, during this portion of our 2026 ’82 Day Roadtrip’, included portions of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, both at Wisconsin’s Interstate State …
WI/MN Back Roads
June, 2026 Taylors Falls As we continued our journey through Wisconsin & Minnesota (at one point crossing the border three times in one day!), we …
Madison, WI
July, 2026 Madison, WI, is where we met and used to live, and coming back this week reminded us all over again what a special …
Pullman National Monument
Pullman National Historical Park tells the story of a planned company town built on Chicago’s South Side in the 1880s by George Pullman, whose railroad …
Ann Arbor, MI
7/9/2026 Ann Arbor was never meant to be seen in three hours, but sometimes travel hands you a small window and dares you to make …
River Raisin
Some national park sites are known for mountains, canyons, geysers, or sweeping views. River Raisin National Battlefield Park, in Monroe, Michigan, did something very different …
Cleveland, OH
July, 2026 Since this was our first time visiting Cleveland, Ohio, I did a bit of research. What I learned was that Cleveland would make …
James A. Garfield Home
7/12/2026 The James A. Garfield National Historic Site, in Mentor, Ohio, preserves the home and farm of James A. Garfield, the 20th president of the …
Corning Museum of Glass
The drive from Ohio to the Corning Museum of Glass was a wonderful reminder of just what a beautiful New York is. We traveled through …
Auburn, NY
7/14/2026 Auburn struck us as a very pleasant small city—historic, attractive, and easy to explore. Its downtown has beautiful older buildings, tree-lined streets, public art, …
Harriet Tubman
We recently watched the movie Harriet, so today’s visit to the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, New York, gave us a fuller picture …
Fort Stanwix
One of the more unexpected stops through New York was Fort Stanwix National Monument. Unlike many historic forts perched on a hilltop or overlooking a …
Leg 4 down, 2 legs to go!
Leg 4 was nothing short of wonderful, with only a few bumps in the road along the way. But without question, the true highlights were …
Leg 5! Beautiful Vermont
After weeks of moving from place to place, packing and unpacking, checking into hotels, and wondering which part of the car held whatever we needed …
Chippen Point, VT
7/16-30, 2026 Our drive from Auburn, NY, to Vermont took us through the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. The road carried us through rolling …
Leg 6: Chippen and Home!!
We reluctantly left Vermont after a wonderful two weeks on Lake Champlain. We head south into New York’s Hudson Valley for two nights in Hyde …
Vanderbilt Mansion
The Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site in Hyde Park, New York, preserves the country home of Frederick and Louise Vanderbilt. Managed by the National Park …
FDR Presidential Library & Museum
8/1/2026 We went to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, expecting to spend a couple of hours there. Five hours later, we were …
E. Roosevelt’s Val-Kill
8/1/2026 Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site (Val-Kill) is an interesting contrast to Springwood, the Roosevelts’ home. Eleanor’s retreat feels refreshingly modest and deeply personal. If …
Culinary Institute of America
Eating at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) is supposed to be one of the highlights of visiting Hyde Park because it’s not just a …
Walkway Over the Hudson
Our last activity before leaving New York State was a walk across the Walkway Over the Hudson Bridge in Poughkeepsie, NY. It is a former …
Hopewell Furnace
Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site is a fascinating place to understand early American industry. We traveled to the wooded hills of southeastern Pennsylvania to find …
Amtrak’s Auto Train
After months of driving, sightseeing, unpacking, repacking, and adding more miles to the car, more than we probably wanted to think about, we decided to …
82 Days, 16 States, and So Much Gratitude
And just like that, our 82-day summer road trip has come to an end! Picture taken by the host of our B&B in Hyde Park, …