I am an experienced traveller, mostly due to the annual vacations that my
family (my parents and my younger brother) would take while I was growing up
(any unidentified "we" on this page means "my family"). (My mother
actually documented many of the details of these trips in typewritten
logs in the fronts of the picture books of the trips, so my travel
history is fortunately pretty well preserved.) I have visited 41
U.S. states plus D.C., 2 Canadian provinces, and one Mexican state. The
list and explanations:
Not visiting Indiana in 2007 now means that there is no state where I've lived or visited each year of my life.
Michigan: This is where I was born and raised. I lived in the
southwestern part of the state the whole time I lived there, in Berrien
County. From my birth in February, 1971 to November, 1971, I lived in a
mobile home in Watervliet. My parents had lived in the mobile home while
my dad was stationed at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base (now Sawyer International Airport), a few dozen miles south of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula, from 1966 to 1969. When he
was discharged, my parents moved the mobile home to a trailer park in
Watervliet. When we moved out of the mobile home in late 1971, we moved
into a house in tiny Millburg, outside the Twin Cities area
(Benton Harbor/Saint Joseph), where we lived until 1985. In late 1983, my
dad's job went from a regional office of his company outside Benton Harbor
to the main headquarters in Buchanan, to the south, near South Bend, IN
(see Indiana); the family moved to Buchanan in January, 1985. I lived in
three different houses there in the span of just over two years. In late
1986, my dad found out that his whole company was being acquired by a
company in Euclid, Ohio; he started his newly-relocated job in February,
1987, and we were no longer Michigan residents as of April, 1987. The rest
of my dad's side of the family still lives in and around the Twin Cities
area; in fact, with my mom's side of the family living in nearby South Bend
(see Indiana), my immediate family is the only part of my non-distant
family (grandparents and younger) that doesn't live in that region
(locally known as "Michiana", a contraction of Michigan and Indiana).
While we visited the relatives "back there" (and by default my home region)
fairly regularly after moving to Ohio, unfortunately as time has gone on,
the trips have become fewer and farther in between, mostly due to finances
and work schedules; unfortunately, 1998 was the first calendar year in which I
didn't even visit my home state (although I saw it from the Indiana
Toll Road on a trip to and from suburban Chicago, since I knew where to
look). I also did not visit in 2007.
I have been to other places in Michigan on day trips, field trips (most notably the Kellogg cereal plant in Battle Creek and various Dutch-themed attractions in and around Holland), and
during high school marching band camp (Mich. State U., 1985; Central Mich.
U., 1986); my 1981 family vacation took place entirely in Michigan (our
destination was the house of the friend of my parents who moved back to
the U.P. after leaving "the Base" [K.I. Sawyer AFB, see above]; see
Wisconsin for another trip to the U.P.). I have been to Kalamazoo many
times; it was the nearest major city after South Bend, IN (South Bend was
slightly closer and somewhat larger). Surprisingly, I have only been to Detroit seven times in my life, and most of those times I was just passing through. I identify more with Chicago (see Illinois) than Detroit, even though the former was out-of-state and the latter wasn't.
See also my homepage.
Minnesota: Haven't visited (even though I grew up in Michigan)
Mississippi: Went through on I-55 between Memphis, TN, and
New Orleans, LA, on the 1989 trip to El Paso and Los Angeles
(see California). Saw Jackson.
Missouri: We went through Missouri on three of the trips out West
(see California). Saw the Gateway Arch in St. Louis in 1982 and 1989. Saw
Kansas City in 1979 and 1982.
Montana: Haven't visited
Nebraska: Went through on the way back from the Grand Canyon in
1979 (see California). Had a flat tire on I-80; bought its replacement in North Platte.
Another highlight was camping in a campground which we realized too late
abutted a railroad switching yard.
Nevada: Visited on the way to Los Angeles in 1982
(see California). Camped on the SE side of Las Vegas; went to a casino for
a couple hours the next day where my parents worked the slots and we kids
hit the video games (same results :) ).
New Hampshire: New Hampshire so far has been a "just passing
through" state. We went through it to and from Maine in 1983
(see Maine), eating at a pizza place in a mall in Portsmouth. While
we travelled the length of Vermont on our 1987 trip (see Québec), we
actually crossed the Connecticut River to camp, in a campground outside
Lebanon, NH. We stopped at a shopping center on the way out of Lebanon
and NH and back into Vermont.
New Jersey: For many years, New Jersey had been another "sort-of"
state -- we just missed it on I-84 on the way back from Boston in 1983
(see Massachusetts), and actually entered it after exiting from I-84 on the
way back from Canada/New England in 1987 (see Québec), going to the
McDonald's and a gas station at the border, then getting back on I-84.
Then, in January, 1997, I took a trip with my former roommate to visit his
old roommate from the dormitory at Kent State who had taken a job in
southern New Jersey ("South Jersey"). We stayed with him for a week; while
we were there, we toured Cape May County, and took side trips to
Atlantic City, Baltimore, and New York (City). Our route out was I-76 from
the Kent, OH, area to its terminus (passing through Philadelphia, PA), then
NJ 42/Atlantic City Expressway EB to the Garden State Parkway SB (same
route back in reverse). When we went to NYC we took the GSP to the
New Jersey Turnpike to Elizabeth, where we had an unexpected stopover
due to a snowstorm. We looked for food that night by crossing the
Outerbridge Crossing (I-278) into Staten Island, NYC, but found that
that area was all residential and industrial. We eventually found a
diner-type restaurant in Linden. The next day we got back on the NJTP
and headed up to the Lincoln Tunnel. My roommate had known about a
parking garage near the exit of the tunnel from a previous trip, and he
found it again -- the New York Convention Center garage at W. 42nd St.
and Dyer Ave. We parked and toured Manhattan on foot and by subway. On
our way out, we took West St. south to the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, then
I-278 west and south out of town to the GSP south. Our trip to Baltimore
was basically NJ 47/NJ 55 NB to US 40 WB across the Delaware Memorial
Bridge to I-95 SB and back.
New Mexico: Went through on all of the four trips out West (see
California). Saw Albuquerque on all but the first trip.
New York: My first trip to New York was just passing through
in 1983 on the way back from Toronto, ON (see Ontario), using I-90 WB.
Less than two months later, we crossed the entire state on I-90 on the way
to Boston, MA (see Massachusetts). We returned from that trip on I-84
through New York, and repeated that in 1987 (see Québec). I took a
side trip to New York City from South Jersey with my then-roommate in
early 1997 (see New Jersey). I have also visited the western part several times during local drives from NE Ohio including two trips to Niagara Falls (1992 and 1996) and a trips to play band concerts at the Chautauqua Institution in 1999 and 2002.
North Carolina: While my family went through North Carolina on
the way to Florida in my early childhood, my first significant visit there
was to Asheville during one of my dad's business trips in 1980. A side trip
to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains (and the Blue Ridge Parkway)
(see also Virginia) has made North Carolina one of my favorite states.
Later in 1980 and again in 1984 we passed through North Carolina on the
way to Florida. Between 1980 and 1988, my family made numerous trips to
Western North Carolina. In 1986, we made a trip to Eastern North Carolina,
to the Outer Banks. The route:
- US 31 SB to I-70 EB to US 250 EB to I-79 NB to US 48 (now I-68) EB to
I-70 EB to I-270 EB through Washington, D.C. to I-95 SB to US 58 EB to
the Hampton Roads area (Norfolk et al) then south to NC 12 and the Outer
Banks. Return trip: US 70 to I-40 (not yet complete then west of Raleigh)
back to the South TN-to-SW MI route (see Tennessee).
North Dakota: Haven't visited
Ohio: For many years, Ohio was simply the state between
Indiana and Pennsylvania -- we drove all the way across it on our way
to Western Pennsylvania (see Pennsylvania). In fact, nearly the whole
route in Ohio was on the Ohio Turnpike (we exited at the easternmost
complete interchange, then-Gate 16 (now Exit 232), and took OH 7 SB and
OH 14 EB into Pennsylvania.) In 1980, we went to Florida through Ohio
(see Florida); in 1982, we crossed the state diagonally on the
way back from the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, TN (see Tennessee); in
1983, we crossed the state entirely on I-90 east-to-west (see Ontario); in
1985, on the way to the Great Smoky Mountains, we went through the
Cincinnati area, stopping at (now Paramount's) King's Island amusement
park. Then, in late 1986, my dad found out that his job was transferring
to Euclid, OH, outside Cleveland. While he was working on the transition
of his job from Michigan to Ohio, the family as a whole was in the process
of trying to find a house in Northeast Ohio while periodically staying in
motels in the area. We finally found one, just east of the city of Mentor,
and moved into it in April, 1987. My parents still
live there; they bought it outright in 1995 (they had previously been
renting it). I transferred from community college to Kent State University
in January, 1991, and lived on campus during the next 4½ academic years.
After graduation in 1995, I lived with my parents. In the Fall of 1996, I
moved to Kent as a resident while attending graduate school. I have moved
back again temporarily as of October, 1998, while I get my finances in
order. During the Summers of 1994 and 1996, I worked at Cedar Point
amusement park in Sandusky, and lived in housing provided by Cedar Point. I
have visited many places in the state while I've lived here; the annual Ohio
Music Education Association conventions have helped me do this -- I've
attended ones in Columbus (1989, 1992, 1995, 1998), Dayton (1990), and Cleveland (2003). The
revised route to Lawrenceburg, TN, has also helped (see Tennessee).
See also my homepage.
Oklahoma: Went through on the way back from Los Angeles in 1982
and 1989 (see California). In 1989, while looking in Oklahoma City for
an ATM which could take a bank card we had, we ended up on a brand-new
freeway -- I-235. We went right past the Oklahoma State Capitol Building.
Oregon: Haven't visited
Pennsylvania: My parents met many friends while my dad was
stationed at K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base in the U.P. of Michigan
(see Michigan). After my dad and his friends were discharged, most of them
returned to their homes. One friend and his wife lived outside Aliquippa,
PA. My parents and they started visiting each other, and the trip my
parents made soon became one of the most regular trips my family made. The
original route of the trip was I-94 EB to US 23 SB to the Ohio Turnpike EB
to OH 7 SB to OH 14/PA 51 EB to PA 60 SB (during that time this was the
northern terminus of the PA 60 freeway) to the PA 151 exit. Later on,
the route was altered a bit when we would go south (southeast) to drop
down to the Indiana Toll Road at the beginning of the trip, especially
after we moved to Buchanan. An interesting twist is that when the
daughter of the couple would want to visit us, but neither of the
families could afford to make the whole trip, we would both travel halfway
and "make a trade" at the halfway point, which happened to be Fremont, OH.
Of course after we moved to Ohio in 1987, the trip was shortened considerably
(and the frequency of the trips slowed down). I have also seen much of
the rest of Pennsylvania (see Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey,
Ontario, Québec); I attended high school marching band camp in 1987
at Edinboro University of PA in Edinboro, near Erie; I met someone a few
years ago who grew up in the south suburbs of Pittsburgh, and she took
me visiting there once in 1994. I have also visited the northwest section many times during local drives from NE Ohio.
Rhode Island: Passed through it (in about 45 minutes) on the way
back from Boston in 1983 (see Massachusetts). While passing through
Providence, we passed right by the Rhode Island State Capitol while on
the surface streets.
South Carolina: Passed through it on the way to Florida a few
times, the last in 1980 (see Florida).
South Dakota: Haven't visited
Tennessee: I have a lot of roots in the south -- my maternal
grandfather came from West Tennessee; my paternal grandmother was born and
raised in South Tennessee, while her eventual husband came from nearby
Northern Alabama. (To complete the series, my maternal grandmother was
born and raised in London, England). While I have visited the area in West
Tennessee where that grandfather came from (once, on the way back from Los
Angeles and El Paso in 1977 -- see California), by far the most trips I have
made to Tennessee have been to South Tennessee -- to Lawrenceburg, at the
junction of US 43 and US 64, near where my grandmother grew up. In fact, I
visited that area at least once a year every year through 1989, and again
in 1995, making it the most frequently-visited destination of all the trips
I have taken. (My dad used to spend entire summers down there when he was
growing up, so the trips have been happening for quite some time.) The
route:
- US 31 SB to I-65 SB (more often than not via I-465 around the east side
of Indianapolis) to TN 99 (now US 412) WB to US 31 SB (not necessary anymore
due to a new Columbia bypass) to US 43 SB. (After we moved to Ohio, the
start of the route became I-90 WB to I-271 SB to I-71 SB to I-65 in
Louisville.)
Lawrenceburg has more than once been a stop on a vacation to another
destination (see California, Florida, North Carolina). I have been to other
places in Tennessee more than once -- I have visited Great Smoky Mountains
National Park multiple times; I have been through the Chattanooga area a lot
(I have many pictures of downtown, all from the same vantage point on nearby
Lookout Mountain, but from at least three different years; it became a
tradition :) ). In 1982, my family visited the World's Fair in
Knoxville. The route:
- US 31 SB to I-465 to I-74 EB (I believe) to I-75 SB to Knoxville.
Return: I-40 EB to I-81 NB to I-77/West Virginia Turnpike NB to I-70 WB to
I-270 around Columbus to I-71 NB to US 36 WB to US 23 NB to OH 15 WB to
I-75 NB to I-475 NB to the Ohio Turnpike/Indiana Toll Road (I-80/90) to
US 31 NB.
We have been to Memphis in 1977 and 1989 on the trips out West
(see California); we saw (but didn't stop at) Graceland (the
Elvis Presley estate) in 1989.
Texas: My mother has a friend in El Paso; we have visited her
family on the trips out West in 1977 and 1989, as well as seeing different
parts of the city (and a foreign country) as well. In 1977, we went
through Dallas/Fort Worth; in 1989, we visited Houston and NASA, and
San Antonio and the Alamo. We have also seen the panhandle, in 1982 and
1989. (For the routes of all three trips, see California.)
Utah: Visited in 1979 and 1982 (see California). Made a stopover
at the Great Salt Lake and went through Salt Lake City in 1979, and visited
Arches and Zion National Parks in 1982.
Vermont: Travelled the length of the state via I-89 SB and I-91 SB
over two days (see New Hampshire) on our 1987 Canada/New England trip (see
Québec).
Virginia: Visited on various trips (see District of Columbia,
Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee). Saw the Naval Shipyard in Norfolk
on the 1985 Ocean City trip (see Maryland). In 1988, we travelled the
length of the Skyline Drive/Blue Ridge Parkway system, starting in
Front Royal, Virginia, and ending at the US 441 connection in Great Smoky
Mountains National Park, North Carolina.
Washington: Haven't visited
West Virginia: Went the length of the state on I-77 on the 1982
World's Fair trip (see Tennessee); stopped to eat in Beckley, saw Charleston.
Also visited on 1985 Ocean City trip (see Maryland) and 1986 NC Outer Banks
trip (see North Carolina). I have visited WV on local road trips
originating in NE Ohio.
Wisconsin: For as many times as I've been to Chicago, you'd think
I would have been to Wisconsin a lot. I haven't. In 1978, my parents
celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary by revisiting their honeymoon
destination: Wisconsin Dells. We then went to the U.P. of Michigan and back
across the Mackinac Bridge to home. While we made a couple trips to
Wisconsin before 1978 to visit a couple in Watertown that my parents knew,
we made none after 1978.
Wyoming: Went through on the way back from the Grand Canyon in
1979 (see California). I vividly remember approaching Evanston, where we
had decided to camp that night. Fireworks exploded in the air just as we
were entering the town, because it was July 4th. The next day, we crossed
the state; when we stopped at a rest area on I-80, we noticed the weather
was cool and Fall-like, on the 5th of July. This incident led my parents,
especially my mom, to an aversion towards the states with higher latitudes
(notice that the states in the "Lower 48" to which I haven't been are all
along the northern tier of the country).
Canada:
Ontario: In 1982, my dad had to take a business trip to London,
Ontario. He took us along. This was my first trip to Canada. (Route
basically was I-94 to Ontario King's Highway 401 and back.) The following
year, my family went to Toronto and Niagara Falls. Trip out: I-94
to I-69 to (then) M-21 to I-94 to King's Highway 402 to King's Highway 401,
etc. Route back (within U.S.): I-90 from Buffalo, NY to South Bend, IN.
Later in 1983, we cut through Ontario on the way to Boston
(see Massachusetts). In 1987, we visited Niagara Falls and Toronto again,
on the way to Québec (see Québec). We have since visited Niagara
Falls in 1992 and 1996.
Québec: 1987 was the year my family first visited a land with
a foreign tongue (less foreign to me; I had been taking French in high
school). The route:
- I-90 EB to QEW to King's Highway 401 EB to Québec; went through
Montréal and camped in Granby; then I-89 SB to I-91 SB with a detour (to
a campground) in southern Massachusetts, then to I-84 EB to I-81 SB to
Hershey, PA; then PA/Ohio Turnpike to I-680 NB to OH 711 EB to
US 422 (N)WB to I-80 EB to OH 11 NB to I-90 WB.
Even with the French studies, the visit was still intimidating!
Mexico:
Chihuahua: On our trips to El Paso (1977 and 1989, see California
and Texas), both times the host family took us across the border into
Ciùdad Juarez, Chihuahua. Although I was actually in Mexico, we hadn't
had to show passports to enter, and most of the billboards where we were
were in English, so it didn't seem authentic. But that was as much as the
time that we had would allow.
