50 Nifty United States

Before starting this tour I considered myself to be fairly well traveled. Having lived overseas for childhood I was able to see countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jakarta or Nepal. After college I made the trek down to Australia. This summer I traveled to Europe and walked miles through Prague, Paris and London. I have had oppourtunites in life to go to Utah, Colorado, Hawaii, Washington State, Florida, Arizonia, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, The Carolinas as well as New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC and Vermont.

Either I lived in these states (Louisiana, Delaware, New York and Texas) or we visited to ski (Utah, Colorado, Vermont) or we went on vacation (Hawaii, Florida, Washington State, California, Arizonia, New Mexico, Arkansas, Tennessee, Carolinas, Virginia, and Washington DC). Most of these experiences consisted of leaving home, getting on a plane (or in a car), getting off the plane and driving to whatever resort or hotel or friend's home we were staying in. Then I proceeded to do all the touristy things we were supposed to do when you visit said city and went back home thinking I had experienced that place.

And in a way I had. But in another way I hadn't.

Obviously I don't know what it is like to live in these places I have visited. As a tourist you see what they have decided you see.

This tour is different. No more realistic in it's view of each place but definently less "padded."

We stay in hotels, not all of them nice, and eat at chain resturants mostly- the cheaper or the more for your money the better. We can always find the Walmart and the laundry and we have learned which rest stops have clean bathrooms and which gas stations almost always have auto deisel. Each hotel starts to look the same, each gas station, each resturant. The Walmarts all look exactly alike which is the point and probably accounts for our enjoyment of visiting Walmart. We know what we can get and where it will be which gives us plently of time to get back to our hotel rooms to watch TV (even though the channels are always different)

I haven't really added any new states. Possibly Mississippi but does that really count? But I have added a new view. Not any more genuine but different.

I suppose different is good.

Onward and Upward.