50 States in 50 Years No. 1

Mom and Dad and Me

1940 - 2 years old

Where it all began

Shreveport, Louisiana

November, 1939

1942 - 4 years old

My Mom and Dad
and Me in my rabbit fur coat
My first trip to Arkansas
to see my Grandmother Grant
in Russellville

I grew up in the best of times. Doesn't everyone say that? World War II ended and I started the 1st grade at Creswell Elementary.

That's me, 1st row 2nd from the right,
by my forever friend, Carolyn on the end.

Me and my Daddy
on the farm.
(called him Dad when
I got too old for a Daddy:)

We had a farm and I took the bus to school. That lasted about six months. My Mom didn't like to put me on the school bus everyday. In 1946 the only children that rode the bus to school were those that lived on farms. 

1958 Photo

When we moved to town, Mom and Dad had bought a cafe, The Country Kitchen. I would eat breakfast there and then take the trolley to school all by myself.

After the 6th grade I went to Hamilton Terrace Jr. High. All of my friends were going to Broadmoor Jr. High, but our house was out of that district. I had a good time and met made new friends, but I missed by old friends. We were reunited in two years, when we left for the 9th grade at C.E. Byrd High School.

I went to Byrd
for the 9-12 Grades
1955-1958

Senior Picture

In 1958 I graduated from high school and headed to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. I went home to Shreveport for breaks, but ended up staying in Arkansas after I graduated in 1962.

That is the beginning of my travel odyssey of going in and out and through all fifty United States. 

For "new to my blog" friends...on May 17, 2010, I visited Wisconsin.

I can now say that I have been in, to, or through all 50 United States.

I am committed to make an Artist Trading Card "ATC" for each of

the 50 States. 

50 States in 50 Years Nos. 2 - 3 - 4

Montana No. 4

Wyoming No. 3

Idaho No. 2

Idaho and Montana. Two of these last three states are what  I call 'through' states. I went through them on the way from or to somewhere else. There is not much to say about either of them: except, I can count them as part of the quest. 

Going through Montana I felt I was at the top of the world. The sky seemed endless to me. There was nothing along the horizon except the curve of the earth. 

In 1977 we were on the way to Yellowstone and swung through Billings, Montana, to say we had been there. 

We took a day to drive through Yellowstone. 

We did not see one animal, but were lucky enough to see Old Faithful let off steam.

and get a picture of the upper falls. From there we went to Jackson Hole along the Tetons on the way to Salt Lake City. 

Bear Lake Idaho 1977

The only landmark in Idaho that was memorable was the sight of  Bear Lake along State Highway 89 in the southeast corner of the state.

Wyoming counts as a 'been to' state.  On the 1977 trip we stopped in Jackson Hole for the night. In 2015 we had a full 'stay for a while' trip. Our starting place was Estes Park, Colorado. From there we went up through Cheyenne and Laramie on the way to Jackson Hole. What an adventure! The Tetons are always an awesome sight to see. We stayed downtown in a quaint period motel right off the square. We love that we can walk to sight-see, shop for souvenirs, and eat. We took a day trip to investigate the mountains. We did not go as far as Yellowstone this time. A photo blog of the highlights of our trip follows:

The Episcopal Chapel of Transfiguration

Window inside the church
looks out on the mountains.

Our Wyoming trip ended too soon and we were on our way back to Estes Park to say goodbye to our family and head back home to Arkansas. 

Good memories were made!

*For "new to my blog" friends...on May 17, 2010, I visited Wisconsin.

I can now say that I have been in, to, or through all 50 United States.

I am committed to make an Artist Trading Card "ATC" for each of

the 50 States. 

50 States in 50 Years Nos. 5 and 6*

I checked Washington and Oregon off my list in 1971. They were at the end of a trip that began in Southern California. I had no idea at time that I would even entertain the idea of visiting all 50 States in my life time.










We landed at LAX and ventured up the coast with stops at Moro Bay, Solvang, Hearst Castle, and San Francisco before crossing the border at Grants Pass, Oregon, where we spent the night before heading to Seattle, Washington to visit relatives. 

City Center Motel on N.E. Sixth St., Grants Pass

The scenery along the Oregon Highway
was spectacular. It is still in my mind
after 47 years. Some of the areas
reminded me of Arkansas.

Our stay in Seattle lasted about week. It rained every day except on Wednesday. Our relatives tried to convince us that was not the norm.  

We were not there when it was snowing;
it was raining. This picture came from a
tourist card packet.

Ate some wonderful fresh salmon; went to the 

University of Washington

to get a view of Mt. Rainier

Salmon fresh
from Fish Market

in the rain;

and took a side trip to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, by ferry in the rain;

and best of all went to the top

of the Space Needle even

though I am really, 

really afraid of heights. 

The only sunny day we went
to some woods where our relatives had a cabin. At least we had one day of sun.

I remember the long trip along the coast of California and reading Atlas Shrugged  by Ayn Rand from beginning to end while we were on the road.  When I got out of the car I passed out and missed our first Salmon meal. The trip back to LAX was not memorable. We took the inland highway. My only memory was stopping to eat lunch in Yreka, California. 

Wonderful trip...excluding my passing out the first minute I set foot on solid ground after riding and reading in the back seat of the car.

*For "new to my blog" friends...on May 17, 2010, I visited Wisconsin.

I can now say that I have been in, to, or through all 50 United States.

I am committed to make an Artist Trading Card "ATC" for each of

the 50 States. 

50 States in 50 Years Nos. 7 and 8*

Michigan and Ohio were part of  my 1976 Bicentennial Trip. We went in and out of these two states along with Kentucky on the way home from a two week trip. We were on a deadline to get back to Little Rock in time to go to work on Monday. 

We did take time to stop in each
of them to visit a couple of popular
tourist destinations. 







Canton, Ohio and the 'Professional Football Hall of Fame' was the first of these stops. I took this picture, but honestly do not remember what I saw there. I think my husband put this on our list of stops. 

I do remember

 the next stop-

 Dearborn Michigan

 at the Ford Museum

 and Greenfield Village.

No doubt I was the one

 that put this on the list.

I loved it. 

The number of structures 

that had been razed 

and brought here 

for posterity 

was overwhelming.

Here are a couple of my favorites. 

The Museum tower is an exact replica of Independence Hall in Philadelphia, birthplace of American freedom. It even contains the mistakes made in the original building. It was dedicated in 1929 by Thomas Edison.

Rose Cottage was originally nestled in the Cotswold Hills of England. It is a 17th century limestone cottage. The Coswold district is a land of sheepraisers.

*For "new to my blog" friends...on May 17, 2010, I visited Wisconsin.

I can now say that I have been in, to, or through all 50 United States.

I am committed to make an Artist Trading Card "ATC" for each of

the 50 States. 

50 States in 50 Years Nos. 12-9

No. 12 Minnesota with a side trip to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
No. 11 North Dakota
No. 10 Iowa
No.  9 Nebraska

I added these state to my list on a trip to Minnesota in 1970. I could find very few pictures from 1970 and this trip. 

We started in Arkansas, went through Kansas and made a stop in Omaha for a few days. One day we spent at the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters. To be honest I do not remember how they looked in 1970. All I remember is going into a building and signing a guest book. Then, we ventured over to Lincoln one day and took pictures at the Capitol Building. I took them from the top of the building. That was before my fear of heights had kicked in big time. I wouldn't be able to do that now. Note: Nebraska is very windy.

On the road again with one stop in Sioux City, Iowa, to fix a flat tire and on to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. There were several sides trips from this base. One trip was to Itasca State Park in Bimidji where I waded across the Mississippi River.  It is at the headwaters of the river. Next, we took a quick trip over the border to Fargo, North Dakota.

I was a little further inland as I remember.
I didn't have to walk far, but I did have to
walk across the rocks.

The highlight side trip was to Winnipeg. 
We spent the night and did a little shopping.
I still have the ring I bought as a souvenir.










This trip was almost at the beginning of my '50-State Odyssey'. Who knew at that time that I would be able to say I have been in and out or to all 50 states. Glad we thought to go to Fargo.

South Dakota No. 13 of 50 States*

Artist Trading Card

I have actually been to South Dakota two times. Once in the 60's or 70's. It was a 'pass through' trip on the way home from California. We took time to stop at Mount Rushmore and the 'Chapel in the Hills' west of Rapid City. It is a full size replica of the famous 800 year old Borgund Stavkirke (Stave Church) in Norway.

Mount Rushmore 1977

Arkansas Flag at Mount Rushmore

Chapel of the Hills

Mount Rushmore 20 years later
The main difference was the addition of
the Visitor's Center and Flag display. 

The next time I went was in 1997 for a National Space Grant Conference in Rapid City. My boss and I were representing the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium. It was a great trip. We actually had a day trip to see the Black Hills.










*For "new to my blog" friends...on May 17, 2010, I visited Wisconsin.

I can now say that I have been in, to or through all 50 United States.

I am committed to make an Artist Trading Card "ATC" for each of

the 50 States. 

50 States in 50 Years No. 14-20* 1976

In 1976 I took a trip to the East Coast for the Bicentennial Celebration. 
It involved going 'in and out' and 'through'17 States, Washington, D.C. and Niagara Falls, Canada, in two weeks.  When you only had two weeks vacation, you had to make the most of it.  

Starting in Arkansas (48) we went through  
Tennessee (31), Virginia (25), West Virginia(24).
Our first stop was College Park, Maryland (21). 
We took the Bicentennial Bus into Washington, D.C. 

I know the cherry blossoms are not in bloom in October.
However, it is a great picture on the Jefferson Memorial.

Also, saw the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian.

Back in the car-Through Delaware (17), New Jersey (16) where we crossed over into Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (20).

Pennsylvania (20)

Liberty Bell in Philadelphia

and Benjamin Franklin's grave.

Passing through Rhode Island (15) and Delaware (17) to our next stop-Burlington, Massachusetts (14). We used it as our base to visit surrounding historical sites there and in Connecticut (19).

We walked The Freedom Trail in Boston.
Saw Paul Revere's House 

Paul Revere's House
Boston

Louisa Mae Alcott House
Concord, Massachusetts

When we left there, we were headed home through Maine (27), New Hampshire (23), Vermont (18), and  New York (26). We took one detour at Niagara Falls to view the Falls from the Canadian side. After that we stopped only to eat and spend the night in Michigan, Ohio, and Kentucky (22). Our goal was to get home in time to go to work on Monday.
Now we were back from where we started-full circle. It was fast, but it was fun.  It left me with a lot of stories to tell. 

Home Sweet Home

*For "new to my blog" friends...on May 17, 2010, I visited Wisconsin.

I can now say that I have been in, to, or through all 50 United States.

I am committed to make an Artist Trading Card "ATC" for each of

the 50 States.