I know many people think I'm crazy to jam in so many states in such a short period of time but it really wasn't hard at all to fit in 8 states in 48 hours. The flight on the plane was actually longer than the time spent in the car driving! And since I only needed 3 of the 8 states as ones to check off my list, I accomplished my goal and then some...
State #1 - New York. John and I flew on a red-eye to JFK Sunday night. Usually I LOVE when pilots get me to my destination ahead of schedule but when I'm trying to get as much sleep as possible I was a little grumpy when our 4-hour flight became a 3-1/2 hour flight! We landed at JFK at 4:30 am and had our rental car on the road by 5 am heading toward Greenwich, CT.
State #2 - Connecticut. Since it was only a 45-minute drive, it was still pitch dark and nothing was open at that time of day. We drove around downtown a little and it "looked" like a neat place.
Connecticut - CHECK!
State #3 - New Jersey. Drove many miles on the New Jersey turnpike and paid lots of tolls. I've already been to New Jersey so it wasn't one I needed to check off.
State #4 - Pennsylvania. Philadelphia was the bait to get John to come with me. He has wanted to see Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell forever so he was excited to get the opportunity. We spent a half day in this city and John got his fill.
This room had special meaning to John since he played the role of Josiah Bartlett in 1776 at Rodgers Memorial Theater several years ago. He loves anything dealing with American History--especially the Constitution and signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Walked around Independence Hall square and surrounding areas and toured the US Mint where they make our coins.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Reading Market Terminal... that's probably why I had two different types of Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches from two vendors, homemade pretzel and THE BEST donuts I've ever had by an Amish family. Half the fun of trips for me is experiencing the local food!
State #5 - Delaware. We spent the night at a hotel in Delaware and the area was beautiful. The Fall is such a great time to be back East.
Delaware - CHECK!
State #6 - Maryland. Already visited this state so we just drove through on our way to the next one.
State #7 - Virginia. Again, just a drive through.
State #8 - West Virginia. This was the 3rd state on the trip I needed to visit so we went to Harper's Ferry, WV and spent a couple of hours touring this cool historical town. It's situated right where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers merge and where Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia meet. It's also almost the exact middle of the Appalachian trail. It's best known for John Brown's raid on the Armory in 1859 and its role in the Civil War.
West Virginia - CHECK!
We flew out of Reagan International Airport and had a 2-hour layover in Florida before landing in Utah exactly 48 hours after we left. I guess if I count those last two we covered 10 states! I've only got 4 states left to visit--Arkansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky which I can't wait to see with Hailey when she returns from her mission!