In 2014, my husband Phil and I started a new tradition - going on a road trip every year in the fall (and sometimes in other seasons!) As of fall 2018, we have visited 49 states together.
The road trip that started it all...
Phil and I got married in 2010 and our plan was to drive the full California coast for our honeymoon. At the time we couldn't make that work, but fortunately we had the opportunity to hit the road in fall of 2014. We didn't quite drive the full coast, but we made it as far as Big Sur, California where we set up a tent and watched the sun go down.
Finishing the Pacific Coast Highway
In fall of 2015, we were all set to travel to the east coast - but we ended up cancelling our reservations and driving west to avoid the hurricanes. We saw everything on this trip from snowy mountains, sandy deserts, rain in death valley, and endless ocean views.
18 states in 10 days
Being the autumn-lovers that we are, we were determined to make it to the east coast to see the famous fall foliage in New England. It's no joke that the east coast is much faster-paced than the west! We spent some time in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, then eventually made our way up to Maine where one of most memorable activites took place - lobster fishing.
They really are blue!
After crossing off so many states, we got a little creative with this one to make sure we passed through our missing states. We started on the north end of the blue ridge parkway and followed it all the way to the end where we headed east towards Nashville, then straight south. After spending some time in New Orleans, we drove even further out of our way to see Austin (and get some great food) before making our way back. We covered a lot of road on this one!
The "big" one
When we told people that we were going to drive to Alaska, a lot of them thought we were crazy. We were lucky enough to have my dad and sister along for the ride this time - because we wanted them to and also for some extra company so Phil and I didn't drive each other insane! I can safely say that I intend to make the drive again, maybe with an extra week or two to spare so I can REALLY take it all in.