Purposes of this trip:
Only one objective: search apartments in northern Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania to see if I could move to one of them for at least two years.
Reason: Along with needing to visit upwards of a dozen counties in southeast Pennsylvania looking for my ancestors, I have several trips in New York, New England and eastern Canada. Each of those trips would take me an additional four or five days from Kansas City just to get to the eastern places. Living in the east would cut out all the extra travel days. Or, I could do one ten-week trip to cover all of them at once, sort of like I did when I went to Boston for 16 weeks in 2019.

PENNSYLVANIA: I did find two apartments just west of Philadelphia (where I flew into) to check out. However, one has a waiting list of at least four years. The other could not show me a model but we had a discussion about the property and I got so additional handouts from them.
DELAWARE: I originally had ten apartments I planned to visit in the Newark area. However, for various reasons I skipped on four of them. Of the remaining six, two closed their offices thus no one to talk with. Of the remaining four, only three are worth considering.

MISSED VISITING:
--Various libraries, court houses and historical societies to research the ancestors from there

OBSERVATIONS: Some observations made while traveling in this area:

1. The area seems to be kept in good condition. Many farm houses are really nice.
2. With few exceptions, drivers in this part of the country go 10-20 MPH over speed limit, regardless of the road type.
3. Many flowers were in bloom in the area
4. Many houses have red shudders. One farm house was quite elegantly designed and built with numerous color flowers all around it.
5. Traffic is just unbelievable around the Newark area -- almost enough to already make me want to NOT move here. Rush hour all day long.
6. Interstates speed limits are between 55 MPH and 65 MPH. Two-lane highways vary from 45 to 50 MPH.
7. Several of the apartments I wanted to visit had closed their offices (reason: pandemic) and were not showing apartments. But, for those places, I got to at least talk to a staff member except for one.
8. Despite their reputation for being unfriendly, most people -- at hotels, apartments, grocery stores, restaurants, park service sites -- I conversed with seemed Midwesternly friendly. Two exceptions, one at an apartment office and a staff worker in New Castle-- both of them acted like I bothered them by being there,

Personal Comments:

• After returning home, I began doing further research in eastern Pennsylvania apartments. It seems that any decent apartment that meets my minimum criteria costs $1800 and up per month. That is beyond what I am willing to spend. EXCEPTION: Harrisburg PA.
• Rents apparently have jumped BIG TIME during the pandemic because of the housing shortage that will last a while. Maybe in 2023 things will start to get back to Reasonable.
• I had some time on Friday afternoon in my hotel room after all apartments had been visited. I got the idea to look at (using Excel and some dollar figures) to compare what it would cost to live in eastern Pennsylvania vs. taking a ten-week trip from Kansas City too PA, NY, New England and eastern Canada. When considering taxes and traveling expenses and rent for a PA apartment at $1500 a month (50% over what I now pay in KC), it was 15% cheaper to live in PA vs. driving from my KS residence. If I allowed $1750 per month rent, then that would make the two places even in costs.

The Bests:

• The sun was actually shining most of the two days I was there. In the past, it seems like every time I came to the Mid-Atlantic states, it would be raining, sometimes accompanying hurricanes and tropical storms.
• This was the most unusual "vacation trip" I have ever taken. It was mainly focused on apartment searching. The only "fun" thing was the First State National Park site in New Castle which turned out to be a dud -- with an unfriendly staff worker!

The Worsts:

• The First State National Park Historic Site was nothing to see or learn from. Fortunately, it was a short drive from Newark.

The Totals:

• Miles Driven: 220
• Driving: 6 hours in 3 days
• States: 3 -- Pennsylvania, Maryland (barely) and Delaware
• Pictures Taken: 93 (and deleted 5 of them) but almost all were of the apartments I visited and they are not really interesting otherwise, so they are omitted here
• National Parks: 1 -- First State Historic Site in New Castle. That makes 217 visited.

Remaining to Visit by State
• AL - DONE but would be good to drive to Dothan from Albany, Georgia
• AK - DONE
• AZ - Return as long as friend Diana lives in the state, in November will visit three national parks: Tonto (second attempt), Chiricahua (second attempt) and Casa Grande Ruins to make 216 parks visited
• AR - DONE although friend Jan lives here
• CA - DONE but have yet to actually go into Lassen Volcanic National Park
• CO - DONE but need a photograph of the Smoky Mountain National Park sign, also would like to drive between Pueblo and Montrose to complete a section of the state yet to drive through
• CT - DONE
• DE - DONE but may retire to Newark in 2022 or 2023
• FL - Likely visit Orlando where a high school classmate and a cousin both live, still want to take the ferry to Fort Matanzas and revisit a couple of places on the Gulf Coast: Sarasota (downtown), Pine Island and the Naples Botanical Gardens
• GA - DONE but would like to drive from Macon to Albany then on to Dothan, Alabama to cover those parts of the state to yet drive through
• HI - DONE
• ID - DONE but would like to drive from Boise to Moscow to cover that part of the state to yet drive through
• IL - Chicago has some places yet to visit, also, maybe family history research in Danville and Pecatonica
• IN - Evansville Museum, maybe visit a friend in Plainville, and, maybe family history research in Ft.Wayne and find ancestral cemeteries in Brown county
• IA - DONE unless family history research in various parts of the state
• KS - I currently live here, may want to try Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park someday
• KY - DONE
• LA - DONE unless visit cousins in New Orleans
• ME - Revisit Acadia National Park to photograph the park sign and just see the park again, also visit the area around Eastport
• MD - DONE unless to visit some national battlefields
• MA - Visit the islands Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, also, family history research plus I know many fellow Toastmasters in Boston
• MI - DONE but would like to visit the "thumb" part of the state at Port Austin
• MN - DONE unless decide to visit Isle Royale National Park from Grand Portage (also a national park there)
• MS - DONE
• MO - DONE, but I live too close to KCMO to avoid it
• MT - DONE unless I try a fourth attempt someday to Glacier National Park to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road
• NE - DONE
• NV - DONE
• NH - DONE
• NJ - DONE
• NM - DONE but would like to drive from Deming to Alpine, Arizona to cover parts of those states I have yet to drive through
• NY - Many many places yet to revisit in this state
• NC - DONE
• ND - DONE but would like to drive from Bowman to Rapid City, South Dakota to cover a part of those states I have yet to drive through
• OH - Family research in several towns, one cousin in Columbus <>
• OK - DONE
• OR - DONE
• PA - Family history research in the southeastern quadrant of the state and north central part too
• RI - DONE
• SC - DONE
• SD - DONE but would like to drive from Rapid City to Bowman North Dakota to cover a part of those states I have yet to drive through
• TN - DONE but would like to drive through the mountains along the border of TN and NC
• TX - Brother lives in this state as does a friend, also, would like to drive from Amarillo through Lubbock and on to
• UT - Need to photograph the Zion park sign (despite two previous attempts to visit there) and actually go into the park
• VT - Want to drive entirely around Lake Champlaign, also, maybe some family history research
• VA - DONE but cousins live here
• WA - DONE but a friend lives in Seattle
• WV - Want to see Blackwater Falls State Park near Davis WV, couple of national park signs to photograph in New River National Park
• WI - DONE but maybe re-attempt (it was pouring rain years ago when there) to visit House of the Rocks and Taliesman near Spring Green
• WY - DONE but would like to drive through the central part of the state e.g. Casper through Dubois then south through Afton to Rock Springs
• AB - REALLY, REALLY, REALLY want to see Banff National Park and Lake Louise someday near Calgary in Alberta
• BC - Love Vancouver and Butchart Gardens plus much more north along the coast to see on Vancouver Island all the way to Port Hardy
• LB - Newfoundland/Labrador is worth one visit someday but it is a big undertaking since it takes a day each way just to ferry from Nova Scotia
• MB - Winnepeg, Manitoba is worth one visit someday
• NB - New Brunswick was gorgeous with the fall colors and I liked the three highways I drove going across the province but I never really stopped to see anything. Want to see Saint Johns and along the coast northeast of it, also the Kouchibouguac national park
• NS - Missed much here and would like to return someday, two national parks to visit: Cape Breton and Kejimkujik (dark skies)
• ON - DONE since visited Toronto and Ottawa
• PE - DONE since Prince Edward Island was unimpressive, so likely done here although I did entirely miss the western half of the province
• QC - DONE since visited Montreal and Quebec city and some towns south of them, plus, drove the entire coastline so unknown if will return here -- do not like feeling ostricized with the French everywhere
• SK - Regina and Saskatoon in Saskatchwean are worth one visit someday
• YK - Yukon is iffy if it is worth a visit someday since it is a long way to there and really nothing in particular to see or do except the scenery. Ditton Nanuvut and the Northwest Territories.