Purposes of this trip:
- Stay in a cabin in Chickasaw State Park, the favorite park of me and my two siblings
- Visit two new national parks: Horseshoe Bend and Little River Canyon
- Photograph the national park sign at Shiloh National Battlefield
- Photograph the national park sign Smoky Mountains plus drive through part of it -- MISSED IT!!!
- Photograph a college sign -- a new college I got only because it was convenient -- Lee University -- MISSED IT!!!
- Visit the library of my childhood home town to get a microfilmed newspaper photo from 1960 -- I appeared in that photo --- MISSED IT!!!

TENNESSEE: Some loose ends to take care of as well as revisit a favorite childhood park and finally drive the southwest-northeast highways through the Smoky Mountains
ALABAMA: Visit two national parks on my way to southeastern Tennessee
NORTH CAROLINA: Just barely in the extreme western edge of the state while driving through the Smoky Mountains --- MISSED IT!!!

MISSED VISITING:
--Any touring of my hometown of Jackson -- been there anyway several times over the last 50 years since moving away.
--Getting to the Jackson library to look for the newspaper photo of me -- they were closed on the day after Independence Day when I was in town
--Smoky Mountains and the sights in the park: Bald River Falls, Yellow Creek Falls, Fontana Dam and Lake
--Lee University in Cleveland TN

OBSERVATIONS: Some observations made while traveling in this area:

1. The Mississippi River is probably three times wider than the Missouri River. Both the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers seem wider too.
2. Lots of wildflowers growing along the highways -- yellows and whites
3. So fun to see mimosa trees blossoming in Tennessee -- always one of my favorite trees
4. I learned a BIG LESSON -- something I had wrong for decades. I have seen towns in other parts of the US called Humboldt with that silent letter "d". Always griped about them saying at least Tennessee knows how to spell it: Humbolt. BUT, when I saw the highways signs to it, the letter "d" is included. Oh my!
5. Alabama drivers are Risky drivers -- they take unusual chances at darting through traffic
6. Summer traffic is quite heavy this year -- maybe it always has been but I generally avoid travel in the summer months

The Bests:

• Mimosa trees
• Seeing so many familiar towns as I headed towards Jackson on highway 412 from Dyersberg: Alamo, Bells, Brownsville, Cairo, Covington, Friendship,
• Fun watching dads pushing the kids on the swings and showing them around Chickasaw State Park
• Little River Canyon falls were good to see, especially since I missed seeing a couple of falls in the Smoky Mountains

The Worsts:

• Verizon does not have coverage in Chickasaw State Park -- ZERO!!! No phone calls or texting or emails. The park has a guest network but one must create an account to access it.
• Construction delays
• Nashville still having rush hour traffic at 9:30 am -- Nashville is hardly Los Angeles or Atlanta!
• Flat tire which cancelled my day in the Smoky Mountains plus had to pay for the unused hotel room before it
• Traffic was so heavy all along the interstates that I very rarely got to be in the right lane. Rare time when large trucks and/or RV's were not constantly present.

The Totals:

• Miles Driven: 1718
• Driving: 28 hours in 3 days
• States: 7 -- Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi (just barely), Alabama, Georgia (just barely), Kentucky, Illinois
• Major Universities: 0 (missed Lee University in Cleveland TN)
• Pictures Taken: 94 (and deleted 14 of them)
• National Parks: 3 (1 repeat) -- Shiloh (repeat), Horseshoe Bend, Little River Canyon ---- MISSED Smoky Mountains (repeat)

Remaining to Visit by State
• AL - DONE
• AK - DONE after September 2021 visit to Anchorage -- this will complete my goal of spending at least a night in two towns in every state
• AZ - Return as long as friend Diana lives in the state, and, visit Tonto National Park (tried before) and Casa Grande Ruins Natl Mon and Chiciahua National Park
• AR - DONE, but maybe get sign at Hot Springs national park
• CA - DONE after August 2021 when visit Truckee and Lassen Volcanic National Park (revisit), remaining college signs are UC-Santa Barbara and Cal Poly Tech. Still might visit JPL and Mt. Wilson
• CO - DONE, but would like a photograph of the sign at Rocky Mountain National Park, and, maybe see inside the visitor center of Sand Creek Massacre National Park
• 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 downdown, Pine Island near Ft. Myers, Naples Botanical Gardens
• GA - DONE
• HI - DONE
• ID - DONE after August 2021 when revisit some national parks missed in the south central part of the state
• IL - DONE unless family history research in Danville and Pecatonica
• IN - DONE but maybe family history research in Ft.Wayne and maybe Science Museum in Evansville
• IA - DONE unless family history research in various parts of the state
• KS - I currently live here
• KY - DONE
• LA - DONE unless visit cousins in New Orleans
• ME - Revisit Acadia National Park and the area around Eastport
• MD - DONE unless to visit some national battlefields
• MA - Family history research plus I know many fellow Toastmasters in Boston
• MI - DONE but still need to visit the "thumb" part of the state (Port Austin)
• MN - DONE unless decide to visit Isle Royale National Park from Grand Portage, and, Angle Islet
• MS - DONE
• MO - DONE, but I live too close to KCMO to avoid it
• MT - DONE after re-visit Bigh Hole and Glacier national parks in August 2021
• NE - DONE
• NV - DONE after drive across the interstate through Elko and Winnemacca in August 2021
• NH - DONE
• NJ - DONE!! Thankfully!!!
• NM - DONE, but Love Albuquerque and maybe visit the Gadsen Purchase area and Roswell (UFO Museum and a third cousin)
• NY - Many places yet to revisit in this state
• NC - Still want to visit some places along the coast at the northeast corner of the state
• ND - DONE
• OH - Family research in several towns, one cousin in Columbus
• OK - DONE
• OR - DONE!! Thankfully!!! after visit Astoria and the Lewis & Clark National Park in the northwest corner of the state
• PA - Family history research in the southeastern quadrant of the state and north central
• RI - DONE
• SC - DONE
• SD - DONE
• TN - DONE unless decide to do some family history research here or try once more for Smoky Mountains
• TX - DONE, but a brother lives in this state as does a friend
• UT - August 2021 visit Glen Canyon National Park. Also, have friends in Draper and in Tremonton
• VT - DONE, but this is one of my favorite states, maybe return for some family history research
• VA - DONE but cousins live here
• WA - September 2021 two colleges in Seattle area, friend in Seattle, see the coast
• 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 unless go back to Spring Green for the House on the Rocks and Taliesen (F.L.Wright designed)
• WY - DONE except maybe drive through Casper someday