I really wanted to get in a couple of flying trips, one in October (Phoenix) and another in November (Dallas). However, car rental prices were five times normal (shortage of cars at leasing companies). For a while I thought I was going to have to wait until another year. But after looking at the expected mileage on my lease car (I am allowed only 45,000 miles per lease) and adjusting my trip next spring, I could get in this short trip of just over 1,500 miles.

The trip worked out since it was in southern states where it is still somewhat warm weather. The ten-day forecast had zero precipitation in all four states. So off I went for a 46-hour trip including another 900-plus mile driving day.

ARKANSAS: One national park and two colleges
LOUISIANA: One national park
TEXAS: One college
OKLAHOMA: One college

MISSED VISITING:
--nothing except the other signs at three of the four colleges with the fourth college being taken after sunset

OBSERVATIONS: Some observations made while traveling in this area:

• Interesting to see all the trees bare of their leaves
• Drivers in southeastern Arkansas and northeastern Louisiana unexpectedly pull out or across traffic whereas drivers in most other places would wait the few more seconds to let oncoming traffic go past
• I have been noticing the past several years that flat beds on big trucks are bowed up. I finally looked up the reason why - truck beds can be made of lighter materials and when loaded the bow tends to flatten out.
• Arkansas has many logging trucks driving on the highways plus noticed several wooded areas that have been totally cut down
• I have a new name for the type of small Arkansas towns -- 4x4. That is, the town layout is four blocks wide and four miles long along the highway running thru town. Thus, a town of 3,000 people is really stretched out along the highway.

The Bests:

1. Nice that it was cooler thus no need to deal with things getting too hot in the car including what is in the ice chest
2. All sunny days for this trip

The Worsts:

1. Road construction projects even in cold weather

The Totals:

• Miles Driven: 1587
• Driving: 25 hours in 3 days
• States: 5 -- Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma
• Major Universities (to make 513 visited): 4 -- Ouachita Baptist, Henderson State, Texas A&M Commerce, Central Oklahoma
• Pictures Taken: 77 (and deleted 4 of them)
• National Parks: 2 (267 visited): Arkansas Post, Poverty Point

Remaining to Visit by State/Province
• AL - DONE
• AK - DONE
• AZ - Several national parks to visit plus friends Diana and John live in the state
• AR - DONE
• CA - Several national parks yet to visit including atually going into Lassen Volcanic National Park despite two attempts. Also, would like to see JPL facilities and Mt. Wilson near L.A.
• CO - Need to visit Yucca House national park in the extreme southwestern corner of the state
• CT - DONE
• DC - DONE but there could be some exhibit or other thing that someday brings me back to the capital city. Could also visit Fort Bayard National Park as well as photograph the campus signs at three colleges: Trinity, Galluadet and Univ. of D.C.
• DE - DONE
• FL - Likely will visit Orlando where a high school classmate and a cousin both live, still want to take the ferry at Fort Matanzas, and, re-attempt to visit a couple of places on the Gulf Coast: Sarasota (downtown), Pine Island and the Naples Botanical Gardens
• GA - Would like to actually get into the Chattahooche National Park Ford visitor center plus other parks for the first time visit: Cumberland Island, Arabia Mountain, Augusta Canal, Gullah/Geechee and Trail of Tears (which runs through AL, AR, GA, IL, KY, MO, NC, OK, TN). Also could photograph campus sign at Valdosta State University.
• 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 as well as Washington county (between St. Louis and Mt. Vernon)
• IN - Total eclipse in April 2024, family history research in Ft.Wayne plus maybe find ancestral cemeteries in Brown county
• IA - Visit Effigy Mounds in the northeast part of the state and photograph nearby campus sign at Luther College. Family history research in various parts of the state.
• KS - Currently live here, and, yet to visit Nicodemus National Park
• KY - DONE
• LA - Maybe visit cousins in New Orleans plus see national parks Atchafalaya, Cane River Creole, El Camino Real de los Tejas, Jean Lafitte and photograph sign at Univ of New Orleans
• ME - Revisit Acadia National Park to photograph the park sign and just see the park again (was there in 1986), also visit the area around Eastport and Calais
• MD - DONE
• MA - Visit Martha's Vineyard, also, family history research plus I know many fellow Toastmasters in Boston. And, a good friend lives in this state. Couple of colleges to go to too.
• MI - DONE but maybe someday see Keweenaw National Park (visitor center). Also, determine what (and where) scenic things can be seen in Pictured Rocks National Park
• MN - Five colleges and one national park in St.Paul plus two other national parks in the northeast: Isle Royale National Park from Grand Portage (both are national parks)
• MS - DONE
• MO - DONE, but I live too close to KCMO to avoid it
• MT - DONE unless I try a third attempt at Big Hole national park and a fourth attempt to Glacier National Park to drive the Going-to-the-Sun Road. MT does have gorgeous scenery/colors.
• NE - DONE
• NV - DONE
• NH - DONE
• NJ - DONE
• NM - Some national parks to visit: Bandelier, El Malpais, El Morro, Gila Cliff Dwellings and Salinas Pueblo Missions (Gran Quivira visitor center)
• NY - Many many places yet to revisit (from the 2015 trip) in this state
• NC - DONE
• ND - Two national parks to visit (Knife River Indian Villages and Fort Union Trading Post), 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 - DONE but it is possible that future family history discoveries brings me back here to check out something
• 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
• TX - Some colleges (Houston,San Antonio,Tarleton) plus one national park (Big Thicket) to visit. Brother lives in this state as does a friend.
• 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 Champlain, also, maybe some family history research in Windham county
• VA - DONE but cousins live here, plus, could photograph the campus sign at the University of Lynchburg
• WA - DONE but a friend lives in Seattle
• WV - DONE unless photograph Concord University in the south central part of the state
• WI - DONE re-attempt (it was pouring rain years ago when there) to visit the House of the Rocks and Taliesman near the town of 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.