In every trip, there is a defining moment for me. That moment when it would take longer than a day to get back home. That moment was in Grand Junction, Colorado. The day before we had packed up a rental van with nothing more than the essentials (plus or minus mom’s six pairs of shoes and my three books). Then, we were on our way to the heart of the U.S. on our two week road trip.
Two weeks and over 6,000 miles. Could we do it? With my dad’s lead foot, yes we could. The plan was to head through the U.S. to Iowa, over to Pennsylvania, down to South Carolina, and over to Arkansas. Hitting 11 states I had never been too. I was bursting with excitement! Honestly though, the first few days were nothing to write home about. One very defining feature of the central United States is flatness. Well, at least when you’re not driving through mountain passes while avoiding elk roadkill. Anyways, we drove clear to Illinois in about two days and that’s when the fun began.
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Into The Heart
We didn’t do more than skirt the southern edge of Chicago when we were nearly hit by a gargantuan white truck swerving through the cars. Then, bumper to bumper. I can’t imagine what it would be like in the heart of the city. Yikes. We finally made it into Indiana and things began to calm down a bit. The drivers weren’t as aggressive and we were actually moving at a good pace. We nipped into Michigan and drove through a fancy, lake side town where I got to see Lake Michigan just before we went right back down into Indiana.
We drove for a few more hours before one of my favorite parts of the trip. You see, I’ve lived in the desert my whole life so when my mom told me to look out the window, I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were fireflies everywhere! Little blinking lights dazzling in the fields as we drove past. Honestly, I began flipping out in the back seat. I had never seen anything so beautifully simple before. We stopped by the road to get a better glimpse before stopping for the night a few hours from Toledo, Ohio.
Through The Heart
The next morning we meandered into Amish country in central and southern Ohio. The fields and farm land were so crisp and well maintained. I loved seeing the horses and buggies too, but my favorite part of this day, was when we went into a little shop in Trail, Ohio. My parents got little sandwiches, and I was able to get some plain meat. The allergies you see. Really though, I didn’t need any bread. The meat was so flavorful and served to you hot like at a little food stand. I would definitely go back to Troyer’s any day!
We did a little more sight seeing after that, stopped at a fabric store, a farmers market (where I got more plants because, of course I needed them), and finally a chocolate shop where mom regretted not getting as much as she could. The day ended with a quick jaunt through West Virginia, and then into Pennsylvania where we stayed the night.
The Heart Of West Virginia
The next day was West Virginia day. Now, after driving through Wheeling the day before, we weren’t really planning on staying very long. I’m sure the people there are quite nice, but time has not been kind to the disheveled Victorian houses. Boy were we in for a surprise though. We made our way to the nicest rest stop of the entire trip, then into Weston, WV where we came across the Appalachian Glass shop. Not only did they sell their own products there, they made them in house and held demonstrations!
We sat for then entire process enthralled with the technique and passion that went into every piece. Our teacher then decided to make a cat, named Inferno, that we got to help make. He had us tell him our favorite colors true, and honestly. Once the audience did, he put everything together and formed a cat with our colors. Now, he didn’t look like much, but what our teacher said stuck with me. He said, the colors may not go together perfectly, and he could use the same colors for another cat, but no other cat would be inferno because we made him. Each one of us had our own part and Inferno wouldn’t be the same without us. It really made me think about how each an everyone of us, whether doctor or professional ice cream taster, has an affect on this world and if we weren’t here, the world just wouldn’t be the same.
The Adventure In Full Swing
We drove around Weston for a bit admiring the Victorian buildings of questionable stability before headed through Kentucky and into Tennessee. Seriously though, from southern Ohio south, I swear there wasn’t a straight road. I thought the rocky mountains were crazy enough, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many hairpin turns in my life! We finally made it to an overlook where we could see through the trees and what we were driving through hit me. It was stunning. One thing my mom particularly liked was that if there was a flat spot to be found, people would build a house there, or a few houses, or a small town. Wherever they could build in those fluffy mountains, they did. We finally hit Tennessee and stopped for the night in Knoxville.
The next day we drove through Pigeon Forge, TN. Or as I like to call it, family friendly Vegas strip in Tennessee. Once through Pigeon Forge, we found ourselves driving through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Of course we stopped at the gift shop, and of course I got my magnet and post card. We then made our way to Cherokee, North Carolina. It reminded me a bit of home with its more touristy feel. We then ended the day in South Carolina.
That’s It!
Thank you for reading this post on the Welcome To My Shoes blog! Keep your eyes peeled for part two of Traveling Through The Heart Of The U.S, or, you know, you could subscribe so you don’t miss a thing. Out of these states which one’s your favorite? Did I miss any of your favorite stops? Let me know in the comets below!
P.S. I also write a fiction post series called The Adventures Of Comet And Steve. Click here to check it out!