Road Trip: Ohio. Again.
2023 Road Trip Summary
The target of this vacation was, essentially, Mind Games in Ohio.
Again. (Same state, different city.) But we also, like last time, added some travel and capital visits around MG.
Further, since we were literally driving through two and near a third capital that we didn't previously take selfies at, we
stopped outside those capitals to capture said selfies. Lastly, we were able to stop in at the Indianapoilis senate that we
were kept out of last time.
The weather was generally acceptable, with temps varying 50 degrees between different days' lows and highs. It was very warm - unseasonably so - at the beginning, and then becoming cooler. Much cooler. Snow flurries cooler.
Trip statistics:
- 14 days and 13 nights.
- 4,333 miles travelled, including a two leg flight from PHL to CLT (564 miles), and then CLT to DSM (1,037 miles).
- 2,732 miles driven.
- Averaged 25.6 MPG for the entire trip.
- Walked at least 153,510 steps each.
- 2,612+* pictures retained, and 5 videos. Keep in mind that some of the pictures taken from the car are taken 1) at speed, 2) with the camera focusing on something [more] nearby than expected - like the dashboard, and or 3) quickly before the sight passed by [usually at speed...].
- 28 meals eaten (NOT incuding some "dinner-snacks" [such as bread, cheese, and wine - not a full meal]).
- 2 exotic car spotted**: both Porsche 911s.
- Generally, most drivers used their turn signals and were decent drivers. There was the occasional idiot going 90+ in a Toyota Corrola or Honda Civic in a 55 or 65 MPH zone, but again, generally, not too many bad drivers.
Trip highlights:
- 4 new capital stamps.
- 7 capitals visited (including the above).
- 2 new National Park stamps.
- 2 additional cities / towns visited (not including any "hey, let's stop here" cities / towns).
- 1 new National Military Park.
- 1 new National Landmark.
* This was the final count of pictures from the memory card that was downloaded to the laptop. There were some images that were
either blurry or missed the mark altogether. Also, I usually take two pictures with the cell phone because there is no "preview"
wherein the camera has a 5 second preview so the shot can be confirmed before taking it again if necessary.
** I decided to start counting the Porsche 911 because the model sells for $150,000 and up, and is rarer than any other
model they sell. The lesser Porsches don't count.
NOTE: The images are toned, hued and adjusted for the settings on MY monitor. Your experience may vary slightly. If you are having difficulty seeing images and they seem "washed out", you may need to turn down the brightness on your monitor.
All pictures [should] have a hover-over pop-up. If you see the thumbnail, hover-over it, and a larger version of the image
will appear in a window a little to the side. If you want to see an even BIGGER version of that image, you can either:
- left-click on it, look at it, and then click the browser back button
OR
- right-click on it, and select Open in new tab / window
This site doesn't have all the details, but a sufficient amount to give you enough of an idea about our trip. And for us to remember the highlights when we read this chronicle next month, next year, or next decade.
Day 1: Travel
Day 2: Des Moines, IA
including West Des Moines, the Des Moines Botanical Gardens, and the Art Center
Day 3: St. Paul, MN
including the Cathedral of Saint Paul, and the Mall of America
Day 4: Madison, WI
including Chazen Museum of Art, and Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Day 5: Milwaukee, WI
including Riverwalk, Saint Josaphat Basilica, and Central Public Library
Day 6: Chicago, IL
including Saint Catherine of Siena, Cultural Center, and Indiana Dunes NP
Day 7: Springfield, IL
including Abe Lincoln's House, Presidential library, and Tomb, and National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows
Day 8: St. Louis, MO
including Gateway Arch NP, Saint Liborius, zoo, and Casey, Il
Day 9: Indianapolis, IN
including Eiteljorg Museum of Amiercan Indians
Day 10: Columbus, OH
Day 11: Columbus, OH
Day 12: Columbus, OH
including Saint Michael the Archangel
Day 13: Columbus, OH
including Wheeling, WV, and Flight 91 9/11 Tower of Voices Memorial
Day 14: Gettysburg, PA
including the Washington Monument in Middletown, MD
