You're probably wondering where I've been, huh? Well, Ironman and I took 17 days, got out of town and saw a lot of the east coast! Then, I came home sick, laid on the couch for over a week and just now am back in the land of the living.
During September 2012, Ironman and I took a month-long road trip, looping the southern part of the USA, heading up the west coast and returning to South Carolina through the middle of the country. Seems like just yesterday, but that was already five years ago! And for these entire five years, I've been telling him that we need to do an east coast road trip. I'm super excited that we finally went and just got back home last weekend! If you are interested in your own east coast road trip, this post if for you! Here is the route and stops I suggest you take:
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| Washington Monument |
During September 2012, Ironman and I took a month-long road trip, looping the southern part of the USA, heading up the west coast and returning to South Carolina through the middle of the country. Seems like just yesterday, but that was already five years ago! And for these entire five years, I've been telling him that we need to do an east coast road trip. I'm super excited that we finally went and just got back home last weekend! If you are interested in your own east coast road trip, this post if for you! Here is the route and stops I suggest you take:
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| The White House |
Our Route:
South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
Maryland
Delware
New Jersey
Pensylvania
New York
Connecticut
Rhode Island
Massachusets
New Hamshire
Maine
Vermont
New York
Pennsylvania
West Virginia
Virginia
North Carolina
and finally back home to South Carolina
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| Niagara Falls |
Our Overnight Stops (in order):
1 night in Richmond, VA on our way to DC
5 nights with friends in Falls Church, VA while sight-seeing in DC
2 nights in Parsippany, NJ for a family wedding
1 night in Sharon, MA before our day in Boston
1 night in Cambridge, MA over-looking Boston Harbor
1 night in Danvers, MA after our day in Salem
2 nights in Chewonki Campground, ME
1 night in Victor, NY before seeing Niagara Falls
1 night in Pittsburgs, PA on our way back to SC
1 night in Charlotte, NC before our road trip was over
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| Chewonki Campground, Maine |
Our Sightseeing Spots:
National Museum of the Marine Corps
hit ALL the hot spots around DC
The Kennedy Center
Plymouth Rock
The Freedom Trail in Boston
The Red Line in Salem
Camping, Lobster and LLBean in Maine
Niagara Falls
Scenery while driving...
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| Five Islands Lobster Company, Maine |
Random facts from our days on the road:
Miles on the road: 2,919
Gallons of gas: 82
Gas stops: 7
Days on the road: 17
Nights on the road: 16
Nights in hotels: 9
Nights in campgrounds: 2
Nights with friends: 5
States we drove through: 15
Worst overnight stay: Best Western Plus in Sharon, MA
Best overnight stay: with our friends in DC
Best overnight stay: with our friends in DC
Worst traffic: I95 from NY to CT
Longest drive: Maine to Niagara Falls
Hardest drive: on the way home when I was sick
Hottest weather: DC
Sunburns: DC and too many hours in the car
Coldest weather: Maine
Never want to go back: Salem?
Best memory: walking around DC together
Snacks: Superseeds
Caffeine of choice: Starbucks
Injuries: none
Car problems: nope, thank goodness
Handsomest guy: Nick
Hours Emily drove: 0
Most surprising moment: learning about the Salem Witch Trials
Podcasts: 4
eBooks: 2
Sick days: last few days after camping
Most expensive gas: NY
Least expensive gas: SC
Hours of silence:...................
Favorite state: Maine
We didn't get to see, but wanted to: Hersey, PA and Prince Edward Island
Lessons learned: Don't sit and read a book in the cold wind for hours
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| Lincoln Memorial |
Most used sentences:
"Don't worry, we will do that on our big road trip"
How would we rate this trip on a scale of 1 to 10?: TEN
We had such a good trip and we're so glad that we took the time to go. While we were gone, a ton of work got done on our fixer upper, including painting and refinishing floors. So, that was amazing. We found some great juice and smoothie bars on our trip, but we also really enjoyed trying lobster in Maine! The place we found was way out of the way, but totally worth the drive. We learned so much history while visiting museums and sight-seeing. And we learned a lot about health while staying with our friends in DC, trying their supplements, sitting in their sauna and fascia blasting. It was just the right amount of vacation and learning, downtown and getting out, friends and family...this trip was full of variety and tons of fun! Already scheming our next one!
We had such a good trip and we're so glad that we took the time to go. While we were gone, a ton of work got done on our fixer upper, including painting and refinishing floors. So, that was amazing. We found some great juice and smoothie bars on our trip, but we also really enjoyed trying lobster in Maine! The place we found was way out of the way, but totally worth the drive. We learned so much history while visiting museums and sight-seeing. And we learned a lot about health while staying with our friends in DC, trying their supplements, sitting in their sauna and fascia blasting. It was just the right amount of vacation and learning, downtown and getting out, friends and family...this trip was full of variety and tons of fun! Already scheming our next one!
Now, if you were reading this and thinking, "I would love to do something like this, but could never afford it", I want you to check out this blog post on how to travel on a tight budget and this blog post on how to save money and travel! Sure, traveling takes lots of planning and sacrifice. But, it makes for some amazing memories and is always worth it.
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