Documenting - Backroads Blitz Pt 1

Here I am!

I was being smart and set up posts for the time I would be on the road, figuring I would be able to post when I got to my first stopping point. Well, life had its own ideas. Between the quick temperature drop, almost 60 degrees, and the rain. Well, I got a cold after rugby in Chicago. It hit me fast and hard. So I have not wanted to look at my phone or computer much the last week or so. But I am back and getting things back on track.

I will get more into different parts of my trip in later blog posts, this is an overview of my first couple of weeks on the road.

I left Las Vegas on the afternoon of the 10th of June and with the warm weather, I decided to skip my desert stops and head for the coast. I hit Santa Monica around 10 pm and found myself a place by the ocean to tuck in for my first night. The animals were not yet into the travel routine so I did not make a lot of stops the first day.

The next couple of days we spent exploring the coast, driving along US Hwy 101, and spending a couple of days in each coastal state. Finding the small towns, beaches, and forests to explore. We slept under the redwoods, along the coast a few times. We had amazing food, really good and really bad coffee. And we had fun!

Once we hit the northern part of the Washington coast we cut back south to pick up US Hwy 12. 12 runs east/west along the upper part of the united states, it also happens to run through my hometown in Minnesota and my birth town in Wisconsin. I guess I have a deep connection to that little road.

I will be real here, I loved driving through Washington and the panhandle of Idaho, but North and South Dakota were nothing special really. To be fair, I had a dental issue and I was starving, so I pushed through to get to Minnesota. I got here just in time to watch my son play softball and catch a rugby game. It was nice to see him out on the field doing what he loves.

The next week was rest, exploring my home, and getting ready for rugby in Chicago. Rugby was amazing, I truly miss days standing out on the field getting images, it was even wet. I miss standing in, playing in the rain, and I enjoyed the rain. Took off my shoes and walked barefoot in the water and mud, oh how it brought me back.

On the way back to Minnesota I decided to follow 12 through Wisconsin, to the Dells, a place I spent all of my summers with my grandparents. They owned a farm outside of town. It was a nice little walk down memory lane including stops at the farm I spent summers on.

In the next week or two, I will share more images and stories from part of my trip. Don’t worry I am not stopping in Minnesota. After I rework the car and see my family and friends I will be hitting the road for more images and adventures.

Thank you so much for joining me on my adventures.