Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Trip - Northeastern Loop

We're finishing up our Western Loop, and I'm starting to look at the Northeastern Loop, which we've scheduled for autumn. Of course, that means getting out the atlas my son got for me and looking at the US map, not just individual states.

But looking at the map to start figuring out what route to take has pointed out something that I kind of knew already but didn't want to face: My sense of geography for the eastern half of the country isn't the best. In fact, I've been fooled by terminology the same way early explorers must have gone to Greenland, thinking it was green. The Midwest isn't in the middle of the country. It's in the East. When did that happen?

When we leave Texas for the world's longest covered bridge in Hartland, New Brunswick, we'll be crossing states I thought we wouldn't see until the spring. By going to see Niagra Falls (both my mom and I want to see it, neither of us having been there before), we'll probably go through St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio (see green line). Beyond Niagra Falls, I have no idea what route to take to get to Hartland (see green dot on the far right).


I'm not sure what I thought was between Texas and Pennsylvania, but it wasn't that many states. I guess, having lived in the West since I was 5 years old, I forgot that the rest of the country is different, especially if you're driving.

Oh well, this isn't the first time I've been taken by surprise, and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Anyway, if you're a Midwesterner somewhere remotely near our tentative route, we may be able to meet you this fall, instead of having to wait until spring. Leave a comment, or email me at skyepuppy77-at-yahoo-dot-com, if you'd like to get together when we're near you.

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