Where In The World Have I Been?

I've been reading a number of interesting blogs over the past couple of months, finding some great stories and beautiful photos to accompany them. But I'm beginning to feel like I haven't really "lived" somehow, because I haven't been to numerous foreign countries and had all sorts of colorful adventures. To make myself feel better I decided to make a list of all the places I have been just to prove that I've been outside of the great State of Ohio. Here's what I came up with:

Maine (visit friends/relatives in Portland, Lake Nahmakanta Wilderness Camp, Monhegan Island, Acadia National Park)
Michigan (Mackinac Island twice, Saulte Ste. Marie, Troy)
Iowa (visits to Aunt Hilary)
Florida (St. Augustine, Longboat Key, Orlando)
Georgia (St. Simons Island, Atlanta to visit a friend)
North Carolina (trip to Outer Banks, summer of 1992)
South Carolina (Hilton Head with my sisters family)
Kentucky (Mammoth Cave, Natural Bridge, Louisville)
Indiana (Indianapolis and many other short trips)
California (Huntington Beach, Disneyland)
Arizona (Grand Canyon)
Louisiana (visited friend in New Orleans)
Tennessee (Memphis, Nashville, camping/hiking in Smoky Mountain Nat’l Park)
West Virginia (New River rafting trips 3 times)
New York (family trips to Buffalo, Niagara Falls; Albany, Binghampton)
Pennsylvania (family trips to Doylestown, Philadelphia)
Washington DC/Virginia (family visits to Uncle Bill)
Connecticut (Grosvenordale - Aunt Mary’s)
Minnesota (Minneapolis)
Colorado (camping/hiking Rocky Mountain Natl Park)
Nevada (Las Vegas)
New Mexico (visited friend in Albequerque)
Virginia (camping/hiking in Shenandoah Nat’l Park)
Texas (Dallas)
Massachusetts (family trip to Cape Cod)
Canada (family trips to Montreal, Expo 67)
England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales (family trip in 1971)
Puerto Rico (El Conquistador Resort, San Juan in January, 1995)

(Entries in RED were business trips that always included a little fun and sight-seeing. Not exactly a real vacation, but they still count!)

(This list doesn't include all the states that I've merely driven through to get somewhere ... that would make a much longer list, but that would be cheating, wouldn't it?)

Photos from our trip to St. Simons Island, Georgia: A little piece of heaven!

Places I Would Love To Go Before It's All Said and Done ...
Williamsburg, VA
Vermont in the Fall
Whitefish, Montana to visit my brother and his family
Alaska - anywhere in Alaska - it looks so beautiful!
Rte. 1 along the East Coast and West Coast
Redwood National Park, Ca
Wisconsin Dell area
Mt. Rushmore/Badlands

I don't really have a hankering to travel overseas much. Would I go if someone offered a trip? Probably, as long as it was a fairly civilized (safe) area of the world. But this great country of our has so much to offer, so much to see, that I can't imagine ever wanting to spend time overseas when there are thousands of incredible opportunities right here in the USA. Not much of a global outlook, granted, but I love this country and all that it has to offer. Too many places to go and not enough time! I pray that I live long enough to take many, many more trips with the people I love, enjoying the places that I've wanted to visit.

~Looking forward to an adventure-filled retirement!~