ORLANDO & DAYTONA BEACH ROAD TRIP!

At the end of June, we took a road trip to Orlando. Unlike previous Orlando visits, this time we did not have plans to visit any of the theme parks. Instead it was just a relaxing few days in Orlando and Daytona Beach. So naturally, we picked up a few counties as well.

We left early Saturday morning. Our destination was Chattanooga. Since we had already hit every county on the way (as well as all the counties nearby) we took a direct route all the way - save for a brief side trip into Alabama, since we hadn't visited in a long time. Once we got to our hotel, the Embassy Suites by Hilton, we planned to take a little side trip from our hotel to pick up a few new counties. But we were tired from the drive, and decided to do so the next morning. So on Sunday morning we got up early, before the kids were up, and headed east on I-75. We crossed into Bradley County, then continued east into Polk County. We then followed HWY 411 north into McMinn County, before heading west into Meigs and Rhea Counties. After our two-hour side trip was finished, we headed back to our hotel for the continental breakfast.

After picking up the kids, we piled into the car. Our destination was the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando. Having traveled this route before, we were able to take a mostly direct path. However we did veer off a couple of times. As we drove down I-75, we got off near the city of Dalton, Georgia. We headed west on HWY 76 into Murray County. We continued southwest, picking up Gilmer and Pickens Counties, before heading back to I-75. We continued due south from Macon, then got off the interstate once again, this time near the city of Perry. We went southwest again, picking up Pulaski, Wilcox, Dodge and Ben Hill Counties – our last new counties of the day. We then hopped back on I-75, and took a direct route to our hotel.

We spent Sunday night and Monday night at our hotel, the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort, simply enjoying everything they had to offer: kayaking, giant swimming pool, and even the Disney fireworks show, which we could see from our balcony.

                                 

On Tuesday we took a short drive to Daytona Beach, our next destination We spent the next two nights at the Hyatt Place, Daytona Beach Oceanfront. Our internet sucked. But we had no complaints regarding our balcony view of the Atlantic. In the evening we went "crabbin" on the beach.

On Thursday morning we started our long trip back. Our first stop was the Hyatt Place in Sumter, South Carolina. We took a somewhat direct path there. We took I-95 north into Georgia and drove through Glynn, McIntosh and Liberty Counties. Once we entered South Carolina, we got off the interstate and drove up HWY 321, entering Allendale County. At the small town of Ulmer, we drove a few miles up on HWY 300 to pick up Barnwell County. We then doubled back to Ulmer, continued on HWY 321, and entered Bamberg County. We eventually got back on I-95, crossed Lake Marion, and entered Clarendon County. We then got off the highway again, as we entered Sumter County. But before we headed to our hotel, we went east on HWY 378, and picked up Florence and Williamsburg Counties. We then turned around, drove back west on HWY 378, and took it all the way to our hotel in Sumter.

On Friday morning, we decided to go out and pick up two bonus counties before the kids awoke. We headed west out of Sumter until we entered Richland County. From there we turned north on HWY 601, drove about 10 miles to Kershaw County, then turned around and headed back to the hotel.

A long day of travel awaited us when we finally left the hotel for good. We started by heading NE out of Sumter, hitting Lee, Darlington and Chesterfield Counties before crossing into North Carolina. We eventually hooked up with I-74, going north through a few counties we had previously visited. On the north side of the city of High Point, we got off the highway to stop for lunch at McDonald’s. We also crossed into Davidson County, which was a block further down the road. From there we drove through Winston Salem, heading NW on HWY 52, and picking up Forsyth, Stokes and Surrey Counties.

We briefly went south in I-77, before heading west on HWY 421/321 for quite awhile. Along the way, we drove though Yadkin, Wilkes, Watauga and Avery Counties. We spent about 2 miles in Avery County before crossing into the great state of Tennessee. We continued west through Carter County, then drove south into Unicoi County, before hopping onto I-26 to head north into Washington County. We continued north until we reached Kingsport, where we got off to make a quick stop at Dairy Queen – as well as to pick up Hawkins County.

After Dairy Queen, we drove a few miles further to the north, crossing into Virginia, and Scott County. We then got onto HWY 23, and drove through Lee and Wise Counties, as well as the Independent City of Norton. After Norton we continued north until we crossed into Kentucky, and Letcher County. We were a little worried that the final stretch of our drive was going to be through curvy, mountainous roads. But are fears were put aside, as the drive turned out to be pretty standard. As the sun began to set, we traveled in a mostly NW direction, picking up Knott, Perry, Breathitt, Wolfe, Powell and Montgomery Counties. We stopped in Stanton to pick up dinner. We were going to do Hardee’s. But it was closed. So we did Dairy Queen once again. In Montgomery County we turned right on WHY 460, into the city of Means, just past the Menifee County border. From there we drove a few miles north to the city of Hope, took another right, and crossed the Bath County line. From there it was a straight shot west to our hotel, picking up Clark County along the way. Our stop for the night was the Homewood Suites by Hilton, Lexington.

On Saturday morning we began the drive home. While it was mostly a straight shot, we did grab a couple of new counties shortly after leaving the hotel. We drove clockwise around Lexington, veering off a few miles not Nicholasville Road to cross into Jessamine County. We then got onto I-75 north, taking a side just north of Lexington on HWY 62, in order to pick up both Bourbon and Harrison Counties. We then got back on the interstate, drove straight home, but crossed through Grant County, KY on the way, our last new county on the trip.

When it was all said and done, we had added 57 new counties. So what's next? We have a trip to Hawaii planned for August. But that won't net us any new counties. However we then have a trip through the Dakotas in September, followed by a possible trip to Kansas in October. So stay tuned!

                                  

NEW COUNTIES - 57

                 TOTAL COUNTIES FOR 2022 - 106

                 ALL TIME COUNTY TOTAL - 2312

FINISHING IOWA AND NEBRASKA!

Getting back into the swing of things post-Covid, we headed off on our second solo road trip. Ironically, we were both still recovering from Covid at the time of this trip. Nonetheless, we were troopers, and soldiered on. We knew going into it that this was going to be rather uneventful trip overall. So it worked out well, not having a ton of things to see.

We set out on Friday night. Our destination was the Hampton Inn in Marshalltown, Iowa. We got into Iowa, worked our way around Cedar Rapids, and headed west on HWY 30. We entered Tama and Marshall Counties. The latter is where we spent the night.

On Saturday morning we set out for western Nebraska. We headed mostly west for the entire day. We continued west on HWY 30, picking up Story, Boone and Greene Counties. At the city of Scranton, we went south on HWY 25 until we crossed into Guthrie County, near the city of Bayard. We then went west on HWY 141, up into Carroll County. A few miles later we turned left, went about 1 mile down a dirt road, and crossed into Audubon County. We turned around, got back heading west on HWY 141, then entered Crawford County. When we reached HWY 59, we turned south and went about 4 miles until we crossed into Shelby County. With Shelby County picked up, we had completely finished the state of Iowa. Next up was Nebraska!

We crossed the Missouri River at Decatur and went west on HWY 51. After crossing through Burt County (a wonderful county that we had previously visited) we entered Stanton County. The next three counties (Wayne, Pierce and Madison) all came quickly, as they all came together at a point (including Stanton County) just northeast of the city of Norfolk. So we worked our way around the city to pick up all three.

We then went west on HWY 275 and reached Antelope County at the city of Tilden. When we reached the city of Elgin, we went south and entered Boone County. We then went back to Elgin and went west on HWY 70, crossing into Wheeler County. We then went south on HWY 281 and reached Greeley County. We then turned around to go back and head west on HWY 91, all the way to Garfield County. A few minutes later we took a side road for a few miles to Valley County. We then continued west on HWY 91 and HWY 2 for a couple of hours. When we got to Loup County, we drove through the small town of Taylor - which featured vintage figurines of people standing up all over the entire town. It was charming, and a little odd. Continuing west on HWY 91, we drove through Blaine, Thomas, Hooker and Grant Counties. After Grant County we entered Sheridan County (where we’d previously been) in order to pick up Garden County. We took a dirt road to the south, passed a small lake, and crossed the border into Garden County. The county sign had tipped over. So we picked it up for a quick photo. I’m sure the wind knocked it over a minute later. But it stood long enough for the picture.

At this point we finally had our first major stop of the day. Just north of the city of Alliance, we pulled over to visit Carhenge – a recreation of England’s Stonehenge – but made out of old cars. It’s definitely a sight to behold.                                                    

After Carhenge, we headed straight to our hotel – the Hampton Inn & Suites Scottsbluff. On our way we picked up two new counties – Morrill and Scotts Bluff.

On Sunday morning we set out to visit Scotts Bluff National Monument. We spent a little time touring the grounds, then drove to the summit for some nice views.

                        

                        

After Scotts Bluff National Monument, we went south on HWY 71 all the way to Kimball. We picked up Banner and Kimball Counties on the way. At Kimball we hopped on I-80 and started our long trip back. After heading east for 12 miles or so, we crossed into Cheyenne County. We continued east for about an hour, before getting off and heading north on HWY 61 towards the city of Arthur, and thus, Arthur County. Once we got to Arthur we went east on HWY 92 for quite awhile, picking up McPherson, Logan, Custer, Sherman, Howard and Merrick Counties. When we finally reached HWY 30, we headed northeast toward the city of Silver Creek. Once we reached the city, we took a few dirt roads to the west and entered Nance County. From there, we basically hugged the Platte River to pick up our last six counties of the trip. We drove on both the north and south sides of the river for several miles, weaving back and forth, picking up Polk, Platte, Butler, Colfax, Dodge and Saunders Counties. Saunders County was our last county in the state of Nebraska, and the last new county of our trip. With Iowa and Nebraska, we have now completed 23 states.                                       

When it was all said and done, we had picked up 46 new counties. So what's up next? We have a driving trip to Florida planned for the end of the months. So stay tuned! 

    

                                  

NEW COUNTIES - 46

                 TOTAL COUNTIES FOR 2022 - 49

                 ALL TIME COUNTY TOTAL - 2255