OUR JOURNEY TO FIND PURPOSE
When we decided to take this trip, one of our goals was to try to visit as many of the 17 states we have remaining so that we will have visited all 50 since we have been married.
We both do not usually like to stay in the same place for very long so that will work well on this trip trying to get to as many of those as we can. We typically do not plan a lot of structure and make too many reservations. At this point we have two places we must be while on the trip. We have a family trip with our kids near Montana and we must be in Charlotte, North Carolina mid July for a conference I am so excited about called She Speaks with one of my favorite authors, Lysa TerKeurst.
I mapped out our route to Montana to try to include as many states as we can. I love Roadtrippers to help me find things along our travel route. It highlights main attractions and you can zoom in for things a little more off the path if you want. There are lots of reviews from travelers so it is easy to see what they are rated to see if it is worth a stop.
We had been to Tennessee before but when planning our path to Arkansas (our first state we had not been to yet) I found out that Anthony had always wanted to go to Graceland (which I never knew) so it was time to make that happen since we were so close. So, on day five, we made a quick stop to Tupelo to see where Elvis was born and then headed to Graceland for our next adventure. When we got to Memphis, we got to ship our first roasted nut order on the road from an order we got online! (You can now buy our roasted nuts online!!)
We both loved our visit there and it was so interesting to learn so much about his life and see things as they were when he lived there. The memorabilia in the museums were amazing and such a tribute to him. It was sad to reflect on his life and that he had one of the most momentous careers in music history and was loved by so many and yet lived a life that ended in such tragedy. We topped it off that night with a visit to Beale Street to BB King’s Blues Club. It was a great atmosphere with live music. We bought some of their BBQ Rub to try a new roasted nut flavor when we get home!
Next stop on day six was Hot Springs Arkansas. This was our first state that we have never been to. We found the visitor center on Bathhouse Row, did a quick tour of that bathhouse and grabbed a map of the trails. We took off for about 5.5 miles of hiking. The best spot was on Goat Rock overlooking the mountains. It was great to get some exercise in, see some amazing scenery and get to stop and take some pictures of a couple of deer that stopped to pose. We got to take a refreshing drink from one of the cold water springs and attempt to stick our feet in the hot water spring and well, it was hot. Very hot. Was a great pick for our Arkansas stop! One of seventeen marked off the list.
Day seven included a quick workout at Planet Fitness, Midwest City and a stop in Oklahoma City. It was inspiring to see the results of a major revitalization project that turned a community around. The buildings were beautifully restored to recycle old industrial and commercial properties to create a beautiful downtown. We got to take a tour on the Bricktown Water Taxi to see the city from a unique viewpoint and hear about the history with a guided tour. The Detroit style pizza from Rendezvous Pizza was amazing. We met a great couple downtown from Atlanta and ended our time there meeting up with them at Michael Murthy’s Dueling Piano Bar. We had a great time and will definitely keep in touch with them! (I can not believe I forgot to snap a picture with our new friends Kevin & Kim!) After giving them a sample of our amazing roasted nuts, they were so sweet and placed an order online we got to ship to them from our road trip! Two of seventeen marked off the list.
Next up was Texas & New Mexico for day eight and nine! Among all the wind turbines in the middle of nowhere, we came upon a treasure stop. There is a 190 feet white steel cross placed there by Cross Ministries among some amazing sculptures and an empty tomb and other exhibits. I was so very blessed by the time there just taking a moment to soak in the peace that I felt while there. It was the feeling I have been praying people would have when they come to our prayer garden and chapel we are building. Now I want to build a huge cross.
After eating at The Big Texan (crazy to watch all those people trying to eat that 72 oz steak to get it for free which you can watch live anytime!) and taking some great pictures at Cadillac Ranch, we did a quick stop in Albuquerque, got a workout in at Planet Fitness, restocked our supplies and did some quick laundry.
Day 10 continued in New Mexico with a stop at Shiprock and to the Four Corner Monument. Seriously the rock formations on this stretch were literally amazing. Thankful for my sweet husband who stops for every picture of everything I want to take. Here are just a few of my favorites.
Texas and New Mexico did not disappoint even though they were quick. Three and four of seventeen marked off the list.
If you made it to the end....we had an eventful day on day 11 that set us back a bit so stay tuned to hear all about that on the next update.