I’m at that point in life when one starts taking a serious look at their “Bucket List” and all of those things they’ve yet to have done. (Bucket Lists are those things you want to do in your life before you die. This idea was memorialized in the 2007 movie “The Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.)
Cross-Country Road Trip
A couple of weeks back, I mentioned in a blog article that it had always been my dream to get into my car and drive our country from the East Coast to the West Coast and back.
For too long, I’ve flown across this great land and seen it from 30,000-feet, gazing out of the airline window saying to myself, “One day, I’m going to drive from sea to shining sea.”
When I shared this Bucket List item with my fiancé, Sue, she said it was something she always wanted to do as well.
Let the Planning Begin
Planning a trip that will span about eight weeks and 8,000-miles is quite an ordeal.
Originally, I thought we could just wing-it by getting in the car and driving wherever the winds took us. But that turns out to be a little unrealistic, especially if, like the two of us, you have kids and grandkids along the route you wish to spend time with.
Once you start talking with them – after all they have lives they’re living and plans they’re making – you have to map out a specific route and timetable. Plus, when I started looking at hotels to stay at along the way, I realized that if you want to have a place “leaving the light on for you” when you pull into town, you’d better make reservations. Triple A says that they expect this summer to be a banner year for people going on vacation via their vehicles.
The Map Takes Shape
Once we firmed up our stays with our kids and grandkids, we began to map out our route and timetable for traveling coast-to-coast.
Starting this week, we will leave Virginia and head through Ohio.
I’ve never been to Dayton and I’m excited to meet a radio friend and blog reader, Kevin 
Fodor who is a radio programmer and news anchor at Cox Radio. The Cox Media Group in Dayton is print, TV, radio, digital and so much more in one location.
It should be an exciting start to our cross-country adventure.
Some of the High Points
Without getting too deep in the weeds, here are some of the high points of our cross-country trip.
We plan to cruise on the mighty Mississippi River, hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir & organ, tour the Hoover Dam, stay in a haunted hotel, ride the Hooterville Cannonball to Petticoat Junction, wine in Napa Valley, walk through a giant redwood forest, see Howard Hughes’ “Spruce Goose,” watch Old Faithful, view Mount Rushmore, visit The House on the Rock, traverse a great lake on a ferry, experience Hitsville U.S.A. where the Motown sound was born, visit Radio’s Best Friend, Art Vuolo, 
and tour the Henry Ford & Greenfield Village before heading back home to the Shenandoah Valley.
Oh, Sue just reminded me that we will be shopping the incredible thrift stores in Minneapolis too.
But the part that we are most looking forward to is spending time with our children and grandchildren. We have them in Nevada, Washington State and Montana.
What About the Blog?
Since I anticipate very little online time during this trip, I have been writing blog articles that will automatically post to this blog site while I’m on the road. I know some folks have become “addicted” to this weekly muse and so I don’t want anyone to suffer withdrawal. However, if something catches my ear that I think you should hear about, I will be sure to write about it and post it while we are on the road.
Now would be a good time to go to the blog website: https://DickTaylorBlog.com and sign-up to have each week’s new article delivered to you via email on Sunday mornings.
Thank You for reading and sharing your thoughts in the comments section.
It’s by sharing our wisdom, experiences and perspectives that we all learn and grow together.
DickTaylorBlog 
I hope you post intermittently about your travels – some of the places you mention are new to me. We plan to start a new trip west in August …
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I’m sure at some point I will.
Sue & I will be posting pictures on Facebook as we travel this great country.
-DT
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Sounds wonderful. Can’t wait to hear audio & see video thoughts from the Great Broadcast Professor.
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Thank You Clark. -DT
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Dick, it sounds like a dream come true. Enjoy safe travels and especially the family time along the way.
Best,
Roy
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Thank you so very much Roy. -DT
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Dick,
Our wish for you is to enjoy every minute of the trip, as you check items off your Bucket Lists! America is an incredible country, filled with so many wonderful things to see, and it’s sad so few Americans really explore what we’ve got. You’ll realize this at National Parks, when you’re more likely to be surrounded by bus loads of Japanese tourists, or a family from Germany, than a group of fellow Americans from Ohio! As someone who’s read John Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley too many times to count, I agree with him when he says, “Nearly every American hungers to move.” Enjoy your trip, as you and Sue do the most American of things! Safe travels my friend and do let us ride along when you can!
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Thank YOU Frank & Sue. Your trip across this incredible country was inspirational.
-DT
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We’re just an email away if you need any help!
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Looking foward to seeing you both Friday. The welcome mat will be out for sure!
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Thank YOU so very much Kevin. We are both looking forward to our visit.
-DT
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Hi Dick….you are full filling a dream that my wife, Beverly and I have had. Please post video of the Motown studios and control rooms. Be safe.
Larry Justice
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Great idea Larry. If they allow me to do that, I will.
-DT
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Watched “The Temptations” on MTV, last light. Great stop, great sound.
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Safe home!
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Congratulations! As a native Sconnie/Cheesehead, I noticed that you’ll be taking the ferry across Lake Michigan, from Ludington to Manitowoc.
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Yes, that’s the plan alright. Sounds like a wonderful crossing too. We depart Manitowoc at 2pm in the afternoon and arrive in Ludington at 7pm that evening.
Thanks for stopping by the blog today.
-DT
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Wait, what…..no San Francisco or Southern California? Have a safe trip.
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Fear not Dave. Having already done SoCal several times, this trip has us going through Jamestown, CA to San Francisco, through NAPA Valley and the giant redwoods of North California. -DT
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Plus no driving tour of California south of San Francisco is complete without a leisurely drive down the PCH through Big Sur…except AFAIK the road is still completely closed due to mudslides. 😦 Best to save it for another day. Or better still, spend some real quality time with the whole Central Coast from Santa Cruz to Carpinteria. The year I lived in Santa Barbara wasn’t exactly a good one, but I’d never deny it’s gorgeous country to visit.
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Agreed. I drove PCH from LA to San Fran and loved every mile of it. Never been north of San Fran and so the time has come to do that leg.
-DT
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sounds like such an awesome trip for you and Sue. happy and safe travels!
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SInce your route takes you across Kansas, be sure to leave a couple of hours for a detour off the interstate to visit the tiny town of Lucas. . The Grassroots Folkart Museum is a delight, and was the high point of a California to Ohio roadtrip I drove many years ago. Ask if they still have the Rebarb House and can show it to you–you’ll never forget it!
http://www.grassrootsart.net/
And if you can pick up High Plains Public Radio in Western Kansas on your way, and it happens to be between 11am-1pm on Saturday, their long-running Western Swing show will let you know you’re really heading for the West! http://hppr.org/programs/western-swing-and-other-things
Getting off the interstates as much as you can will make it more of a pleasure than a race against time and truckers!
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Thank You Tim for the tips. -DT
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Dick, I’m pretty sure you were in the International Broadcastesr Idea Bank a few years ago, correct? I agree with most of what you write. After selling our stations last year and taking some time off, I’m now ready to start my next chapter in the broadcast industry and would like your feedback. I see from your map, you plan to pass nearby in Kansas then later it looks like you’ll be in NV where we have a second home and plan to spend some time this summer. I’d love to buy you and your finance a meal and get your feedback on this idea.
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Hi Joe,
I was in the IBIB two different times in my life. Each time, my stations were taken over my a big box broadcaster and the IBIB didn’t want me sharing their ideas with them. Which was OK because they didn’t want their ideas shared with anyone else either.
Private message me about the rest.
-DT
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