Dick & Joyce Stifel
THE FIFTY STATES TOUR
Bryce Canyon
“See The USA in Your Chevrolet.” If you are old enough to
remember this jingle, you probably remember family vacation road trips. The
fifties and sixties, we recall, found many kids in the backseat of the large family
station wagon heading off to a national park, big city or family reunion. Roadside
motels and picnic areas dotted the highways and made the trips tolerable for
parents and youngsters.
You may also have been bitten by the travel bug, although in my case, my
mother especially loved to travel. She made sure we ventured off each summer
on these vacations fully planting the value of seeing our country.
Dick and I were married in 1968 and had each visited about ten states by then.
Life, work conferences, and visits to friends took us to another nineteen by 2000.
We kept boats on Lake Michigan with its shorter sailing season and worked full
time, which limited our summer travel for thirty-three years.
Throughout our fifty-five years together, travel has always been a high priority.
Quests had enthusiastically beckoned us several times to driving trips throughout
Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, and France, as well as many trips to the
Continent. Cruises took us to Central America, the Baltic countries, the
Mediterranean, the Greek Isles, Turkey, safaris in Africa, and sailing many, many
times in the Caribbean.
Even though we traveled internationally with these experiences, the “See The
USA” bug returned when we retired around 2010 and we began to make a plan
to visit the remaining twenty-one states.
Dick was turning seventy that fall when we struck out on the first road trip, “Indian
Summer in the East.” We departed from our home state of Indiana, added
Vermont, New Hampshire, took the ferry to Long Island, crossed the Delmar
Peninsula and ended in Washington, D.C. for the birthday celebration with our
daughter, Megan. What made this trip memorable were the little finds such as
spotting Ben and Jerry’s factory in Waterbury, Vermont, stumbling across the
Republican presidential debate in Hanover at Dartmouth, wondering if we were
would be appropriately dressed to have dinner at the American Hotel in Sag
Harbor, only to discover jeans were often the norm. Three thousand, four
hundred, and forty-two miles, eighteen nights and fourteen beds! The first big
Stifel Road Trip had been completed.
We became more focused and set some parameters on what constituted an
official Stifel state visit. No, a plane refueling stop in Kansas or a Starbuck’s visit
in an airport could not be counted. A minimum of fifty miles had to be traveled for
a state to be included.
In 2017 we moved to Charleston and soon realized we Northerners
knew little about the South. We knew It was time to explore. ”Civil Rights and
Civil Wars” became the theme of a trip in February 2018. Oftentimes a visit with a
family member was added to the itinerary if we were in the vicinity. This trip
began with a visit to Jekyll Island, then on to Florida for more friends and family.
After venturing out to Apalachicola, we headed west for the heart of the trip.
Mobile, Alabama, was the first historic stop, and we learned about the rich history
of this port city. The drive along the Gulf Coast to Biloxi and Gulf Port is
contrasted with beautiful white beaches on the south side and major destruction
from Katrina on the north side. Some of the South’s most historic antebellum
homes are found in Natchez. On to Oxford, Mississippi, home of my favorite
author William Faulkner, then Birmingham, Selma, and Montgomery, Alabama,
and the Civil Rights memorials and museums. Scattered throughout these states
are the Civil War battlefields and as much history as one wishes to consume. Of
course, we could not pass F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s home, which opened
about fifteen years ago.
It’s hard to believe one state might pull you inward for two weeks, but Alaska can
do that. We cruised from Vancouver to Anchorage, stopping at the little fishing
villages along the inside passage and Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway, Hubbard
Glacier, and Seward. The second week showed us the vastness of Alaska
as we took the van and train to Denali National Park. It is said that most people
who visit, rarely see the mountain. We were among the most fortunate and saw
her beauty on a bright clear day with blue skies and wonderful sunshine. It is an
incredible state with thousands of miles of open, undeveloped terrain, snow-mandled mountains, rustic towns, and majestic views.
Like many folks during the covid crisis in 2021, we were housebound and
suffering from cabin fever. We decided that with careful planning, we could fly to
Whitefish, Montana, rent a car and tour the famed national parks of five states
without much exposure to other humans. We carefully made reservations at the
parks including a 100-year-old cabin that had been moved and updated from a
local campground which became one of our favorite memories. The fun part was
finding the park restaurants were mostly closed because of the virus and camp
stores became the only source of provisions. Wine and cheese with a little fruit
provided a gourmet dinner on the porch of our cabin. Bananas and peanut butter
were another new favorite breakfast food. More important were the moose and
deer that strolled by to see if we were willing to share.
The majesty of Glacier, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons Parks is an
experience every American should enjoy. The open rangelands and prairies of
the West are hard to imagine and many may think only occur in the African
wildlife preserves, but they are found throughout Montana and Wyoming. In
Cody, Wyoming, we discovered the Frederick Remington Studio in the Buffalo Bill
Center of the West, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Museum. On 9/11 we found
ourselves face to face with four of our outstanding presidents at Mt. Rushmore, a
sculpture unmatched for its size and magnitude.
Closing in on the final states, the last Great Stifel Road Trip, focused on the
“Mississippi River March.” The highlights and some unexpected finds were Frank
Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin East in Wisconsin; in Mason City, Iowa, we stayed in the
recently reopened and the only remaining Wright-designed Historic Park Hotel;
Eisenhower and Truman presidential libraries; Crystal Bridges Museum of
American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas; and the sobering Oklahoma City National
Memorial.
Only two states remained, Nevada and Utah, which we toured this spring.
Needless to say, Las Vegas is a trip of its own, and we chose to spend as little
time as possible in our hotel which housed the casinos. After joining good friends
from Portland, Oregon, touring the city, and enjoying a Cirque du Soleil show, we
headed the next day to Grand Canyon West home of the Hualapai Indian Nation.
From there, we headed east to St. George and the canyon lands.
Some may believe the Tarn Gorges around Sainte-Enimie in France cannot be
matched, but I would suggest the canyons of Zion, Bryce, and the Arches
National Parks will hold their own any day. Likewise, enjoying escargot in a
French cafe is an amazing treat but eating fresh caught salmon on the banks of
the Snoqualmie River in Washington state brings its own delights.
We have enjoyed all fifty states and recall wonderful memories that continue to
last a lifetime. Of course, some states are more special to us than others but
there is not one we would have missed. “See the USA” and love this
beautiful country as we do! "
Joyce F. Stifel