Perimeter South Trip, Road trip

Mission Accomplished

6 Comments

Friday, Oct 28

This was one of those days when you wonder why you set goals and if you really want to achieve them. My journey was from Baton Rouge to New Orleans but not via the direct route. The original perimeter plan was to stay within 50 miles of the border wherever possible. I was unable to do this where the border runs through the middle of Lake Superior and I failed to do it in southern New Mexico due to a fueling miscalculation so I wanted to make sure I did not fail in Louisiana. However, this involved taking a very circuitous route that was devoid of interesting sites or charm. The map and video are here but the map is the only interesting aspect of the day.

The main thing keeping me on track during the drive was knowing that I would be spending the evening with a great friend and former colleague, Carmen, and staying over for the night. Carmen and her husband moved to New Orleans in the summer and have been spending their time renovating a beautiful old house that they bought as a fixer upper. I could see the huge improvements they have made and it will be spectacular once all the work is done. We spent the evening at a great old pub with a beer list as long as your arm. New Orleans is such a great place that oozes activity and culture and quickly wiped away the dullness of the day.

Saturday, Oct 29

Today was the day that I completed my journey around the perimeter of the lower 48 states. Although the sense of achievement was not as great as it would have been if I had done it in one go I think that breaking it into three trips has allowed me to enjoy the experience more. In order to close the remaining gap I had to drive from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama but I wanted to end up in Jackson, Mississippi so it was quite a detour to go to Mobile. I also added a detour to my detour in order to drive across the longest bridge in the US which crosses Lake Pontratrain north of New Orleans. This is 24 miles long and is also the longest continuous bridge over water in the world. Apart from the bridge there is little to see on the video but you may find the map useful; both are here.

Unfortunately, I have no photos to share from either day.

6 thoughts on “Mission Accomplished”

  1. Congratulations Steve!! It has been an amazing journey and thanks for sharing it all with us! Perhaps you will be back in time for Ingrid’s WIS retiree lunch, November 9th!

    1. Thanks. I will be home in time to vote so, yes, I’ll be there on the 9th to chew over the results.

  2. Congratulations on your perimeter achievement. I will miss my daily fix of Americana and studying the map of your journey and picking out the many places I have yet to but want to visit!

    Have a safe journey home.

    1. Thank you. I will still try to find places that are interesting to visit and show in future trips but there will probably be less driving involved.

  3. Congratulations! I still think you should piece the whole lot together (in perimeter order) to make an art installation.

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