Our travels in 2016 were focused on North America, and we pushed the compass to its limits and visited some spots that have long been on our travel radar. In the process, we managed to log another 30,000 miles on our poor old 5-year-old SUV.
We began our travels driving south, as far south as we could go in the U.S.—to the Florida Keys. We even went beyond Key West to visit a remote national park.
In the spring, we decided that we wanted to move away from Peachtree City. Though it had served us well for 13 years, it was time for a change. Our search took up most of April and May as we explored various areas north of Atlanta before deciding on a single family rental house in Alpharetta, where we moved in July. Meanwhile, we carved out a week in the Pacific Northwest in June as we searched for relief from the Georgia heat.
As soon as we were unpacked, we headed back north to visit the three Canadian territories—Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. We traveled by regional jet between the capital cities of these vast wild lands and thoroughly enjoyed the journey. In fact, we had so much fun up north that we traveled to Alaska in September and spent three weeks road tripping around America's last frontier.
By November, we were ready for coast to coast road trip, so we followed US-80 from Tybee Island, Georgia to San Diego. Following lots of back roads, we looked for opportunities to meet and interact with our fellow Americans.
In between travel, we built in lost of quality time with family and friends in 2017. We helped celebrate joyous occasions like cousin Jean's 90th birthday, friends' retirements, and a momentous anniversary for Sunbelt Marketing. But there was sadness too. Our family was devastated when Uncle Joe and Uncle Jim passed away just two months apart. It was a terrible loss for the entire extended family.
We visited Yellowstone with Steven and Nanamama, and we attended Jimmy Carter's Sunday School class in Plains, GA, with Steven and Kathy. We started a new tradition we call Meals on Wheels—inviting family and friends to meet us for lunch or dinner at a restaurant of their choice in their town, affording a better opportunity to catch up with individuals than at large family gatherings where there's never enough time to talk in depth with each person. It was a rousing success, and we hope to expand Meals on Wheels in 2017.
2016 Summary
Major Trips
- Gaelic Getaway (December 1-January 6). Finishing up a two-country road trip begun last December.
- All Keyed Up (March 9-16). An exhilarating two-week exploration of Newfoundland and eastern Labrador.
- Meals on Wheels (March 27-April 3). Visiting family and friends in the Southeast to share a meal in their town.
- North by Northwest (June 2-9). A week in Vancouver and northwestern Washington state for cooler temps.
- Seeking True North (August 16-30). A visit to the Canadian territories.
- Alaska Adventure (September 12-29). Flitting up the Inner Passage by air, road trip in the center, and a flight way up north to Barrow.
- Yellowstone Again (October 10-14). Flew to Montana to visit Yellowstone with Nanamama and Steven.
- From Sea to Shining Sea (November 13-January 1). A 45-day transcontinental road trip along the Old Dixie Highway, US-80, from Savannah to San Diego.
States We Visited in 2016
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
- Wyoming
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Canadian Provinces & Territories Visited in 2016
- British Columbia
- Northwest Territories
- Nunavut
- Ontario
- Yukon
Countries We Visited in 2016
- Canada
- Ireland
- United Kingdom (Scotland)
Other Events in 2016
- January -Shoe Shopper trip to Orange Beach (Dianne)
- January - Jean's 90th birthday
- January - St. Augustine to help care for Uncle Joe
- February - Uncle Joe's funeral
- February- Jimmy Carter's Sunday School class with Kathy & Steven
- April-June - Townhouse hunting
- May - Uncle Jim's funeral
- October - Uncle Joe's memorial in Millry
