May 20, Day 20: You can read the entire blog and view photos on our website. If you enjoy the account, Please . . . share it with your friends. Photos from the trip can be viewed at: http://astilesphotography.com/f390536220 Thanks! We got up and had breakfast at the hotel, then go onto the Interstate (I-70) and headed towards St. Louis. After we got through St. Louis, we got off the Interstate and drove backroads. Ended up on the Great River Road that paralleled the Mississippi River and took us through some beautiful farmlands. Found an old prairie church, some old houses, some huge tractors and some beautiful little towns that time seemed to have passed by. Stopped in Paducah, KY for the night. 295 miles, 22 MPG
May 21, Day 21: This would be our last day of sightseeing, so we had breakfast at the hotel, checked out, and immediately go onto the backroads headed towards Chattanooga, TN. We passed hundreds of beautiful places; however, there were very few places to pull off the road and take photos. We were able to find one place to pull off and photograph an old barn that was being taken over by honeysuckle vines, and some wildflowers. Coming through Nashville, we passed some gorgeous houses. They were more like estates really. These were huge, modern houses set on several acres of land; and if you enjoy photographing those type things, then this is the route (Highway 41 and Alt 41) you want to drive. We stopped in Chattanooga for the night so that we could get up and get through Atlanta on Sunday morning and be home by 10:00 or 11:00 AM. 330 miles 21 MPG
May 22, Day 22: We had breakfast and checked out of the hotel, and headed for home. It was an uneventful drive, which is what we had hoped for. Arrived home by 10:30, unpacked the truck, fed and petted the cats, and just enjoyed being home. 140 miles, 18 MPG
Total cost of the trip, including lodging, meals, and fuel was about $4,700.00. You could probably get a nice cruise package for that; but you would not get the photo opportunities. You could fly and then rent an automobile after shipping some gear ahead for about the same; but you would not see as much. You may be able to drive a RV or pull a camper for a little less, IF and only if, you do not account for the cost of the RV/Camper and extra insurance. The choice, of course, is yours. My goal has been to convince you to get out and see and photograph the USA. As Roy Rogers used to say: Happy Tails to you!