That is a basic summary of our time across the United States. As I write this, I have had a little time to rest and reflect on the past few months. While I honestly wouldn’t do anything differently, we pushed ourselves quite hard and are a bit worn out. Jasmine and I really considered this part of the trip to be more of a sightseeing adventure, as opposed to the rest which will hopefully be more of a cultural experience.
In keeping with the sightseeing theme, we tried to take in as much as possible. The thing I want to convey the most before we leave for foreign borders is that the United States is a beautiful country with many different kinds of natural beauty and a vast array of different people. In general, we felt welcome and enjoyed just about everywhere that we had the honor to visit.
Canada also presented us with some history of it’s own. Not many places in North America have as much history and beauty as Quebec City. The Old City in Quebec was unlike anything else I have seen and the architecture seems to be out of a painting. Speaking of Canada, we also enjoyed our time their immensely. Vancouver and Montreal certainly provided us with much to talk about. Of course, the most anticipated sight that we visited in Canada had to be Niagara Falls. No where else was the power of nature felt quite as much as there. Perhaps the only thing we didn’t like about going to Canada was dealing with the U.S. customs officials as we crossed back into the United States. On the flip side, the Canadian border officials, along with all of the people in Canada, (even the French in Quebec) were all very pleasant to us.
Enough talk about cities, let’s get back to nature. Without doubt, the award for best landscape has to go to Maine and Quebec, Canada. With their dense forestation, rainbow colored wildflowers and lush green grasses these areas made us drive down their highways with our mouths wide open. I will never forget getting out of the car to see the view from Mt. Battie near Camden, Maine. In my opinion, this part of the world has to be considered some of god’s best work!
The United States is also very well known for it’s national parks. We were able to visit ten of them along the way. Among the best was The Great Smoky Mountains. It didn’t take us long to discover why it is the most visited national park in the country. When one talks about national parks then Yellowstone also has to enter the conversation. Yellowstone’s geysers and hot springs will always have a special place in my heart. We also had the opportunity to visit two cave national parks. Both Wind Cave and Carlsbad Caverns left us in awe of what nature can do given many thousands of years. The United States is full of natural treasures and while the man made cities are great, god’s work is much better.
What would America be without it’s small towns. For the most part, we never felt out of place anywhere and the people across the country were very nice. We certainly felt the hospitality that the south is known for. Also, while traveling across the great plains, we found out that one of our favorite places is South Dakota. For the most part, South Dakota is nothing but small towns and the people there are great. Even though Sioux Falls is a decent size, we felt so welcome at their Fourth of July celebration.
While this post only wraps up our three months in the United States, I feel that this first part of the trip was important and profound. When we got in the car three months ago, you can say that we were not the most experienced travelers. While we still have a lot to learn, the past three months certainly have boosted our confidence as we venture into our international travels. It feels good to know that we will be functioning well as a family unit when we are bombarded with the new situations that the third world will certainly spring upon us.
Perhaps the most important thing that I have to say after the past three months is to get out and see the world. While everyone might not be able to take two years or even three months, a road trip of a week or two will most certainly be rewarding and provide memories that last a lifetime. We saw so many wonderful places that are just hours from where we resided, but that we were to lazy to get out and see. I sure hope than when this trip is over, we won’t fall back into the trap of working to hard and not taking enough time to live. I have seen how much there is to see out there and I honestly can’t fathom passing it up to sit on the couch anymore. I thought ninety days was a long time, but quickly learned the truth when we had to pass up most of what we came across because we didn’t have enough time.
Now we are off to Guatemala and other areas of Central America. The Coomer Family is full of excitement as we embark on this international part of the trip. As mentioned earlier, our travel will be at a slower pace as we try to gain an insight into the culture of the places we visit. We also realize that with a child, the level of research that we must do is greatly increased. With everything said, the past three months have been even more rewarding than I thought they would be. I really don’t have any reason to believe that the next two years of international travel will be any different. Life is so short and I am glad that we are choosing to live. We will talk to you soon from Guatemala and don’t forget that we love you all!
The Coomer Family
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