48 States, 59 Days and 14,242 Miles During the pandemic of 2020, I packed up the Jeep and drove solo around the U.S., crossing all 48 contiguous states in 59 days, covering 14,242 miles, 0-14,111 ft. in elevation change. Sound Impressive? Well, to be honest, the impressive part is that I actually left the driveway. We all too often allow excuses to jump in our way. Can’t afford it. Can’t take the time off from work. It’ll take too long. And what about all of those “what ifs” that could happen? For the first time in my life, I took control and made it happen. This journey deserves a book, but here is just a glimpse of what it was like. As spontaneous as it may have seemed to my family and friends, the trip involved a planning process for sure. A friend and mentor of mine, Logan Stout, wisely reminded me
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that whatever I was planning will certainly take longer and cost more than I ever expected. He has always been correct, and this trip was no exception. With this knowledge, I added up what the mileage and cost would be and then I added another 50 percent to those numbers. Well, the estimated vs. actual mileage and costs were more than my original estimations, but were just below my adjusted estimation of the additional 50 percent. Win in my books! Thanks, Logan! (@loganstout) I left Tampa and traveled clockwise around the country. I
blew through some states that I had already been through. My first stop was to see my parents in Texas. They live in the Sam Houston National Forest on their little Texas farm. After a good visit, I launched out towards my brother’s place in Colorado Springs. I spent three weeks wandering and exploring much of the southern half of Colorado, from Colorado Springs, The Great Sand Dunes, Medano Pass, Cache Creek, Durango, Silverton and Ouray. I met up with some old Air Force family members and camped/explored for four amazing days together. I met up with new friends as well – one made me hunt them down in the mountains north of Silverton – Kit, thanks, brother, for the tour of your home turf. Camping was amazing. If you love overlanding, Colorado is a MUST!
