This fall, Elphie and I were able to achieve the goal of having visited all 50 of the states of the United States of America. A few years ago, we celebrated the achievement in Alaska for Elphie but then afterwards, Elphie realized she had no recollection of visiting New Jersey or Rhode Island. By this time, since I had gained a good number of visited states myself and together we also had visited a good number of the states, she decided to hold off on her last two so we would be able to achieve the accomplishment together.
This required a few other trips in the last few years to get to where we could accomplish the goal. We also had that pesky COVID-19 pandemic that delayed things a bit as well. Once we were permitted to travel again, we made a couple trips to the South, a trip to Hawaii, and then last year we had the trip that focused a bit on Yellowstone which included a few more states.
This time, the trip was to the Mid Atlantic and New England states and Washington, the District of Columbia. I still needed Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC were needed to be knocked off together still so they were included into this trip as well. Even though I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, I had not ventured much further east than the Harrisburg area. We ended up adding in Hershey, Centralia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to our original trip plans and then included Gettysburg to our trip while on the trip.
The final destination of the trip was Providence, Rhode Island though we drove back to Baltimore at the end due to renting a car from there and returning it being considerably less than if we'd return it to another location. At the Rhode Island welcome center, we had a little celebration of our achievement with noise makers and party poppers. We ended up making a bit of a mess, ha!
Introduction
The introduction and promo for the video project for this trip starts out with Elphie opening the mail which had a shirt, pin, and certificate to commemorate our achievement of visiting all 50 states. I edited the footage she captured then added to it some animations of the map of the area where we traveled. I included some photos from the trip as well to highlight some of what we saw and things we did along the way along with state flag images. I also included the video footage of the celebration at Rhode Island as part of this introduction to the project. I decided to utilize the "bad tv" effect to serve as an interruption to the map based clips. I also put the camcorder effect on the video of the celebration for the fun of it. I guess, in a way, it's a spoiler for the trip for anyone who hadn't paid attention the title up there or those few paragraphs just above...sorry, I guess? The project returns to the map and photos to finish off our time in Rhode Island and the return to Chicago. The additional soundtrack I added was "Rhode Island" by David Van Buskirk (who I met through setting a couple shows up with my cousin Taylor Sorensen of The Trigger Code) and "Hunt For The Rhode Island Sasquatch" by Rodent Emporium. Both tracks were utilized during the Rhode Island section of the project as well.
Chicago to Baltimore (08.28.2025)
The next part of the project was our leaving from Chicago, Illinois on Thursday August 28th, 2025 on our flight with Southwest Airlines to Baltimore, Maryland. I left work a bit early and Elphie got started out on the transit from the house to Midway as I made my way home. I didn't end up all that far behind her, however, as I tried to get my Ventra card loaded (having to add new payment information due to an issue earlier in the month) I got passed by two CTA busses. When a bus did stop to pick me up, Elphie had just boarded a train to Midway. I probably ended up on the next train, ha!
We got through the processes of checking out luggage and the TSA screening and then to our gate just as the sun was setting. I got a burger and ate it before we boarded the airplane. The pilot warned of some storms over Ohio and apparently felt it warranted some extra fuel to get around or over the storms. Our flight was on time and we arrived around when we should have. I captured some footage of the take off, some flights going passed us, the moon, and approaching then landing in Baltimore. I decided to speed up some of the approach and landing footage since it was dark at that point anyway. We gathered our luggage with no issue then proceeded to the shuttle pick up area. I had to look into how to order the complimentary shuttle and eventually we got picked up and to the hotel. The next morning I would go to pick up the rental car so I got the information on how to get that worked out from the driver.
Baltimore, Maryland (and vicinity), Washington, DC, Leesburg, Virginia (08.29.2025 - 08.30.2025)
https://youtu.be/3qPb6D02rGo
On Friday August 29th, 2025, I woke and then took the shuttle ride over to the car rental facility of BWI Airport. Our rental was through Avis (thanks to Debbie's hookup) so I got in line and waited for my turn. After going through all the process with the person at the desk, I was given a paper and told to go pick up a vehicle at a certain spot. When I went out there, the vehicle in that spot drove off. I was a bit confused by this and went to the desk out where the cars were and asked. I noticed another car pull into the spot. The person at the desk confirmed that I was to go to that spot to fetch my car so that's what I did. I was informed by the employee who had driven that car that I was not to take it. After a few minutes, they assigned me a different car. I left the lot and tried to navigate back to the hotel, however, due to some strange mapping glitch, I was navigated to the edge of the airport rather than the hotel. At that point, I adjusted the navigation and worked on getting everything to connect as I wanted it to before making my way to the hotel.
Arriving at the hotel, everyone was outside. A smoke detector apparently went off. Elphie had gone outside to the front of the building and while out there noticed a Spotted Lanternfly. She didn't realize it was considered invasive and a pest, ha! I got there and waited with Elphie for the all clear to come back into the hotel. We gathered what we'd need for the day and a fireman came to check out the detector in our room.
As we left the hotel, I got alerted to a tire being low. We probably could have and should have stopped to get air then but we continued to what was our first planned stop - the Curtis Creek Ship Graveyard from Atlas Obscura. Most of it is inaccessible due to industrial sites all along the waterway. We parked outside of "Jaws" Marina and walked down to the water where we could see a few of the ships.
As we left "Jaws" Marina, we passed a Coast Guard boat on display along the roadside. I pulled off at a gas station and filled the tires with air. We then headed over to Fort Armistead, which is also on Atlas Obscura, to see the Francis Scott Key Bridge. There was a memorial set up alongside the road for those who were killed during the accident at the bridge last year in 2024. We were able to get down to the water and see the expanse of the bridge and what was lost. They are beginning to rebuild it. A few folks were there fishing and a large container ship was making its way to the harbor.
From here, we left to visit with some old friends of Elphie. We drove out of Baltimore a ways to the Maker's Woodshop where Jason works and got a little tour of all the work that they do. Jason had to finish up a few things then we headed over to his home with his wife Myrthe and children where we had a nice dinner and conversation.
After the dinner, we decided to head into Baltimore to try to see a few things before it got too late. We ended up driving passed both sports stadiums (M and T Bank Stadium for the Ravens and the Orioles' Oriole Park at Camden Yards). We drove to the gravesite of Edgar Allen Poe then to the Poe House and Museum (which was not open at that hour, of course). We walked around at both sites a bit. We drove from there to the Oujia 7-Eleven store which has a commemorative Ouija Board plaque. As we drove to the 7-Eleven, we passed the Baltimore Basilica and I made a quick turn around so that we could see it better. As we made our way through town, we were passed by a lot of folks on bicycles. We visited the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum next before making our way to where the Fell Family Cemetery sits in a small vacant lot between townhouses.
We decided at this point it would be good to go to the local Wal*Mart to purchase supplies for the coming days. Of course there was Baltimore sports paraphernalia there which I had to properly salute.
Back at the hotel, we were woken by the smoke alarm again around 3:30am. I tried to rest in the car until we were permitted to enter again.
On Saturday August 30th, 2025, after our rude awakening, we tried to trade our rental car for another due to the tire not holding air. We were told by Avis that they had nothing to offer us. I got more air put in the tire and we went about our day of heading to Washington, D.C. Elphie captured some road footage including some large steeples from the Church of Latter Day Saints Temple.
Our first stop was a Jokes Phone in a Washington, D.C. neighborhood called Chevy Chase. Apparently someone lives nearby and programmed the phone with a variety of jokes. A father and his son tried it before us and didn't seem to get it to work. We tried next and had a similar issue of a busy signal until we realized the instructions showed a star before each number. At that point we were able to access a few jokes. Elphie would have liked to stay longer but she had to pee and hoped we'd have some friends waiting for us for lunch at the World Famous Florida Avenue Grill.
We arrived a bit later than we had hoped to the World Famous Florida Avenue Grill. It is a soul food restaurant where many famous African American folks have visited and had a meal. We ended up in the booth that Martin Luther King, Jr. had planned the Million Man March and there were a few other booths with plaques to honor who had sat there and or events that took place. One booth is called the Shotgun Booth because the owners son sat there armed to protect the restaurant during some unrest. We ordered some good lunches and had a very nice server.
After our lunch, we decided to head to Falls Church, Virginia where Elphie had lived and worked for a time. I picked a route that would take us through the center of the District of Columbia. I captured some footage as we passed the National Portrait Gallery and could see Capital One Arena where the Washington Capitals play. The Penguins fans stand in victory when they win at Washington on the steps of the National Portrait Gallery. We continued to drive south on 9th Street toward the National Mall, passing the National Archives. I wanted to stay above ground so we turned east on Constitution Avenue until we reach a road block by the National Gallery of Art then proceeded south on 7th Street, crossing the Mall then turning west on Independence Avenue and back south on 9th Street to get out of Washington, D.C. As we made our way toward Virginia, we ended up passing the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials from across the river and the Pentagon.
Once we got into Falls Church, we tried to find the places where Elphie had once worked. It turned out there are more than one Ledo Pizza and we went to the wrong one. We did eventually get to the right one as well as the Trader Joe's where Elphie also worked. We also saw where she likely lived, at least the building. Elphie bought some Green Tea Mochi Balls because it was one of her favorite things to eat from the Trader Joe's. While we ate them, and because we hadn't made any other plans, I looked at Atlas Obscura and found two sites nearby to check out. One was a Man Slopping Pigs statue on the corner of the main street next to a car dealership and the other was a Muffler Man called Mr. Dixie at a detailing shop.
We headed back north to Baltimore, stopping at a gas station and then went back to Avis to see about switching cars again. This time, we were able to do so, though the wait was a bit long. We unloaded our stuff and I went around to get the other car. We reloaded, then headed into Baltimore once again to visit the site Edgar Allan Poe's death. It also happened to be near the Johns Hopkins Hospital and University. We drove into its entrance then used it to turn around and head to the hotel for the night.
Baltimore, Maryland, Gettysburg and Hershey, Pennsylvania (08.31.2025 - 09.02.2025)
https://youtu.be/twHduSSjLZE
On Sunday August 31st, 2025, we checked out of the hotel near the Balitmore Washington International Airport. We would be heading to eastern Pennsylvania with our destination being Hershey. Elphie decided she wanted to do the Poe House and Museum tour though so we had signed up for a noon tour. We figured it wouldn't take too long since the sessions were limited to 45 minutes. It turned out that this car also had a tire with low air so we stopped at a Sheetz to get some air in the tire and figured we'd have to monitor this.
The Poe House was rather small and it probably could have taken about 10 minutes really. We ended up being there around a half hour. Elphie got a few souvenirs at the end of the visit.
As we left Baltimore, I made a wrong turn which would have had us on toll roads going toward New York City. Our plan was not that direction so I got us turned around but still headed north but toward Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
We added Gettysburg somewhat last minute as it wasn't terribly far off the route to get to Hershey. The drive was mostly country roads into Pennsylvania and onto Gettysburg. We arrived at the Gettysburg Military Memorial Park and made our way into the visitor center to utilize the restrooms. Elphie wanted mostly to see a memorial to the Gettysburg Address. We followed a path that actually got us quite close but we didn't realize it at the time. After walking through the woods, we cam out at various memorials and a Korean church services meeting in the 2nd Amendment yard. We walked a bit further to see what was on the other side of a hill then returned to the visitor center. I was about to go a different way but Elphie felt it safer to go back how we came...which turned out to be the right decision as the other path went to another parking area. Elphie asked about where the memorial was inside the Visitor center and unfortunately the map app didn't do any favors and it showed it to be in the visitor center (it was not). We went back out to the car, stopping to get a few shots of a Lincoln statue and a rock with the Gettysburg Address on it. We drove around to where the Gettysburg Address Memorial would be and parked then walked across the road to find it. After that, we drove around to see the rest of the area before heading into downtown Gettysburg to the Dobbin House to order a French Onion Soup because Elphie's friend Jason said it was the best he's ever had. It was quite good! Thanks for the tip, Jason!
We drove from Gettysburg toward Harrisburg where we stopped just north of the city to capture some footage of the Lady Liberty of the Susquehanna River from the side of the road.
We headed over to Hershey next. We found that the town did not have a chocolately odor as we had been told. We saw some deer on the way in. Once we got into town, the directions were off by about a block so we had to turn around, seeing parts of Hersheypark behind the Main Street area called Chocolate Avenue. We got ourselves checked into the Simmon's Motel. The receptionist was friendly and walked us to our room. It turned out the pool in the neighboring yard belonged to the hotel as well but we didn't end up using it.
Once we got checked in, unloaded, and settled, we left to go to the Hershey Lodge to eat at the Bear's Den. A restaurant themed for the local AHL Hershey Bears hockey team. The meal was good and at the end, they brought a load of Hershey Kisses. After the dinner, we went to Hersheypark. We were planning to go for the whole day the next day but they offer a free preview for the final few hours of the night before. We got in a couple of roller coaster rides and Elphie was able to overcome some of her fears in doing so...yay, Elphie! We might have had a couple extra minutes but I missed where we were supposed to turn in as the map app directions sent us to the employee entrance. We visited the Chocolate World as well. Once we were finished, we headed back to the hotel but we first decided to drive down Chocolate Avenue out of the town then turned back to go back to the Simmon's Motel. We turned around at the other hotel we had originally booked who took $20 then canceled our reservation (DO NOT TRY TO STAY AT THE DUTCH MOTEL BY OYO!).
On Monday September 1st, 2025, we spent Labor Day at Hersheypark. It was fully open until about 7pm. We got there before the park officially opened so we had to wait around in the front area while those with some sort of VIP hookup were able to get on a few rides. Once the barriers were removed and most of the large crowd moved on, we began our journey to try to ride pretty much all the roller coasters. We succeeded in riding all but one of the roller coasters by the end of the day. Elphie rode them all as well! Yay Elphie! On one ride called the Coal Cracker, which was a log style ride on a lazy river, it seemed tame enough, however, I lost my Pittsburgh Pirates hat. This was pretty early so that was a bit of a bummer. We had enough time at the end for me to hit a few of the water park rides as well! At the end of the day, we went into the Chocolatier and back to Chocolate World as well. In Chocolate World, we got a couple of shakes to drink. We headed back to the Simmon's Motel at the end of the day.
On Tuesday September 2nd, 2025, we got up and decided to once again visit Chocolate World. Elphie got a few items for gifts for folks and we got ourselves some chocolates. We then drove up to one of the Milton Hershey School sites as well as the Hershey Hotel on the hill overlooking the town of Hershey and Hersheypark. From there we drove a bit further out over the hill to see what else we could find. We didn't really find much, ha! We then checked out the local Tanger Outlet Mall to see if I could find a replacement for my lost Pittsburgh Pirates hat. I decided I wanted a retro pillbox style hat from when the Pittsburgh Pirates last won a World Series. The only thing that I found that was close were the new batting practice hats. I tried both Rallyhouse (which is all Pennsylvania sports) and a Lids. No luck. I would order one on ebay instead. We drove out to another Milton Hershey School campus and drove around that for a while then decided to head back to the Hershey Lodge for dinner at the Bear's Den again. This time we went in through the regular entrance and there was a chocolately odor here! Before getting dinner we checked out the souvenir shop. We had another great dinner and dessert as well! We headed back to the Simmon's Motel after this and relaxed for the night because we'd have a lot of road time the next day.
Hershey and Centralia, Pennsylvania, Mason / Dixon Line area, Newark and Wilmington, Delaware (09.03.2025)
https://youtu.be/a3KyAzJtikU
We woke up on Wednesday September 3rd, 2025 and check out of the Simmon's Motel. We first headed north to Centralia, Pennsylvania. It is essentially a ghost town due to an underground mine fire in the area which has caused the ground to be unstable and some toxic fumes. On this day, I didn't notice any fumes or smoke. We stopped before getting into Centralia and I made a quick visit to one end of the Graffiti highway which the government covered over with dirt to keep folks off of it and from adding more graffiti. I did capture some graffiti that was still done despite these efforts to stop it. I got back to the car then headed into Centralia, stopping at the Assumption Of The Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church which remains active in the town. Had I done more research, we might have been able to get somewhere where smoke would be noticeable...or a geyser made due to the fires. Oh well. As we left Centralia, Pennsylvania, we went off the main road to visit the ruins of another ghost town called Byrnesville. While here, I ended up needing to use the restroom and we were apparently blocking the way for a large truck which started honking. I hurriedly finished up then we got out of there.
We headed south, stopping at a Sheetz for gas, tire air, again, and ate some lunch. We continued south to the Mason Dixon Line to find Mile Marker One. This had us on some country roads again where we crossed over between Maryland and Pennsylvania a few times. Close by was also supposed to be a Tri State Marker for Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. We went where the map had us go which ended up being private property. I walked down a ways and as it would turn out, a building I got to was just between me and the marker. Instead of continuing to trespass, we left and went into a state park area. Elphie elected to stay in the car and I went to walk to try to find it. I ended up being gone for quite a long time, having made a wrong turn at some point. But I did find it! I got back to the car having walked in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware...but returned to a grumpy Elphie for my being gone so long. We headed straight for the hotel in Newark, Delaware. Sorry, Elphie!
Once we checked in at the hotel and got settled a bit, we headed out to get dinner and decided to go to a Capriotti's Sandwich Shop for dinner. Elphie got a Thanksgiving themed one called a Bobbie while I got a Capastrami. After eating, we went to the Christiana Mall, primarily the Target so Elphie could get a few things and not have to pay tax due to there being no sales tax in the state of Delaware.
When we finished up at the mall, Elphie was ready to just go to the hotel for the night. We ended up seeing a new episode of South Park while we were there.
Wilmington, Delaware, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Princeton New Jersey (09.04.2025)
https://youtu.be/jHK-Td3kgVs
On Thursday September 4th, 2025, we left Newark and headed into Wilmington, Delaware. We found ourselves stuck at a train crossing so I figured out a detour around it which worked out nicely as the train was still crossing when we got to the other side! Our first stop was Old Swedes Church which is a settlement and church site where Swedish immigrants had made a home in Delaware. We went inside the Hendrickson House Museum but found that it cost $5 to tour the small area and didn't find it worth it so we left. We captured some footage from outside.
We headed back to Pennsylvania, taking a break at the welcome center before heading into Philadelphia. We could see the stadiums as we entered the city. The first thing we did was find the general area of Penn University of Pennsylvania and drove around the campus area as much as we could. Elphie wanted to check out the Ivy League schools of the area on the trip. We turned out to enter into Drexel University as well. All this was in an area called University City.
We headed over to Kensington next to visit The Simple Way. We got to the neighborhood with a few minutes to spare so I tried one corner store to see if they happened to sell Philly Cheesesteaks. They did not but told me where to go to get one so that's what I did. It was in Casablanca Grocery. I was told by someone leaving The Simple Way as we arrived that getting 'hood Cheesesteak is the way to go. The corner store where I got it had it misspelled as well, ha! It turned out to be pretty good! I was able to eat half while visiting at The Simple Way with Allee Torres. Allee told us of how things operate currently and a little more details of how things have changed since it all started. We told a bit of our work with Cornerstone Community Outreach and I told of having listened to and met Shane Claiborne at a few events in past years. Allee took us on a walk around the neighborhood where we saw a park that replaced a few building that had been burnt when a factory caught fire some years ago. There is also a new community health building in the place of the old factory as well. It was a cool visit overall and I am thankful that Allee took the time to talk to us and show us around.
After The Simple Way visit, we went back toward downtown. I detoured to drive by where the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are before making our way to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Rocky runs the steps! We couldn't see the Liberty Bell but we did see Independence Hall. we drove around a roundabout at the Art Museum before finding our way to a place to park. We got out, found the Rock statue at the bottom of the steps then made our way to the top where there is another Rocky statue and the museum. We got some footage while there. I finished my Cheesesteak as well.
We left Philadelphia and headed to New Jersey. Our destination was Princeton. Along the way, we took a pit stop at a Wawa where Elphie bought a juice and captured footage of the gas station attendant pumping gas. We got to our hotel and settled in again after unloading. We didn't really find anywhere to eat and I still had half my Capastrami so I finished that and Elphie got some McDonald's then we headed to Princeton University. Elphie was especially excited about this one due to A Beautiful Mind and John Nash. It was beginning to rain when we drove over but mostly stopped. We parked in a lot then walked around, first finding the Fine Hall which housed the math department. We walked around the area and found an alley with an Albert Einstein exhibit set up that we checked out. Next, we walked across the street to Nassau Hall. I tried to find the evidence of the Revolutionary War on the building but I couldn't. I think it is also used in A Beautiful Mind. Elphie had hoped to attend a Debate practice in Whig Hall but we couldn't get into the building. We tried all doors but no luck. After waiting around a bit, we walked over to the Princeton Chapel. We didn't see the bulldog that is on it which was the actual Atlas Obscura site but we did go inside and see the place. We utilized the restroom in the Firestone Library before going to the car and leaving. We drove down the main street by Princeton where we had walked in both directions prior to heading back to our hotel. Just as we got there, it began to rain heavily. I let Elphie out closer to the door, then I parked and walked through the rain. We ended up getting to watch some of the first NFL football game of the season once back in the hotel and situated.
Princeton and Leonardo, New Jersey, New York City drive-by, Connecticut, Providence, Rhode Island (09.05.2025)
On Friday September 5th, 2025, we began a long drive from Princeton, New Jersey that would end in North Providence, Rhode Island. We found, while planning out the drive, that there were no real feasible routes to get around tolls going through the New York City area. Though we had talked about it and I had it as one of the spots I wanted to visit, it seemed getting to the Quickstop in Leonardo, New Jersey (of Clerks fame) may not work with the time we'd need to ensure getting to Rhode Island before too late. as we began the drive and saw the estimated time of arrival, we decided to go and have and give the added stop of the Quickstop in Leonardo a shot.
The change in direction had us hit a couple of the New Jersey tolls, ones where you had to toss coins into a bucket. We also ended up passing a rest stop dedicated to Jon Bon Jovi. We got to Leonardo and the Quickstop. There was another group checking it out as well. We went inside the Quickstop and looked around then captured some footage outside. The old video store is a podcast studio. The guy working sort of fit the mold from the movie too!
We didn't stay at the Quickstop very long. We stopped at a Wawa to fuel up for the drive (getting a New Jersey gas experience but not on video), get some more air in the tire, and utilize the restroom. Elphie decided to get a smoothie as well.
We continued on our way north through New Jersey, passing by New York City. We could see the skyline quite well for quite a while. We also saw the Meadlowands and MetLife Stadium (where the Steelers would play in a few days...and WIN!). We crossed into New York on the George Washington Bridge, passing through The Bronx and toward Yonkers apparently as we headed to Connecticut. We crossed into Connecticut then at the first rest area or welcome center (which took several miles to get to) we took a break from driving. The sign as we entered Connecticut claimed it to be the "Pizza Capital."
After the rest stop, when we got back on the highway, we were in some very slow traffic. We had a few changes offered to lessen our drive time so we took a couple of those. We stopped in a town called Orange at Party Magic And More where Elphie wanted to get some party supplies to celebrate entering Rhode Island - our 50th State! We ended up skipping a stop at Yale University, though Elphie had hoped to do a campus drive through while in the area to see another Ivy League school.
We continued on our way, on schedule to make it into Rhode Island with daylight left. Elphie had found where the welcome center was and that was the goal for setting up the celebrating of the achievement of visiting all 50 states. We crossed into Rhode Island, drove a few more miles and at the rest area, parked in front of the Rhode Island welcome sign. I set up the camera, and Elphie decorated the sign with balloons, and making noise with her noise maker while wearing party hats. I pulled out the confetti poppers and we had our little celebration and made a bit of a mess! I did look to see about getting a broom to try to sweep up some of the confetti but I didn't find an attendant nor a broom.
We continued on the way, with some confetti flying off of the car and arrived at an AirBnB in North Providence. We unloaded and settled in after the long drive. Elphie captured footage of the space. We then decided to go to the nearby Twins Pizza to give a Rhode Island Pizza Strip a try. Elphie told the server it was our 50th state and that we were going to try the pizza strip as it was a local food. She was a friendly server and Elphie promised to leave a good review.
Back at the AirBnB, we had on the football game and Elphie was exhausted so she went to bed early. I captured a moon shot then edited a quick clip of the Rhode Island celebration to post to social media before going to bed.
Providence, Rhode Island (09.06.2025 - 09.07.2025)
https://youtu.be/O0oRkvij1wk
On Saturday September 6th, 2025, we drove to downtown Providence to check out the Rhose Island Seafood Festival along the Seekonk River at the India Point Park. We settled on one particular food truck where we got a Hot Lobster Roll, Lobster Grilled Cheese, and Loaded Lobster Fries from Sunset Farm. After we ate, we decided to get a Del's Frozen Lemonade as well. We went to the river and saw some swans a-swimming. We were not there long and got our fill. Elphie decided to get a t-shirt and we headed back out, driving around the nearby Brown University campus to achieve another Ivy League school visit.
As we drove through Providence south toward the sea shore, we passed the Big Blue Bug from Atlas Obscura. We ended up driving to the town of Warwick, Rhode Island where the "Danger Bridge" was located. It was called Danger Bridge due to a warning that there was a bridge there moreso than that it was dangerous. I decided to go into the Atlantic Ocean nearby before an impending storm hit. It was getting very windy and the temperature was dropping some as we were there. I'm not sure it was the best of places to get in the water but nonetheless I did it. There were folks fishing nearby. We drove to a nearby abandoned amusement park in Warwick, Rhode Island called Rocky Point which had a few remaining structures.
We headed back to the AirBnB and mostly made it before the storm hit. Elphie captured some footage of a military gun and motorcycle on top of a motorcycle shop and we captured another clip of the Big Blue Bug and the Providence skyline as we returned north. Elphie also got some footage of the 50 State Achievement certificate as well. Before going to bed, we found a channel to watch the Savannah Bananas play Banana Ball.
On Sunday September 7th, 2025 the rain continued. We had plans to attend the Horror Depot's Dark Arts Festival and decided to go ahead and check it out despite the rain. We found some parking not too far away and walked to the Rhode Island School of Design along the Providence River Walk. Some of it was indoors and some outdoors. We caught a performance art piece of the "Rocky Horror Punk Show" and the costume contest.
We left the Dark Arts Festival and headed to a store called the Frog and Toad looking for some souvenirs to give family and friends. While there, Elphie asked if there was a good spot to eat and catch the football game. The store clerks offered the idea of The Malted Barley where they serve sandwiches on pretzels. I assumed they meant pretzel buns but it turned out to be actual pretzels. The game on the television was of course the New England Patriots but when the game finished, it switched to the final moments of the Pittsburgh Steelers WIN over the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. I got a Caprese sandwich and tried a Rhody Red Yacht Club soda. Elphie got a salad.
We drove around downtown Providence hitting or sighting a few of the Atlas Obscura sites in town such as the Time Wave, Nori The Dragon at the Children's Museum, the apparently vacant Industrial National Bank Building, and the Gun Totem whichw as created by a Pittsburgh artist.. As we made our way back to the Airbnb to rest up for the long drive, I stopped to get gas and air in the tire once again. While in the gas station, Elphie picked up another local item called Coffee Milk. We would give it a try on the drive.
At the AirBnB, we repacked everything and then settled in for the remainder of the day for football. I was going to try to get some ice cream from the nearby ice cream stand but it was closed. Instead, I ate as much of the remaining food we had as I could.
Providence, Rhode Island, driving to Baltimore, Maryland, flight to Chicago, Illinois (09.08.2025 - 09.09.2025)
We left Providence on Monday September 8th, 2025. We drove back to Baltimore Maryland as we learned that to return the car where it was picked up meant unlimited mileage for the rental term. We taste tested the Coffee Milk, which tasted like milk with some coffee flavoring added. It pretty much was that. As we drove, we crossed Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. Elphie captured scenic footage as we drove including some color change among the leaves in Connecticut, our pass by of New York City where I also captured what appeared to be the apartment buildings cited to be the birthplace of hip hop listed as Kool Herc's Block on Atlas Obscura, a taste test of the Mountain Dew flavor Trolli gummy worms, our crossing over the Delaware River on the tollbridge, another stop at the Christiana Mall, arriving into Baltimore by way of a toll tunnel, and the Mr. Trash Wheel in the water near the Baltimore smoke stack.
Once we checked into the hotel again, we unloaded then left to go to Wal*Mart to return the cooler we used for the trip. On the way back, we stopped at Sheetz to gas up the car and Elphie got some food for the evening as well as for the flight. I stopped at Primanti Brothers and got a Pastrami sandwich to eat at the hotel while we watched the Monday Night Football game. I captured some footage out the hotel room window of the moon.
After spending the day driving on Monday and then more or less relaxing in the hotel that night, we had a flight back to Chicago mid-afternoon on Tuesday September 9th, 2025. This was the first time in quite a while that we'd have a flight taking off and landing in the day time! We returned the rental car to the BWI rental car facility and I informed the person receiving the car that we had some issues with a tire losing air. From there, we took a shuttle to the airport and went through the processes of checking our luggage and the TSA screening without much of any issues. Elphie decided she wanted some Arby's while we waited and I decided to try Ledo Pizza, since the chain had once employed Elphie. It wasn't a bad pizza and I'd say it generally tasted like most any other pizza. Nothing stood out about it other than it being made in a square shape.
We boarded our flight and as we flew, I captured some footage of the take off as I usually do but also a shot of another flight below us, some areas with windmills, and northern Indiana as we turned to fly over Lake Michigan. I captured and kept the entire approach over the southside of Chicago from the harbors and the city until we landed at Midway. We gathered our luggage again and without issue. As we left, I captured some footage of an approaching flight as well as one passing by while we rode the CTA orange line back home and then some footage of the city as we approached the 35th and Archer station. Elphie got the "we're home with Stein" photo in and that is where the project comes to an end.
I included the "credits" with soundtrack information, a few thank you comments and some information on the equipment used and processes of editing for the project over the footage on the flight back to Chicago.
Elphie made a picture book highlighting our travels to all 50 States. Link below.
https://www.lulu.com/shop/elphie-x-and-joel-x/joel-elphies-50-state-journey/hardcover/product-zmwme8m.html
Full Project Video Playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9ZwEF2QQpPuqFZzsiPSz2ISwTLc_iaA&si=Fw4dSb2o6yqDifII
Once we checked into the hotel again, we unloaded then left to go to Wal*Mart to return the cooler we used for the trip. On the way back, we stopped at Sheetz to gas up the car and Elphie got some food for the evening as well as for the flight. I stopped at Primanti Brothers and got a Pastrami sandwich to eat at the hotel while we watched the Monday Night Football game. I captured some footage out the hotel room window of the moon.
After spending the day driving on Monday and then more or less relaxing in the hotel that night, we had a flight back to Chicago mid-afternoon on Tuesday September 9th, 2025. This was the first time in quite a while that we'd have a flight taking off and landing in the day time! We returned the rental car to the BWI rental car facility and I informed the person receiving the car that we had some issues with a tire losing air. From there, we took a shuttle to the airport and went through the processes of checking our luggage and the TSA screening without much of any issues. Elphie decided she wanted some Arby's while we waited and I decided to try Ledo Pizza, since the chain had once employed Elphie. It wasn't a bad pizza and I'd say it generally tasted like most any other pizza. Nothing stood out about it other than it being made in a square shape.
We boarded our flight and as we flew, I captured some footage of the take off as I usually do but also a shot of another flight below us, some areas with windmills, and northern Indiana as we turned to fly over Lake Michigan. I captured and kept the entire approach over the southside of Chicago from the harbors and the city until we landed at Midway. We gathered our luggage again and without issue. As we left, I captured some footage of an approaching flight as well as one passing by while we rode the CTA orange line back home and then some footage of the city as we approached the 35th and Archer station. Elphie got the "we're home with Stein" photo in and that is where the project comes to an end.
I included the "credits" with soundtrack information, a few thank you comments and some information on the equipment used and processes of editing for the project over the footage on the flight back to Chicago.
Elphie made a picture book highlighting our travels to all 50 States. Link below.
https://www.lulu.com/shop/elphie-x-and-joel-x/joel-elphies-50-state-journey/hardcover/product-zmwme8m.html
Full Project Video Playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9ZwEF2QQpPuqFZzsiPSz2ISwTLc_iaA&si=Fw4dSb2o6yqDifII
There was a lot of driving on this trip, however we broke it up pretty well with extended stays in a couple of places. It was fun. Elphie was able to overcome fears by riding roller coasters at Hersheypark so that was cool...I didn't have to ride them alone. A big THANKYOU Joshua for the ticket hook-up. I was very happy that visiting The Simple Way worked out and a big THANK YOU to Allee for taking the time to talk with us and show us around. A big THANK YOU to Jason and Myrthe for having us over for dinner and recommending the Dobbin House to get a taste of the French Onion Soup. A big THANK YOU to Debbie for her hook up on the discounted Avis car rental. A THANK YOU to Dan Kingerski of Pittsburgh Hockey Now for his recommendation of the Simmon's Motel in Hershey. Thanks to Party Magic n More for being a place to pick up supplies to celebrate our 50th state visited. Thanks as always to Atlas Obscura for some ideas of things to check out in the places we go. Thanks to booking.com and AirBnB (and the friendly hosts) for being a source to find lodging. Thanks to Southwest Airlines for having flights to get us there and back again.
Additional soundtrack includes "Rhode Island" by David Van Buskirk, "Hunting The Rhode Island Sasquatch" by Rodent Emporium, "In Flight" by Eugenius, "Shipwreck" by Covenant, "Burning Ships" by 6'10, "Building Better Bridges" by Listener, "Tell-Tale Heart" by Grave Robber, "Mach 3" by Ghoti Hook, "Pilfers" by Betamax DC and Dread Pirate Roberts, "The Red Death" by Thrice, "Ouija" by Harley Poe, "Ouija" by God Module, "Civil Wars" by Emery, "Poison and Wine" by The Civil Wars, "Lincoln's Train" by REZ, "Harrisburg Shoes" by The Homeless Gospel Choir, "Cinnamon and Chocolate" by Butterfly Boucher, "Chocolate Angels" by Eerie Wanda, "Chocolate (Spanish Dance)" by Mr. Tyler Larson, "Chocolate Chip Trip" by Tool, "Perpetual Flame Of Centralia" by Lingua Ignota, "Ghost Town" by Lauren Lakis, "Milestone" by Five Iron Frenzy, "Country Mile" by Glenn Kaiser, "Soda Tax" by 2Minute Minor, "Swedish Purse" by Wovenhand, "Yesterday" by Boyz II Men, "Drexel U" by Huntingtons, "C-Minor" by mewithoutYou, "Bellyroot of America" by BEAST, "Altisidora" by Psalters, "?School" by Crashdog, "Math, I Will Defeat You" by Destroy Nate Allen, "Old Nassau" by Princeton Glee Club, "Born In The U.S.A." by Bruce Springsteen, "Something To Believe In" by Ramones, "Sea Song" by The Throes, "Rock Lobster" by Stop The Presses, "Swan Sea" by The Violet Burning, "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Derek Webb, "Alice At The Atlantic" by The Ascendents, "Kings Of New England" by Gasoline Heart, "City By The Sea" by Dropkick Murphys, "Old New York" by Agnostic Front, "Living On A Prayer" by Bon Jovi, "Jersey Never Seemed So Long" by Element 101, "Baltimore Oriole" by PQMQ Workshop, "Trotz Der Kraehen (Despite The Crows)" by Leper, and "Chi-Town Beatdown" by Flatfoot 56.
