CountryPlans Forum

 Was in Arizona this past week.  Number 44........6 more to go.

Still need Mississippi, New Mexico, Montanna, N.Dakota., Vermont, ......Hawaii!!!!


No foreign countries yet.


Where ya been... :)



sparks

Really loved the New England area.....need Vermont.


sparks

That would be 32 of 50 US states for me.

7 out of 10 Canadian provinces, plus one territory

How many foreign countries?   24

Quote from: MountainDon on August 07, 2009, 12:33:17 AM
That would be 32 of 50 US states for me.

7 out of 10 Canadian provinces, plus one territory

How many foreign countries?   24

Wow...24 countries.......how's about a list...fascinating...

Canada
Mexico
UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Isle of Man)
Ireland
Belgium

France
Spain
Portugal
Andorra
Monaco

Italy
Vatican City
Switzerland
Slovenia
Serbia

Austria
Germany
Liechtenstein
Bosnia
Netherlands

Montenegro
Croatia
Greece
Macedonia

And now, your favorite places ??


sparks

Italy
Greece
Spain

in no particular order

Hmmmmm.

Va.
West Va
NC
Texas for a couple of hours
Drove through MD and Pa but got tired and came home.
Fla once. ??? ???
Tenn
Kentucky

Brazil
Mexico on the way To Brazil

That;s about enough to suit me. I fully expect to live the rest of my life in Va with an occasional trip to W Va, NC and I might see what AK and Montana look like.

33 States and 16 foreign countries.
I just renewed my passport and I hate to lose the last one, Every page was full of stamps.

I voted too soon and mis-counted and recorded 21-30.  My state count is actually 47 with the favorite being Alaska.

The country count is about 11, I think.  The most unusual is India.  The favorite is hard to pick.

I need every state West of the Mississippi River, except Kansas. Otherwise I've been to every state East of it.

Been to Canada, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, & Barbados. The benefits of living in Miami for so long and having friends who are pilots lol

States Missed: Colorado, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Rhode Island & Vermont

Countries Visited: Canada, Mexico, UK, Ireland, Portugal, Italy and Japan (favorites were Portugal, Republic of Ireland and Italy)

11 States, although some of them have been for brief moments or at airports.

But, the list:

Indiana (born/raised)
Kentucky
Ohio
Tennessee
South Carolina
Colorado
Utah
Nevada (where I now live)


Those are the states i've "Stayed" in.
Illinois
Arizona
Georgia

are places i've been in for less than a few hours. I had to drive through a small portion of AZ to get to Utah, i've flown in and out of both Chicago O'Hare, and Atlanta Horrible International. (Really though, I think the ATL airport is pretty bad and outdated).


Soon to be spendiing time in New Mexico, and I have never seen the ocean, ever, so hopefully making a trip to LA this year.

Can't remember all for sure as some were when I was little but over 31 as I did a lot when trucking.

Plus Mexico, Canada, and France. 

Favorite?  California Mother Lode and gold rush towns but other places are close.

States

Haven't yet been in: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island


Countries I have visited

England, Wales, France, Italy, Greece, Mexico, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Bosnia, Kenya, St Croix, St Maartin, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Kitts, Puerto Rico

Thanks to all that replied...


We are a truly diverse group...



sparks

Gonna get New Mexico tomorrow....a little town...Chama....north side of the state....

Hawaii will be the tough one to conquer.





sparks

 :)  Hawaii-----Beautiful place! (especially Kauai) Awfully expensive place to live though.

Been to, or at least through, every state 'cept Hawaii.

A year in Italy, a year in Spain. Portugal, Greece, France.

Mexico, Guatemala, Canada.

Had the modest dream of growing old in Rome. That seems as distant as Mars now.

Need:  Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, South Carolina, West Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island

Foreign:  UK, Spain, France, Germany, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Philippines, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Mexico, Grand Cayman, Canada, Netherlands

Soon to get New Zealand!

Favorite foreign : Australia.

Sparks... be sure to eat at the elkhorn restaurant.  About the only halfway decent place in town :-)

Hadn't really looked at the map to see before, in the lower 48 I need Colorado and Maine, only flown in and out of MI though, built in 12. My co-worker on the job we just finished is going to HI next to work through the winter, I wonder if he'll notice a heavy bag  :D. I had a job fall through that was lined up for offshore AK some years ago, really regret missing that. Been just inside both ends of Canada and might visit Mexico this winter if we can find someone to keep the dawgs...I think we'll eat alot of chicken if that happens, the girls are just starting to earn their keep  d*. I had my toes at the Rio Grande Christmas before last and was tempted, just to say I had, but that was some nasty looking water. My wife is Dutch and has travelled alot more than me. I've always felt very fortunate to be here and now.

neat thread, I would love to hear the cool stories from the travels above. 

I have been to 39 states and also been to London 3 times. 

Quote from: muldoon on November 01, 2009, 11:56:16 PM
neat thread, I would love to hear the cool stories from the travels above.  

Hmmm.

One of the things I always seem to recall is an experience in the southern mountains of the former Yugoslavia, now Macedonia. We were traveling in an elderly Bedford camper van. It was January and very cold. We camped in a turn out of the dirt/gravel "highway" we were on heading to Greece. We were in the Nidze Mountains if I recall correctly. Miles from anywhere. We awoke to thick frost on all the windows. The seats folded down to make a double bed. The Bedord had one of those step on starter activators. I had rigged a board and stick so I could reach out from under the covers, turn on the ignition switch and then push the stick to start the engine.

So I did that and had a peek at the water temp gauge, waiting to until it began to register heat before I would turn on the heater blower. The gauge started going up faster than usual and reached very hot, but no heat came out o the heater. I switched off and pulled on more clothes. Outside I found a several inches of new snow. The radiator and hoses were very cold. I figured the cold was more than the anti freeze could handle. I have no idea how cold it was. We had a serious problem as we were virtually out of Camping Gaz (propane), and were very low on water as well. As fortune would have, we had camped next to a garbage heap; cans, wood, etc.  :D I found an old gallon size can with the lid cut off so I built a fire, melted snow in the can and when I had enough hot water I poured it over the top radiator hose and let it run down the core. When I fired the engine coolant made it way through and quickly thawed the radiator.

We set off down the road and came to a village consisting of little more than a gasoline station and small food store. It sat at a crossroads. I went inside and found myself facing the guy behind the counter. Not knowing the local language I blurted out "anti freeze". The guy turned wordlessly and retreated into the back area. In a moment he returned with a liter can of Anti Freeze!  It said so right on the label. Eureka! I pantomimed squeezing a bulb and holding it up to eye level. The guy said something reached under the counter and motioned me to go outside. Soon we had tested the coolant and added a liter to the cooling system. We werte soon on the way. Now I knew how to order two things in Yugoslavia: Anti freeze and beer.  ;D

That was one of many interesting vehicle related encounters with the automotive trades across Europe.

Ive been to 17 foreign countries, couldnt name them all so I wont write any. And honestly, never want to leave this country again.
But here in America other than texas(2 weeks) when I was 7,Califonia for 20 days of training, and Alaska for 2hrs waiting for a plane to Okinawa, Japan , Ive never been north of Maryland, nor west of Tenn.,Kentucky or Ohio. But ive been to all southeast states otherwise.

The older I get though, the more Id like to buy a camper and ride through every state , especially out west and see everything the  verses of this great song sing.
Darrell

America the Beautiful
Words by Katharine Lee Bates,
Melody by Samuel Ward


O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for halcyon skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties
Above the enameled plain!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!

O beautiful for pilgrims feet,
Whose stem impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till paths be wrought through
wilds of thought
By pilgrim foot and knee!

O beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and twice,
for man's avail
Men lavished precious life!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler men keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!

Shozbot!!....I got called back to Chicago early. No New Mexico this round.

Guess the Elkhorn cafe will have wait





sparks

"I just renewed my passport and I hate to lose the last one, Every page was full of stamps."

Copy the pages on a color printer before you turn it in.

Mine got rained on....looks kind of ratty.

8 countries

Every state except Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and New Jersey.

OK.. here's my best travel story.  Apologies in advance as this is lengthy.

I had ridden via oil rig from Singapore to the Philippines.  I was doing hardware upgrades, and my buddy was doing S/W upgrades for the BOP controls.  Had to kill time in Puerta Princessa, on Palawan for a couple of days, as my buddy had to go back to the rig to fix a GUI issue and I opted to wait on land (after 5 weeks on a DP rig... go figure).  Anyway, they were having a problem with Malaria, so I was pretty much staying in at night.  There was a karaoke bar attached to the hotel, so I would go down there and buy $0.25 beers and listen to drunk Asians sing western songs.  They were actually pretty good.  As I was sitting there, a whole group of nuns walked in.  No kidding.  They worked at the Vietnamese refugee camp and had a bunch of volunteer workers from Manila, and since the volunteers were going home the next day, they were going to thank them by going out for a party (this hotel bar was the nicest one in town that was indoors).  Naturally I had to buy them all a drink, so they invited me over.  (I am pretty sure I am the only sailor in the history of the world who ends up in the Philippines after a long haul drinking in a bar with nuns.)  Anyway, they told me that if I had a day to kill, I needed to go to the "underground river" in a town called Sabang (sp?).  They all had their one drink, invited me to the camp later, and left for the night after singing some songs.

Next day, off I went.  Took a Jeepney (think partridge family bus with mud tires and no windows) on a 4 hour trip through the jungle.  We had 23 Philippinos, 4 Europeans, myself, and a chicken on board.  Broke down halfway in the jungle, and while the bus got fixed, I got to visit with some of the locals who were farming the area.  Got to Sabang ~11:30 or so, took a "pump" boat around the point, and hiked in to the entry of the cave.  Got in a dugout canoe with a coleman lantern on the bow, and had a guide paddle me into the cave.  Pretty cool experience.  Came out, and saw a huge lizard... really big.  Made it back to Sabang at about 4, and found the Jeepney driver to ask when he was going back.  He said 7.  I was worried as this was going to put us back in town at 11pm.  He said No.... 7 am tomorrow.  Gulp.  I was out of water, no food, no DEET, and there were only some bamboo looking beach bungalows that I could rent for $4 a night.  Bed and a net.

I looked around and saw a nice Mitsubishi bus... I asked the driver if he was going back that day, and if I could have a ride.  He tapped the sign on the side of the drivers door that said "Philippines dept. of Interior, OFFICAL USE ONLY" and told me that he could not.  I offered 30 Pesos, and he said "we leave at 6"  ;D.  So I'm on my way back in an air conditioned bus with a truck load of (mostly women) botanists, and the only seat on the bus is in the back on the gear.  As we are driving along, the women would yell at the driver (something in Tagalog) and the driver would hit the brakes hard, and the ladies would bail out of the bus into the jungle and come back out with plants / flowers they had rooted up, wrapped in wet paper, and then they threw in the back with me.  So I am swatting nasty big spiders and other crap coming off these plants too.  On the drive, I started talking with the ladies as best we could.  Their english was better than my tagalog.  I asked them about the giant lizard I saw, and wondered if it was venomous.  They asked me what the word venomous meant... I said... you know "poisonous".  They laughed and said "Oh no... they are quite tasty".  Turns out these were giant iguanas. 

We made record time getting back to town, and the driver insisted on driving me up to the front door of the hotel.  I climbed off, and the bus went to the hotel cul-de-sac to turn around.  Just then my buddy rides up on a tricycle motorbike thing (having just flown in from the rig) and sees me standing there.  The bus comes back, and the ladies are yelling "Fraaahhnk, Fraaahhnk!"  and holding my lens cap out the window.  I grab the cap, thank them again, and they drive off waving and yelling "Goootbye Fraaahhnk!".  The look on my buddy's face was priceless.

We ended up going back to the Vietnamese camp later that week to visit with the nuns and get a tour.  We brought some toys with us, and we each donated $20.  The nuns were excited about the money as it would allow them to buy a little bit of meat for Chinese New Year for the refugees to celebrate with.  Pretty amazing trip.  I don't think it would have been as memorable had I been traveling with someone.

Sorry for the length... I got carried away reminiscing!   :)

P.S.  I later worked with a Vietnamese guy who had "processed" through that camp.  Small world.

 

Cool story Frank.  Thanks.  I didn't know the BOP's were computer controlled.  The land based rigs I worked on had them but I thought they were mechanically operated.  Maybe no time for that.