Still Revising Our Trip Plan

When Sandy and I were stationed in Germany, a couple of times when we told Germans that we were from California and the Sacramento area, they would ask if we knew someone in LA or SF not realizing how big California is in size or population.  I always thought this was funny, but as I’ve been planning our trip I’ve come to realize that I think all states are about the size of California.  Twice now I’ve caught myself doing this as I was planning our route, thinking because something was on the north or south end of a state from where we would be passing through that it would be a long way off our route.  When I would add the location into my map program I would find out it was only a distance of 50-100 miles, rather than several hundred, and that the deviation in route didn’t add that much to the trip.  I’ve also caught myself telling folks we live in a small town (Citrus Heights, population 85,000+) and then wonder why they give me an odd look.  Hopefully this trip will give me a better perspective on the relative size of the other states and what most people think of when they say small town.

I’ve told several people about our trip and all of them agree the only way to really see the US and Canada is by car, you miss too much flying over at 20-35,000 feet and 550 mph.  From our trip down Rt 66 last year I have to agree that you see much more at 42 inches (approximately my eye level sitting in the Miata) and traveling close to the speed limit.