In 2018, Ella and I went on a 4-month road trip around North America. We flew into Toronto on July 4th and flew out on October 30th - four solid months of adventure. In total, we drove 21,400 kilometres, through 26 states and 3 Canadian provinces. As we went along, we saved various places on Google Maps, like accommodation or sights. And so, luckily, we ended up with a pretty good map of the route we took (see above; travelling anticlockwise). This blog of our journey is presented in reverse chronological order. To start at the beginning, please click here.…

We rolled over the Ambassador Bridge that links the city of Detroit to the Canadian city of Windsor. This bridge over the Detroit River is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume. It is also a toll bridge that is owned by one very rich American named Manuel Moroun. After paying our dues, we shot across, arriving safely again in the Great White North. It was a sort of homecoming. We had left the province of Ontario about three and a half months beforehand, crossing the border near Niagara Falls on the other side…

The origin of the name, Cincinnati, our next destination, goes all the way back to ancient Rome. Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus was a Roman patrician in the early Roman Republic. To defend against an outside invasion, Cincinnatus was authorised by the senate to assume control of the state, gaining near-absolute authority by the end of the crisis. Having done what he needed to do, instead of consolidating power and ruling for life, as is the way of dictators ancient and modern, Cincinnatus stepped back from power and retired to a life of farming. He thus became a legendary icon of civic…

We cruised into the Commonwealth of Kentucky from the south, making our way through the state's beautiful countryside. Kentucky was originally a mere county of the state of Virginia before attaining statehood (the 15th) in 1792, and is believed to have got its name from the Iroquoian word for "meadow" or "pasture", which seems appropriate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeIn_EnZoPs Kentucky is known as the "Bluegrass State" after the type of grass that grows prolifically on the state's fertile soil, particularly in the centre of the state. Tobacco, hemp, and livestock are big businesses. The high calcium content in the soil of the Bluegrass…

Nashville, Tennessee, is the home of country music. The heart of the city's music scene is Broadway Street, and it is quite something to see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJEopRWaZew Broadway Street is absolutely packed with "honky-tonks" - boozy bars with live music, food, and dancing. It's fun, lively, and the atmosphere is infectious. With all the buzz, we could've been in the heart of New York City. Just off Broadway is the famous Ryman Auditorium, a place that was pivotal to the popularisation of country music. It began life as a church, before transitioning into a live venue for concerts, shows, lectures, &…

The very first battle of the American Revolutionary War took place near the towns of Lexington and Concord, not far from Boston in Massachusetts. A large force of British Army "regulars" set off from Boston to capture military supplies in nearby Concord. Famously, Paul Revere made his "midnight ride" to alert the Americans of the incoming attack. The Brits supposedly fired the first shot at Lexington. Both heading out and on return, the British troops exchanged fire with a growing number of American "militiamen". The battle ended with the American siege of Boston, and with many Americans like John Adams…

We rolled into Memphis, Tennessee, population 1.3 million, with a long list of things to see and do. Memphis is home to the birthplace of rock and roll, the historic Sun Studios established by Sam Phillips. In 1951, a band called the Kings of Rhythm led by Ike Turner recorded "Rocket 88" in the studio, then still called the Memphis Recording Service. The group hailed from Clarksdale, Mississippi, and confusingly also went by the name Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats. The legend goes that during the drive up to Memphis, the group's guitar amp fell off the back of…

The state of Mississippi is named after the mighty river the runs along its western border, which itself comes from a Native American name meaning "Big River". We had briefly passed along the state's southern coast about a week before on our way from New Orleans to Mobile. This time, we approached the state from Alabama in the east, and our first stop was the small city of Tupelo (pop: 38,000). There is one primary reason that Tupelo receives so many visitors each year - it is the birthplace of Elvis Presley. The Presley's "shotgun"-style house at the Elvis Presley…