Postcards from Polly's Parents: the Middle

New Brunswick

My mom has always been a huge fan of postcards. Her one request on my recent trip to South America was that I send her a few. I don't know if it's the prevalence of e-mail or a lack of touristic infrastructure, but it was difficult to find postcards outside major cities in Brazil and Argentina. I managed to send four, and they all arrived, trickling across the Canadian border between one and two months after my trip was finished.

As they were preparing to sell our Virginia house, Mom decided that she and my dad would need a way to communicate while they were in Canada and on the road. So she finally joined the 21st century and purchased a laptop! (An attempt was made to purchase a wifi hotspot... Pro-tip from someone who's now been there: don't listen to the people at Best Buy when it comes to international plans. They have no idea what they're talking about.)

Once Mom and Dad set out on their quest to round out the lower 48 states with visits to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and North Dakota, I started receiving nightly e-mails with pictures of what they'd done or where they'd been that day. Here's a sampling of their journey, from New Brunswick to Kansas...

Quebec

Thanksgiving ice cream in Ontario

The United States has so many amazing regions to visit and road trips really are the best way to see our vast and geographically diverse country. There are so many iconic drives - Highway 1/101 in California, the grandeur of the Southwest, the incredible beauty of Yellowstone up through Montana, the sultry allure of Deep South, crisp and colorful New England in the fall... 

And then there's the middle. Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas - there's definitely a stereotype that there's nothing to see here but miles of corn. When it comes to knocking off all 50 states, for travelers like my parents (and me), the middle of the country is often forgotten about, left till last. So I was surprised by the beauty featured in many of my Mom's photos. (Hills in Iowa! I had no idea.)

German influence in Milwaukee

Milwaukee

Minnesota

Minnesota

Minnesota

South Dakota

Lewis and Clark Exhibit, Iowa

Loess Hills Scenic Byway, Iowa

Loess Hills Scenic Byway, Iowa

Kansas

My parents are chilling in Texas for a while following this trip, but I'm looking forward to seeing more of Mom's photos. Maybe I'll even convince her to start her own blog!