December 31, 2020
What a year doesn’t quite capture the sentiment that I think most of us share. Who knew.
We all faced a lot of challenges, scares and unforeseeable heartaches. Just close your eyes for a moment and think. Then take a deep breath, open your eyes and realize – we made it.
Traveling as Sally and I do may not seem customary or even correct to some. And that is in “normal” times. We feel we exercised reasonable judgement, stayed within tolerable risk levels but also decided we have but one trip around this galaxy. So we pressed on. Not quite as we originally planned but flexibility is paramount on the road.
A special nod of thanks to the South Carolina family for giving us quarter during the early days (months) of the crisis… we so valued that time with you.
I culled through some of my favorite images throughout the year and assembly them chronologically to see what happened. Below is the result.
Interestingly, I didn’t shoot a single picture in February or May. Trying to get to just two or three images per month was tough especially in late summer and early Fall as we changed locations often.
In total, the shutter was clicked more than 12,000 time. There are 12 States represented in these images and upwards of a dozen or more National and State parks. We drove through 21 States. I reached a milestone of 49 States with the addition of Maine and Vermont to the list. We traveled over 15,000 miles including a u-turn to AZ in May/June. We spent portions of eleven months on the road, racking more than 200 nights in our reliable 2005 Jayco 28′ trailer.
BUT
We abandoned our mobile homestead of 13 years in the dust of Dallas.
I don’t recommend a detour from Interstate 40 outside Oklahoma City, even to avoid ice and fog. You may make the choice that we did. Seemed simple at the time. We are quite accustomed change on the fly. Flexibility is the key to life on the road – detour from I 40 to I 20, virtually the same distance and same travel time. Makes sense.
Unless you decide to spend an extra night in Dallas and end up spending that day looking at new RV’s..
2021 starts tomorrow and we will be back on the road before you know it…2020 will be hindsight tomorrow.
Enjoy my little retrospective of the year through my lens(es). Thanks for joining us on the journey. I hope you stay tuned.
For what it is worth, my favorite shots are the last two…
Peace,
Ed
As always, photos are hi-res and best viewed on a larger screen to see the detail. Click on image and enjoy in full screen (Ed).
January 2020 Prescott, AZ 
January 2020 Bosque Del Apache, New Mexico 
March 2020 Port Arthur, TX (wonder if this is still standing after the hurricanes) 
March 2020 Avery Island, LA (Tabasco Factory) 
March 2020 St. Martinsville, LA 
March 2020 Jekyll Island, GA 
March 2020 Jekyll Island, GA 
April 2020 Murrells Inlet, SC 
April 2020 Murrells Inlet, SC 
June 2020 Peoria, AZ (home) 
June 2020 Peoria, AZ (home) 
July 2020 Ocracoke Island, NC 
July 2020 Hatteras, NC 
July 2020 Coquina Beach, NC 
July 2020 Coquina Beach, NC 
July 2020 Coquina Beach, NC 
August 2020 Alexandria, VA 
August 2020 Linville Falls, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC 
August 2020 outside Galax, VA on the Blue Ridge Parkway 
September 2020 Nubble Lighthouse, Maine 
September 2020 Franconia State Park, NH 
September 2020 Bass Harbor, Acadia NP, Maine 
September 2020 Schoodic Point, Acadia NP, Maine 
October 2020 Outside Stowe, Vermont 
October 2020 Stove, Vermont 
October 2020 Stowe, Vermont 
October 2020 Watkins Glen, NY 
October 2020 Watkins Glen, NY 
October 2020 Mabry Mill, Blue Ridge Parkway, VA 
October 2020 Great Smoky Mountain NP, TN 
October 2020 Ramona, Full of Grace.. Springfield, VA 
November 2020 McNeal, AZ 
November 2020 McNeal, AZ 
December 2020 Gilbert, AZ 
December 2020 Tonto National Forest, AZ 
October 2020 No VA family with intruders from the Republic of Texas 
September 2020 outside Littleton, NH
Thanks for joining us on the journey…
The Rana Bucket List 
Happy New Year to you Ed, and thank you for sharing your adventures with us. We really enjoy reading your blog.
Gabriele Dellanave
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So good to hear from you! Where can I see what you have been working on?
thanks for the feedback, glad you enjoy the blog. It’s been fun and a great way to document our experiences.
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Traveling with Ed was amazing. Plans were certainly altered many times but the results never disappointed. Thanks Ed. It was wonderful.
Sally
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I would just put a finer point on 2020—-IT SUCKED
Sent from my virus fort
________________________________
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enough said…
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Wishing you two another year of adventures. You remind us that no time or place is without wonder. Thanks.
See you in 2021!
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See you soon. Thanks for everything.
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Love seeing your pictures, Ed. Thanks for including me in your journeys. Happy New Year!!!
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Thanks, Bobby. Nice to have connected after a lifetime… good to be in touch with the old neighborhood.
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Happy New Year Ed and Sally. I have enjoyed viewing your Bucket List stories and magnificent photos as you traveled in 2020. Thanks for this year-in-review and for stopping to see Kathy and me while traveling through Virginia. We are looking forward to your next visit. Marty
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Glad we were able to get together at least briefly. Love you, brother.
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Great stuff. Enjoy your travels. We hope to be able to share the stories back in AZ.
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Thanks, Stan. Look forward to when we can get together. All the best.
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Beautiful photography, Ed. You have many award winning images there and wonderful memories as well. Happy new year to you and Sally.
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Thanks, Shirley. Given everything, we survived 2020 and time to move on. Happy New Year to you and Stan.
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Best blog yet, this recap is outstanding and your ambition for adventure prevails! Of course my favorite is the Murrells inlet photo shoot when I fortunate to be onsite and learn a few things. Keep reaching and cant wait to see what the future unfolds. Happy New Year!
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Keep getting up to shoot sunset, Cathy
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