The first few weeks of 2019 have been rough. I’ve been focused nearly around the clock on a project for work, and any free time I’ve had has quickly been scooped up by other responsibilities. I haven’t traveled anywhere since the trip to St. Joseph, Michigan (over a month ago), and it’s been a few weeks since I’ve done a local escape room. I’ve been getting stir crazy.
December 7, 2018 – One month after completing an escape room in Idaho and finishing my 50 state goal, I was feeling stir crazy. Between holidays, illnesses, and buying a new car, I’ve been stuck in the suburbs of Chicago every week, with only a quick trip over the border to the Milwaukee area to break things up a little. This weekend was no different, with a Christmas party and a Blackhawks game to go to. Still, no snow on the roads and an open Saturday left me feeling ok with getting out of town.
November 4, 2018 – Only ten months after half-jokingly suggesting I should try tackling an escape room in every state in 2018, and I’m done. I also achieved my stretch goal of succeeding in an escape room in each state, which doesn’t matter too much to me, but it’s nice, I suppose. And now I’m left wondering what to do in November and December.
November 2, 2018 – It’s finally here- after ten months of meticulously watching for flight deals and studying maps, I’ve hit the final stretch. I just completed my 47th state (Colorado), will be headed to Wyoming in just a few hours, and will be tackling Montana and Idaho in the next two days. Whew!
Date: September 24, 2018 Place: ??? – New Hampshire “I’m dead.” I turn to my left to see a gray-haired woman stooped behind a dusty oak table. “Excuse me?” I ask. I’m sure I must have misheard, since I’ve never seen an introduction open with a declaration of being deceased.
September 24, 2018 – I’m sitting in the airport after a three day stint in the Atlantic northeast. Five more states knocked down, taking me up to a grand total of 46! The final four are Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. This weekend was a total blast. Christina and I solved seven escape rooms and still had time to experience a little more of each of the states we visited, from the Maine coast to the deep hills of Vermont.
Only a few more trips to go this year, but I need to be careful because a spike in flight prices can be quite costly. Currently at 41 states, I’m far past the point of no return, so if the only way to get to one of the last states is a $1000 flight… I might have to do it. Or drive 20 hours to avoid flying. Either way, not ideal.
Aloha! As I write this, I’m on a balcony on the 16th floor of the Queen Kapiolani hotel in Waikiki. It wasn’t the original plan for my trip, but things have a way of working out.
Another weekend, another whirlwind trip. This one started by heading from home to O’Hare Airport, Chicago, at 3:30 AM Saturday morning. Tonight, technically early tomorrow, I catch the 12:30 AM flight from Phoenix and arrive home at 6:30 AM Monday, just in time to get to work. In between, I’m visiting Tucson, AZ and Las Cruces, NM. Busy weekend, but well worth it!
Well… That was an adventure. I booked a flight to New York City and a flight back from Washington DC with not a detail planned in between. Somehow, it all worked out. I had a lot of fun, with tons of surprises along the way. I’ll be making separate posts regarding the escape rooms I solved in each city; for now this is just a summary of how I got around.
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