Great American Road Trip (2025)

My brother Joe and I embarked on this 14-state road trip on May 12th, 2025. I normally book guided tours for my travels so this was a fairly new experience for me having to make all the hotel arrangements and planning the sights we would see on this 17-day trek across the country. Neither one of us had ever undertaken such a long road trip before, and  with a few notable exceptions most of the states we visited were new to us, as well, which all added to the excitement and adventure of the journey. This also served as a good bonding moment for us. Joe and I have always had a great relationship, but the passage of time coupled with our separate family and work commitments did not permit us to see each other as often as we would have wanted, so this road trip allowed us to strengthen our bond as brothers. On a sadder note, Joe lost his wife, Teri, to cancer just over a year ago. They had been married for 41 years and were planning on taking a road trip (along the iconic Route 66). When Teri passed away I told my brother I would do the trip with him. Initially, we were going to do Route 66 but opted instead to see the South and Midwest, choosing to do the equally iconic Great River Road that follows the Mississippi River from its origins in northern Minnesota all the way to where it ends along the southern tip of Louisiana.

We did not follow the entire Great River Road, beginning our portion of it in Minneapolis  and stopping in New Orleans. In fact, our road trip consisted of two parts. The first was driving from Miami all the way to Minneapolis; the second part was the actual Great River Road itself. The Great River Road was just voted America's most scenic route, and for good reason. During our 17-day journey we covered a total of 4,700 miles, reaching as far north as Green Bay, Wisconsin before coming back down to Florida. Additionally, we logged more than 60 miles of walking throughout the trip. And what an experience it was! On the roadways we witnessed  it all, from good weather to hellacious storms, we saw crashes and people veering off the road, we saw - I kid you not - three things you'd expect to see in the Middle East: an obelisk, a pyramid and a camel. We visited some of the U.S.'s iconic cities and towns and experienced a HUGE slice of Americana along the way. And although my political leanings tend to hover around the center-left portion of the political spectrum,  we traveled through some very conservative, rural places (with Trump signs still visible) and everywhere we went the people were overwhelmingly nice, helpful and welcoming. It made me feel proud to be an American, quite frankly.

To view my pictures of this trip simply scroll over the Most Recent Photos icon and a drop down screen will appear. Another drop down screen will appear when you scroll over the Great American Road Trip icon. I will be grouping the photos by days so feel free to check out all 17 days of our trip. I will also be uploading a detailed journal of our travels in the coming months.

The Parthenon at Centennial Park, Nashville.