Thread by @iowahawkblog

#BBRTA2019 has concluded after 5312 miles, 25 states, and 2 oil changes. Hello ATX.

*plus the District of Columbia

state penetrated: AL AR DE GA IL IN IA KS LA MD MI MS MO NE NJ NY NC OH OK PA SD TN TX VA WV (+ DC)

it me

"I've Been Everywhere" names 92 places, I hit 13 of them on this trip for a 0.141 Everywhere rating

My lifetime Everywhere percentage is 0.663

Please note, you can see 5.4% of Everywhere in the state of Iowa (Spirit Lake, Oskaloosa, Davenport, Waterloo, Sioux City). 16.3% if you count Charleston, Dayton, Washington, Little Rock, Nashville, Knoxville, Springfield, Pittsburgh, Parkersburg & Cedar City

A few takeaways from my travels:

1. You can learn a lot more about this country from a dashboard than from a keyboard.

2. The USA is an amazing, beautiful place, full of friendly people of all types and all political persuasions, who don't scream invectives at each other all day long in real life.

3. When selecting a motel, "by Wyndham" is not as classy as one might be led to believe

4. I've been to Detroit many times, and this is the first time I've been optimistic about the city. Bankruptcy is the best thing to happen to it in the last 50 years.

5. Birmingham surprised the hell out of me, in a good way.
6. Ditto Chattanooga.
7. Non-hipster Brooklyn is cooler than hipster Brooklyn.
8. Des Moines is, dare I say, happening.
9. Iowa City is developing a... skyline?
10. Wawa is <ducks> overrated

11. Whole swaths of the Midwest, especially the MO River valley, have been devastated by rain and cold. Fields from OH to NE are barely up or unplanted. Spare some thoughts for our waterlogged farmers.

11b. All along I-29 I saw underwater farms that lost two crops: this year's, plus last year's after floodwaters destroyed their storage bins. Many farmers are on their 2nd plantings after their first didn't germinate due to spring cold.

Re: clapbacks on #10 - go visit a Buc-cee's before telling me how amazing Wawa is again

12. Much to the delight of Blair, the largest cricket complex and stadium in the US is under construction NW of Houston

13. Not to be outdone, plans are underway for a $500 million cricket stadium in the DFW metroplex #DallasVsHouston #TexasTheCricketState