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Where Have I Been?


Here are some maps showing where I have been to in the USA, Europe, and the world. I made these maps with the help of a Website called Maploco. It's a neat site that lets you simply check all the states/countries you have been to and it generates a map. Obviously, this is for fun, and does not show the extent of my travels, but it is an indication. Who among us hasn't crossed a state-line, or a border and felt like they've entered a new place?

I have been to 39 States:

I have traveled on the ground in each and every state listed here, except for one state where I only spent time, in transit, at the airport: Texas (Dallas, Houston). I have also been to the District of Columbia several times. New Mexico? Don't knock the Four Corners National Monument if you know what's good for you! It's hard to say how many State Capitals I have been to (16, I think), but I know I have lived in three (Columbus, OH; Nashville, TN; and Montgomery, AL). See below.

Where Have I lived?

1. Olatha, KS (1963-1964)
2. Montgomery, AL (1964-1967)
3. Athens, OH (1967-1968)
4. Columbus, OH (1968-1970)
5. Charleston, IL (1970-1981)
6. Nashville, TN (attended DLU 1981-1986)
7. Nashville, TN (summer 1982)
8. Charleston, IL (summer 1983)
9. Papua New Guinea & Mocksville, NC (summer 1984)
10. Pittsburgh, PA (summer 1985)
11. London, England (July 1986-July 1988)
12. Nashville, TN (August 1988-August 1990)
13. London, England (September 1990-March 1994)
14. Kiev, Ukraine (Almost seven weeks in May-June 1993)
15. Raus, TN (April 1994-May 1995)
16. Tullahoma, TN (June 1995-present)

I have lived in each of these places, in this order, for different lengths of time. Some, for just part of a summer, and some, one, or two, or several years. My family moved a lot when I was young because my Dad was in graduate school at the University of Kansas, and then taught at four other colleges and universities until settling in Charleston, IL, at Eastern Illinois University, for thirty-years.

I have been to 23 European countries:

This reflects current boundaries--not necessarily the boundaries that existed when I visited them. For instance, when I visited Yugoslavia in 1987, I traveled upon what is today Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia, which counts as three different countries today. For what it's worth, I traveled extremely close to Bosnia on that trip, but according to the atlases I've looked at, I didn't actually cross into Bosnia (darn it!). The maps are inherently flawed, of course, because I have only been to small portions of some of these countries, and I have not been to some of the islands attributed to some countries. For instance, I have not been to the Isle of Man, or the Shetland Islands (UK), but I have been to Sicily (Italy), and Crimea (Ukraine). And, the UK doesn't count as one country, only. Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales count as separate countries. And, some countries I've been to, such as Malta, are so tiny, you can barely see them. Note: I have been to the Vatican City, which does qualify as a separate country. Yes, sir!

And, I have been to 28 foreign countries:

Wow, 28 countries doesn't take up much space, does it? I hope to eventually land on every continent, and see as much as I can, but for now I have been as far east as Ukraine, and as far west as Papua New Guinea. Two islands I've been to, Fiji and Trinidad, are hardly visible on this map, unfortunately. As for Canada, I've only been to the provinces of Ontario, and Quebec, and I have not been to Alaska, I'm afraid, which is a pity, I know. But, all-in-all, I don't think it is a bad list.


Here's a list of all the foreign countries I've been to in the actual order that I visited them, and by year. Some of them I visited two or more times in the process of seeing others. I traveled by foot/ground transport in every country listed below, except Fiji, which, to be honest, I only visited at the airport.

1. New Zealand (1984)
2. Papua New Guinea (1984)
3. Fiji (just the airport) (1984)
4. England (1986-1988, 1990-1994, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2019)
5. Wales (1986, 1987 three times, 1988, 2017)
6. Scotland (1986, 1993, 2008)
7. Austria (1987, 1988)
8. Slovenia (Yugoslavia) (1987)
9. Croatia (Yugoslavia, barely missing Bosnia) (1987)
10. Serbia (Yugoslavia) (1987)
11. Hungary (1987)
12. Belgium (1987, 1988)
13. Luxembourg (1987)
14. Germany (1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993 twice, 1994, 2004, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2019)
15. Switzerland (1987, 1988, 2017)
16. Liechtenstein (1987)
17. Italy (including Sicily) (1987, 1988, 1991)
18. France (1987, 1988 twice, 1991, 1993 twice, 2017)
19. Netherlands (1988 twice, 2014)
20. Vatican City (1988)
21. Malta (1991)
22. Czech Republic (Czechoslovakia at the time) (1991)
23. Ukraine (including Crimea) (1993)
24. Trinidad (1998, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2023)
25. Canada (Ontario, Quebec) (2003, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2016, 2019, 2022)
26. Poland (2010)
27. Sweden (2019)
28. Denmark (2019)


I have driven in thirteen foreign countries:

I've actually driven a car or van in these countries in roughly this order:

1. England
2. Croatia (Yugoslavia)
3. Serbia (Yugoslavia)
4. Austria
5. Wales
6. Malta
7. Germany
8. Scotland
9. Trinidad
10. Canada
11. Netherlands
12. Sweden
13. Denmark


I have ridden the train in ten foreign countries:

1. England
2. Scotland
3. France
4. Belgium
5. Netherlands
6. Switzerland
7. Germany
8. Czechoslovakia
9. Poland
10. Canada


Plus, I have been on 19 Metros:

And Toronto, and Charlotte, NC

That's right, in case you were wondering, I have ridden on 19 different Metro systems from around Europe and the USA. The icons above represent the Metros by location. Some, I have ridden extensively, such as in London, and Kiev; quite a bit in Berlin and Paris, mind you, and to a less degree the others. But, each Metro system has its own unique character, and I have distinct memories of each of them. Place your cursor over the icons to see where they are from. Can you guess where some of these are from? Metro icons are very colorful and eye-catching. Metro travel is invaluable to getting around in big cities. See Metro Bits to learn more about the wonderful world of Metro travel.


I have ridden my bicycle on these Greenways:

1. Tullahoma Greenway, Tullahoma, TN
2. Murfreesboro Greenway, Murfreesboro, TN
3. Tims Ford State Park--Weaver's Point & other bicycle paths
4. Chattanooga River Walk
5. Richland Creek Greenway, Nashville, TN
6. Metro Center Levee Greenway, Nashville, TN
7. Shelby Bottoms Greenway, Nashville, TN
8. Brentwood Greenway, Brentwood, TN
9. Taylor Creek Greenway, Estill Springs, TN
10. Stones River & Two River Parkway Greenway, Nashville, TN
11. Edwin Warner Park & South Harpeth River Greenway, Nashville, TN
12. Cumberland River Greenway & Downtown Greenway, Nashville, TN
13. Sewanee, University of the South, Bicycle Trails & Rails to Trails Path
14. AEDC Mountain Bike Trail
15. AEDC's Old Camp Forest Roads (near the Golf Course)
16. Henry Horton State Park, TN
17. Fall Creek Falls State Park, TN
18. Lipscomb University campus, Nashville, TN
19. Manchester, TN Greenway
20. Vanderbilt University campus, including Peabody campus, Nashville, TN
21. MTSU campus, Murfreesboro, TN
22. Belmont University & Hillsboro Village, Nashville, TN
23. Bicentennial State Capital Mall, Nashville, TN
24. East Middle School Outdoor Classroom and Nature Trail, Tullahoma, TN
25. Murfreesboro Greenway, Old Fort Park to Hwy 99 South (new section)
26. Tucker Valley, Trinidad & Tobago
27. Eastern Illinois University campus, Charleston, IL
28. University of Tennessee--Chattanooga, TN
29. Radnor Lake/Otter Creek Road, Nashville, TN
30. Percy Warner Park, Nashville, TN
31. Richland Creek/Nashville State Community College/Lion's Head area, Nashville, TN
32. Downtown Huntsville, AL and Historic District
33. Aldridge Creek Greenway, Huntsville, AL
34. Walter Hill Greenway, Murfreesboro, TN
35. Barfield Crescent Mountain Bike Trail, Murfreesboro, TN
36. Raccoon Mountain Bike Trail, near Chattanooga, TN
37. Smyrna Greenway, Smyrna, TN
38. St. Elmo's Virginia Ave. Greenway, and St. Elmo, Chattanooga, TN
39. Guild - Hardy Trail, St. Elmo to Lookout Mountain, TN
40. Knoxville, TN Greenway & UT campus
41. Chedoke Radial Trail, Hamilton, Ontario & all over Hamilton
42. Toronto, Canada, downtown
43. Des Plaines River Trail, Wheeling, Chicago, IL
44. Barren Fork Greenway, McMinnville, TN
45. Virginia Creeper Trail, Abingdon, VA to Whitetop, VA
46. New River Trail State Park, Galax, VA
47. Sparta Greenway & Old Town, Sparta, TN
48. Community College of Baltimore County campus, Rosedale, MD
49. Herring Run Park & Greenway, Baltimore, MD
50. Dundalk Old Town, Dundalk, MD
51. Columbia, TN, Greenway, downtown & Old Town

I love to ride my bike on Greenways, or trails that are suitable for bicycling. This is an extremely fun activity in my opinion, and can vary according to the type of trail. Some are purposely built greenway trails, and some are dirt or gravel paths, or college campuses. It makes no difference to me, as long as I am allowed to ride on them, I'll try it. This started when I was a kid growing up in Charleston, IL. I used to ride around Eastern Illinois University campus all the time. And I rode to school off and on from third grade till well into high school.


"It's where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we are."--Joyce Carol Oates

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