New Jersey

The expectations for New Jersey were low. The popular culture has already made a lot of jokes about the state and not even the locals know or care about its natural resources. They are usually surprised when we tell them we are going camping in the state forests of New Jersey. All the attention here is directed towards New York City.

You know you are in a really exciting place when the claim to fame of an area is a cemetery where the mother-in-law of some long gone president is buried. It is hard to find anything that rivals the things we saw in the western states here. And this has become a common theme as we travel the last remaining states on our list.

While we are still excited about the things that are coming up, it feels like we have reached the beginning of the end of our trip. Most of the people we wanted to meet up with we already have, most of the notable places have already been experienced and even the trees have shed their leaves preparing for the short days ahead.

On the other hand, this means we can slow down again. There is no need anymore to rush just in case the cold weather comes and we are stuck in snow. There is also no more anxiety about what is going to happen during the winter because we have already seen it. We have experienced all the seasons and are going in a circle again. On our last interview with a journalist, we noticed that even if we were getting the same questions again as always, the answers are different compared to the first interview.

It is a good time now to reflect on what had happened over the year and leisurely cruise through the remaining south eastern United States.