South Dakota and A Bucket List....

It's February and it's cold in  New Jersey. Not that I mind that much. One of the reasons I love the great Garden State is because you truly do get a good sampling of all four seasons.  In other words, just enough cold and snow until I've had enough!

The cold however, has gotten me into summer vacation planning mode.  One of my bucket list items is to see Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. Needless to say, it's an amazing artistic feat that I would assume produces both an outpouring of awe and patriotism.  I also want to get there because I think it would be amazing to visit a state that is so different from my own.

Beautiful Mount Rushmore
in Keystone, South Dakota

South Dakota spreads out over 77,184 square miles making it rank 17th among all states in total area. New Jersey ranks 46th with less than 9,000 total square miles. Of course, when it comes to population, the roles are reversed.  According to 2010 Census data, 814,180 total residents live in South Dakota, causing it to be one of the top five least populated states.  This offers South Dakotans a mere 10.7 people to deal with per square mile.  New Jersey on the other hand, is called home to 8,971,894 people, ranking 11th in total population.....and we're all crammed into a lot less space - 1,195.5 people per square mile to be exact.  When I complain about traffic, now you can understand why.

There are times when I travel outside of New Jersey to Connecticut or the eastern part of Pennsylvania and realize the difference about how much more open and spacious things feel.  I can't even imagine what it would be like to live in a place like South Dakota where the land is so big and the people so few.  I share a driveway with my neighbor and I love it.  I love seeing her outside talking on the phone on her porch and saying hello.  I love that we bring in each other's garbage cans or that we can wave to each other through our windows.  I'm not sure if that proximity is available in states like South Dakota where the land is just much more vast.  One way is not better or worse, it's just different.  I'd love to experience that difference first hand which I'm sure is the reason that a visit to South Dakota is on my bucket list.  Of course Mount Rushmore is a great bonus, but getting a chance to see what life is like in a state so different from my own is just plain fascinating to me.

To my surprise, good old Highland Park, NJ has once again delivered. What a treasure trove of license plates this small town offers!  Highland Park is also the place where I stumbled across Hawaii earlier this year.  To my South Dakota traveler  - what brought you out here? Was it similar to my desire to see your home state? To see a place that seems so different from what you know? Or is it something completely different? Whatever your reason, we'd be happy to hear it here at Far From Home. In the mean time, safe travels!  Maybe our paths will cross again when my summer vacation comes to fruition!

South Dakota Visits New Jersey

Sightings

Two great sightings happened today-Oregon and Utah.  I saw Oregon in a parking lot as I was on my way to get my hair cut this afternoon. I was able to catch Utah in Brick, NJ at a restaurant where I was helping to celebrate my grandmother's 79th birthday.  To these out of towners, drop us a line so we can hear your story. What brought you here to New Jersey? Neither is a short trip, so we look forward to what you have to say!

Utah in New Jersey!

WY oh WY

About a year ago, I saw a plate from Wyoming on my way home from work.  I drove around the block with the hopes of getting a picture of the plate only to find that it had left when I finally circled back around.  One way streets can be quite frustrating in this situation.

The University's Logo
featuring Steamboat and Stub

I'd be lying if I said I still didn't keep a wishful eye out when I pass that same area every Monday through Friday.  Well, finally my patience and persistence paid off.  To my surprise, I stumbled upon the plate again just the other day.  My eye zeroed in on it and instantly recognized the cowboy on the bucking bronco on the left side of the plate - a symbol synonymous with the state of Wyoming.  In fact, the famous bucking bronco even has a name, "Steamboat," and the rider is widely believed, particularly in the town of Lander, to be Landerite Albert Jermome "Stub" Farlow, according to Cheyenne's official tourism page.  "Steamboat" got his name based on his snort, which was purported to sound more like a steamboat whistle than a horse.  Not only does "Steamboat" grace the license plates of his great home state, but the famous bronco also has become the logo for the University of Wyoming.   As excited as I was to stumble upon this jewel, I unfortunately had to pass the plate without getting a picture or leaving my postcard on the car since I was already running late to teach my Friday yoga class.  Again, those one way streets can make a seemingly simple task of going around the block a much more involved process.

Steamboat and Stub

After the long Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend, I was surprised by my luck once again as I drove home through the streets of New Brunswick.  There the plate was yet again, in roughly the same spot as before. But my luck stopped there - this time I was running late to yoga (to take a class instead of teaching it) and made the split second decision to move onward, as much as it pained me to do so.  Then a bit of "New Jersey" hit me.  My goal of traveling approximately six miles to the yoga studio took me over the 45 minutes I had alloted to get there.  Traffic was horrendous and back roads proved even worse with accidents that stopped traffic for miles.  My head was reeling in frustration...mad to miss the class, but more importantly, to miss the opportunity of making a connection with this visiting Wyomingite.  It truly begged the question, WY oh WY?

Wyoming is the least most populated state in the country - beating out Alaska, even with its remote location and harsh climate.  Based strictly on population and distance, seeing a Wyoming plate is just as rare as stumbling upon an Alaska plate.   Traveling from Pine Bluffs, a town in Wyoming that sits on the Nebraska boarder, to New Brunswick, NJ is approximately 1,687 miles and would take an estimated TWENTY FIVE hours to drive straight through. No small feat there.

The biggest take away from this whole experience is to stop if and when I see this plate again.  I can only hope that this out of towner is here for a while still.  With a minimum of 1,687 miles to drive back, I hope this Wyomingite has an interesting story of why they are here, and more importantly, will be willing to share the story with the blog.

The Holy Grail

It's nights like tonight that just send the license plate passion into high gear!

My husband just left on a multi-week trip to California. At one point we were discussing the roughly six hour trip and joking about how sometimes it seems like it can take that long to get out of New Jersey!  Well, luckily we were just being a little exaggerated with that comment, even though many New Jerseyians have sat through what seems to be hours of traffic to travel just a few miles. We're a dense state, (keep the mean NJ jokes to yourself please...) but there is a flip side to  this.  Having so many people live in this tiny state means we have lots of visitors from all over. Even Hawaii!

What a find for the license plate lover! To the Hawaiian visiting New Jersey-what's your story? Finding your plate is like the "holy grail" of license plates. So rare of a find and so eager to know the back story because of it.  Write to us at Far From Home so we can share your story!

Finding Hawaii in New Jersey - The Holy Grail!

In The Beginning....

The start of the road trip! How many plates will I encounter?

On The Prowl...

This time of year is always a special one for me and my husband. Why? Well, conveniently, my mother-in-law and niece have birthdays on July 30 and August 1 respectively.  What's even more convenient, is where we gather to celebrate - Ocean City, Maryland.  There's nothing like spending quality time with the family in this wonderful seaside resort town.  And take this from a girl who grew up on, and loves the Jersey shore - Ocean City, Maryland is pretty spectacular.  From the rides, attractions, national parks, southern charm,  music and the overall night scene (who has ever been to Seacrets and NOT fallen in love?), Ocean City, Maryland does it well!

It's about a four hour car ride for us - not too far of a trip.  However, what I love is that people travel a lot further from home to check out this supreme summer destination.  It's prime vacation time and my eyes are on the prowl for some plates far from home.  From the free street parking to the extremely affordable inlet parking lot, it's easy for cars to find cars their temporary lodging out in public showcasing their plates far from  home.  Let's see what I can find - where are these Ocean City visitors from and what stories are they bringing with them?  Stay tuned to find out!

Welcome!

I’m sure my mom could have never imagined this.  What started out as a simple road trip game to keep me and my brother occupied during long car drives has turned into life-long passion and hobby.  The "License Plate" game began on pad of yellow legal paper, with me carefully numbering 1-50 and meticulously looking out the car window for plates from different states.  Some twenty five years later, I still find myself doing the same thing, whether I'm on a long road trip or simply just driving to work.  

To this day, the excitement of seeing a plate far away from my home base of New Jersey never ceases to amaze me.   My mind started rattling with questions – what was the travel route? What was the reason for this car to travel so far from home?  Was it a happy reason like a graduation or to welcome a new baby?  Or was it a sad reason?  Had someone just died and this car literally served as the vehicle to allow the driver to say his final goodbyes?  Was this trip a simple vacation or was the driver starting over?  Was the driver just passing by or were there still many more miles to go?  

It soon dawned on me that seeing license plates far from home was an invitation to a greater story.  Like a giant flashing neon sign calling to me, I realized I had to go deeper to find more out. Truthfully, I can never deny how much I still love stumbling across an Alaska or Hawaii plate in New Jersey – but there is something more than the fun of seeing something so rare.  License plates are the first step to hearing stories from the road and from across the country.    It’s the chance to get a glimpse into the lives of people that would otherwise just continue cruising down the interstate.

This blog is dedicated to the excitement of the chase – finding the license plates that are far from home-  and telling the stories that accompany the miles traveled.  So strap on in and get ready for the trip of a lifetime.