There is a lot to be said for small town America. Well there are some towns where there simply cannot be enough said. One of those is Whitwell, TN. Located about 30 miles outside of Chattanooga, Whitwell is the epitome of small-town life in America. With 1,600 residents there is next to no diversity. Like many small towns there is little scope for the outside world. I’ve heard it all, as my hometown fits the category quite well. …

The map officially has character now. Take a good look at it. After a spontaneous 600 mile drive to Tennessee and another spontaneous 350 mile drive to St. Louis the map looks a whole lot different. Once again I will drive all the way through Tennessee again as I head to Alabama eventually. My schedule, plans, and everything else is all out of whack and I’m perfectly ok with it. In fact I’m excited about it! …

We are the champions! That is Michigan State University and all the Spartan alumni across the world. Both a childhood dream and a college dream came true tonight. The Spartans’ men’s hockey team takes home the national title from St. Louis. In front of the largest hockey crowd in Frozen Four history the Spartans scored the go-ahead goal with just 18.9 seconds left in the game. At that moment I let out the biggest yell of my life in a celebration that I have been anticipating since I was a young boy. …

A childhood dream comes true. The Michigan State hockey team is headed to the championship game on Saturday. This is a dream of mine that only my parents could truly understand fully. They were there from the beginning, that fateful day when I came home from kindergarten and said, “Mom and dad I want to play hockey.” The whole family was on the same page, meaning none of us knew anything more about hockey than it was some game where people skate around on ice and shoot this little black thing around. …

In the last week since I’ve been on and around I-75 I have seen several Michigan license plates. When I was out west I hardly saw them at all. I was a long ways from home. But there is always something special about seeing a Michigan plate when on the road. It always makes me smile and reminds me of home. However the other day, I drove by a car on the freeway with a University of Michigan alumni plate. …

Yesterday I arrived at host #18347. Ok, it hasn’t been that many yet, but it’s getting close. This stop brings me to Knoxville, TN. Knoxville is the third largest city in the state of Tennessee. Its known for the pink marble and being The Underwear Capital of the World. My hosts here are Krystyn and Oscar. They were very kind in letting me stay here last minute when they are very busy. …

If a class of students was asked, “What makes up the United States?” every response would be different. Of course there are our rights and freedom. There are the beautiful national parks that scatter this huge country. There is Hollywood and New York City. There is the American diner and roadside attractions. The list could go on forever. Tonight I can check one more item off that list. Hooters. Not only was it my first time eating at Hooters on this trip, it was my first time EVER eating at Hooters. …

Visiting my parents this week was a good idea, no no no, it was a GREAT idea! It was a 600 mile drive, I thought that alone would suck all my energy out. Then I had to play chauffeur all week, not really what I expected (Can we get another Jeep for my parents anyone?). I was hoping to have a few days off of driving. Also, I was hoping to sleep in for a long time and take plenty of naps. …

I assure you, there are things at home that you take for granted. Some of these you might acknowledge, but there are many you don’t. As I was sitting with my parents on the balcony eating dinner yesterday it was quite relaxing. Like a good boy I cleaned my plate so I could have dessert as well. It was right then when I let out a big loud burp. It felt great! …

Turns out that I’m a lifesaver. Fate works in mysterious ways. My parents had just returned from touring the Smoky Mountains, just as I suspected. They were on their way back from one of the lookout points, 15 miles up the curvy roads of the hills (personally I don’t think it’s a mountain unless there’s snow on the peak). They make it 11 miles up and trouble hits! The transmission goes. …