Trip Report - Fifty by Fifty 2009 When I was 48, I realized I had visited more than 40 of the United States. It seemed like a good goal to visit all fifty states before I turned fifty years old. I scrambled to make it happen! This report summarizes the three trips I took in the last two months before my 50th birthday. All Fifty States by Age Fifty!

State Number 48: Kentucky

Friday, 13 Mar 2009

For this trip my friend DG and I flew from Denver to Indianapolis, picked up a Chevy Impala rental, and drove a whopping 9 miles to a convenient motel. Weather delays made for a long evening, and we didn't get to bed until about 0200.

Saturday, 14 Mar 2009

We slept in a bit and got on the road at 0945.

Bakalar AFB IN (1672)
Control tower
Control tower
Hangar
Hangar
Historical marker
Chapel

Freeman AAFld IN
Row of buildings
Row of buildings, other side

We ended the day in Louisville, Kentucky, after driving 333 miles in 9.75 hours. This was my first time in Kentucky! State Number Forty-Eight!

Sunday, 15 Mar 2009

Another lazy morning, not on the road until 0845.

Bowman Field KY
W.W.II hangar
W.W.II hangar
Pre-war Art Deco airport terminal building
Pre-war Art Deco airport terminal building
Pre-war Art Deco airport terminal building
Pre-war Art Deco airport terminal building
Pre-war Art Deco airport terminal building
Airport terminal building, flight line side showing control tower
Hangar and historical marker
Historical marker
Hangar
Double-bay hangar

Standiford AFB KY (7559, WEAS)
AAF Modification Center #9 KY
(We did not see any historic buildings or structures on Standiford or the former modification center

Fort Knox KY
(Active base - no photos except of the Godman Field historical marker below

Godman AFB KY
(Historical marker)
(Historical marker
(Historical marker, other side

This was a very short driving day, only 169 miles in 7 hours! We stopped for the night in Whitehouse, Tennessee.

Monday, 16 Mar 2009

Well, the morning starts are getting earlier--we were on the road at 0815.

Jeffersonville Arsenal IN
Central building inside quadrangle
Central building inside quadrangle
Interior of quadrangle
Interior of quadrangle
Interior of quadrangle

Jeffersonville Quartermaster Depot IN
Power plant
Elevated water storage tank
Depot buildings
Depot buildings
Depot buildings
Depot buildings
Depot buildings

Benjamin Harrison AFB IN
Building
Chapel
Parade ground and housing
Parade ground and housing
Parade ground and housing
Parade ground and housing
Parade ground and housing
Parade ground and housing
Parade ground and housing
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building

Stout Field IN
Operations building and control tower
Hangar

Tonight's stopping place was Indianapolis, Indiana, after driving 318 miles in 9.25 hours.

Tuesday, 17 Mar 2009

The trip from the motel to the airport was just 9 miles, and the return flight home was smooth. A nice trip! Only 898 miles on the Impala (which seemed like a decent little car). And only two states left!

Friday, 3 Apr 2009

I booked a direct flight from Denver to Minneapolis-St. Paul, arriving in early afternoon. My rental car for this trip was a Toyota Prius, my first experience driving a hybrid. I headed north, getting used to the hybrid technology along the way. I had passed through MSP on several occasions, but this marked my first trip to Minnesota when I ventured outside of the airport. State Number Forty-Nine!

Duluth Airport MN1507, FMLH)
SAGE Direction Center DC-10
Fighter alert aircraft shelter
Hangar
Hangar
Building
Building

I stopped for the night at a motel between Duluth and M-SP, logging 289 miles in 6.5 hours.

Saturday, 4 Apr 2009

I hit the road at 0720, after a breakfast of gas station junk food.

Nike MS-90C MN
View from front gate
Radar tower
Current sign

Nike MS-90L MN
Building
Gate

Monticello Airport MN
Hangar
Hangar, rear view
General view

Nike MS-70C MN
Radar pedestal
General view
Buildings
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building

Nike MS-70L MN
View from front gate
View from front gate
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Sentry house
General view
General view
General view
General view

Nike MS-40L MN
View of gate
Sentry house
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
Sentry dog kennels
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building
Building

Nike MS-40C MN
View of gate

Northfield GFA MN (5266)
View from road
View from road
View from road
Building
Building
Building
AN/FPS-18 radar antenna reflector
AN/FPS-18 radar antenna reflector
AN/FPS-18 radar antenna reflector

Gopher Ordnance Works MN
Structures
Structures
Structures
Structures
Structures
Structures
Structures
Structures
Structures
Elevated water storage tank
Elevated water storage tank
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings

Rosemount Ammo Storage Annex MN3658)
View from gate
View from gate

Fort Snelling MN
Row of buildings
Old fort
Old fort
Old fort and new building
Chapel
Buildings
Buildings
Buildings
Warehouse
Housing
Housing
Housing
Housing
Housing
Historical marker

I quit for the day in Minneapolis, after 348 miles in 10.67 hours.

Sunday, 5 Apr 2009

Wow, according to my notes I didn't hit the road until 1100. No worries, I didn't have much to do before getting to the airport.

Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant MN
View from across highway
View from across highway
Gate
Gate
General view

Holman Field MN
Pre-war Art Deco airport terminal building
Pre-war Art Deco airport terminal building
Airport terminal building
Airport terminal building, seen from flight line
Airport terminal building, seen from flight line
Airport terminal building, seen from flight line
Airport terminal building, seen from flight line
Airport terminal building, interior
Airport terminal building, interior
Airport terminal building, interior

Army Air Forces Modification Center #12 MN
View from parking lot
View from flight line

I only drove 64 miles on this day, before an uneventful trip home. Total drive for this weekend was a mere 721 miles. My compliments to Enterprise for their great service on both ends of the rental car experience. (The Prius was fun, by the way, and I averaged 42 MPG on this trip.

State Number 50: Rhode Island

Friday, 17 Apr 2009

No direct flights this trip. I flew from Denver to Philadelphia then to Hartford. My rental car was a Mazda 3, my first time and hopefully my last time in one of those (driver's compartment was too tight, and rearward visibility was horrible).

Hillsgrove AAFld RI (7592, WVAD)
Pre-war Art Deco airport terminal
Airport terminal
Airport terminal
Large hangar, side view showing control tower
Large hangar, view from street

I stopped for the night in Coventry, Rhode Island, covering 146 miles in 3.5 hours. My first visit to Rhode Island! *drum roll* STATE NUMBER FIFTY! WOO HOO!

Saturday, 18 Apr 2009

I hit the road at 0730, heading west.

Groton AAFld CT
(No photos, I didn't see any historic buildings or structures

New Haven AAFld CT
Civil Air Patrol building
Civil Air Patrol building

Bridgeport AAFld CT
Hangar
Hangar

Plancor 1383 CT
Test Hangar No. 1, seen from rear
Test Hangars No. 1 and No. 2, seen from rear
Test Hangars No. 1 and No. 2, seen from across flight line

Air Force Plant #43 CT (2531, ACGZ)
View from south parking lot
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
Gate
Building
Building
Building
Building

After briefly ducking into New Jersey for a few miles, I stopped for the night in Matamoros, Pennsylvania. The day's drive was 352 miles in 9.75 hours.

Sunday, 19 Apr 2009

Another 0730 start, and I drove from Pennsylvania into Connecticut before doing a lot of tactical work in Massachusetts.

Westover Communications Facility Annex (Transmitter) MA (5908, YTQT)
View of gate
Wider view of gate

Westover AFB MA (1028, YTPM)
Chapel
Chapel annex
Flight line gate
Maintenance hangar
Maintenance docks
Maintenance docks
Maintenance docks
Maintenance docks
Maintenance docks
Maintenance docks
Maintenance docks
Maintenance docks
Maintenance docks
Maintenance docks
SAC "Molehole" 70-man alert facility
SAC "Molehole" 70-man alert facility
SAC "Molehole" 70-man alert facility
SAC "Molehole" 70-man alert facility
SAC "Molehole" 70-man alert facility
SAC "Molehole" 70-man alert facility
SAC "Molehole" 70-man alert facility
SAC "Molehole" 70-man alert facility, view from inside through non-historic window
ADC fighter alert hangar
ADC fighter alert hangar
ADC fighter alert hangar

Stony Brook AFS MA (4571)
Building
Building
View towards Westover AFB flight line

Westover Communications Facility Annex #2 MA (1035, YUDJ)
View of southern portion of site
View of northern portion of site
Signs for both portions of site

Chicopee Outer Marker Annex MA (1029)
View of gate

Westover ILS Outer Marker Annex #1 MA (5901, YUDC)
View from west
View from southwest

Westover Comms Anx #1 MA (5902, YTRN)
(No photos, a crowded new residential area blocked access.

Westover Communications Annex #3 MA (7494, YTRT)
View of gate, earth-covered building in background
Building outside fence
Building outside fence
Building outside fence
Antenna tower above facility
Gate

Westover Communications Annex #2 (GLOBECOM) MA (5903)
View of compound from north
View of compound from southwest
View of compound from east
Current sign, access road in background
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view
General view

This was the longest day of the weekend at 424 miles in 10.5 hours. I must be getting mellow as I reach the half-century mark.

Monday, 20 Apr 2009

I pulled the chocks at 0705 for the trip south to the airport, detouring in West Springfield to spend a few hours visiting with an old buddy of mine. I covered 1,015 miles on this weekend.

The flights home were tolerable and I only drove 91 miles in 6 hours before flying home. This trip accomplished my "All Fifty States by Age Fifty" goal, with two weeks to spare!