After a busy morning of repacking everything I had unpacked a few days ago, and saying goodbyes to some of the family, my brother, Dad and I headed north on Coastal Highway (Route 1) into Delaware. We visited some outlet shopping malls about thirty miles north of Ocean City, and got some great bargains! (I'm wearing $110 Reeboks that were on sale for $29!)

When we finished shopping, we headed south again for a short drive to Delaware's Rehobeth Beach. The boardwalk and the beach were packed with people on an absolutely perfect summer day. We had a quick italian lunch at Nicobola's, an incredibly good restaurant that's apparently famous across the country, and then headed back to our cars. I decided I was going to linger around a while longer (It's the last day of my trip. I wanted to hold onto it as long as I could.), so my brother left in the car with my dad and I stayed behind.

I drove back into Ocean City and just took in the sights one last time. On the way home, I watched the sun go down on the last day of my adventure, and thoughts of the whole trip kept whizzing through my head. It's been incredible. Absolutely incredible.

Shenandoah Park.. the Blue Ridge Parkway.. Atlanta, Georgia.. Birmingham.. being on the jury in Monroeville, Alabama.. New Orleans and Bourbon Street.. visiting my best friend for a week in Austin, Texas.. Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.. Roswell.. Albuquerque.. Sante Fe... Colorado's Mesa Verde National Park.. Four Corners.. the Grand Canyon.. Flagstaff.. the Meteor Crater.. standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.. Tombstone.. Scottsdale.. Nothing, Arizona (Population: 4!).. Seligman and Kingman on Arizona's Route 66.. Hoover Dam.. Las Vegas (Woohoo!).. Death Valley.. Santa Monica and Los Angeles.. driving up the California coastline.. San Francisco.. seeing that sign on Route 50 in Sacramento.. Yellowstone.. Devil's Tower.. Mount Rushmore.. the Crazy Horse Memorial.. Wall Drug.. the Corn Palace.. Blue Earth, Minnesota.. Mall of America.. the Bridges of Madison County.. the Field of Dreams.. Chicago.. Ocean City..

You always hear about how much this country has so much to offer. I don't think people realize what an understatement that is.

I wish I could force myself through this computer screen and personally thank each and every one of you for your comments, good wishes and warm thoughts. When I was out there alone sometimes, I'd think about all the people out there, not only from the U.S., but all over the world, travelling in the seat next to me. You all kept me going, and it gave the trip such a unique dimension. I truly cannot thank you all enough!

The trip itself may be over, but I still have a while to go until it's totally complete. In the next few weeks, I'll be adding as many of the hundreds of photographs I took on the road as space and time will allow. Once that's complete, Henry's USA Roadtrip is done.

I've never been very good at goodbyes, especially to an uncountable number of people, so I thought I'd simply finish with this thought:

America... It is a fabulous country, the only fabulous country; it is the only place where miracles not only happen, but where they happen all the time.

-- Thomas Wolfe

From the bottom of my heart... thank you.

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