It has been suggested to us that we create a "theme" or  "goal" for our trips. For instance, visit every Major League Ball Park, visit Presidential Libraries or State capitals, that kind of thing. We have thought about these ideas and discussed them  extensively with our friends and relatives. One idea that appealed to me was to search out and sample the best martinis in every state we passed through. Tempting though this was, this IS a DRIVING trip and somehow sampling martinis along the way didn't seem like the wisest thing to do. No, we've decided on the next best thing.

A WINE TRIP ACROSS THE US! Think about it. Stopping to sample a little wine won't unreasonably impair my driving ability. And, unlike a dry martini, if we find some wines that we like, we can buy a couple bottles for later consumption! I've never been to a bar where I could get a martini to drink later. "Hey, bartender, this is a great drink! Can you make me a couple to go?" No, except maybe in Texas, that's not going to happen.

On our previous trips, we have discovered wineries in the most unexpected places: islands in Lake Erie, the back roads of Maryland, Maui (we didn't drive there), Ramona CA, Texas, and even down upon the Suwannee River in Florida. After doing a little research, it appears that wineries are indigenous to every state (I checked Alaska, Rhode Island and Delaware (yes it is still a state!) just to be sure) and are proliferating at an amazing rate. Our goal is to visit at least one winery in each state we pass through unless we only pass through a state's panhandle. Panhandle states include Texas and Oklahoma on our trip east, but who knows? Maybe we will have an opportunity to savor some fine OK wines on our return trip.

Neither Lorri nor I are wine connoisseurs, so don't expect some sort of sophisticated analysis of the wines we taste as we swill our way around the country. We plan on having some fun and learning a little about local wines and what makes them unique. If we like a winery and its wine, we'll be sure to report it here. If we don't have anything good to say, I'm thinking we might report that here too.

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