Discover America Diaries. 50 States, 50 States of Mind. Volume 1: East Coast to West Coast. New England, New York, and the Great Northern States [Paperback]

Priscilla Faith Rhodes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 2003

If you ever dreamed quitting your job and driving off to explore America's highways and back roads then read this diary first. On Columbus Day 1997, Priscilla and Ken Rhodes quit their jobs, bought a 30-foot RV (even though neither one knew the first thing about RVing), and drove off to discover America. Their plan was to see 50 states in 50 weeks, spending a week in each state, and returning to their jobs in a year. Three years later they returned home, broke but not broken. This is Priscilla's diary of that road trip, a madcap adventure that is both exciting and heartbreaking as she experiences the exhilarating heights and devastating depths of life on the road. Follow Priscilla and Ken on their three-year journey across the United States and see what they discover about America and about themselves. In Volume 1: NEW ENGLAND, NEW YORK AND THE GREAT NORTHERN STATES Priscilla and Ken visit Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, the "State of Anxiety," New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Washington, and Oregon.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a well-written book that will peak the interest of even the most hardcore couch potatoes. -- Denise's Pieces, June 2003

Part travelogue, part personal introspective, Discover America Diaries will leave readers exhausted from laughter. -- Boox Review October 2003

About the Author

Former history teacher Priscilla Faith Rhodes has backpacked through 12 European countries, cruised Russia’s Volga River, explored the Yucatan, and toured China before at last discovering her homeland, the United States of America. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband Ken.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Postcard Cafe (June 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971130418
• ISBN-13: 978-0971130418
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,009,916 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A road trip you'll enjoy, January 20, 2006

By 

Barbara Hudgins "author of "Crafting the... (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Discover America Diaries. 50 States, 50 States of Mind. Volume 1: East Coast to West Coast. New England, New York, and the Great Northern States (Paperback)

Back in the 1980s, there was an Albert Brooks movie about a couple of Yuppies who ditched the high-paced rat race, cashed in their nest egg, bought an RV and decided to discover America and themselves through a year-long road trip. They got as far as Las Vegas where the wife gambled away all their money. Later on, they ended up in some boring town with low-grade jobs. Nobody liked the ending.

A much happier ending has befallen Priscilla Rhodes and her husband Ken. Having quit their jobs in 1998 they bought a red truck and an attached trailer and set out for a few years of nomadic existence to discover the country. The result was a website devoted to postcards from the road called www.postcardsfrom.com which later led to this book. The couple actually sent e-mail postcards to people on their subscription list. The postcards became popular, as did the thumbnail sketches of the places they visited. After USA Today and The Christian Science Monitor lauded the website, their subscription base skyrocketed. Eventually this book evolved from their first trip: one that covered the northern route.

The diaries switch back and forth between personal accounts of their life on the road (and before), musings about society and deft descriptions of the monuments, towns, events and byways they encounter. Luckily for the reader, most of the personal accounts are very funny, and the descriptions are right on the money. Priscilla writes the diaries and the postcards while Ken takes the photographs and designs and emails the cards.

It seems Priscilla has the perfect husband. Not only can he handle a truck with a trailer weaving behind it (I personally avoid those things like the plague when I see them on the highway) he can also photograph,create a website, do professional book layout and fashion a very handsome book without benefit of high-price book designers.

So whether they are shivering in the cold, waiting for the sun to rise on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, baking in the heat when caught in Chicago traffic in their truck (which apparently is not air-conditioned) or climbing over buffalo dung in the Badlands, you will enjoy their journey and learn a lot about America, trailer parks, state capitols and various monuments. A very enjoyable read.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Delightful, Colorful American Adventure Trip, February 18, 2006

By 

Peggi Ridgway "Author, SENDING FLOWERS TO AME... (Tulsa, OK and Buena Park, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Discover America Diaries. 50 States, 50 States of Mind. Volume 1: East Coast to West Coast. New England, New York, and the Great Northern States (Paperback)

I'm in awe of Priscilla Rhodes's ability to describe not only the sights, sounds and adventures she and husband Ken experienced as they traveled America, but also the refreshing spontaneity and honesty of her emotions and reactions to each place and person along the path. Her accounting of sidetrips and highlights is delightful: From museums, landmark buildings and historical state capitols to deep dark fir forests, spectacularly colored mesas, sparkling, snowy mountains and brilliant sunsets. Who can forget the candy-colored lady in the laundry room or the seven-year-old boy who survived an accidental trip over Horsehoe Falls? The book is a joy ride with moments of surprise and even heart-gripping suspense (such as that at the Gates of the Mountains at Helena). Reading the Discover America Diaries is like happily stealing away in Priscilla's pocket for the entire length of the journey, through all its hills and valleys. Thank you, Priscill Rhodes, for an unexpectedly delightful trip.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thinking of launching a national trip? Read this first., April 22, 2006

By 

coachwriter "Lynn" (Washington state) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Discover America Diaries. 50 States, 50 States of Mind. Volume 1: East Coast to West Coast. New England, New York, and the Great Northern States (Paperback)

I'm guessing that there are many Americans who would enjoy and long for a trip to every state. Most of us will never do it in which case, it's fun to read about another's adventure. Priscilla Rhodes' book, Discover America Diaries, Vol. 1, is an armchair traveler's delight. Not only is the book fun to read, but it provides a real education about what this country holds. It is a uniquely personal account, as it should be, but it also mirrors the ups and downs of all our lives and especially I would think, the lives of anyone who takes to the road in search of education, adventure and themselves. If you do decide to hit the road, read this book first. It will give you hope that you can have a great time even if, like Priscilla and her husband, you know absolutely nothing about what you are about to do.