We realized that several things would be challenging. The first thing was the weather. We checked and thought going in November might be a problem but the forecast was not too wintry. (40-60's) So we decided that was okay since we have a propane furnace in the van if it did get uncomfortably cold.
The second thing was that most campgrounds would be closed, so where would we "camp"?
We have an app on our smart phone called ALLSTAYS that lists "Walmart - Ask to Park". So we started what we have called the Walmart Shuffle. We are very grateful for this service. We have stayed in the store parking lots from New York to Oklahoma!
The last thing we wondered about was how we would plan the route and what did we want to see in addition to the country itself. We decided that we would do two things: avoid the Interstate Highways, and use the historical themes of Lewis and Clark Expedition, The Underground Railroad, and The Trail of Tears.
When we left Carrie's house on November 5, we had a send-off from one of her chickens, Sparkle!
Something we saw as we traveled in every state was a salute to the military. This was taken in Pittsfield, MA.
Our first stop, in Auburn, NY was the newly recognized National Park Service site, the home of Harriet Tubman, a very successful conductor on the Underground Railroad. Although the visitor centre was closed, we were fortunate to find the door open and a welcome from the interpreter Paul Carter. He shared the timeline of her life and took us to visit the home she used to create a home for the elderly.
She was known as the "Moses of her people..."
At 27, she decided that she would have either liberty or death. She escaped...and began her new life.
A map of the routes she used going from slave states, eventually thru Philadelphia and into New York then into Canada.
The house that became elderly housing through her efforts.
The was once her home and is being restored.
Guided by a great faith...
This woman, born around 1822 in Maryland, led an estimated 100 enslaved people to freedom, including her own family. Her height never reached five feet and she never learned to read or write, but her wisdom and intuition helped her become a freedom fighter as well as a visionary and intrepreneur.
(It might be interesting to the reader to Google her name and learn more of her biography.)
Moved by this woman's courage and life, we visited The Women's Rights Museum in Seneca Falls to learn and be inspired by others. This was our second visit and we forgot the camera.😞
Off through Ohio, and onto number 45th state...Indiana.
A field in Ohio where the Amish had stacked the corn stalks by hand.
Entering Indiana, we went on to visit a home of abolitionists Levi and Catherine Coffin, in Fountain City. The was a station along the railroad. He was reputed to be the president of the Underground Railroad (UGRR) and his home was known as Grand Central Station. 
And we loved the mural on the wall a block away from the home.
The next day, we headed to Indianopolis. So much to see in that city. The headquarters of the NCAA, the Indiana State Fairgrounds, and a mural to one of the native sons, Red Skeleton.
We also had other spots to visit on our historical journey. The first site was the Bethel AME church.
It was started as a church in 1836 by a group of African American Methodists. It was known as the Indianopolis Station. Eventually, the building was constructed in 1867 and the name was changed to Bethel AME. The congregation provided housing, clothing and provisions to those African Americans coming to the city after the Civil War. Such an important part of the community in the quest for freedom.
We went looking for another historical site we read about in the city, the George Rogers Clark National Historic Park. I will pick up the story there in Part 2 and explain to you about my passport book. We will also explain the connection of this site to the Lewis and Clark Expedition. State 45 and five more to go!
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