“I’ve been everywhere, man, I’ve been everywhere …”

For me, those lyrics from a Johnny Cash song aren’t quite true. But, as I reflected on travels during my 78 years, I was amazed at all the places I have visited.

I’ve never had a list of places that I planned to visit during my lifetime, but just took things as they came. Still, I suppose I’ve been more fortunate than many when I count the spots I’ve experienced.

My first recollection of travel was in the late 1940s when my parents drove us to Niagara Falls. That was a big deal back then – a trip across Lake Michigan on the Milwaukee Clipper car ferry, and then the drive across Michigan from Ludington to Detroit, across the river into Canada and up to the Falls. We actually spent time in a foreign country! That was really something for an 11-year-old back then.

I also recall a trip to Blaney Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula the next summer where we stayed in a cabin. I left my slippers under the bed when we departed for Mackinac, and when we returned to Blaney Park a week later, the slippers were still there. So much for tidy housekeeping.

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