How Traveling America Became a Love Story

Before we had grandchildren, Dave and I had already begun traveling across the United States in our camper.

Like many veterans who had spent years working hard and raising a family, we eventually reached a season of life where we wanted to slow down and finally see the country we had spent so many years serving. We wanted to visit the mountains we had only seen in photographs, walk through the towns we had read about in history books, and stand in the wide-open places that make America feel so big and full of possibility.

So we began traveling.

For a while it was simply about the two of us and the open road. Each state brought new landscapes, new stories, and new discoveries. Some days it was a quiet overlook in the mountains. Other days it was a small-town celebration. Sometimes it was simply meeting people who loved their home state and were proud to share it.

Then life brought us a new adventure – Grandchildren.

When Jack, Morgan, and Lainey came along, our travels took on a new meaning. Even though they are still very young, we began thinking about the day when they would start asking questions about the world around them.

Children are natural explorers and our hope is one day they will begin dreaming about mountains, oceans, animals, and places they have never seen. They will start asking questions about where things are, why history happened the way it did, and what makes different places special.

And when that day comes, we want them to know that their grandparents once set out to explore this incredible country.

That simple idea became the beginning of something much bigger than we expected.

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The Idea That Started It All

As we thought about how to share our travels with the grandchildren in the future, the idea slowly formed. What if we told them stories about the places we had been?

Instead of simply saying, “We visited Delaware,” we could tell them about the beaches, the horseshoe crabs, and why Delaware became the first state to join the Union.

When we visited Mississippi, we could talk about blues music and the mighty Mississippi River and the towering and massive Live Oaks.

In South Dakota, we could share stories about the mighty buffalo and how they once roamed this great nation and its wide-open spaces.

Every state had its own personality, its own landscape, and its own story waiting to be told.

And little by little, those stories became something more than memories. They became books. That is how Grandma and Grandpa’s Traveling House was born.

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A Journey That Became Something More

At first, the books were simply a way to save those adventures for the future—something our grandchildren could read when they were old enough to begin dreaming about their own journeys.

But as I researched each state for the stories, something unexpected happened.

The journey became deeper.

Every state carries its own piece of the American story. Some chapters are joyful and inspiring. Others remind us of challenges and mistakes that shaped who we are today.

But together, those stories form something remarkable. They tell the story of America.

As I dug into the history of each state—its people, its struggles, its victories, and its landscapes—I realized that what I was writing had quietly become something else.

It had become a love story.

Not just a story about travel.

A love story about this country.

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The Beauty Found in Every State

One of the greatest surprises of our travels has been discovering just how different—and beautiful—every state truly is.

Some places take your breath away with their landscapes. – Towering mountains, Sweeping plains, Quiet forests, Miles of ocean coastline.

Other places surprise you with their stories.

Small towns where history still lives in the streets. Museums that quietly preserve moments that shaped the nation. Wildlife you never expected to see.

And everywhere you go, you meet people who are proud of their home state and eager to share its story.

It reminds you that America isn’t just one place. It’s fifty different stories woven together.

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Bringing the Stories to Life

As the miles added up and the stories grew, it became clear that these adventures were too special to keep only in our photo albums and journals.

So, I began turning them into children’s books. (Also, I don’t golf, or swim or play cards and it takes about 30 minutes to clean your house when you live in a camper!)

The Grandma and Grandpa’s Traveling House series follows two traveling grandparents who explore the country in their camper while sharing stories, history, wildlife, and discoveries with their grandchildren.

Each book focuses on a different state and introduces young readers to the people, places, animals, and moments in history that make that state unique.

My hope is that when my grandchildren and now hopefully all children read these stories, they begin to see the United States the way we do—full of adventure, curiosity, and incredible stories waiting to be discovered.

If you’d like to explore the series, you can see all of the books here:

Grandma and Grandpa’s Traveling House Series

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The Adventure Continues

Even though Dave and I have slowed our travel for a bit, we still have the same excitement we had when we first began exploring the country and can’t wait to start again.

There are always new places to see, new stories to learn, and new adventures waiting just beyond the next mile.

And every mile we travel reminds me of something simple but powerful:

America isn’t just a collection of states; It’s a living story.

And someday, when our grandchildren are old enough to start dreaming about their own adventures, we hope these stories will inspire them to explore the country that we have come to love so deeply—one state at a time. We hope it does the same for yours!

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How many states have you visited in your USA travels? Let us know.

See ya on the road,

Dave and Theresa