April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ST. JUDE PARISH
Wynantskill couple travel to all 50 states
Wynantskill couple travel to all 50 states
Four decades later, the parishioners of St. Jude the Apostle Church in Wynantskill have set foot in all 50 U.S. states.
The original ad "got things going," said Mr. Devine.
Mrs. Devine, a critical research monitor, oversaw pharmaceutical drug trials around the country. When her husband traveled with her, the couple was able to see many major U.S. cities like San Francisco, New Orleans and Las Vegas.
"I would either go at the beginning or end of her trip," Mr. Devine recalled. "About 10 or 12 years ago, we said, 'Gee, we've done a lot of traveling.'"
At that point, the couple had been to more than 30 states. After reading an obituary for a 91-year-old woman who had traveled to all 50 states, Mr. Devine decided to add the mission to his "bucket list" of things he wanted to do in life.
The couple made a list of the states they hadn't been to and started planning vacations.
Hitting 50
Years of summer trips with their in-laws finally added up to a round 50 this past May when the Devines checked off their final state: Alaska. Although many of the couple's past trips were more informal, they capped off their odyssey with a guided tour of Alaska.
The guides "took us on places we never would have gone," said Mr. Devine. One highlight of the trip was being able to see Denali (formerly known as Mt. McKinley), the highest peak in North America.
Though the towering mountain is usually hidden by the clouds, the Devines were able to see it throughout their entire trip. "There's no way to describe it," said Mr. Devine. "It just sits out there, so tall."
Over the years, the Devines saw many beautiful churches in addition to landmarks like Mt. Rushmore and the Great Plains.
Churches everywhere
"Part of planning my visits was incorporating the churches that we were going to visit," said Mr. Devine. "As part of our Catholic foundation, we saw it as a need to go to church."
During a trip to Flagstaff, Ariz., for example, the couple was able to visit St. Joseph's Church in Williams, Ariz.
"That was the only nearby church," said Mr. Devine. "We're sitting there in the pews and there's Jesus with His arms outstretched, and He's surrounded by ponderosa pines."
The ponderosa pine is one of the most populous evergreen trees in North America, growing mostly in the Western states -- but not in Galilee. "I guess we all want to make Jesus part of where we are," Mr. Devine remarked.
Attending Catholic churches in different states gave the couple a sense of home.
"Having gone to church for 60 years now, you've heard almost every song," Mr. Devine told The Evangelist, and "all the songs, they were all the same.
"When you go to a service, it's all consistent," he said. "You know when to stand up, sit down, kneel. There's nothing out of the ordinary -- and that's very welcoming."
Another highlight of the Devines' travels was experiencing new foods and restaurants. Mr. Devine called The Court of Seven Sisters in New Orleans "the ultimate feast -- such wonderful food all in one place. All the stuff you shouldn't be eating, but it's great."
Bumps in the road
Most of the couple's travels were done by car. After flying into cities, they'd rent a car to travel to all of the sites in the area. While in South Dakota, they drove down to the Four Corners monument where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah intersect.
The couple only had car trouble one time, having to pull over in Iowa. "The corn bugs got in the radiator," Mr. Devine recalled. "We had to stop and hose out the bugs. That's the only time we came close to breaking down."
Intense weather while traveling in Arizona was an issue once, too: After their flight to Flagstaff from Phoenix was canceled due to a snowstorm, the Devines decided to rent a car, thinking that, as upstate New Yorkers, they could handle a little snow.
But "it was a blind snowstorm," said Mr. Devine. "Jeep Cherokees were flying off the road. We had a little Mazda and we stayed behind a tractor trailer. Thank the dear Lord we made it to Flagstaff."
The next day, the storm was over and the roads were plowed, so the couple traveled to the Grand Canyon. "The Grand Canyon in snow is just spectacular," Mr. Devine noted.
Ordinary people
Meeting people in each state was another part of the adventure. Mr. Devine said that, in the Deep South, the people could tell they were Northerners from his accent and "kept [us] at a distance."
Midwesterners were more hospitable: "If you were to get lost, they would say, 'Oh, just follow me.'"
Wherever the couple went, Mr. Devine said, they saw the people and places as "all part of the experience. You're in for the good, the bad or the indifferent. That's life.
"This country is wonderful," he declared.[[In-content Ad]]
250 X 250 AD
250 X 250 AD
Events
250 X 250 AD
Comments:
You must login to comment.