The Bacon family is making the trip of a lifetime. They packed up their Scripps Ranch home last June and moved into an RV to tour 50 states in 50 weeks. They are 38 states into their journey and made a stop in San Diego as they prepare to visit the final 12 states on their route.
The entire trip took four years to organize and many more to save the money to go. Beth and Dan Bacon planned the trip after Dan’s retirement from his 20-year career in the Navy. Their boys finished school at Miramar Ranch Elementary on June 16, 2008 and on June 17th the Bacons left San Diego in their luxury RV.
Beth and Dan are home-schooling their kids during their 50 weeks on the road. For the boys Arthur, 12, and Henry, 10, the RV has become a mobile classroom. They’re learning geography and U.S. history by seeing things first hand and every day is an adventure. At first the boys said they were skeptical about the cross-country curriculum.
"When we were first starting it we didn't know if it was going to be great or boring. So we just said, let’s do this and we'll see if it's fun or not,” and Arthur and Henry Bacon both agreed it turned out to be really fun.
The family has titled their tour, 'Bacon Across America.' They're tracking their trip online at www.baconacrossamerica.com. The family members are blogging along the way. Dan writes restaurant reviews and Beth takes pictures of the unique animals they’ve spotted to post online.
The Bacons also had more than 100 ‘Bacon Across America’ T-shirts made before they left. They’ve been giving them out to the friends they meet. The family has everything they need inside the RV, even the extras like a Nintendo Wii, flat screen TV, and Mac computer hooked up to WiFi so they can stay connected as they travel.
With limited space inside the RV, their souvenirs are primarily the pictures and memories they post on their website. There are shots of the kids and their parents sledding down sand dunes, going to a Chicago Cubs game, and scenic pictures of the Bacons at countless national parks.
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Arthur said he liked the Florida everglades, where they went canoeing. Henry liked the tour of President Garfield’s home. A president Henry made sure to mention, not too many people know about. There are pictures of Hawaii, and yes, the RV had to stay on the mainland for that trip. They’ll also be flying to Alaska, the final state they plan to visit in their 50-state tour.
Students at Miramar Ranch Elementary School in Scripps Ranch have been following the Bacon's adventures online. The Bacon boys visited their former elementary school on Thursday to speak with students about what they’ve learned.
Dan Bacon said it has been the trip of a lifetime and an amazing bonding experience for the family.
“If you think you can do it save your money and do it because it really is. Everyone says that it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Everyone wants to do it and they really should. It's really been fun," Dan Bacon said.
They’re a sweet family that seems to handle the close-quarters of their home away from home with ease. The boys joke and tease with each other in a good-natured brotherly way. They’re building memories they’ll treasure for a lifetime.
The Bacons said they’ll end up in Washington. And they plan to make a new home there on property they purchased a decade ago.
