Plucky Survivors See America 2009: Red, White & Plucky
“Red, White, and Plucky” was the name of the 2009 adventure as Mary and Rick offered a thematic toast to America by traveling more than 1,800 miles through the cradle of the nation, beginning and ending the trip in Washington DC.
There, they saw the Lincoln Memorial and climbed the Washington Monument plus made a stop at the International Spy Museum
In Maryland they paid homage to the late, great Divine and Rick got a tattoo
In Pennsylvania they rang the Liberty Bell (metaphorically), visited Amish country, and hit a garlic festival, a hamburger festival, and a chocolate factory all in one day.
They rocked out in Ohio gorged themselves on Virginia ham. What could be more American than that?
Day 1: Los Angeles to Washington DC
The Plucky adventure begins as we jet from LA to DC, pick up Plucky Mobile, and promptly get stuck in traffic. But we did manage to get donuts, so there’s that.
Day 2: Washington DC to Baltimore
Our first official day on the road sees us making a house call to the Obamas, seeing Uncle Hank, getting Divine, and getting tattoed. Well, one of us did.
Day 3: Baltimore to Philadelphia
A quick trip to Philadelphia leaves us frustrated because the entire city was closed. Okay, well not the entire city but a lot of what we wanted to see. We still had fun! There was candy!
Day 4: Philadelphia to Hershey
This may very well be the Best Plucky Day Ever! A garlic festival, a hamburger festival, and an entire town devoted to chocolate! Read all about it!
Day 5: Hershey to State College
A busy day with more chocolate, a corn maze, a debate about how a buffet is different from a smorgasbord, a debate about the Civil War, and ice cream (with no debate).
Day 6: State College to Cleveland
We couldn’t leave State College without getting sticky… or a stickie… hard to explain. Then it’s on to Cleveland for some Rock & Roll, a lot of food, and a LOT of rain.
Day 7: Cleveland to Pittsburgh
We start the day trying not to put our eye out (Christmas Story reference) then visit a couple of offbeat museums before heading to Pittsburgh for Warhol and some funicular views.
Day 8: Pittsburgh to Washington DC
We take a pitstop in the lovely town of Cumberland and meet a “sweet” genius then head back to DC to get our obligatory pictures in front of big monuments.
Day 9: A Day in DC
We spend the day in the nation’s capital taking an American history test (and mostly failing), embracing our inner secret agent, and exploring crime and punishment.
Day 10: DC to Virginia Beach
We get back on the road for a trip through Virginia to salute the women of the armed services and find out what all the fuss is about Virginia Ham (great drag name!).
Day 11: Virginia Beach to Los Angeles
The final day of Plucky Survivors 2009 involved Shriners, fishes, a prohibition on swearing that we f**king hated, and a rumination about how lucky we are.