Traveling this far has made me realize more than ever that I was landlocked in a flat prison for 20-something years. Those few times I traveled outside of the upper Midwest—Colima Bay, Mexico; Disney World, FL; Colorado; Arizona; Oregon—they all had a common theme: eyes glued to the plane/car window, “WOAH!” As I’ve been driving through the hills of the Appalachians, my heart fills with fascination and appreciation and often accompanied with a dorky grin on my face.  The most re...