Massachusetts man visits every city, town in Bay State with his 2 young sons
A Massachusetts man embarked on an epic travel quest with his two young sons over a year-and-a-half, visiting every city and town in the Bay State.
Alex Strum, of Wrentham, said the road tripping idea was hatched when his wife, Ashley, was forced to work from their home at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also kept their sons out of school.
So in order to entertain the 2- and 4-year-old boys, and give his wife some peace and quiet, Strum decided to take his sons to visit all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.
"So at first, it was kind of like, 'Today, we're going to go here, then I'll go there then I'll go there.' But eventually, when it became more of an organized thing, I did a lot of research and planning," Strum said.
Over the course of 18 months, Strum documented the trips with his boys on a web travelogue page, which includes funny pictures and captions of what they experienced.
"Getting them out into the woods and out in nature had a lot of benefits, too," Strum said.
Ashley Strum did join the boys on some of the trips, but said having an empty house while working from home was a welcome treat.
"It was great. I was able to get my work done. I was able to clean the house, and it was nice to be home in some silence," she said.
Alex Strum said he racked up over 60,000 miles during the "fun, but stressful" adventure. He said a brewery in Barre was his favorite spot and town to visit, and he also had a least-favorite experience.
"With all due respect to the good people of Peru, I got lost out in the woods there and there weren't many landmarks to help me get back on the main road," he said. "So I probably won't be going back to Peru any time soon."
The Strum family has dabbled a bit in traveling outside of Massachusetts, visiting both New Hampshire and Connecticut.
When it comes to venturing further in the future, Strum jokingly said that he's not sure his wife would let him beat up the new car they bought.