Ashley Marshall has been on the move for nearly her whole life. Last fall, Marshall, her husband Jay and her two sons moved from a community near Salem, Oregon to Edgecomb. But her travels began at a much earlier age. In 1993, Marshall’s family moved to Slovakia when she was 7. Her parents left the U.S. to begin teaching English in eastern European countries as communist regimes disappeared. And now, as an adult, her travels have taken her to all 50 states.

Marshall, 36, has always been passionate about traveling. It’s something her grandparents also enjoyed. The grandparents visited all 50 states and drove a motor home called “Harvey the RV” while touring the lower 48. When it came time for her time to travel, she remembered her grandfather’s advice. “It’s great to travel, but you should see your own country first,” he advised. 

So in 2017, Marshall decided to use her summer teaching break to travel with her two children, Jax, then 6, and Jace, then 3. Marshall took her sons along with a friend  on a 700-mile trip to Salinas, California. “She was from Salinas and we visited her cousins. I also thought it was short enough to test the boys on how they fared traveling,” Marshall said.

It seems the boys fared well enough for Marshall to take a longer excursion the next summer.  This time, the family traveled from Oregon to Missouri, 10 states in 12 days. Ashley drove and Jay stayed home, but remained in contact by tracking her cell phone. He also was the trip navigator. In the past five years, Ashley, Jax and Jace have visited 47 states with Oklahoma as the lone destination left on the lower 48 checklist. Marshall and her sons traveled in the family’s Volkswagen Atlas and spent nights either camping out or sleeping in the SUV.  

During their travels, the Marshalls saw peculiar things like different colored highways. In the Southwest, they reported seeing white-tinged highways and western state roads with a reddish tint. Historic landmarks like the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. But the voyage’s highlight was the national parks. The Marshalls had an especially surprising trip to North Dakota. They visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the North Dakota Badlands. “Some parks didn’t allow you out of the car. You had to drive through, but at Theodore Roosevelt the park had all kinds of rocks which looked like elephant feet. The boys loved climbing all over these rocks,” she said. 

During their North Dakota visit, they also spent time at a local zoo and watched one large entertaining rodent. “This porcupine came out and went up a tree,  and danced on the branch. He did kind of a ‘Ta-Dah’ at the end,” Jax said.

Ashley was surprised at the Sioux State’s entertainment level. “We didn’t expect much. We went there to check the box, but it really was a great place, and we all enjoyed it,” she said.

The family was introduced to regional differences during their journey. In Chicago, they experienced deep dish pizza and, two days later, New York-style pizza. Jax declared New York as the clear, better choice. But Mom also enjoyed deep dish, too. “It’s great for a family traveling on a budget. A few bites really fills you up,” she said. 

Most of the travel occurred during the summer, but one winter saw the family make a southern swing to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle to visit family and old friends. This trip included a special “bonus” adventure. “It was awesome. We had three Christmases. It was totally awesome,” Jax said. 

But a trip to the Northeast wasn’t as festive or entertaining. A steady rainstorm curtailed the Marshalls’ adventure driving from the Midwest to New England. Shortly after returning to Oregon, Ashley and Jay decided to make a new start and move. They decided to check out Maine. They put their home up for sale in October and by November it was sold. Jay searched the internet real estate site Zillow for possible locations in Maine, and found one in Edgecomb. “We didn’t really get to see much of Maine which was disappointing. So we decided to go back and take another look,” Ashley said. 

So the family flew to Maine to look at the Edgecomb waterfront seasonal rental. When the Marshalls arrived after their nearly 3,300-mile trip, the owner asked what other properties they were looking at. Jay answered none. “We figured we needed to check out the property to make sure it wasn’t a scam. So we all made the trip to look at this one property,” he said. About an hour later, the owner called and told them they could rent his Edgecomb house through the current school year.

But the family may be on the move again. Neither Jay or Ashley have found full-time work or housing. She is a certified teacher pursuing a degree in school administration. Jay has years of experience in the automotive parts industry. “We love it here, but neither one of us have a permanent job. There is also no housing available,” Ashley said. 

The couple is looking to move elsewhere in Maine or to New Hampshire. While Ashley has already visited all 50 states, her boys haven’t. They plan on adding Alaska in a couple of years during a cruise celebrating their grandmother’s 95th birthday.