Bucket List – 50 States​ (and the District of Columbia) 

Pins on the map indicate places Rich visited while working for Lutheran Hour Ministries.

STATE	LOCATION	​Circumstance/Companion
​Alabama	​Selma/Mobile	​While a member of the Board for Pastoral Education of The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, I was asked to attend a meeting at Concordia College, Selma. I was accompanied by the members of the BPE and spent the night in the St. James Hotel, near the Edmund Pettus Bridge. ​ Carol and I attended the Lutheran Women in Mission (LWML) convention held in Mobbile. We manned the LCRL dispplay and visited the sites of downtown Mobile.
Alaska	Tanacross/Anchorage	​Bunny, Becky, along with Kurt, Kaye, and Kerry Hofmeister joined me on a mission trip to the Athabascan natives in the village of Tanacross. We spent one night there in a RV. The night our lives were threatened, so we spent the rest of the week camping in Tok. ​ After Carol and I married, we went on a sightseeing car trip throughout Alaska, with our first night spent in a hotel in Anchorage.
Arizona	Phoenix	​I was a member of the Board of Stewardship for the Michigan District – LCMS. Carol was the Executive Assistant for the board. She nominated me for the John E. Hermann Stewardship Award, given to only a select few of the LCMS. The award included travel for Bunny and I to Phoenix, where Carol helped present the award.
Arkansas	Little Rock/Rogers	​One of the first duties I had at Lutheran Hour Ministries was to help design a teaching segment for the Parish Media Team trainings. The very first PMT training was held in Little Rock. Joe Collet, Bruce Wurdeman, and another presenter joined me. The trainings were so successful that for the next several years I would travel 30 weekends of the year around the country making presentations. ​Carol travelled with me to Rogers to make a MU Presentation for LHM.
California	Anaheim/Arroyo Grande	​After Bunny’s parents passed, we took the inheritance, bought a new car, and drove on a three-week tour of states west of the Mississippi. One of our stops was a visit to Uncle Ray and Aunt Ruth Cohrs in Anaheim. (We did visit Disney Land). ​When I worked for Lutheran Hour the second time, I helped develop an Evangelism training called MISSION U. I was contracted to present a MU at Arroyo Grande. Carol went with me and we spent time there and touring southern California, especially Universal Studios.
​Colorado	​Littleton and surrounding towns	​Mom and Dad Cohrs moved to Littleton in 1974. Many a night was spent there with Bunny and the kids. After mom and dad passe, Brothers Randy, Danny and sons Robert and Russell lived in the area. ​Carol and I spent many a night with family.
​Connecticut	​Hartford	​I was part of the team that presented a PMT training one weekend in Hartford.
​Delaware	Dover	​Carol and I travelled to St. John’s Lutheran Church in Dover to make a presentation for LHM. While there we visited the beach and Dover AFB.
​Florida	​Eustis/Daytona Beach	​Bunny and I visited Disney World in Orlando before flying to Germany to visit Don and Melinda Saffel. We spent the night with friends Deb and Kim in Eustis. ​ Carol and I spent many nights in Daytona Beach as Rich manned a display table for LHM and LCRL.
​Georgia	Atlanta/ Fort Gordon	​Rich and Bunny visited Atlanta when Rich made an LHM presentation there. We were able to visit Coca-Cola, underground Atlanta, and Aunt Margaret Cohrs Carol and I visited Carol's brother, Gary, while he was stationed at Fort Gordon. He took us to see Augusta.
​Hawaii	​Honolulu	​I presented a PMT to the churches of Hawaii in Honolulu. Bunny went with and we spent time in Honolulu and some of the other islands. ​Carol and I spent our honeymoon in Hawaii, spending a few nights in Honolulu as well as other islands.
​Idaho	​Twin Falls	​I travelled to Twin Falls to present a PMT training.
Illinois	​Mundelein, et al	​I grew up in Mundelein from fourth grade to high school.  Bunny and I lived in Chicago, Hinsdale, New Minden, and Prairie. ​Carol and I took Jeremy, Amanda, Lewis, and Myles for a weekend in Springfield.
Indiana	​Schererville, Gas City	​Eddie and Lynn Angulo lived in Schererville. Bunny, the kids, and I would spend many a night visiting with them.  ​ Carol and I would drive from St. Charles, MO, to Michigan to visit family. Many a night was spent in Gas City to break up the trip.
​Iowa	​Ottumwa, Le Claire	​Dad Cohrs bought a small boat and wanted to have my family camp with him on a lake for a week. He rented a cabin near Ottumwa and we drove to meet them there. On the way the boat had issues, some it was abandoned, but he and mom made it. We spent a week in on the cabin fishing with a rented boat. ​ One-year for Father’s Day Carol wanted to take me on a trip. So, we went to Le Claire, spent a few days there, and Rich was able to shop at the American Pickers store from the TV show, American Pickers.
Kansas	​Manhattan/Basehor	​When Mom and Dad moved to Colorado, we lived in Southern Illinois. Each Christmas I would load the family into whatever vehicle we had and drove out to visit them. If we did stop for the night, it was at Manhattan. Carol and I drove to Basehor and attended church there as part of Rich's duties as a board member for Storying Discipleship Ministries
Kentucky	​Bardstown	​Carol and I went with Greg and Yvette Seltz to spend a few days in Bardstown to visit the whiskey distilleries. We also drove walked through Mammoth Cave.
​Louisiana	​New Orleans/Slidell	​Dad worked for Johns-Manville Building Products and one year he was sent on a fact-finding tour of all the United States JM plants in an effort to unify the cost per piece of their product. He drove and took along mom and cousin John Zimmerman. The Easter he was to be in New Orleans Bunny, Richie, Bobby and Uncle LeRoy drove from New Minden to meet them there. We spent an enjoyable weekend in New Orleans, a highlight was when Bunny told grandpa and grandma that she was expecting again. (Becky was born the following September.)  ​ Carol and I sent a week in a camp in Slidell. While we were there, we drove into Chalmette each day to muck out houses damaged by the flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina.
Maine	Portland	Carol and I flew into Portland and spent two days touring the area. Rich had lobster and Carol bought a lobster painted bowl.
Maryland	​Baltimore	​Carol and I spend a few nights in Baltimore as I presented a LHM presentation to a church there.  We were able to take the train from Baltimore to Washington DC for a dew day trips.
​Massachusetts	Boston	​Bunny joined Bruce Wurdeman and me as we spent the weekend in Boston presenting a PMT training. Carol and I took the train from New Hampshire to Boston. We spent three days seeing the sights. Rich walked the deck of teh USS Constitution, which he did 60 years earlier with his family.
Michigan	Sebewaing/Chelsea	​Bunny and I lived 10 years in Sebewaing where we taught at Immanuel Lutheran School. ​ The first night Carol and I spent as Mr. and Mrs. was in the Comfort Inn in her hometown of Chelsea.
​Minnesota	​Minneapolis/St. Paul	​Bunny and I spent a few nights at Concordia, St. Paul when I was representing Concordia River Forest on the bowling team. We bowled in the Concordia Invitational Tournament – winning it that year.  ​Carol and I spent a week in Minneapolis as we were trained in Crossways.
​Mississippi	​Hattiesburg/Gulfport	​I made a MU presentation at the church in Hattiesburg Carol and I spent the night in Gulfport and took a sidetrip to see ​Beauvoir.
Missouri	​Saint Louis/Saint Charles	​Bunny and I made our home in south county, which had a Saint Louis address.  ​Carol and I make our home in Saint Charles.
​Montana	​Missoula	​I was part of the team that made a PMT presentation at the DoubleTree Edgewater Hotel in Missoula.
​Nebraska	​Ogallala/Omaha	​Bunny and I drove to Denver from Chicago and spent the night in Ogallala.  ​ Carol and I spent the night in Omaha on our way to South Dakota.
​Nevada	Las Vegas	​Bunny and I spent a few nights in Las Vegas in 1972. ​ Carol and I spent a few nights in Las Vegas in 2018.
​New Hampshire	​Durham	Carol and I rode the train from Portland into Durham where we spent the night and visited the sights in downtown Portsmouth. Carol especially enjoyed eating in the Library Restaurant.
​New Jersey	​Point Pleasant	​I stayed in Point Pleasant to make a LHM presentation. ​Carol spent several nights in New Jersey as chaperone for her son Jeremy's class trip to New York City.
​New Mexico	​Albuquerque	​I attended a Pastors conference in Albuquerque to make a Men’s NetWork presentation.
New York	​New York City/Hempstead	​Bunny joined Bruce Wurdeman and his wife MJ, Mike Fisher, and I as we spent a few nights in the Big Apple, sightseeing and presenting a PMT. Carol and I joined Greg and Yvette Seltz for a few days of sightseeing in NYC, we especially enjoyed seeing where they used to minister. And yes, the first trip we saw Phantom of the Opera and the next trip we saw Chicago. ​Hempstead, Long Island, was my home for First – third grades. Dad took the train into Manhattan.
​North Carolina	​Greensboro	​Carol joined me as I made a presentation to the LLL convention in Greensboro.
​North Dakota	Minot	​I made a Men’s NetWork presentation to the North Dakota Pastors Conference in Minot.
​Ohio	​Sandusky/Cleveland	​Bunny and the kids joined me in Sandusky as we saw Richie at his summer job at Cedar Point amusement park. Cleveland was the airport for my first ever solo overnight trip for LHM. ​Carol joined me on my last every LHM trip to Cleveland and after the presentation we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
​Oklahoma	​Twin Bridges/Tulsa	​Bunny and I lived in Wichita Falls, TX and our good friend Bob and Val Rueter along with Rich and Connie Buch lived in Southern Illinois. One weekend we drove north to Twin Bridges and they drove south for a weekend of camping with the families. ​ Carol joined me as we spent the night in Tulsa after making a MU presentation in Bentonville, Arkansas.
​Oregon	Portland	​Bunny and I camped near Portland after visiting Mt Hood. I stayed a few nights there as a member of the BPE on a visit to Concordia Portland.
​Pennsylvania	​Verona	​Carol and I spent a few nights visiting our friends Dan and Mary Hahn. They showed us many sights in Pittsburgh.
Rhode Island	Providence	Carol and I rode the train to Providence and spent a few days touring the town. The highlight was visiting the state house and viewing the original 1633 charter from King Charles II that granted Rhode Island Religious Liberty.
​South Carolina	​Charleston	Carol and I flew to Charleston to visit Fort Sumter. We spent three days touring the town and sites, with a special visit to the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown.
South Dakota	​Custer/Cheyenne River	​Bunny and I joined Bob and Val Rueter for a visit out west in our campers. We camped at Custer and visited Mount Rushmore. ​ Carol and I spent a week on the Cheyenne River Sioux tribe reservation participating in a work project for the church.
​Tennessee	​Memphis/Nashville	​Bunny and I were joined by Rich and Connie Buch for a weekend of sightseeing in Memphis. ​ Carol took me for a weekend to Nashville to visit the American Pickers store in Nashville.
Texas	​Wichita Falls/Houston/San Antonio	​Bunny and I lived with our family in Wichita Falls and taught at Our Savior Lutheran School. Carol joined me for the LCMS National Convention in Houston. While we were there, we managed a visited with her brother Jerry and his wife Kathy. Bunny and I were joined by the teaching staff of Our Savior for a Lutheran teachers conference in San Antonio. Highlights included walking the River Walk and touring the Alamo. ​ Carol joined me in San Antonio for a LEA Convention. Highlights included walking the River Walk and touring the Alamo.
​Utah	Salt Lake City	​Bunny and I spent a few nights in Salt Lake City, visiting the Mormon sights and swimming in the Great Salt Lake.
​Vermont	Stowe	​I stayed at the Stoweflake Lodge to make a Men’s NetWork presentation to the combined New England, Atlantic, and New Jersey Pastors Conference.
​Virginia	​Farmville	​In 2013 the churches around Farmville held a Reformation Festival. I was contacted to give the sermon for this celebration. Carol accompanied me for the weekend. Besides the service, a highlight was a visit to Appomattox Courthouse, the place where General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant to effectively end the Civil War.
Washington	​Issaquah	​Bunny and I flew to Seattle and spent a week with our friends Don and Melinda Saffel who moved there from their home at Fort Sill, OK. We toured Seattle, Vancouver Island and the Olympic National Park
Washington DC	The District	​Bunny and I hosted a school trip tour to DC, spending the night in the District and touring the monuments, museums, capitol, and White House. ​Carol and I spent a number of nights in the District as part of a LCRL/LEA Conference. Over the number of visits, we toured the monuments, museums (including the Bible Museum), Capitol and Supreme Court Building.
West Virginia	​Fairmont	​In January, 2017, I drove with Greg Seltz to set up his LCRL office in Washington DC. We spent the night at a hotel in Fairmont.  Carol spent a night in West Virginia with her fried Rachael when they went white water rafting in the Appalachians
Wisconsin	​Lake Geneva/Rhinelander	​Mom and Dad took us for a vacation in Lake Geneva, we camped, swam, and rode the tour boat. Eddie and Lynn Angulo owned a cabin in Rhinelander. One Christmas  they paid for our airfare to join them at the cabin for a week of snowmobiling. ​Carol joined me for the weekend as I made a Men’s NetWork presentation to the South Wisconsin Pastors Conference in Lake Geneva. We were able to revisit the boat tour dock I visited as a child.
​Wyoming	​Gillette	​Carol and I flew to Denver to be with Dan, Tomasita, and Randy to drive to Casper to view the Great American Eclipse. Since the hotel rooms were sold out, we had to spend the night in Gillette and drive to Casper the next day to view the sight.