Kent Earnest, 65, of Washington Twp. is a veteran world traveler. He has visited all 50 states and seven continents.

Antarctica was my last continent, Earnest said. I spent six or seven days on the peninsula in February.

He has traveled about 37,000 miles in the last eight months. He recently returned from a 35-day drive to Alaska and also visited Hawaii last year.

Ive always enjoyed traveling, Earnest said. I started that when I was 18 or 19. I hitchhiked to the Holy Land in college and lived in Bethlehem a few weeks. I so enjoyed seeing different cultures and people that I wanted to add different places.

Earnest does not visit the same place twice, but said he would return to Costa Rica and British Columbia in a heartbeat.

Earnest has been married for nine years, and has five children and 11 grandchildren. He has traveled with his daughters to Africa, and is instilling a love of exploration in his grandchildren.

I made a promise to all of my grandkids that I would take them someplace in the world within reason that we could afford to go, he said.

Earnest is a self-described political junkie and will volunteer until the election. He is also a passionate supporter of University of Kansas basketball. He served in Vietnam as an Army Capt in field artillery in 1969.

The most amazing thing Ive seen is the Amazon River. It makes the Mississippi River look like a creek; it is voluminous and wide. Its just inspiring, Earnest said. Antarctica was a surprise. It was more pristine than I could imagine.

Earnest is planning his next trip to Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador. He wants to visit all the Spanish-speaking countries.

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Washington Twp. man focuses on world travel