NEWBURYPORT - Justin Sailor, 24, was a junior at Michigan State University when he began to think about what he would do with himself when he graduated.

"I've always had crazy ideas, I just normally didn't act on them," Sailor said.

That would soon change.

Nearly two years later, Sailor, who is from Baraga, Mich. - a small town with a population of about 1,300 - is in the midst of a 50-state road trip that he named, "The Hometown Invasion," that began on Sept. 1, 2006.

"It's a dream come true," said Sailor yesterday, a day after arriving in Seabrook to scratch another state off his list. "I've always toyed with the idea of a huge road trip like this, and here I am now."

Driving a 2007 Jeep Compass, Sailor's intentions were to see all the states and experience American life through an unfamiliar spectrum. Jeep agreed to sponsor Sailor for the trip, providing him with the use of the SUV for the year.

He used a Web site to solicit interest in his trip, and the buzz it created has landed him places to stay, and donations, from across the nation.

Staying with hosts throughout the United States, Sailor is amazed by the hospitality he has seen from complete strangers.

"People have been just great. It's something I want others to really know about," he said. "When you turn on the TV at night, you might not think so, but American people can really be amazing."

About 320-some-odd days into his trip, Sailor found himself in Seabrook, where he stayed with Nick Manis, who found Sailor's Web site a couple of months ago.

"The thing I liked about staying in Seabrook last night (Wednesday) was being able to wake up in the morning, walk over to the window and be right on the beach," he said. "I don't have that where I'm from, and it shows how all the different lifestyles in the country are so much different."

In the beginning of July, Sailor made his stops in Massachusetts. He stayed in Salem on July 2 through 4, and then moved on to Boston. He was able to achieve a longtime goal of his, seeing the Boston Pops and fireworks in person.

"I've always really liked Boston, and I always watched it on TV on the 4th," he said. "In person, it was sort of surreal."

During his stop in Boston, Sailor was also able to visit Fenway Park and the popular North End bakery, Mike's Pastry.

Throughout his nearly completed trip, Sailor has seen a number of memorable and historic sights that many people would not have a chance to see in an entire lifetime. The list includes Ground Zero, areas of New Orleans devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the sites of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Oklahoma City bombings and President John F. Kennedy's assasination in Dallas.

Besides the obvious perks of getting to see all the inimitable particulars of each state, Sailor says one of the things he enjoys most about the trip is his interaction with new people and the stories he is able to tell about it afterward. Sailor recalls one story in particular when he was staying with a family of four in White Bear Lake, Minn. - outside of St. Paul - during the fourth week of his trip.

"I woke up in the middle of the night and thought something smelled real odd," he said. "As it turns out, it was carbon monoxide and when authorities showed up, they told us if we'd stayed in there another half hour, they'd be carrying five bodies out of the house. It was interesting to go through such an experience with people you've only known five or six days."

Sailor said the family tried to credit him with saving their lives, but he told them, "All I did was wake up in the middle of the night and smell something funny."

Staying in touch with the people he has met is something Sailor hopes he is able to do in the long run. So far, he and his new friends have communicated quite a bit.

"One of the greatest things of what I do is checking my e-mail and getting messages from people I've met all around the country," he said. "I've never felt part of the U.S. as much as I do now."

Sailor is still looking for host families in certain parts of the nation. The biggest priority left on his donation-funded trip is getting a plane ticket to Alaska, which will be the last state he visits before he returns home to Michigan.

Sailor and his "Hometown Invasionmobile" made a brief day trip visit to Newburyport yesterday afternoon before heading off to his next stop in Burlington, Vt.

To browse pictures and read through his blog, visit www.hometowninvasion.com