Day One: Clemson, SC => Athens, GA => Alabama => Memphis, TN
No road trip's complete without some checkers at Cracker Barrel - somewhere between GA and AL
Graceland
Laughed til we cried!
Thank you, thank you very much...
Peabody Ducks! Their penthouse would rent for $5000-$7000 a month in Vancouver - no joke!
Day Two: Memphis, TN => St. Genevieve, MO => St. Louis, MO => Kansas City, KS
Said a quick hello to Arkansas on the way
Hello Ste. Genevieve! One of the oldest European settlements west of the Mississippi River
The Arch
It won't move...
We made it to the top!
Views from the top
Nope - I don't need to look out the window...thanks, tho!
Day Three: Kansas City, KS => Denver, CO
This is in the heart of KS - little detour!
The Yellow Brick Road! They had a winery too - picked up a bottle of "Curl Your Stockings" Red
Not many more photos of KS. Eastern KS is beautiful - rolling hills and lots of pretty scenery...central and western KS - fields and fields - corn, oil, etc. We literally got to CO in time to eat dinner and sleep. No photos there either - we were a little weary. We got up and on the road rather early so we could get to Mt. Rushmore!
Day Four: Denver, CO => Keystone, SD => Cody, WY
Almost there!
Mt. Rushmore - smaller than we expected, but impressive nonetheless and fun to see in movies now!
Mt. Rushmore mountain goat
Beauty between Mt. Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial
Crazy Horse Memorial
Checking out the blast zone - this carving won't be complete for years!
We made it to WY!
Buffalo Sculpture out of recycled metal parts at dinner...
Day Five: Cody, WY => Yellowstone National Park, WY => Grand Teton National Park, WY
Buffalo Bill Dam - pleasant surprise! Didn't know we'd see this and it was beautiful!
Photo from the dam
Devil's Tower
Yellowstone! I wish we'd had a week here - these guys were just wandering alongside the car.
More bison
The whole area around Old Faithful is steaming - it's lovely! You can see that earth is really alive.
More hot springs
Boardwalk over hot springs - you look out and the whole landscape is steaming/bubbling. Breathtaking.
There she blows! Old Faithful doesn't disappoint.
Day Six: Grand Teton, WY => Boise, ID
We drove to Grand Teton in the dark - REALLY dark. But we awoke to this as our view.
A-MA-ZING!
On our way to Idaho
Southern Idaho is very flat - no photos as we were intent on arriving in Boise in time for the Clemson/Georgia football game! As such, we spent our time in Boise at The Ram - a sports bar with lovely waitstaff. We left a bit early and finished the game at the hotel. As a divided family it was a rough day but we survived and Clemson had a GREAT day - Go Tigers!
Day Seven: Boise, ID => Portland, OR
We got to be pros at this car travel thing...
Downtown Portland is very fun! Loved this city!
Day Eight: Portland, OR => Astoria, OR => Seattle, WA => Bellingham, WA
Headed for the Pacific Coast - and a pilgrimage for MK - the home of The Goonies!
Flavel House (aka the library where Mikey's dad worked)
The Goondocks! (now a private residence with kind owners ^>^)
Oregon Film Museum (aka jail where Fratellis escaped)
The old RV with bullet holes the size of matzah balls!
Sea Lions!
The school where Kindergarten Cop was filmed - in Astoria too!
Birthday stop in Seattle - American Girl Store! Heading back there next week for this year's birthday festivities.
Day Nine: Bellingham, WA => Vancouver, BC
We made it! I count the opportunity to travel across the US of A an opportunity of a lifetime and celebrate this trip as one of the best things that ever happened to our family. It's been a year of ups and downs and new experiences and if I've learned anything, it's how to live life to its fullest. There's something about knowing your time in a place is temporary that motivates you to seize the opportunities that it offers. I pray that no matter where we move for the rest of our lives that we'll cling to this sense of urgency - this sense that time is fleeting and that we've got to squeeze every ounce of special out of every single day. We are a stronger family because of this adventure. We are more aware of who we are as individuals and as a unit. We miss, deeply, our family and friends on the east coast and celebrate the deep friendships we've developed here on the west coast. Life is good and I couldn't pick 3 better people to have crammed myself into a car with for this journey.
And I'm thankful that the journey continues.
