Forever Friends

The past 24 hours has been a lesson in friendship for the kids.  Hubs and Rick have been good friends for 30 years.  His wife and I became fast friends when she started dating Rick.  Our four kids and their 6 kids quickly became friends this trip.  Although it has been many years (and subsequent births of children), we picked up right where we left off.  Lots of laughs, card games played, adventures with the 10 kids in a bike-Rip Stik caravan, and tasty food to feed our small army.

I am so grateful that they welcomed us into their home and we were all able to reconnect and be together!  2 days sped by too quickly!  Very hard to say goodbye.  Let's not wait another 10 years to get everyone together!

From Detroit, we returned to the suburbs of Chicago and were quickly reunited with two of my BFFs and hubby's brother and family.  Again, the kids saw first hand the importance of long term friendships that pick up after time apart.  Lots of laughter and being one big family- connected with tight bonds, if not blood.

Addendum:  I have been delayed in posting this and in the meantime have connected with more friends during our trip.  EPE- we have known each other since we were 23 Chromosome single cells.  You mean the world to me and I just love how you quickly connected to my kids.  They are still talking about the adventures at your house- even though we were only there just over an hour.  Your 37 year old turtle that peed on my son will be marked in our road trip history!  I am so thankful that our dad's met 46 years ago and that our friendship has stayed strong and grown to include significant others, kids, and especially Peggy the turtle.  Price's- it's amazing that we only lived by each other for 2 years during our years in Chicago and our friendship has stayed strong in the decade + that we have been gone.  Spending time at U2 was awesome and so fun to be together as adults without kids around!  (Love the kids- it's just nice to have time without sometimes-- you all know what I am saying!!)

Our kids see how excited we are to see long distance friends.  They have friendships that are separated by distance as well and I hope they will see the importance and joys of maintaining those friendships!  Lots of life lessons this trip!

5 States in One Day!

Missouri.  Illinois.  Indiana.  Ohio.  Michigan.

Today was a day to walk down memory lane for the hubby.  After traversing St. Louis, Southern Illinois and into Central Indiana, we arrived in Greencastle, Indiana- home of DePauw University.  Again, we forgot about the time change and arrived an hour late to meet hubby's fraternity brothers.  (Oops!  Sorry!). We cruised over to the greasy spoon and hubby was able to share the garlic cheeseburger and patty fries experience with the kids.  His photo from 1992 still hangs in the restaurant!  It was wonderful to catch up with longtime friends and for the kids to meet them.

Then we proceeded to the historic fraternity house.  

We encouraged the kids not to touch anything as it was quite dirty.  The kids tried not to breathe due to the "interesting" smells throughout certain rooms.  Sad to see the deterioration of a place that holds so many memories.  Lots of stories were told to the kids by hubby and his longtime roommate in the house.  They showed the kids each of the rooms that they lived in- and tried to describe the configuration with the king sized bunk bed with room for the snake cage and big speakers.  Upstairs in the library, the kids learned that there were only 2 computers that were shared by all 60 guys.  Quite different than how it is now where everyone has a computer!

After a great visit with friends and tour of campus and Greencastle, we were back on our way.   We drove north through Indiana, into Ohio and up to Michigan.  A torrential rain storm was following our path.  Our poor windshield wipers have not worked so hard in a long time!  With the California drought, they have not seen a good rain in 2 years!

We arrived into Bllomfield Hills, MI at 10:30pm to the home of dear friends- Hubby's childhood friend and Best Man. We were surprised to find all 6 kids (ages 13-4 years) awake and waiting to play!  It was a gorgeous night to sit outside, enjoy some margaritas and listen to the kids running and playing outside games.  They even put on swimsuits and went for a midnight swim!  A taste of true Midwestern Summer!

The Gateway to the West

A straight drive from Council Bluffs to Saint Louis today.  We stopped at a roadside rest stop to go to the bathroom and have a snack at a picnic table.  The kids kept asking us about "truck stops" and what kind was the rest area.  We tried to explain what a "truck stop" was but they did not seem to understand.  Boy will they be surprised when we stop at Iowa 80!

Once in St. Louis we checked into our hotel and loved seeing the Arch in full view out of our window.

Once our belongings were set in the room, we walked over to the Old Court House to buy our Arch tickets.  Walking through the Court House and reading the history about the 1846 Dred Scott case was fascinating!  The kids set up a mock trial in the courtroom- Son #2 played both Dred Scott and his owner while the girls were the judge and the baliff.  (Son #1 was off taking photos.)

Next we walked over to the Gateway Arch for our tour.  My husband does not do well with heights so the kids found it quite comical to see him so nervous.  We loaded up into our little "tram pod" and moved our way sideways up the Arch.  From the top of the Arch, we looked out of both sides- both into St. Louis and across the river into Illinois.  Standing in the middle of the Arch, we all felt a little dizzy- the kids were bouncing off of the viewing sides while my husband hung close to the exit.

We then went to watch the movie about the construction of the Arch.  Very scary to think that in 1963 the workers were not wearing safety equipment.  Often they were shirtless with a cigarette hanging out of their mouth atop the construction site- no nets, harnesses or other safety equipment.  Clearly I knew that the building of the Arch was successful- but I was still nervous watching them put the final center section in.

From the Arch, we went to Ballpark Village.  

The area around Busch Stadium is very impressive- clean, new and full of entertainment options for all!  The Cardinals were out of town so the area was not crazy with Cards fans (and maneuvering around the area with 4 kids was easy!).  Dinner was at Joe Buck's BBQ where 3 of us enjoyed St. Louis ribs. Yum!

Following dinner, we went to an area that has turf and a humongous TV where they were showing the College World Series game.  The kids ate some Ted Drewes frozen custard, we laid on our backs and watched the TV and the girls did cartwheels and spun around.  We needed a night like tonight to explore, relax and stretch out after 2650 miles in the car.

As their eyes started to shut and their energy began to fade, we returned to the hotel and tucked the kids in.  We left the 13 year old in charge so that we could go to the rooftop bar and enjoy some adult conversation and a beer.  It was the ideal end to our day- great views, festive environment and a cold beverage!

Omaha!

After sleeping in a bit later than planned (it's a recurring theme), we left Sioux Falls and headed south for Omaha.

Each child was given the task of researching a location/monument for the trip (one Eastbound and one Westbound).  Today's itinerary would include the site researched by son #2-- the Strategic Air and Space Museum in Ashland, NE.  He is both a history (specifically WWII) and an airplane buff- so he was bursting at the seams to visit this museum.  

And who wouldn't be excited when you pull up and see the enormous Atlas rocket perched proudly in front of the glass fronted museum?!?

Inside the museum are two hangars that house many different aircraft from the Air Force Strategic Air Command.  History panels educating about the Tuskeegee Airmen, the Doolittle Tokyo Air Raid, General Curtis LeMay and the SAC are displayed amongst the aircraft.  A moving 9/11 tribute stands in the corner of Hangar B.  Seeing the huge American flag artwork by children, photos of local servicemen and women lost since 9/11, and story panels retelling the 9/11 attack touch that raw core that still exists almost 14 years later.

From the museum, we went and checked into the hotel and readied ourselves to go into Omaha for the College World Series game.  We arrived before the game to cruise the Fan Fest vendor area before the game.  It was fun watching the kids try to win prizes- spinning wheels, tossing frisbees and pitching balls into screens with a catcher's mitt hole. 

Vanderbilt was playing Virginia- a repeat of last year's championship game.  Vanderbilt had won the night before and was hoping to clinch tonight- but that did not happen as Virginia won 3-1.  The kids lasted until the 6th inning as they were antsy to get into the hotel pool- so off we went!

A full day in South Dakota

I was nervous about accomplishing all that was planned for today.  We made one adjustment- but otherwise were able to cross it all off of the list.  Again- using the life skill of flexibility came in handy today!!!!

Last night we arrived into Lusk, WY at close to midnight.  The kids were sleepy but were excited to be staying in a "motel" where you park your car right outside of your room.  The adults were excited too as it made unloading the bags much easier!!!  

We woke up early to start our day.  The kids enjoyed playing on the swing set directly in front of our room as we organized for the day.  (Great to get some wiggles out before loading back into the car!). After a quick breakfast, we were on our way.

We did get a bit turned around on our drive and re-routed where we ended up going through Wind Cave National Park before hitting Custer State Park.  We were all excited to see bison so close to the road as we drove. Our first daughter is a true animal lover- so today was a momentous day for her!  

Then we headed into Custer State Park.  There we took the "Wildlife Loop" where we saw a Prairie Dog village, burros, more bison, pronghorns (antelope) and some deer.

The burros are very comfortable around people and would allow the people to pet them and even their young.  Many people were feeding them crackers, bread, and I even saw one older gentleman trying to feed them jelly beans!  What are they thinking?  

We had originally planned to go to Crazy Horse Memorial next, but we were behind schedule, so chose to omit it and go straight to Mount Rushmore.  Wow!  Both the setup and the amount of people that are visiting Mount Rushmore on a daily basis are unbelievable.  I know that there is controversy surrounding Mt. Rushmore (stealing of Native American land, "defacing" nature with sculpture, etc) but when you walk up and see the faces of 4 of our Nation's Fathers looking down from above- it's overpowering.  The Patriotic Pride that filled my soul hit hard. The precise and delicate architecture is mind blowing when you stop and think that in the 1920's (when it was built), 90% was done by dynamite!

We spent 1.5 hours marveling at the faces, watching a movie about its construction and taking it all in.  From the pristine and majestic Mount Rushmore, we proceeded down through the touristy and tacky Keystone town at the bottom of the hill.

Driving along I-90, Wall Drug roadside stands called us to stop. Also a tacky town and filled with tourists (you have to love the throngs of people with their bus tour name tags on!), it was a perfect distraction and stop to stretch your legs.  The kids loved the kitschy stores and the animated TRex that blew smoke and made loud noises every 15 minutes.  After an hour+, we were ready to go.

Next came the "World's Only Corn Palace" in Mitchell, SD.  I was proud that we were a bit ahead of schedule and would have more than the 1/2 hour that I had originally alotted-but that was squashed when our iPhones switched time zones and we lost an hour!  Time to hustle!!!  Thanks to the 80mph speed limit and minimal road construction- we made it with only 10 minutes to check it out.

The palace was built in 1892 and each year the exterior motif is changed using corn cobs in different colors to create themed murals.  Because we are early in the mural creation, the exterior of the building looked quite shabby and run down.  (Also, the building is under construction.). We were amazed to walk in and see an enormous arena with a theater and basketball court.  It reminded me of something from "Hoosiers".  We met a lively docent (Troy- whose side business is as a licensed clown named "Popcorn") who educated us on both the Corn Palace and the prominence of basketball in the area.  After spending the morning at Mount Rushmore, seeing the replica corn mural in the arena was cool!  (The inside murals last 10-12 years!).  I wish we had more time there- but what time we had was packed with information!

Day of Dinosaurs

After a sound night's sleep and breakfast, it was time to start our adventure for the day.  

We left Salt Lake City and headed southeast to Dinosaur National Monument.  This was our "short drive" of the day at 3+ hours.  No need to start electronics or movies yet-- how about if we chat?!?   Just past Park City, we came across an emergency situation in which a teen was have a seizure on the side of the road.  We stopped to offer assistance and once she was loaded in the ambulance, we continued on our way.  This incident sparked an in depth conversation about the neurological system, Good Samaritan laws and kindness towards others.

In preparation for tomorrow's South Dakota adventure, we prepped by reading "Where is Mt. Rushmore?" by True Kelley.  (This is part of the "Who Is?", "Where Is?" And "What Is?" series.  www.whereisbookseries.com. It is 107 pages, illustrated and an easy yet informative read for families of all ages.) We passed the book between all readers in our car and took turns reading chapters.  I think we are ready for tomorrow and will have a greater appreciation for what we see.  (I find that when we go to the museums- the kids are more interested in the interactive displays than what the information is.  Trap them in a car, turn off distractions and the information goes in!)

Three and a half hours after leaving, as we neared Vernal, UT, we started to see signs that we were nearing Dinosaur National Monument.  Local shops displayed dinosaurs attracting customers.

We turned from the flat lands of the Utah Basin towards the yellowish-grey cliff face where the Monument is situated.  Knowing we would be visiting many National Parks- we purchased the "America the Beautiful pass" prior to our trip. (Definitely recommended!)

From the visitor center we took a tram to the Quarry.  The excavation site has an air conditioned building built around it.  Inside the building, you can touch the fossils on the wall, see interesting fossils that have been found (my favorite was a prehistoric frog!), ask questions of a ranger, and see the fossils in the huge quarry wall.  We all were quite impressed by the intact camarasaurus skull still in the wall.  

Mom- thank you for recommending this to us.  This has been a family favorite!  

We are not in California Anymore

I do not think you can find a sandwich in California like this.  My husband gave it his best effort and was only able to tackle 85%.  It's called the "Ultimate Conductor" from the Depot Bar and Grill in Mitchell, South Dakota.

Ready to roll!

And we are off!  The plans for everyone to sleep following a 0400 departure did not go as planned- but after a quick prayer and some chatting, a few fell asleep and the others quietly read.  Now we begin our Summer to Remember!

 We stopped for breakfast at Jax's at the Trax in Truckee.  Perfect timing for a tasty breakfast and a stretch. Then back to the open road and time for Movie #1! 

We stopped for a leg stretch/explore moment at the California Trail Center just outside of Elko, NV.  The entire family recommends this museum!  Educational, not too big, hands on, clean and the perfect amount of time before you head back onto the open road.

As we continued our drive, we were amazed at the vast space.  There was very little water (hence very little wild life) and the space between the gorgeous ranges was huge!  Coming off of the pioneer exhibit, the word "challenging" comes to mind when thinking of coming through this territory in the 1850's (especially without the modern day bonuses in our car vs a covered wagon!).

The salt flats of Utah also were a sight to see.  I have never seen that before!!!!  Awesome!  Plus, the 80mph speed limit with a low flying helicopter trailing a speedy BMW in front of us also made the drive fun!

Comedic artwork

I asked my 6 year old to sit and draw a picture so that I could tackle a few final preparations.  She sat quietly and worked diligently at her masterpiece using many different colors and adding decorative details.  She was so proud to show me her final work.  I guess we can title it "Are We There Yet?"  Artistic taunting from a 6 year old . . .  

Prepping the pack

Over the past few months I have been collecting ideas for the trip.  How to pack?  What safety items to bring?  How to entertain 4 kids plus 2 adults but not bring too much?  I have a sinking feeling that I am forgetting something- but not sure what it is . . .

After researching online "how to pack for a road trip", I am taking the advice and packing into bins.  I have a safety bin (with jumper cables, duct tape, emergency flashers, fix a flat, first aid kit, laundry detergent, etc), a snack bin, a bin with maps and tour books (thank you AAA!), a bin with needs for the car (wipes, sunscreen, Advil, etc.), a container with towels and a set of sheets,  and also a bin with the kids' summer homework!  I prepped ahead and sent 2 suitcases of clothes with my mom after she visited.  The only clothes we need to pack are those that we need for driving- and with that I will wash clothes at a hotel.  I also have ordered our toiletries and every day items on drugstore.com and had them sent to my mom's.  But now comes the odds and ends--- the Aerobed, cameras, chargers, fresh snacks (thank goodness for the electric cooler that will keep items cold without ice!), pillows, DVD's, water, and the list goes on . . .  I want to have an organized car so that we can access items as needed and not fear opening a door or the trunk with the car barfing its contents.

I have tackled the minutiae- like making copies of "road trip scavenger hunts" and charts of all 50 state license plates, recording and copying all of my credit and debit cards should my wallet get stolen, making a memory binder for postcards, leaving directions for those watching our house and pets, putting away items in the house (like the items brought home at the end of school) so that I return to a fresh start, etc.

At times I am feeling overwhelmed with the packing.  Other times I know that I need to trust that I have it taken care of and we will make do.  As long as I have the big things (like my husband and all of the kids-- no need to re-inact "Home Alone") and my credit card- we will make it happen!  The countdown is on!!!!

Months of Planning Finally Coming Together!

During the summer of 2014 as I sat by the pool at swim team practice it dawned on me- My kids are growing up so quickly and our "free time" with everyone is limited.  In a blink of an eye we would have the kids' summer jobs, high school commitments, college and then they would be out of the house.  Our time where we could be together and have a true summer- relaxing at the lake, exploring parts of our own USA that we have never seen, playing with cousins and friends from afar that we do not see on a regular basis and just be together was NOW!  Really- NOW or NEVER!  

Making this decision was easy.  Convincing everyone that taking a break from swim team, travel baseball and status quo life in our comfortable hometown was another story.  As far as I am concerned- It's ok for my 13 year old son to not play baseball for 2.5 months.  It's ok for my 6, 8 and 10 year olds to miss their "up year" of swimming.  None of them are going to be professional athletes.  We do team sports to learn sportsmanship and working as a team, stay fit and interact with people.  The life skill learning I see ahead for our trip is plentiful.  My goal of raising "good people" will be further enriched with this trip.

So, once the "convincing" (really of my husband who fears for his family being in a car and traveling across the country) was done then came the planning.  Thanks to Pinterest, GoogleMaps, AAA TripTik, TripAdvisor, advice from friends and family and countless hours searching- the schedule is coming together!  Not only am I planning a 2 month trip for a family of 6- but I need to take into account the dog, making sure extended family gets time with us, my husband's work schedule and arranging with him to work bicoastal, making flight arrangements for the 13 year old to return for a mandatory Boy Scout event and shifting all of the moving pieces that come along with it.  I know it is worth it.  I know there will be ups and downs.  I know I will have to say (or yell) "STOP FIGHTING!" after we all have spent too many hours in the car together.  I know my kids will not be eating the healthiest options that I would prefer.  I know we will miss our comforts of home.  But as our fearless elementary school principal would say, "It's about using the life skill of flexibility!"  And with using that life skill, my kids and our family unit will be enriched beyond imagination with life skills and memories to hold onto forever.