We are home!

In case there is any confusion, we have returned home. It was a great trip, and we look forward to talking to any and all of you about it!

For the record, we never did find Delaware or Hawaii . . . oh, well.

Holy Toledo! Seamus

Holy Toledo! Seamus (yes, we name our cars), hits 100k miles outside of Toledo, OH.

Dancing the night away

A fun stop in Champaign, IL, to see niece Jessie's dance recital of Wizard of Oz - she was the best of the munchkins (in my totally objective opinion). Great seeing everyone -much thanks and love!

Friggin' Squirrels

WHEN SQUIRRELS ATTACK! We had our car windows open 2 " while parked under trees, they got in &enjoyed a loaf of bread - all over the back

Jim's mecca: Notre Dame

Jim's mecca: Notre Dame. Jim's mom was one of the first female students at ND (Go Irish!)

Mmmm . . . showers

Roadtrip wisdom: you never realize how much you appreciate a hot shower until you find yourself paying for one.

The Badlands - not so bad, really

The Badlands NP, SD. We out-drove the rain this time to see some bighorn sheep & cool fossils from prehistoric times when the entire area was covered w\ H2O.

The quest continues!

Muwahaha- Rhode Island is mine! Now only Delaware and Hawaii remain and my domination of the license plate game will be complete (I know y

We rushed to Rushmore?

Yep, Jim's pointing to what is supposed to be the profile of Mt. Rushmore, SD. Mother Nature: 2893215884; Humans: 0.

Woo-hoo! Made it through bear country w/o getting mauled (yes, it was a concern - no, I don't think it's an irrational fear; have u seen t

Now it feels like home- snow in June! Bi

Now it feels like home- snow in June! Bighorn Mtns, WY

Yeehaw - I relived my Roadkill Grill day

Yeehaw - I relived my Roadkill Grill days ofhollerin' and 'hawin at the Cody, WY, Rodeo tonight.

Yellowstone- THE geyser: Old Faithful

Yellowstone- THE geyser: Old Faithful

Yellowstone

Yellowstone - hot geyser

OR, WA, and now MT are obssessed with th

OR, WA, and now MT are obssessed with these drive-thru espresso stands. Even towns with only one gas station have one.

DSC00089

Glacier NP, MT. We happened upon an elk a few minutes later along a trail. Luckily he was more interested in his dinner than in us (yesterday one charged a woman in Olympic NP).

It sure is Big Sky Country! What the cam

It sure is Big Sky Country! What the cameraphone may be failing to capture here are the snow capped Rockies all along the highway.

You know you've been on the road too long when you develop a preference for a particular gas station brand of coffee AND you look forward

Say it with me Dr. Evil-style: "Mag-ma."

Say it with me Dr. Evil-style: "Mag-ma." Mt. St. Helens, WA, erupted in 1980 (before Wham woke us up before we went-went, and probably b4 some of u were born)

Although the weather wasn't entirely coo

Although the weather wasn't entirely cooperative, the Columbia River Gorge in OR was still gorge-ous (sorry, can't resist the pun)

When you think of Oregon, don't you thin

When you think of Oregon, don't you think of sand dunes?!
(That little speck on the side of the dune is Stephie)

Crater Lake, OR, scoffs at Buffalo's ide

Crater Lake, OR, scoffs at Buffalo's idea of snow - "800 inches - top that!" Oh dear, I fear a challenge has just been issued. Half the park is still closed.

The saga continues...2 Alaskan license plates and still the wiley Rhode
Island eludes us...

Here's some sense of the enormity of the

Here's some sense of the enormity of these amazing trees that can live to be 2000 years old. They thrive in the cool wet NW Cali (note raincoat and heavy fog).

So you're thinking - "great, trees." But

So you're thinking - "great, trees." But these aren't just any trees, these are Redwoods, world's tallest living trees (up to 370 ft)

I left something here - heart, snarl-fre

I left something here - heart, snarl-free hair(it's super windy). Cat-thinking of you!

The actual beach at PB

The actual beach at PB

This one's for you, Dad - Pebble Beach!

This one's for you, Dad - Pebble Beach!

Don't worry- they're all alive, these se

Don't worry- they're all alive, these seals are just taking a snooze and doing some trashtalking after a tough day of fishing and hanging out on rocks.

We finally made it - the Pacific! And co

We finally made it - the Pacific! And cooler temps!

The Joshua Tree - we liked the album so

The Joshua Tree - we liked the album so much that we had to visit the Nat'l Park in CA. Long sleeves in the desert again? Must be Stephie.

So much for escaping the heat - 93 in JoshuaTree NP, CA.

Vegas, baby!

Vegas, baby!

Temp in Vegas today: 98. We'll just be driving through, thank you very much.

Bryce Canyon, UT.

Bryce Canyon, UT.

For those of you playing along at home: 46 states for the license plate game (u can run, but u can't hide, Rhode Island- u will be mine, o

Which1 of these is not like the others?

Scaling ancient Pueblo cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde NP, CO. Which1 of these is not like the others? The only person wearing long sleeves, fleece vest &jeans in the desert - Stephie, of course!

Oops - 4got to say where (cut me some sl

Oops - 4got to say where (cut me some slack, I'm texting these posts from my phone so it takes me a half hour 4 each one) - Durango to Silverton, CO. AWESOME!!

The suspense is finally over! Couldn't s

The suspense is finally over! Couldn't send pic last night bc no coverage @ camp in Mesa Verde NP in CO. If audio post worked- U guessed it, we were on a train!

Recording

Audio daily double: listen for a hint at whatwe're doing today!

Today's stop: Petrified Forest, AZ.

Today's stop: Petrified Forest, AZ.

Times I've eaten @ a fast food restaurant in the past year: 1. In the past 6 days: 4.

Lake Meredith, TX - the view from our ca

Lake Meredith, TX - the view from our camp atop Sanford Yake(no idea what a yake is - unless, by the looks of things, it means 'place where no one goes anymore)

License plate game count: 41. Now you can sleep better. (OK)

After 2 nights of campsites w/o showers,

After 2 nights of campsites w/o showers, Jim resorts to drastic measures - just kidding (or am I?). These are 140 degrees springs in aptly named Hot Springs, AR

This seemed quite the popular photo spot

This seemed quite the popular photo spot in Great Smoky Mtn Natl Park - the guy after us brought his gigantic orange cat out of the minivan for a pic

The scenic Blue Ridge Mtn Parkway - or a

The scenic Blue Ridge Mtn Parkway - or at least we hear it is!

Jim in front of our new home! We wish. W

Jim in front of our new home!
We wish. We couldn't actually afford to stay here, but they were nice enough to allow uslittle people to stroll the grounds and enjoy the amazing views of the Blue Ridge mountains (which my powerful 1 MP cameraphone couldn't quite capture)

The fam in S.C.

First stop - food, of course! Family from North & South Carolinas meet in Columbia, SC, for drink & revelry.

The Intrepid Travelers

Here we are on one of our Canoe trips. We do not plan on canoeing across the country, but you never know. Jim is a fan of history and might try to recreate the Lewis and Clark expedition . . .