07-31-08

DAY 13: DRIVE FROM MISSOULA TO LONGVIEW

“What are our stops today, Mom?” - Xander
“Lunch and dinner.” – Mom
“Cool!” – Xander

Really we were home by dinner, and we stopped for Jamba Juice in Olympia. It was an uneventful day, but that was just perfect for us. What a great trip!

“Life is a great adventure… accept it in such a spirit.” – Theodore Roosevelt March 22, 1911

FAST FACT:
We drove 3,951 miles on this trip. I had budgeted for 4,020 miles. We paid an average price of $4.124 per gallon. Our cheapest gas was in Rapid City, SD ($3.899/g) and our most expensive gas was in Grand Tetons Natn’l Park ($4.589/g).

07-30-08

DAY 12: DRIVING DAY, DETOUR TO LITTLE BIGHORN NATIONAL MONUMENT
Today was the day Anastasia got a 24 hour stomach flu or something. It was also the day we decided to make no more stops and just head for home.

We were all about done with sightseeing by the time we hit Little Bighorn, but the ranger gave a very interesting description of the events leading up to the battle, which is also called Custer’s Last Stand.

We were looking for a hotel with a pool, but Bruce found one in Missoula with a water park. I was thrilled to sit poolside with my camera and book, but Bruce and the kids enjoyed the two water slides.

FAST FACT:
www.43things.com has 5,887 people registered as wanting to see the 50 states. Anastasia wants to visit all 50 states in 50 years. This trip got her 4 new states, so she now has 12 states at age 11. I picked up two new states this trip, the Dakotas.

“When I’m 50, I plan to have 50 states. I’m going to go to Alaska for my fiftieth.” - Anastasia

07-29-08

DAY 11: TEDDY ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK

Teddy Roosevelt national park is similar to Badlands, but we enjoyed learning more about the Dakotas.

I was excited about this stop, because we had booked two adjoining rooms for the same price as one, there was an outdoor musical advertised as the best in the west, and I found a pitchfork fondue dinner option. I was expecting a small restaurant where we could fondue our dinner. But it is an outdoor cookout where they “fondue” the meat on actual pitchforks. And the town of Medora is a mecca for retired folks.

“I’m not saying you pick out lame stuff, you are just 30 years too early.” - Bruce

“I have always said I would not have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.” – Theodore Roosevelt


FAST FACT:
Teodore Roosevelt, the noted conservation president, had an huge impact on the national park system. He signed legislation establishing five national parks: Crater Lake, Oregon; Wind Cave, South Dakota; Sullys Hill, North Dakota (later redesignated a game preserve); Mesa Verde, Colorado; and Platt, Oklahoma (now part of Chickasaw National Recreation Area). He also enacted the Antiquities Act of June 8, 1906. While not creating a single park itself, the Antiquities Act enabled Roosevelt and his successors to proclaim objects of historic or scientific interest in federal ownership as national monuments

07-28-08

DAY 10: WALL DRUG AND BADLANDS NATIONAL PARK

Wall Drug is hard to explain, but is fun to experience.

“It’s just nice to experience part of American travelling history” – Bruce

Badlands was one of my favorite places, I would love to come back in a year where they do not have record mosquito populations.

This photo won’t make the scrapbook, but thought it was fun for the blog. We used the gorilla pod from photos with all four of us in it (or made due without), but several people asked Bruce or I to take photos for them. We are more than happy to help them out, and offered when we saw folks posing shots. This is me taking a photo of a family for their Christmas card.

FAST FACT:
The term badland means dry climate, sedimentary rocks, canyons, and pinnacles. But the real point of this park and Teddy Roosevelt is to protect the prairie. While most parks have the motto of “go to jail if you leave the trail”, Badlands is an open park. The kids had a blast exploring the buttes.

07-27-08

DAY 9: MT RUSHMORE, CUSTER STATE PARK, WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK

We drove through the Iron Mountain Highway on the way to Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park. Three tunnels were blasted to frame the then emerging Mt Rushmore faces. Then a road was designed to connect the three tunnels, requiring corkscrew spirals and pigtail bridges.

“Hence, let us place there, carved high, as close to heaven as we can, the words of our leaders, their faces to show prosperity what manner of men they were. Then breathe a prayer that these records will endure until the wind and rain alone shall wear them away.” – Gutzon Borglum, creator of Mt Rushmore carvings

FAST FACT:
Wind Cave National Park boasts the fourth longest cave in the world. It is very complex, with 129 miles of cave under one square mile. And the caves are only 5-10% explored. Yet, it took two years in Congress to get the area designated as a national park.

07-26-08

DAY 8: DRIVE TO MT RUSHMORE, DETOUR TO DEVILS TOWER

First stop was Devil’s Tower. It was quite warm, but we enjoyed the columns, prayer bundles hanging form trees, and watching the climbers.

“There are things in nature that engender an awful quiet in the heart of man; Devil’s Tower is one of them.” – N Scott Morraday

Second stop was Presidents Sculpture Park near Deadwood, that had a trail with 20 foot busts of each president. Bruce shared his impressive knowledge of presidents with Anastasia, which came in handy for getting her jr. ranger badge at Mt Rushmore.

Final stop was the evening ranger program and lighting ceremony at Mt. Rushmore.

“The only part I liked was the whole thing.” – Xander

FAST FACT:
The faces at Mt Rushmore are 60 feet tall. The memorial took 14 years to build and had several design changes due to the mountain not cooperating or low funds.

07-25-08

DAY 7: DRIVE THROUGH YELLOWSTONE TO CODY, WY

We saw a lot of wildlife on the trip. We saw loads of elk and bison. In Hayden Valley the bison caused traffic jams crossing the road, Xander finally got bored with them. We also saw a moose with a baby, a coyote, red squirrels, uinta ground squirrels, red mantle ground squirrels, pronghorn antelope, mule deer, least chipmunks, prairie dogs, cottontail rabbits, badgers, toads, mamma and baby bighorn sheep, and wild burros. The guys also saw a mink, and Bruce spotted a beaver.

It’s hard to get good photos of the wildlife, but this bull elk was posing right along side the road.

BTW, I highly recommend Cody, it is a fun Western town.

FAST FACTS:
Moose means twig eater.
The bison (often incorrectly called buffalo) is the biggest land mammal in North America.
Wyoming is the least populated state in the US.
Wyoming boasts the first national park (Yellowstone) and the first national monument (Devil’s Tower)

07-24-08

DAY 6: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Our budget included $50 each for souvenirs. Xander started collecting stuffed animals of animals spotted. Anastasia decided to collect key chains, and her quest for the perfect baseball cap ended with a ranger hat instead. Bruce was keeping his eyes open for a hat, but it was hard to find anything other than cowboy hats. I kept my eyes open for necklaces and Christmas ornaments, but my big quest was a T-shirt with a moose.

FAST FACT:
300 million people go through Yellowstone each year. We saw license plates from all over, and chatted with a family from England during a covered wagon cookout.

07-23-08

DAY 5: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

I am always in awe of the geysers, colorful pools, and bubbling mudpots in Yellowstone. Anastasia was intrigued, but Xander thought they were smelly and was much more interested in the wildlife.

“People come from all over the world to see this, you should enjoy it.” – Bruce

FAST FACT:
The thermal activity at Yellowstone was discovered in 1870. Lewis and Clark missed the geyser basin by a mere four miles in 1805.

07-22-08

DAY 4: GRAND TETONS NATIONAL PARK

The park was so busy (no evidence of less travel due to gas prices on this trip!) that we had to get to the Jenny lake parking lot early enough to get a spot. We took a boat across the lake and hiked up to Inspiration Point. It wasn’t a long hike, but it was 700 feet up. This hike was a trip highlight for Anastasia.

FAST FACT:
Junior Ranger programs are offered at about 286 of the 388 national parks. We visited 8 national parks or monuments, and the kids did the junior ranger program at all stops. We heard the Junior Ranger pledge a lot. But not nearly as often as the rangers. Mt Rushmore awards 800-900 jr. ranger badges each day.

“I am proud to be a National Park Service Junior Ranger. I promise to appreciate, respect, and protect all national parks. I also promise to continue learning about the landscape, plants, animals and history of these special places. I will share what I learn with my friends and family.”

07-21-08

DAY 3: GRAND TETONS NATIONAL PARK

A lot of people drive through Grand Tetons to get to Yellowstone, but it is a destination for us. Bruce spent a summer working here, and Xander and I agree it is our favorite national Park on this trip.

There is a small church called the Chapel of Transfiguration within the park. It has beautiful stained glass scenes in the entryway and is popular for weddings. The view from the pews was breathtaking.

“The Tetons have loomed up grandly against the sky. From this point it is perhaps the finest pictorial range in the United States or even North America.” – Thomas Moran, painter, 1879

FAST FACT:
Grand Tetons is actually French for breasts. The kids laughed and laughed over that. It is believed that either Iroquois or French Canadian members of Donald McKenzie’s expedition may have been responsible for this controversial naming.

07-20-08

DAY 2: DRIVING DAY, BOISE TO JACKSON,WY

Anastasia announced that she liked California vacations more; this one was too educational. Unfortunately Jackson was practically shut down due to it being Sunday, so we went up to Grand Tetons and started exploring. This was a historic cabin with a sod roof.

FAST FACT:The Homestead Act of 1862 granted title to 160 acres if pioneers could live on the land for five years, build a cabin at least 12 feet by 12 feet, and cultivate a few acres of crops.

07-19-08

DAY 1: DRIVING DAY, LONGVIEW TO BOISE

We spent the first part of our journey on the Oregon Trail. Here we are at the Interpretive Center deciding which items to pack into our covered wagon. We didn’t have room for any personal belongings, just the necessities.

“If I was in a wagon train on the Oregon Trail, I would want to be in the middle. I wouldn’t want to be in the front because I don’t know where I’m going. And not in the back because of Indian attacks.” – Xander

FAST FACT:
The Oregon Trail was a 2,000 mile trek from Missouri to Oregon City and normally took 180 days. And I thought two weeks in the car was rough.

07-19-08

Here’s our rental that we hope will take us safely and uneventfully on our 4,000 mile journey. It’s considered a compact SUV, but it feels a bit big for me to get behind the wheel, especially after zipping around in my little Scion. It’s further off the ground, Xander keeps stumbling out of it in an ungraceful heap. It has plenty of buttons to push to keep Bruce entertained.

We aren’t taking a laptop, so I’ll be falling behind on this blog for a bit. But I’ll be taking lots of photos to share when we get back!

Today’s travel goal is Boise. With time left over to explore the city, I hope. TTYL!

“Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part
of experience.” -Francis Bacon, Sr.

07-18-08

We are all back together again.

The kids came home from their grandparents, we adjusted back to a house with bickering, and here we are. In the parking lot of Burgerville, but shhh, nobody needs to know. Bruce finally got his walla-walla burger with walla-walla onion rings on the side.

Heck, maybe Burgerville is our special occasion restaurant. He took me there on Valentine's Day dressed in a pirate costume once, and today is our anniversary. Sixteen years. He likes to say that we've been married for 12 great years but I think they have all been good.

Happy day!

07-17-08

I have lots of ideas for photos, but I don't always have the guts to take them. Or they don't turn out the way I thought they would.

Sometimes it is fun to just play and see what you get. I was trying to get a close-up photo of Bruce outside Starbucks, when he took away the camera. This one is the strangest, but the most compelling to me. It's a different perspective.

“When you're in the muck you can only see muck. If you somehow manage to float above it, you still see the muck but you see it from a different perspective. And you see other things too.”
- David Cronenberg

Even though the kids are gone, it's been a crazy week. Trying to extract myself form work for two weeks, trying to get packed and prepared at home, and throwing in evening church classes on top of that. But it's Thursday night and I'm almost out of the muck!

07-16-08

Isn't this the prettiest looking dinner ever? The El Ranchero salad. It tastes fantastic too.

Shredded lettuce, steak, sliced avocado, and a dollop of sour cream. Yum! My new favorite Mexican restaurant.

I felt very conspicuous having my photo taken, but I laughed when the lady next to me got the same entrée.

Now to go face wii fit to see if I made my two week goal or not...

"Avocados have the fat you need: heart-healthy mono-saturated fats. Just don't eat a ton of them." - Oxygen Magazine Winter 2008

07-15-08

Today was my monthly drive to Seaside to share financials with the forest area team there. I hit some construction delays, but it was a gorgeous day for a drive.

On the way home I stopped for a photo of a Victorian house in Astoria, since I love them so. And my camera had it's memory card this time.

This huge, well maintained building is just south of downtown. Across the street from the little jail that was featured in the Goonies movie, in fact. It appears to be operated as a B&B, but I didn't note the sign and can't figure out which house it is on the historical register.

“Historic preservation has an important place in America. 'Preserve America' promotes education, historical preservation and economic development while encouraging a greater appreciation of our national treasure from monuments and buildings to landscapes and main streets.”
Laura Bush

07-14-08

Back on February 4th, I posted in response to a challenge Lynette posted to photograph a project around the house or scrap related that you keep putting off doing. I chose creating travel bugs to roam around geocaches.

Well, this one turned ended up taking about an hour of creativity, and hour of legwork laminating the descriptions, and four months of nagging Bruce to do the final prep.

The family is going to do maintenance on my Toledo cache tomorrow, dropping them all but Moovin Moose. He's going with us to the Dakotas, to see if he can find his way back home. Dora wants to explore the US, Electric Purple the Fairy wants to collect interesting factoids, and the scooter wants to scoot around the globe, documenting fuel prices along the way.

Now if I could only get Bruce to do the other tasks on his honey do list...

"Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the year." - Spanish Proverb

07-13-08

Bruce is home! And there is much rejoicing...

He has a lot of stories to tell. And a new wardrobe. And a new suitcase. And no voice.

Life isn't really getting back to normal, but at least he is back to share the chaos!

In lower left, meet Alexander's rag. He has it attached to his face almost non-stop, it helps his poison oak feel better.

“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land.”
G. K. Chesterton

07-12-08

Our day:

8:00am – Anastasia in bed crying due to growing pains. She’s already almost as tall as me!
9:10am – Hit the road for Mountlake Terrace (north of Seattle) to visit Grama Bunnie & Grampa Rod. One desperate rest area stop.
12:15pm – Head to the condo community pool. I successfully stay dry poolside until the diving disc ends up 9 feet under.
4:15pm – The adults collectively decide that water fun is over and it’s time to clean up for teriyaki.
7:00pm – Depart for home. Stop at Jamba Juice at Hawk’s Prairie.

Long and tiring drive, but fun day.

07-11-08

The kids finished their week of day camp at the Y and we all lived to tell about it.

We’re all excited for a weekend, and maybe mostly for being able to sleep in. Getting myself up early so I can be done with my workout in time to wake up the kids at 6:45 has not been fun.

Today Xander brought home a fish from camp. A little minnow looking thing in a plastic water bottle. So that led to a trip to PetSmart for fish food. And yesterday he brought home Poison Oak. I thought his rash was heat related, but he was worse this morning and a bunch of boys have it. Ah, the fun of boys… always an adventure.

“A lot of parents pack up their troubles and send them off to summer camp.” -Raymond Duncan

07-10-08

I played with adjusting the color to see more of my eyes, but I like the sun drenched hues of the original shot.

With Bruce gone, I’m at the kids mercy for photos if I want them of me. I told Xander I wanted a shot showing the palm tree on my new $5 hat and my hair (freshly cut on my lunch hour). He took a bunch of photos at home, but most were out of focus.

Then at the lake concert I was trying to talk to friends, and he turned into my paparazzi, trying to get a better shot. Not exactly what I had envisioned, but a fun shot just the same.

“It would be kind of nice to see how my head looks in a cowboy hat.” Tony Stewart

07-09-08

Life overfloweth.

It looks like my scrapbook room just sort of threw up, and that feels like my week. I can’t seem to get traction. I finally finished the laundry I started Monday!

Partially done scrapbook pages, catalogs to read (Bruce normally throws them away before I see them), packing materials for sending books off on bookins, an altoids album in progress for my nephews first birthday, my to do list, and finances tracking. And with Bruce gone, I can have as may half drunk glasses of water as I want around the house.

07-08-08

Isn’t it great to have friends?

We bought a portable DVD player for our trip coming up, but we couldn’t figure out how to get movies for it. Netflicks doesn’t work when you’re on the go and when you have a LOT of time on your hands. The library won’t let us take movies for two weeks.

So we decided to grovel to our movie crazed friends, and they were more than accommodating. Tonight the kids and I walked over and looked through their dresser drawers FULL of movies.

Oh, and my headache was all gone this morning.

Life is good.

07-07-08

I’ve had a screaming headache all day. Work was as good as can be expected and we survived our first weekday without Dad, but my head feels like a freight train is driving through it. Normally food helps. Or pills.

So I decided to ditch my to do list and soak up some time in the sunshine this evening. I spaced out my lettuce sprouts (it seems crazy to plant just to rip half of it out, but I’ll do it), watered (who knew the weather would turn so warm again!), and planted the rest of my container garden.

Our neighbor popped her head over the fence to ask me what I was planting beside my cow. The cow that I just could not leave at Lowe’s. So, the tall plants are zinnias. The yellow ones are straw flower, they open in the sun. I can’t remember the name of the white creeper sharing the pot. And the front pot is all the fresh herbs our recipes call for. Except dill.

“Life's a long headache in a noisy street”

07-06-08

Real Simple has a new feature called “How would you spend an extra $100?”

So how would you spend an extra $100?

Here’s my list:
$15 - A Jane Kirkpatrick book, a sequel to one I just finished. I recently ordered some books from amazon.com and added on a few to get to the $25 free shipping level. Kicking myself I didn’t add this one.
$20 – Splurge on soaps. When I see names like Peppermint Shower Soap and Lemon Organics Exfoliating Soap, I go crazy. I could buy a lot of soap.
$30 – A replacement medical ID bracelet. My broken beaded one sits here on my computer table, and I have just not done anything about it yet.
$10 – A box of Frangos. I only eat them at Christmastime, but why?
$25 – New fun slippers. I had to retire my monkeys, and my frogs are getting well worn. I haven’t started looking for the right balance of fun and comfortable.

This is a silly photo that will never find it’s way to my scrapbook, but money is a funny thing. For me cash never stays in my wallet long. And it takes some work to get more, since I refuse to use ATM cards, ATMs, or visit banks.

“Life is like a cash register, in that every account, every thought, every deed, like every sale, is registered and recorded.” -Fulton J. Sheen

07-05-08

"Is this dill?"

In honor of Bruce leaving at o'dark thirty tomorrow morning for an eight day mission trip as one of the three chaperone to 8 teenagers, here he is. Consulting with the bored tween, trying to find dill, the last herb on my farmers market shopping list, so he can get on with his day.

He waited to gather and pack and shop (four trips to the store, he decided maybe a list would've been smart!) until today, but he seems to be ready nonetheless.

Safe travels, we'll hold down the fort!

“One way to get the most out of life is to look upon it as an adventure” -William Feather

07-04-08

Normally our lake park is calm and quiet. Well used, but lots of open space.

But not today. Today you feel like a sardine as you smash across the pedestrian bridge. You rush to put out your blankets before all the prime spots are taken. You wait in long lines for the concessions. You crawl along if you make the mistake of driving anywhere near the lake. You look in awe at all the people.

I wouldn't want it to be like this all of the time, but the energy level is fun.

Fun fireworks facts (courtesy of Real Simple magazine):
- Fireworks first appeared around 1000 AD, in CHinese religious ceremonies.
- Various metal salts are used to create the colored explosions. Barium makes green, copper makes blue, and aluminum is responsible for the sparkle.
- The US imported around $217 million worth of freworks in 2007, most of it from China.

Happy 4th!

07-03-08

Day 2 of the Go Fourth Festival.

I had a meal planned for tonight at home, but Bruce promised me he'd cook it Saturday night instead if we could eat at the lake tonight. Not too hard of a sell.

I had my traditional salmon dinner, and Xander and I shared a deep fried Twinkie. Bruce had to point out that all three of them ate for the same cost as my salmon dinner. The guys had $4 Frito Pie (Fritos smothered in chili, I can barely even look at it without getting indigestion) and Anastasia had a $1.75 hot dog. My salmon with coleslaw and a roll was $11. And worth every dime.

07-02-08

The Go Fourth Festival is in full swing right down the street from us. This is when we have to start hoarding parking spaces in front of our house, for family and the various friends we have told could park in our driveway.

We did our first scouting mission tonight. Bruce snagged a blended drink from his favorite booth, and I gave in to the kids each getting a Krispy Kreme donut (after Xander asked for a sausage dog about 30 minutes after dinner!). I saw the deep fried Twinkies and salmon dinner that I frequent, but tonight I had a goal check with wii fit, so that kept me on track. Funny how a little animated scale can keep me motivated...

We were almost home when the rain started falling, maybe the forecast for cruddy weather is true...

"You better take the photo quick, Mom, mine's almost gone." - Xander

07-01-08

What's on your summer reading list?

It's the end of another quarter, so time to photograph the books I've read or listened to in the past three months. Some of the books were book club picks, some were books I've been wanting to read, some were just available cheap, and one is even a birthday gift! My goal this quarter was to read more Jodi Picoult and Jane Kirkpatrick (having seen them both at Powell's this year), and to read more Christian books. I certainly read more than I expected to!

Books read:
Once Upon a Day - Lisa Tucker
A Land of Sheltered Promise - Jane Kirkpatrick
Homestead - Jane Kirkpatrick
Calm Cool and Adjusted - Kristin Billerbeck
The Singer - Calvin Miller
Because I Said So - Camile Peri; Kate Moses
Chinese Whispers: The Gladys Aylward story - Carol Perves
Quentins - Maeve Binchy
Songs of the Humpback Whale - Jodi Picoult
Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen - Syrie James
The Rising:The Antichrist born before left behind - Jerry Jenkins
Heiress for Hire - Erin McCarthy
The Tenth Circle - Jodi Picoult
The Regime (left behind #2) - Jerry Jenkins

Audio books listened to:
Lost & Found - Carolyn Parkhurst
A Bend in the Road - Nicholas Sparks
True Believer - Nicholas Sparks
At First Sight - Nicholas Sparks
The Quickie - James Patterson
Christ the Lord:Out of Egypt - Anne Rice
The Mammoth Cheese - Sheri Holman
Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich - Robert Frank

Happy Reading!

“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”
Desiderius Erasmus