Go get em' Slugger

It only seems appropriate to end our journey with a stop at Louisville Slugger factory and Museum where they make 1.8 million bats a year, tens of thousands of them for MLB.
We got to watch them make bats from a block of wood into an actual finished, Authentic Major League baseball bat. We watched them carve Buster Posey's of the San Francisco Giants and then dip it in a glaze. It use to take a skill craftsman, 30 minutes from Billet to Bat. However, even though they still have one guy who can do it the old fashioned way, they use machines for the shaving and churning down of a bat now. I saw a cubbie full of Billets, ready to be manufactured for Dustin Pedroia and Derek Jeter.
Tim, Craig, Luke and I got to pose with Game USED bats of: Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaorn, David Ortiz and Derek Jeter. Tim even hit in the cage with a Hank Aaron bat. How cool is that?!
The kids will be receiving a MLB bat with their very own signature in 10 days from no other then Louisville Slugger.
This trip has been a whirl wind but totally worth it.

Up, Up and Away!

We took a detour South East to a little city called Metropolis, IL. Hmmm, Metropolis? Why does that sound so familiar? Why do I feel like I have heard that before?
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Superman, the home of, in this case. Metropolis boasts a 15' statue of the American Hero. We figured our oldest would really enjoy this. He loves everything Superman. Well, across the street is a couple cutouts of Superman and Supergirl. What's that behind them? A Super Museum dedicated to one of DC's heroes!
In there you will find everything you could possibly want to look at. It had everything back to the original superman. There were type writers, the original phone booth circa 1948, which I had my picture taken in. It had the crystals from the first movie which built the fortress of solitude. It had the original cape worn and signed by Christopher Reeves from the 1978 blockbuster. It had boots worn by the evil General Zod. I cannot begin to tell you about all the little collectibles. I think I circled the museum 3 times. Timothy said his brain hurt from all the information he processed. The museum also had a section dedicated to Superman Returns which I am still bummed they didn't make a sequel. They also had sections dedicated to Supergirl and the television shows Louis and Clark as well as Smallville. Basically, a Superman's paradise. The gift shop was "I want one of everything type shops." If you ever are going through or by Illinois, you NEED to stop in Metropolis!

Gateway to the West

We entered it from the back door coming East but that's just really semantics. We stopped in St. Louis, Missouri at the The Gateway Arch. We toured the Western Expansion Museum. It was neat to see that medallions were the symbol of the pact and agreement of good faith relationships between the Indians and Americans while expanding westward. I swear I must have slept through History during school or had not so good teachers. We'll call it a combination there of.
Afterward, we took the tram into the core of the arch, 630 ft. up.
Each tram could hold 5 people. It was as if it was meant to be. As we are in line, Craig whispers to Dale, "Why are those people wearing really old clothes?" Dale replies, "They are Amish." Craig then asks, "What's Amish?" Dale then explains to him who they are. Apparently, there is a settlement in Jamesport, Missouri. I wonder if they cover Amish country in the middle school. They must, right?
Anyway, the arch was a cool sight. We contemplated going to Hannibal, Missouri to check out Mark Twain's dwelling as a youngster. We'll just have to add that to our next trip along with all kinds of other cool sights we had to choose between. The saying is true: There are just so many interesting things to see and not nearly enough time to see them. I, for one, am glad we stopped. We are now south bound to Metropolis, IL to check out the Superman museum. Shhh... Don't tell Timothy. I think he will be the most excited. I actually know of a few friends and colleagues who probably wish they were coming. Enjoy the pictures of and from the Arch and thanks for reading.

There's No Place like Home! There's No Place like Home!

We drove through Kansas today. What are two things you think of when someone says Kansas?
Well, I think of Superman and The Wizard of Oz! We found an Oz museum in Wamego, Kansas. We we're on the look out for the Kent's farm but no such luck.
I, as most people have heard about Mother Goose but Father Goose? Frank Baum wrote many stories, many of which are in a collection called Father Goose. He also had many books based in the land of Oz. I am not sure why I am surprised but I was. He signed a contract back in 1899 for a $1. Can you imagine signing anything away for a $1?
Anyhow, it was a cute museum in a very small town. It has all kids of neat memorabilia like a piece of Dorothy's dress wore on set, flying monkey carvings they used to create the actual flying sequence as well as complete sets any collector would love to have. Needless to say, it had a fantastic gift shop. We are proud owners of a Wizard of Oz board game. I am hoping this game will give my kids as much joy for years to come as does Fantasy Forest. I am also now a proud owner of a "Don't make me get my flying monkeys" t-shirt which will be a nice addition to my work collection. So, here are some pictures. I included what you see most of while passing through Kansas on I-70.

Casa Bonita

That is where we stopped for lunch today. It's basically a roadside attraction with tasty Mexican food and a show to boot, located in Lakewood, CO. We watched a fellow dive while we ate. They call it a dive show. It was neat. The kids got to try some fried ice cream. After, the kids went to the arcade and onward we went. We are still in Wing-it mode. Where we stop is anyone's guess!
So far we have been to and done things in 15 states. Speaking of states, we have been playing: How many license plates can you find? Only one we haven't seen is Mississippi. Apparently, they must not travel much.

Down Under

Our intention was to go on a tour at Denver Mint but as luck would have it, all tours all sold out for the week. We also have been trying to make a baseball game but every time we make it into a town, the home team is away some where. So, we did a little maintenance and gave the family truckster some much needed love with an oil change. Then is was off to The Cave of the Winds in Manitou Colorado.
The boys loved it, especially Luke. The one tough thing for such an excited guy is he can't touch the walls. The oil from our skin tends to damage them not too mention people grabbing stalagmites for souvenirs. So, I gave him my phone and he was in charge of pictures. He took a zillion. A couple came out without his finger even!! It was a fun pit stop.

Motel Drive-in Anyone?

You know, I remember going to the drive-in as a kid. We would pile in the Blue Van with our pillows and blankets. We would watch the first movie and then pretend to sleep as my parents would watch the 2nd movie of a double feature. Back then, the first movie was always geared to families and the 2nd geared to the adults. Although, there are still Drive-ins, (though not many) this is something that I haven't done with my kids. I suppose technology has had a hand in that since we have a projector at home.
Just the same, we stayed at a hotel in Monte Vista, CO. last night which has a drive-in. You can watch the movie from your room through a giant picture window which overlooks the movie screen and the sound is piped into your room and you can decide how loud or soft you want the sound. They played the new Disney flick, Brave. They also played on a second screen The Amazing Spiderman. This was a torture test for my kids on which flick to watch. They were hoping for a double feature but that wasn't an option. Mom chose Brave. It was a very cool experience and it was included in the hotel charge. They even have a snack bar to purchase movie size candies and movie popcorn with extra butter. We got the aforementioned along with some Soda to complete the experience. The experience chalked up as the best hotel so far that we have stayed at according to the kids.
Speaking of hotels, this might have been the biggest daunting task of our journey. We have primarily used Priceline.com to reserve rooms. When we try to call and reserve a room for 5 everyone tries to sell us two rooms even though three of them are kids or they simply say they don't have room. We book online and all of sudden there is an available room and for the most part we can get a roll-a-way for an additional charge. We have gotten stuck where the kids have had to play Rock/Paper/Scissors for the floor or chair a couple of times but the water slide or drive-in movie seem to make up for it. So, if you're traveling with 5 or more, keep that in mind. However, I am sure part of our dilemma is staying everywhere for just a night as oppose to a long weekend or a full week like traditional vacationers.
As much fun as we are all having, we are all starting to miss our bed!

Got Cornered

Off of route 160, on Navajo reservation land, there is a monument which represents most notably the meeting of, but also the peace among four States: Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico. I put my feet to position myself on all 4 at the same time. I took pictures of my 3 boys and wife in each corner. The monument is surrounded with Navajo Indians selling all sorts of items like arrows, dream catchers, t-shirts, pottery and jewelry. My son picked out a shot glass. I lobbied for an arrowhead. It was a neat monument but it is in the middle of no where. Make sure your tank is full and you have plenty of water.
Now we have to make a decision which way to go, Colorado or New Mexico? We chose Colorado. Not sure where to now. While departing Four Corners, we noticed a chip in our front windshield and a crack in our front bumper. I guess our van wants to add its own character to our trip.

Grand Canyon

Wow! One of the great wonders of the world. As with other National Parks, we could have stayed much longer. The views were majestic and spectacular. Timothy and Craig really got into hiking and maneuvering around and over the rocks. They challenged every boundary. The two boys and I hiked part of the Grandview trailhead. Dale wanted nothing to do with the steep slope with immediate drop offs to one side. She kept Luke safely with her. We also walked the much safer and easier path of the canyon rim. I think if and when we come back I will take the railroad to the Canyon next time. It was a 4 hour total round trip and we needed to make some headway East tonight. As it is, with the hour loss going eastward, having control of our travel is huge. There's not much else to say. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

The California Dessert

Due to our late departure, (Who? Us?) today will be a drive day as we head to the Grand Canyon by way of The California Dessert along route 40 East Bound, where it's gotten as hot as 111 degrees. Got water? Still, the view isn't that bad. However, it would be nice to see a gas station soon. There could be a story developing. Stay tuned...

So, our gas light just came on and we are 36 plus miles from next city. I checked my gps and there is a gas station 12 miles on Route 66. I told Dale, I bet they only accept cash. We get there and no debit at the pump. It's $4.99 a gallon. We put in $40 to make sure we could get to next city. I looked at the couple next to us I was like, "You know how you say I'll never get stuck in the middle of nowhere..." They replied, "...And here we are."

Another memory just created!

Update: We're eating at the Wagon Wheel Restaurant on Historic Route 66. Apparently it can get up to 130 degrees in Needles, Ca. No thank you.

Disneyland!! Yeah!

We made it! The kids can say yesterday that they have put their feet in both oceans, Pacific and Atlantic. Today they can say they have been to Disneyland and DisneyWorld.
It is amazing how thousands and thousands of people with such diverse backgrounds can coexist so happily, peaceful and in harmony. You would think we lived in a Utopia. Must be the magic of Disney. Too bad this isn't the realm outside the kingdom.
Anyway, we went on a number of rides and the consensus was the Indiana Jones ride was by far and away the best. Although, the Buzz Lightyear blaster was a lot of fun! We saw Chip and Dale and Cinderella along with a bunch of characters in the parade. We stayed for the fireworks and then after a final trip on Buzz, we got some Ice Cream and went back to Hotel de Chesley.
The kids have said that Walt Disney World wins. However, this might have changed had we gone to California Adventure Park too. Although, I will say I like the castle and Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World better. Just the same it was a magical day and everyone left tuckered out and happy!