Reflective

Well, It has been a little over a year and I just read over my blog. What was my conclusion? I am so glad that we did it. We see commercials with Mt. Rushmore and say, "We've been there." It's a pretty neat feeling.

What would I have done differently? I would have visited more National Parks. Although, I think our vacation was a huge success in many ways, the fun and memories created at the National Parks were far and away greater then say, Disneyland. I also think I would have sought out more famous land mark attractions such as Mark Twain's house he grew up in or President Ulysses Grant home tour. I also would have tried to be better at leaving earlier. We tended to checkout around 11 AM but not getting in and settled in bed until around one in the morning made one tired body.

What would I have done the same? Hotels. I know I couldn't camp for thirty days. It was nice to have a hot shower every morning.

Would I do this adventure again? Absolutely. However, I would want to pick States that I have not yet been to, to spend the most time I have available in. Although, I would camp in the Bad Lands, I would make sure I made it to Redwood National Forest, take a train to the Grand Canyon and I most definitely would add all of the UTAH National Parks on the list.

I urge anyone who has thought about trekking across country, to seriously consider it. Is it expensive? Yes, relative to say a normal one week vacation. However, if you are an avid camper, you could definitely save some money that way by camping even a third of your time away. And by camping, you would save on food as making your own is cheaper than eating out. Most importantly, its the memories. We created life long memories.

So, start this week. Put some money away. Every time you want to buy, say a movie or something else you really don't need, put that money away. Before you know it, you'll have a sizable chunk set aside. Start looking at places you want to go. Ask your kids to look at a book or a map and pick a place they want to see. Quickly, the excitement builds and your dream turns into a reality.

Happy vacationing!

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.