3000 Miles of America the Beautiful

When I took the above photo in Aspen this morning, I just liked the composition of the image. As I'm preparing to write my final blog entry for this amazing vacation, it strikes me as the perfect parting "shot." At the risk of drawing the ire of the Republican party, I have never been more proud of being an American.

Driving through Colorado, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, and (albeit momentarily) Montana and Idaho over these past two weeks has been an edifying experience. This tour of the west has offered us everything from freezing temperatures and snow in northern Wyoming to stultifying heat in Utah, from big cities to the smallest of towns, from fine, sophisticated dining to down-home cooking, from purple mountains majesty to verdant fields of potatoes (and, yes, a patch of amber waves of grain). Not only have we learned more about our country, and in a more tangible way than any textbook can teach it, over these past fourteen days, but we have gotten to learn it together. I know I have great kids, but I can honestly say they surpassed even my greatest expectations of them, as their complaints were negligible over these 3000 miles and their appreciation immense.

They were so eager to jump into each adventure and so amazed by their surroundings that "are we there yet?" was never a part of the ample conversation of our drives and our days. They inherently realized that corny sentiment that the journey is the destination, and helped Dana and I recognize the truth of that philosophy every time they cajoled us into pulling over one more time to play in the snow just a bit longer or convinced us to linger at the stable for a few more minutes so they could say a proper good-bye to "their" horses.

Indeed, while this vacation was well-planned ahead of time, much of it evolved as we lived it. Our too large rectangle turned into a trapezoid of sorts, with Kansas, Nebraska and southern Utah making way for more time in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. We also found our way to Park City and Sundance, Utah, two places we had only a fleeting idea of visiting when we began to plan our trip. And they were highlights. The combination of good planning and a willingness to embrace change served us well.

Of course, one of the best parts of our vacation was getting to visit family members who are lucky enough to call this magnificent part of the country home. Kerrie and Carlos is Denver. Rita in Aspen. We loved seeing where they shop, dine, work, live. They were incredible hosts, and their hospitality will stay with us long after we have forgotten the various details of our trip.

Finally, I'd like to thank all of you for reading these blogs. What started out as a lark turned into something much more important, as we processed our experiences daily in order to share them with you. Doing so enabled us all to not only fully experience every moment but also reflect on its overall significance. Whether we witnessed jaw-dropping scenery, encountered yet another animal none of us had ever seen before or dealt with some disappointment or other, soon one of us would wonder whether it would "make the blog." So, thank you again. Your diligence in reading kept me diligent in writing, and now my family has an amazing cyber-scrapbook to revisit in the future.

Enjoying Rita's Room with a View

After a wonderful day walking around downtown Aspen, shopping in Explore Booksellers (a unique and fabulous bookstore), and having lunch on the outside patio of the historic Hotel Jerome, we headed to Maroon Bells for a mellow hike and then to dinner at Rita's house.

This photograph captures just one view from her outrageous wraparound deck. The fact that her house overlooks a horse ranch entranced Maddie as much as Rita's dog, Chester, entranced Daniel. I'll enclose photos of both below :-)

Maroon Bells is one of the most photographed spots in Aspen (if not the country), and it's easy to understand why. Gorgeous mountains surround a crystal clear lake (trite, I know, but it was). The fact that the only way to get there is to deal with a monotonous bus driver explaining the history of avalanches in the area (which sounds intriguing, and is intriguing, but was not made intriguing by this guy) was just a minor bump in the road (figuratively; he was not driving fast enough for it to be literal).

Meanwhile, Rita is a gourmet chef. She candied walnuts, for crying out loud. And her friend Gaard entertained us with stories of his many Aspen adventures (including one about being the first person ever to have skiied the very Maroon Bells we visited today). The day ended with the children watching the world premiere of CAMP ROCK! It was amazing how well we knew all of the songs, having heard them over and over and over again during the past two weeks :-) I'm sure the breathtaking drive from Aspen to Denver tomorrow will be set to the Camp Rock soundtrack. So, until then, I'll leave you with these profound words sung by the Jonas Brothers: "We rock. We rock on. We rock. We rock on."

An Inadvertent Hike to the Delicate Arch

Can you guess which photograph was taken from a closer (and higher) vantage point? If you guessed the photo on the right, give yourself a pat on the back. If you guessed the photo on the left, sympathize with us for taking what we later learned was a moderate hike in 96 degree heat at 11:30 a.m. to get a view of the world famous "Delicate Arch." While we have been game for most activities from horseback riding to white water rafting, none of us (well, with the exception of a gleeful Daniel) was especially eager to hike (without sunscreen, water, or protective head gear) in the sweltering desert. However, after we took the easy trek to the lower viewing point of the arch, we figured we might as well see the other view as well. As we started up the deceivingly simple path, we came across a Swedish couple, who assured us the view was spectacular and well-worth the extra steps -- "Ya, it's totally different up there." Nearly a vertical mile later we reached the top. And I took the photo on the right. And we walked back down.


Somewhere along the way, a swarm of gnats descended upon us. Maddie, who had wanted to videotape the experience, only to find the battery on the video camera had died halfway up our hike, decided to swat a gnat that had landed on her head. With the hand that was carrying the now useless video camera. Only Dana's humorous diatribe against the lovely Swedish couple kept us amused as we made our way back to the air-conditioned car and an icy cup of water to place against Maddie's throbbing forehead. Needless to say, we toured the rest of Arches National Park from the comfort of our rented Caddy :-) (Oh, and Maddie is just fine).


That said, Arches National Park is stunningly beautiful, especially in the evening. If you're going to make the trip, however, make it in the fall or the spring. We were all eager to head back to the mountains of Colorado, where we arrived this afternoon. After a fun stop in Grand Junction for lunch and a walk, we arrived in delightful Aspen. Rita has a wonderful day planned for us tomorrow, but we're already entranced. A charming downtown and temperatures that dip into the 50's at night = just what we wanted in the last few days of our vacation.


I'll conclude with one of my favorite moments of the day. We played a game of "What did I learn on our vacation?" during lunch. There were serious answers (from Maddie: "I learned that building a monument without government money is a bad idea") and silly answers (from Dana: "I learned never to listen to Swedes regarding the value of a view at the end of a trail"). As our food arrived, Daniel took his final turn and said, "I learned that spending time with my family exploring is better than any action figure game." Almost makes the hike worthwhile :-) Almost.

Rafting, Swimming and Swallowing the Colorado River

Today's big adventure was white water rafting in the Colorado River. We did an afternoon run that consisted of several mini "ripples" and one relatively intense Class 3 rapid. Rather than pay the 50+ dollars for the photos that "Moab Action Shots" took from the bank of the river as we went down (and up and down) that rapid, I'm including the link for you to check out the photos if you so choose. You'll see that Dana and I were leading the charge into the waves (?!) with Maddie behind me on the right side (if you're facing the boat) and Daniel sitting in the center of us all. He and Dana are both wearing red baseball caps, which should help you find us if you are having any trouble.

http://www.moabactionshots.com/find_photo2.php?cat=R&src=&lce=346&month=06&day=18&year=2008&pm=1&roll=63B&start_pic=1

In the final of the six photos, you can see where today's blog title gets its name. Note to self (and others): Close your mouth when pounding through a Class 3 rapid. Otherwise, you will get a healthy dose of water that will not quench your thirst or stave off dehydration but rather nearly drown you where you sit, trying to remain planted on the raft, while your guide yells at you to dig harder (but your raft, and, therefore your oar, is a good five feet above the surface of the water). Despite the near drowning, I had a great time, and the kids loved the thrill. In fact, Daniel took an oar and rowed beside me for the last 30 or so minutes of the ride.

The other lovely part of today was a sunset drive we took into Arches National Park. We'll do a much more thorough tour of the park tomorrow, but it was wonderful to get to see these awesome rock formations as the sun struck them just so. I'll attach some photos taken with a waterproof disposable camera I took on the rafting trip, as well as some of the more majestic shots from our sunset drive that I took with my faithful Canon (which only needs new batteries every 7.3 seconds).

Tomorrow, after our morning exploration of Arches, we head to Aspen. And leave 97 degree temperatures behind -- though Dana can finally stop making fun of me for packing our bathing suits :-)

Houston, We Have a Problem

We have left the charming world of Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Park City, Utah and entered the land that NASA uses to train its astronauts for an eventual trip to Mars. Seriously. Mars.


It's not as though we didn't try to stay longer in Park City. A few hours in the home of the Sundance film festival convinced us that we would be happy to spend more time there, but it was not to be. The hotel was booked for tonight, so we accepted our destiny: leave the land of Redford and head for the land of John Glenn.


However, we did make a pitstop at Sundance before heading into the barren landscapes of Utah. It's amazing how diverse the landscape is in this state, as the lush trees and sapphire blue lakes leading up to Provo are as different as they can be from the red rock canyon we are now occupying. While I can appreciate the stark beauty of Moab, I'm more of a Sundance girl. Stunning scenery, chic surroundings, and a latte when you need one can all be found in Park City, Provo and Sundance. Our fine dining experience in red rock country was the Moab Diner, where a lovely motorcycle riding gentleman teased Daniel that his headlight must have shined into Daniel's eyes when he parked his hog outside. I'm sure tomorrow will reveal the majesty of Moab, but so far our impression of the town itself is less than stellar. Jackson Hole this ain't.

Therefore, the highlight of today was definitely our trip to Sundance. We shopped in the Sundance store, ate in The Foundry (the Sundance restaurant), and took a 40-minute ski lift ride up the mountain. The drive to Redford's oasis was breathtaking, and the entire experience was particulary amazing for a film lover. Along the walls are photos of the various actors and directors who have workshopped films in those very buildings (including Quentin Tarantino and Tim Roth for Reservoir Dogs). The mountain is filled with gorgeous homes; we speculated whether they were owned by studios or agents. Or perhaps even Redford himself. It was a very delightful detour, indeed. Even though Bobby never showed his ruggedly handsome face.

So, today's photos are a potpourri of Utah's best and most intriguing. Enjoy. I'll let you know tomorrow how the arid (100 degrees outside!) and "inhospitable" (our guidebook's word) Arches National Park treats us. Wish us luck :-)

Road Trip!

Yes, the whole vacation has been one long road trip, but today we enjoyed some of those road trip moments that are most unexpected and memorable. First, two mountain goats bid us farewell as we drove out of Jackson Hole. This was very kind of them, as they were the only animals I had wanted to encounter that I had not yet seen.

About an hour outside of Jackson Hole, we stopped for lunch in Star Valley. At the Yankee Doodle: Red, White and Brew diner. Where freedom fries were served and even the parking spots were painted red, white, and blue. And I had "adult American cheese." And there were replicas of the Statue of Liberty all over the diner. Our waitress was fabulous, and it may have been my favorite meal of the trip. Dana and I looked at each other, as the kids played with the r,w,& b star-shaped salt and pepper shakers, and said, "now, this is a road trip." I could just imagine John McCain and Barack Obama stopping in to shake some hands and kiss some babies.


The next hour and a half, the kids added background vocals and chair dancing to our "grown-up" music, so Talking Head's "Burning Down the House" got the "burnin, burnin, burnin down my house" embellishment, and so on. The sheer joy that was taking place in the back seat was contagious, so the least scenic of our drives so far wound up being one of my favorites. That, and the fact that we crossed the Wyoming border three times! I had to say good-bye to my now beloved Wyoming three times, but I got to be welcomed back twice, so that was delightful :-)


We arrived at Park City, Utah in the late afternoon. What a great town. We could just picture the Entourage boys hanging off the balcony in the Sundance episode of our favorite HBO show. It's a charming and completely manageable place, with a long and hilly main street filled with eclectic shops and fine restaurants and a free trolly that does an endless loop if you want to take a break from climbing the hills. We'll stay here for about half the day tomorrow before heading into Moab. We haven't seen Sundance himself yet, but we haven't given up hope.

...And Bears?! Oh My!

Dana's Father's Day wish was to take a floating tour of Snake River. We all got the best gift imaginable when a black bear (who looked awfully brown to us) showed up not 50 feet from us. The shot above was taken after we floated past him; he then proceeded to run alongside us for the next several minutes. I took a few more photos, which I'll include below, but none of them do him justice, as our float was bobbing around, and Maddie and I were trying hard to get good shots without falling into the freezing water. It was absolutely thrilling. The Dana pointing pose is a belated Father's Day gift to Clay (and Mark) :-)

The floating tour was from 5:30 - 7:30 this evening, so you'll notice the sun is setting behind the mountains in most of the shots. We also saw an eagle, his nest, a beaver and a slew of Canadian geese. The river provided yet one more vantage point from which to view animals in their natural habitat, which has provided the most awesome moments of a seemingly unending list of awe-inspiring moments on this trip. Bear sightings are rare in these parts. Most locals have never seen one, and the diehards in Yellowstone were set up with mega-telescopes aimed at the distant woods in the hope of catching sight of Smoky. To happen to float by at the exact instant our bear was hanging by the riverbank... well, I told Maddie that stepping in elk poop would bring her luck.

We spent the early part of the day walking around Jackson Hole so much that even Daniel was actually eager to get back into the car. We walked up to Snow King Resort, which is where the alpine slide is located. The ride up the ski lift was as much fun as the slide down. The drive to the river launch took us once more through Teton National Forest and gave us a chance to narrow down the location of Harrison Ford's 800 acre ranch.

We absolutely adore Jackson Hole; it will be bittersweet to leave tomorrow. The surrounding Tetons are breathtaking, and the town itself is as charming as it could be. We have called another audible, deciding to save Bryce and Zion for another trip. The idea of pulling two 9 hour drives in the next four days was more than we could "bear." Instead, we'll head to Park City, Utah tomorrow (a far more manageable 4 hour drive), then to Moab, Utah for a couple of days before returning to Colorado. This way, we'll take advantage of the cooler temperatures (Zion hit 100 the other day) and have more time to enjoy Moab and Aspen.

What does all that mean? Tomorrow we dine with Robert Redford :-)

Maps :-)

I realized (with a little nudge from Dad) that a few maps would help you all understand how we could drive through three states in just a couple of hours. I've included one of the greater Yellowstone area (where you can see Cody and Jackson, the two places we've stayed as our Yellowstone launching points), a close-up of Yellowstone (where you can see Old Faithful, Mammoth, and the Canyon, as well as the miles between each area), and the map that shows the little corner of Wyoming that Yellowstone occupies. We actually wound up entering from the south yesterday and leaving from the west entrance, which is why we passed the potatoes in Idaho in the evening. And, to answer Kerrie's question, you can only see the tops of the potatoes (thus the green), or the brown dirt where they have been recently harvested. However, the myriad signs for various potato companies leaves no doubt that the fields are indeed occupied by my favorite carbohydrate (though I did threaten to pull one out of the ground for a souvenir; realizing we were deep in Red State territory, I thought better of it). I'm also including a link to a Yellowstone website (with even more maps!) for those of you who would like to further explore. http://www.nps.gov/archive/yell/interactivemap/transpto.htm

Verdant Fields of Potatoes?

There were three notable parts of our day:

1. Old Faithful

2. Idaho
3. Snake River Grill

I'm starting with Idaho because it was the most unexpected. On this trip, I fully intended to find miles of wheat in Kansas; instead, I found miles upon miles upon miles of potatoes in Idaho. While the fields themselves were less majestic than amber waves, the backdrop to these crops is spectacular. The road weaves over hills and around bends with acres of potatoes on either side, until it finally takes you back into Wyoming, over the mountain and into Jackson Hole. I have a whole new appreciation for french fries. Quite a spectacular drive.

We arrived back at the Wort Hotel (where we've extended our stay unti Monday) by 7:00 p.m., just in time to make our 7:30 reservation at the Snake River Grill, one of Jackson Hole's finest restaurants (and, according to various sources, one of Harrison Ford's favorites). The dinner was memorable not for the food (which was good) but for the quest we undertook to see Harrison Ford, who, Maddie and I were convinced, was dining in a private room next to the main dining room. When we mentioned our suspicion to our waitress, her nervous and sarcastic, "Oh, sure, Harrison Ford is here, and so is Calista Flockhart" cemented our belief. After all, along with Ron, we have bought cupcakes with Naomi and Liev and shared space at Serendipity with John Travolta and his family. Dining with Indiana Jones seemed the next logical step.

The rest of the dinner was spent with Maddie trying to casually get up to adjust Daniel's chair or eat one of his french fries in order to, oh so casually, look behind the curtain. Dana's report that a tall man with grayish brown hair was standing with his back to us convinced him that we were right. Finally, Daniel put it all is perspective, when he looked at us with exasperation and said that it wasn't Harrison Ford, "it's just a brown man." Indeed, the hostess confirmed that Harrison hadn't been there for several months but that Sandra Bullock and Tom Brady had been there recently. Maddie is still convinced that the hostess was just joining the waitress in an elaborate cover-up, and that Han Solo had been just a few feet away from her the whole time.

Now, Old Faithful deserves a better spot in this blog than it's getting, but potatoes and Harrison Ford are pretty darn exciting. In fact, the area around Old Faithful was far more impressive than I imagined it would be. We sort of thought we'd park the car, watch the geyser blow, then hit the road. Luckily, we were able to take a walk around the geysers, where there are so many intriguing pools (hot tubs, Daniel called them) and geysers of all sizes. I'll put a few of the more colorful ones below. Old Faithful was faithful indeed, and impressive, but I don't get all the fuss about it. I found the overall area far more interesting than that one geyser. Oh, and we found out that there is such a thing as a free lunch, as a fire alarm at the Old Faithful Inn caused everyone to vacate. We were finished with our lunch but hadn't gotten our check yet. When we were finally able to return to the building, we were told that lunch was on the Inn. Which made up for the fact that we spent the waiting time in a gift shop buying a glow-in-the-dark wolf t-shirt for Daniel.

So, that was our Saturday. We're very proud of having driven through three states in one day and having seen most of Yellowstone (including another moose!). Tomorrow we're heading to Teton Village and taking the Alpine Slide down a mountain. I'm pretty sure Harrison Ford will be on the slide next to us :-)

Happy Father's Day, Dads!

A/OK (Corral) in Jackson Hole

Today was just what we needed. The only time we spent in the car was the ten minutes it took to get to the ranch for our late afternoon horseback ride. Of course, we did spend two hours riding a horse, but at least that was a unique mode of transportation. Other than that, we enjoyed our hotel, which is in the heart of town, the great shops (where Maddie capitalized on her unfortunate elk incident by scoring a new pair of boots and a snazzy new sweatshirt), the fabulous restaurants and the wonderful art galleries.

The highlight of our mellow day in Jackson was the horseback ride, where we got to explore the spectacular surroundings from yet another vantage point. As we weaved through the mountain, climbing about 1000 feet up from the ranch, I was reminded of Clay's comment earlier today; it did seem that our little horsebacking crew (our family + a couple from Miami - insert small world comment here) was completely alone in the universe. We passed horses and houses (what a view they must have!), but we didn't pass another human being. Even in the town square of Jackson Hole tonight, we were virtually alone. Considering 3 million people reportedly travel to Yellowstone each year, I can only speculate how we have gotten so lucky. Regardless, it has added a tremendous sense of gravity to our experiences.

My favorite moment of the day was watching Daniel evolve into a cowboy riding a horse named Desperado and Maddie transform into a cowgirl riding Excalibur. They were both so enamored with the whole adventure that it made my legs and back ache just a bit less as my horse, Hawk, made his way up and down the sometimes precarious trail. Dana, who was riding Brown Dog (?!), provided comical observations throughout, which made the time pass as we navigated the less scenic parts of the trail between each jaw-dropping view. Below I'll post a few more photos of the kids and their horses, Maddie in her new boots, and the views along the way. Tomorrow, we will drive through Idaho and into Montana to enter Yellowstone from the west. Old Faithful is in our future, so, if all goes well (it is Old Faithful, for crying out loud), you can anticipate geyser photos in Sunday morning's blog.

Yellowstone Brings It

Around 7:45 p.m. tonight, as we were closing in on our hotel in Jackson, Wyoming, I hit sensory overload. There was not one more mountain, one more stream, one more striking red butte, one more moose or elk or bison I could possibly register. I was weary from all the beauty. That's when I saw the deer in the photograph. Instant perspective.

At dinner tonight in the historic Wort Hotel, we discussed everything we've seen so far, tried to sort out the images while they're still fresh in our minds. I can honestly say I've never seen such staggering, awe-inspiring sights, and we have done our fair share of traveling over the years. We decided to enter Yellowstone from the Northeast, the least frequented passage. This would give us an opportunity to explore the upper half of Yellowstone today. Well, to get there we went over the Chief Joseph Scenic Byway, then through Beartooth Mountain, a passage that apparently only opens in late May. My summer wonderland blog came a day too soon, for today we drove through full-fledged snow storms; the trees and grass were covered with snow. None of us has ever seen so much snow. It was spectacular. And also incredibly intimidating. Still, the rental car was great, and I felt comforted by the rare car that passed us coming the other way. Perhaps there was a chance we'd make it to the other side of the 10,947 foot mountain.

Indeed, when we finally entered Yellowstone, we were already overwhelmed by all we had seen. Then, within ten minutes of entering the park, a deer came within five feet of our car and we saw a wolf. All of this, remember, took place in the snow. We went to Mammoth Springs, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and ate lunch in a cabin built for Teddy Roosevelt. We saw lots more bison, to the point where we became bored of bison, the aforementioned wolf, an elk (which Maddie loved so much she decided to take a part of it home with her -- all over her shoes!), and, after we left Yellowstone and entered Grand Teton, a moose. We saw waterfalls and canyons, sheer drops and snow-covered peaks. America the Beautiful, indeed. The sheer bounty is so enormous that it leaves you at a loss for words (which is probably why this blog has been the most difficult one for me to write).

Well, we're settled here in Jackson for a few days. The town is unbelievably quaint. I'm looking forward to getting into a store, buying something and getting a sense of balance restored :-) And, of course, keeping my eye out for Harrison. I'll leave you with one of the more amusing exchanges of our dinner conversation. As we discussed which of the various drives, parks, animals, etc. most impressed us, Dana posed the following challenge: Mount Rushmore or Crazy Horse. Daniel's reply: "Mount Rushmore, of course. That Crazy Horse isn't even finished. That was the easiest question to answer ever."

I'll put a handful of photographs of the most captivating moments at the bottom of the blog. Enjoy.

Summer Wonderland

A gallon of gasoline: $3.87

A speeding ticket: $63.00

The look on your children's faces when it snows in June: Priceless

We began the day at the Crazy Horse memorial, which is enormous in its scope and ambition, but far from finished. Since the sculptor and his family refuse government aid, the project relies on private donations. Needless to say, we'll be lucky if our children's children get to see the completed monument. Still, the museum and the grounds were fascinating to visit.

Next, we started our drive to Cody, Wyoming. We drove through lots of pretty green hills, spotted with yet more deer and horses and cows galore. When we began to make our way through Bighorn National Forest, we had no idea what awaited us. By the time we left the park, we were bowing (literally bowing) to Bighorn. We have determined that Bighorn needs a new PR agent, because Yellowstone gets all the press. As we drove deeper and deeper into the park, and higher and higher into the mountains, Dana gleefully reported the dropping temperature (55, 53, 50, 38, 30) and I read the signs that reported the age of the various rock formations we were passing (2.5 billion years old being the winner). When we found a good stopping place, we climbed around the mountain and the kids engaged in an impromptu snowball fight. As we got back into the car and the kids warmed their frozen little hands (layering is not working, Ron!), I swore to Dana that it looked as though it were snowing in the distance. Well, we proceeded to drive right through that snow shower (it was too mild to be considered a storm, but it was seriously snowing). Daniel proclaimed this the best place ever. "It's awesome; it's fantastic; it's every great word there is," were his exact sentiments. "It's pulchitrudinous," Maddie replied, happy to show off her expanding vocabulary. The rest of the drive through Bighorn was equally spectacular (and about 20 degrees warmer). Hard to imagine what Yellowstone could offer that could top that completely unexpected and utterly awe-inspiring experience. But I say, "bring it."

Yes, the speeding ticket put a slight damper on an otherwise perfect drive, but even the police officer was a lovely human being. And Dana was so relieved that even the tickets are cheaper in this part of the country that he didn't beat himself up too much for the last 45 minutes of our drive to Cody. We topped off the evening with dinner and a movie (family of four to see Kung Fu Panda -- at night -- $25.00). All in all, another amazing day on the "America the Beautiful tour" (you're right, Aunt Diana; that's exactly what this is).

Burros and Bison and Deer, Oh My!

South Dakota may just be our new favorite place. After shopping in quaint Hill City (where Daniel got decked out in his new cowboy hat), we hit Custer State Park. The Wildlife Loop more than lived up to its name, but we managed to see animals everywhere we went today. Not once, not twice, but three times did we have to stop to let a deer cross the road in front of us. At one point, we had Mount Rushmore on our right and a group of six or seven deer just off the road on our left. We also saw prairie dogs, burros and lots and lots of bison. Our drive took us through several one-way tunnels through the rocks and mountains. While it was rather daunting to tentatively make your way towards the entrance in the hope that a car wasn't barreling in your direction, the sensation of driving through these tunnels was amazing. As we passed through one of the final tunnels, we saw Mount Rushmore in the distance, perfectly framed (see photo below -- way below).

Not only is the terrain spectacular, but the people are among the most friendly we have ever met. Daniel can't stop marvelling at how much nicer everyone is here :-) Tomorrow morning, we go to the Native American museum and the Crazy Horse monument, then head to Cody, Wyoming. Until then...

Calling an Audible

Or "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas," so where the heck will we see wheat?

This is a story about what happens when you think you've planned thoroughly, only to discover at 10:30 p.m. the night before the amber wave portion of your tour that Mount Rushmore is 100 miles north of where you thought it was. After various permutations that took us well past midnight, it seemed a sacrifice would have to be made. What would it be? Dorothy country or the four presidents? My words to Dana as I finally gave into sleep, "find a fabulous hotel in South Dakota and I'll consider giving up Kansas." When I awoke at 6:30, I learned that he had done just that.

So... our amber waves were a bit less awe-inspiring than I had hoped they would be, but Kerrie was able to direct us to a lovely little wheat field in a town just north of Denver named, appropriately enough, Wheatridge. I'm not sure that our foray into the amber waves warrants our blog title or banner, but, as a lover of irony, I'm sticking with them both.

Our drive through Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota was uneventful until it was too eventful, when the GPS gave out, both cell phones died, the skies opened up, and we were misdirected to the longer route to get to our lodge in Hill City, just outside Mount Rushmore. Luckily, the misdirection added only about 30 minutes to our trip and took us through even more of the breathtaking Black Hill National Forest, where we saw another half dozen or so deer to add to the several we had already seen on the drive through Wyoming (where nobody lives -- I mean, honestly, how could so much land be occupied by so few people), gave us a chance to open the windows and sunroof to experience the cold breeze and better view the spectacular rainbow that was leading us on (though I did have a momentary Kansas pang), and enabled us to enjoy more RadioDisney :-).

Ultimately, we arrived at our lodge at around 7:00 p.m., changed into warmer clothes and headed over to the lighting ceremony at Mount Rushmore. Which was nothing like I expected. It was both more grandiose and smaller than I thought it would be. Dana and I both thought it would be a huge rock formation next to a bunch of hot dog stands. Instead, there is much more pomp and circumstance surrounding it (courtesy of Bill Clinton, apparently); as we approached, a huge deer walked right up to the walkway. He looked at us for several seconds, then hopped off into the hills. The most moving part of the evening was the conclusion of the ceremony, when the park ranger asked all the military personnel, past and present, to come to the stage to help retire the flag for the night. Very powerful. The kids were amazing. Despite the long drive and the late hour, they were both riveted during the ceremony. "I love history," concluded Daniel, as we headed back to the lodge.

Well, I've blathered (blaggered?) on more than I intended, so I'll pop a few photos on the site and call it a day.

Delighted in Denver

Kerrie and Carlos should be giving "Denver in a Day" tours, for we have been here for just over 24 hours, yet already we feel at home. From a fabulous birthday dinner last night in "LoDo" to breakfast and toy store shopping this morning in Cherry Creek, from a tour of University of Denver to rock wall climbing, from a breathtaking drive to the Red Rocks Amphitheater to strolling along the 16th street pedestrian downtown shopping district, from drives through beautiful neighborhoods and parks to a stop at the very popular Bonnie Brae ice cream parlor, we have spent a fun and exhausting Denver day. Meanwhile, the apartment is outrageous; next time we're coming for a week :-) Thanks, Kerrie and Carlos, for an amazing time. Enjoy the photos. Tomorrow, we go on a quest for wheat.

On the Eve of Amber

We've (mostly) packed, halted the newspaper, printed our itinerary, charged up the various electronics, and now we're ready to hit the road. The Garmin GPS did not arrive on time (surprise, surprise :-)), so we will have to pull a Lewis and Clark and rely on the GPS software Dana downloaded into his Blackberry Curve. Not sure how we'll manage.

Tomorrow night we arrive in Denver, Colorado, where we will meet up with Kerrie and Carlos for a birthday dinner (Dana and Kerrie share a June 7th birthday). I'm not sure what my Internet access will be, but I'll try to blog and upload a couple of pictures every few days.

Oh, and one boast for the road: Maddie and Daniel got their report cards today. Stellar performances all around. Daniel is far beyond his grade level in both reading and math; Maddie, meanwhile, completed her first year of middle school with an A+ (Drama), 3 A's (English, Computers, French), and 4 B+'s (Social Studies, Science, Math, P.E.). For the 4th quarter, she managed to pull an A in Science and Social Studies, as well as English, Drama, French and Computers. We're hoping the trip to Mount Rushmore fortifies the A in Social Studies next year :-)

Until next time...

Maddie Speaks French :-)

Here is the video we couldn't seem to send the old-fashioned way. Enjoy!

Clay Rocks!

Like my new banner? Compliments of Clay. I hope to post a photograph of me in the midst of a sea of grain just like that one. Of course, the fact that there may be torrential rainstorms the day we drive through Dorothy country may cause a wrinkle in this plan. In which case you can look forward to a photoshopped image of yours truly right smack into the middle of that banner :-) One way or another, I'm coming into contact with some grain.

But what will I wear?

Okay, I'm checking the 10-day weather forecast, and I can't see past the tornado warnings and the snow advisories. 37 degrees in Bryce, Utah at the moment. Feels like 30. Brrrrr... Of course, it will be in the 70's in Kansas and Nebraska (assuming they aren't blown off the map in the next two days).

So what do we pack?!

I had a few photos made into wallet size images, as I haven't loved the school photos for the past couple of years. If you would like me to send you one of them, please let me know.

The Test Blog

So... I am entering the blogosphere to create a space for us to communicate our thoughts and photos with you all as we embark on our "Amber Waves of Grain Tour" (shirts still haven't been ordered). I have two more days of meetings before I'm officially on summer vacation, but we've spent the last two days buying new shoes, fun activity books for the plane and car rides and creating state by state playlists :-)
I promise not to blog with such banal details in the future (or is that precisely the purpose a blog serves?)

I'll end with Daniel's wise inquiry.

Maddie: "I remember vaguely playing with Daniel in the exersaucer."
Daniel: "Who is Vaguely?"

-- Maybe that should be the name of my blog. Thoughts?