Road Trip

When I told friends and family about our roadtrip around the United States, many casually quipped, "You going to stop at the World's Largest Ball of Twine?". My guess is that this was rhetorical, but you know what, I took it as a challenge. To answer that question that no one truly asked me, "Yes, I did see the World' Largest Ball of Twine!" Not only that, we saw the World's Largest Art Easel, Pickled Egg, Belt Buckle, Czech Egg and Travel Plate. Did we drive an extra 45 minutes out of our way to see these items? The answer is yes, but if Loren asks, it was only like maybe 10 minutes more.  The truth is that Kansas is kind of boring. I'm sorry to everyone who lives in Kansas and finds it exhilarating. I would love to be wrong and come back to see all the things that are exciting. So please, prove me wrong and ROADTRIP! But here's the deal, we needed to drive through Kansas to get back. How does one turn a 4 hour drive across corn fields into fun?...

Yesterday we passed the Continental Divide. That feels momentous, but also, what is it? I know I should know this, but honestly, I don't. Either my brain is too tired or maybe it's not that big of a deal... We decided it was where the water either runs East or West. Given that no one contradicted us in the car of 5, it's decided. That is the Continental Divide.  Passing the Continental Divide felt momentous, but we almost missed the sign. We almost missed the sign because we have seen a multitude of big markers on this adventure. I've officially hit maximum input for this trip. I'm ready to come home. It was truly bittersweet when we hit Eureka in California to see the Redwoods and I knew we would start our Eastern route back. We still had weeks ahead of us, but it meant the beginning of the end. We were starting our descent and prepping for landing. I mentally scrambled to make sure we wouldn't miss a thing on the way back. After experiencing three more Nationa...

I can do hard things. It's not an original saying, but I often tell it to myself. I have a tendency to overestimate my skills in many ways, but hiking is the one I do the most. I grew up "hiking". Well, I grew up thinking that I went on hikes. What I learned out later in life on a real hike up Mount Adams is that I enjoy casual strolls through the woods. These casual strolls are often flat in nature and involve various changes in scenery like a fallen log to climb on or an old bridge to maneuver across. "Hiking" never involved much exertion or special clothing or footwear. "Hiking" never involved a change in gradient that continued to incline to what some nature folks refer to as a "peak". I am not a hiker, but I will never say no to a hike. I still dream of hiking the Appalachian Trail and whenever I wax poetic aloud, Loren always laughs and reminds of our hellish date on Mount Adams. Like I said, I'm not a hiker*. Every true hike I have...

We have officially hit the Pacific Ocean. It took us over 4 weeks, but we made it from the Atlantic to the Pacific. I have no doubt that's not a record of any time frame. Well if were in the 1800's, then yes, they would look at us like futuristic space travelers for getting here this fast. We have stayed at countless hotels, camped and airbnb'd like rustic adventurers.   This odyssey has led us through the depths of hell in Las Vegas. If you go to Las Vegas, don't bring your kids. Also though, don't go to Las Vegas. I really mean this in the nicest way possible, but Vegas is incredibly disappointing. I have now been there three times in my life and left with a sense of depression every single time. It has a way of sucking out a little bit of your life force every time. Don't stay longer than a day, or it will suck out your entire soul. It's like a Monet painting. From afar, it looks wonderful, but up close you see all the grime and desperation in peoples...

Does it count to be "roughing it" if one has rough days? If so, I have roughed it so much that REI should be my professional sponsor. If one does not count having rough days as true outdoor experiences, then camping has been a tricky beast for us. We were hoping to start camping in Texas once we got past the ticks of the east and the humidity of the genteel south. Fun fact, it's still humid in Texas. This was news to me and I am now a smarter human. Oh well, we keep going for another night in a hotel on the road. Oh guess what else? It's A HEAT WAVE LIKE NO OTHER IN TEXAS. That's right, it's buttcrack sticky hot all over Texas. The state has somehow joined forces with Big Air Conditioning and contrived some malicious plan to force humans inside. Yet again, no camping in Big Bend. Whomp whomp. Ok no, problem, we'll pivot yet again. We made a hard right and headed straight north to the town of Amarillo. This is a place I vowed I would never set foot in again...