As all of you know, Laura and I can sometimes be indecisive. This happened yesterday. When we went to Jewel Cave we discovered that they were booked until 4pm. We decided to stick around even though we still had a 6 hour drive to Cody.
We both agreed, "When will we be here again? Let's take it all in now."
Well, 5 hours later as the sun was setting in the Wyoming mountains, we realize our decision to stay was not the best choice. In the darkness of night, Laura, a brave driver, was introduced to many of the woodland creatures in Wyoming. We almost were run over by two of the largest four-legged deer (or elk, caraboo, moose) we had ever seen. This was followed by big horn elk, deer, mice, owls, and bunnies. We finally coasted into Cody at 12:15am, lucky to be at our destination. The Cody Cowboy Village even left the light on for us.
It is now 10:55 and we are heading into Yellowstone. We will talk to you all from Salt Lake City.
Laura, Dan, and the wildlife of Wyoming.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and Wind Cave
It is 12:22 Mountain time...which means it is 2:22 East Coast time! We had a 10 hour, fun filled day of adventure in the Black Hills of South Dakota. We visited Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, took a tour of Wind Cave, and went back to see the Mount Rushmore evening event! Check out the pictures from the link on the right side of the blog page!
The highlights from Rushmore included the .5 mile walk through the president's trail, the history of the structure, and the patriotic, heartwarming, lighting of the monument program! It was really cool to understand why Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Roosevelt were chosen for the monument. It was also really moving to understand and appreciate what each of the leaders stood for and the impact each had on our new country! I was moved at the end when they lowered the flag and asked for all Military personal to come onto the stage! It was neat to cheer for soldiers past and present!
Crazy Horse is an interesting structure because it has been in progress for 60 years and is not even halfway done. The sculptor and his family though believe in private funding and will not accept government support. So it continues to be a family project with donations. It is rather interesting! We took a $4.00 bus ride to the base of the structure. It was pretty amazing! When Dan and his family say the structure in 1988 (89?) the face of Crazy Horse was not complete! He enjoyed seeing the progress. When complete Crazy Horse will be the largest stone structure in the world! Dan and I agree that we hope to see it complete in our lifetime!
Finally, we drove to Wind Cave national park, partially because we wanted to put another stamp in our National Parks Passport book, but this ended up being the highlight of the day. We took a 1 hour and 15 minutes tour through the Wind Cave, the fourth largest cave in the world! It was simply amazing and it was hard to capture the depth, beauty, and wonder of this cave with the camera but we tried!
It was an exhausting day and tomorrow we will head to Jewel Cave to take a lantern tour of the cave and then on to Cody Wyoming to get ready for camping at Yellowstone!
We love all the comments from everyone! We love that you all are reading this and coming on the adventure with us!
Hope all is well! God Bless and Good Night
Love
Laura and Dan :)
The highlights from Rushmore included the .5 mile walk through the president's trail, the history of the structure, and the patriotic, heartwarming, lighting of the monument program! It was really cool to understand why Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, and Roosevelt were chosen for the monument. It was also really moving to understand and appreciate what each of the leaders stood for and the impact each had on our new country! I was moved at the end when they lowered the flag and asked for all Military personal to come onto the stage! It was neat to cheer for soldiers past and present!
Crazy Horse is an interesting structure because it has been in progress for 60 years and is not even halfway done. The sculptor and his family though believe in private funding and will not accept government support. So it continues to be a family project with donations. It is rather interesting! We took a $4.00 bus ride to the base of the structure. It was pretty amazing! When Dan and his family say the structure in 1988 (89?) the face of Crazy Horse was not complete! He enjoyed seeing the progress. When complete Crazy Horse will be the largest stone structure in the world! Dan and I agree that we hope to see it complete in our lifetime!
Finally, we drove to Wind Cave national park, partially because we wanted to put another stamp in our National Parks Passport book, but this ended up being the highlight of the day. We took a 1 hour and 15 minutes tour through the Wind Cave, the fourth largest cave in the world! It was simply amazing and it was hard to capture the depth, beauty, and wonder of this cave with the camera but we tried!
It was an exhausting day and tomorrow we will head to Jewel Cave to take a lantern tour of the cave and then on to Cody Wyoming to get ready for camping at Yellowstone!
We love all the comments from everyone! We love that you all are reading this and coming on the adventure with us!
Hope all is well! God Bless and Good Night
Love
Laura and Dan :)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Badlands ROCK!
Where do I begin? Since the last blog was posted, Laura and I have enjoyed a lovely drive from the middle of Iowa to the west side of South Dakota. The drive should've taken 9 hours, but we managed to turn it into a 12 hour road trip.
How does one do this? You decide to check out Badlands national park (check the pictures). Laura and I spent 2 hours this evening hiking, driving, and taking pictures in the beautiful park. The views were spectacular and Laura is still amazed by the landscape. Once Laura got her picture taking under control, we headed out of the park and made a quick stop at Wall Drug. Yes, you read that correctly. Laura has officially seen Wall Drug. She even took a picture to prove it (once again check the pics). We finally arrived in Rapid City SD and are looking forward to exploring Black Hills national park tomorrow.
Oh, by they way, the pictures loaded today cover our trip from Cincinnati to South Dakota. All you Fighting Illini should check out the picture of your alma mater (taken at Lincoln Ave and Green St.) The random Bus shot with bicycles on top is one of many that we passed on the road. They looked like a wild bunch and had some crazy team names. I think the one in the picture is "Bad Monkey"! Crazy stuff.
See you all soon!
Laura and Dan : )
PS- the picture link is on the right hand side of the screen below the picture of us.
How does one do this? You decide to check out Badlands national park (check the pictures). Laura and I spent 2 hours this evening hiking, driving, and taking pictures in the beautiful park. The views were spectacular and Laura is still amazed by the landscape. Once Laura got her picture taking under control, we headed out of the park and made a quick stop at Wall Drug. Yes, you read that correctly. Laura has officially seen Wall Drug. She even took a picture to prove it (once again check the pics). We finally arrived in Rapid City SD and are looking forward to exploring Black Hills national park tomorrow.
Oh, by they way, the pictures loaded today cover our trip from Cincinnati to South Dakota. All you Fighting Illini should check out the picture of your alma mater (taken at Lincoln Ave and Green St.) The random Bus shot with bicycles on top is one of many that we passed on the road. They looked like a wild bunch and had some crazy team names. I think the one in the picture is "Bad Monkey"! Crazy stuff.
See you all soon!
Laura and Dan : )
PS- the picture link is on the right hand side of the screen below the picture of us.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Des Moines, Iowa and Central Time Zone
The current time is 7:52, East Coast time...the problem though is we drove 10 hours yesterday, leavening the East coast time zone behind and entered into central time, an hour behind. It was sad to leave Jill, Steve, and Emma! We had such a great time and appreciate the five star treatment they showed us! Thanks so much guys!
The drive was non-eventful. We stopped for an hour for a lunch break, taking the top down for the first time on the trip, and driving through the University of Illinos campus. That was fun because several of Dan's family attended that college, including Jill and his dad. Our hotel had several bad write ups online about it and we were a little nervous about what conditions we would arrive to. We were happily surprised~ it works for a one night stop! Finally, we drove into the city of Des Moines for dinner at a great restaurant Racoon River. Delicious food and fun atmosphere. We found it in a book my mom gave to us a few years ago! Thanks mom!
Today we drive to Rapid City, SD to spend a few days at Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the other beauties of the Black Hill! I am personally thrilled for today and the seeing this stone sculpture! I am sure the pictures will be amazing! Check back later to view the photo albums!
Hope all is well
Love to all
Laura and Dan
The drive was non-eventful. We stopped for an hour for a lunch break, taking the top down for the first time on the trip, and driving through the University of Illinos campus. That was fun because several of Dan's family attended that college, including Jill and his dad. Our hotel had several bad write ups online about it and we were a little nervous about what conditions we would arrive to. We were happily surprised~ it works for a one night stop! Finally, we drove into the city of Des Moines for dinner at a great restaurant Racoon River. Delicious food and fun atmosphere. We found it in a book my mom gave to us a few years ago! Thanks mom!
Today we drive to Rapid City, SD to spend a few days at Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, and the other beauties of the Black Hill! I am personally thrilled for today and the seeing this stone sculpture! I am sure the pictures will be amazing! Check back later to view the photo albums!
Hope all is well
Love to all
Laura and Dan
Friday, July 25, 2008
Lions, Tigers, Bears, and Sushi! Oh My!
The third day of the epic adventure included a visit to the Cincinnati Zoo (check out the pictures). Some of the highlights of the zoo visit included the howling swinging monkeys, the playful polar bears, vampire bats drinking blood, and the crazy goats. We left the zoo and enjoyed a cozy lunch at one of Cincinnati's best establishments. Yes, I am talking about Dewey Pizza. After lunch we returned home (to our 5 Star Resort) and had cocktails on the deck. The day was brought to an end with sushi and a great game of cards.
Talk to you all tomorrow as we head out into the wild west. Next stop Des Moines, Iowa...I am sure the accommodation's will not compare to the last few days! On Sunday we will be at Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse~
Dan and Laura
Talk to you all tomorrow as we head out into the wild west. Next stop Des Moines, Iowa...I am sure the accommodation's will not compare to the last few days! On Sunday we will be at Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse~
Dan and Laura
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Cincy Day 2
Day two of our adventure brought sunshine, relaxation, and lots of good food! Jill and Steve brought us to their pool and we hung out there for the early morning and mid-afternoon! We then came home and just chilled! Another yummy dinner prepared b y Jill and Steve.
Emma is still getting comfortable with Dan. You can link to the picture from the first two days by clicking on the online album link on the right hand side of the blog page, under the great pic of Dan and I! LOL Emma is still warming up to Dan as you can tell by the numerous picts of Emma and myself! haha. She is a cutie with a great personality as you can see in the pictures.
We are off to play some cards!
Enjoy your evening. One more day here and on Saturday we depart for another destination of the trip!
Love
Laura and Dan :)
Emma is still getting comfortable with Dan. You can link to the picture from the first two days by clicking on the online album link on the right hand side of the blog page, under the great pic of Dan and I! LOL Emma is still warming up to Dan as you can tell by the numerous picts of Emma and myself! haha. She is a cutie with a great personality as you can see in the pictures.
We are off to play some cards!
Enjoy your evening. One more day here and on Saturday we depart for another destination of the trip!
Love
Laura and Dan :)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
This is the FIRST stop!
We departed at 9:30 this morning, not bad in "Laura and Dan time", for wanting to leave at 9:00! We split the driving in half and each drove about 4.5 hours because of traffic in Wheeling PA, just outside of Pittsburgh! The drive was great, passing through counties called Licking and Picking, we had a good laugh about those names!
Jill and Emma welcomed us to Cincinnati with screams of fear....apparently Emma did not remember her favorite Aunt and Uncle! LOL We had a scrumptious dinner prepared by Jill of chicken, rice and salad! We are now enjoying a conversation, Dave Matthews Band music, and wine on the back porch!
First stop on the trip 5 out 5 Stars!
Hope you all have a great evening! Check back tomorrow for an update and pictures of our first two days on the adventure!
Love
Laura and Dan :)
Jill and Emma welcomed us to Cincinnati with screams of fear....apparently Emma did not remember her favorite Aunt and Uncle! LOL We had a scrumptious dinner prepared by Jill of chicken, rice and salad! We are now enjoying a conversation, Dave Matthews Band music, and wine on the back porch!
First stop on the trip 5 out 5 Stars!
Hope you all have a great evening! Check back tomorrow for an update and pictures of our first two days on the adventure!
Love
Laura and Dan :)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Trip Departure Eve
Hello Everyone!
Well we finally packed the jeep, packed our suitcases, and packed a variety of activities for the car, including 9 novels, 4 books on CD, 5 different puzzle books, and a power adapter to charge and use the laptop in the car! I would say we are well prepared! I know Dan appreciates the activites to keep me entertained! haha
Anyway, we are thrilled and we will depart around 9:00 tomorrow and begin the adventure west, stopping first at Dan's sister Jill's house! We cant wait to get our hand on our niece Emma...oh yeah to hang out with Jill and Steve too. HAHA JK!
Hope you all enjoy Wednesday "hump" day...I know we will!
Love to all
Laura and Dan :)
Well we finally packed the jeep, packed our suitcases, and packed a variety of activities for the car, including 9 novels, 4 books on CD, 5 different puzzle books, and a power adapter to charge and use the laptop in the car! I would say we are well prepared! I know Dan appreciates the activites to keep me entertained! haha
Anyway, we are thrilled and we will depart around 9:00 tomorrow and begin the adventure west, stopping first at Dan's sister Jill's house! We cant wait to get our hand on our niece Emma...oh yeah to hang out with Jill and Steve too. HAHA JK!
Hope you all enjoy Wednesday "hump" day...I know we will!
Love to all
Laura and Dan :)
Friday, July 18, 2008
We are beginning to see the light!
It is Friday, 5 days before we depart for our adventure. There are only 20 minutes left in curriculum writing, concluding the three weeks of working this summer (rough ug)! Last night we were up until 12:30, working on the our assessment plan for our final course! So the pressure is beginning to lift with every minute that ticks by!
This weekend should be exciting. My parents left today for their Alaskan Cruise~Our thoughts are prayers are with them! I am certain they will have a blast...and they deserve after all the bumps along the way. Tonight Dan and I will have Tyler sleeping over and we are celebrating his birthday early. He told us earlier in the week the only thing he wants to do for this birthday is to watch all 3 Star Wars episodes! I was all too willing to watch movies and relax!
Tomorrow Bethany will pick up Tyler and head up north to Rochester to visit our grandma and we will host a little BBQ with Dan's family, and some close friends. It will be relaxing before we need to start physically packing!
I will keep you up to date on the packing and the events leading up to the start of the road trip!
Love to you all
Laura and Dan
This weekend should be exciting. My parents left today for their Alaskan Cruise~Our thoughts are prayers are with them! I am certain they will have a blast...and they deserve after all the bumps along the way. Tonight Dan and I will have Tyler sleeping over and we are celebrating his birthday early. He told us earlier in the week the only thing he wants to do for this birthday is to watch all 3 Star Wars episodes! I was all too willing to watch movies and relax!
Tomorrow Bethany will pick up Tyler and head up north to Rochester to visit our grandma and we will host a little BBQ with Dan's family, and some close friends. It will be relaxing before we need to start physically packing!
I will keep you up to date on the packing and the events leading up to the start of the road trip!
Love to you all
Laura and Dan
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
This is a test!
Did you make it to this point? Do you wanna read about our trip out west?
Then respond with a yes and wish us good luck and safe travels!!
We have two weeks from today until we leave and we are very excited! We will use this page to add pictures and video about our trip across this great country!
love
Laura and Dan
Then respond with a yes and wish us good luck and safe travels!!
We have two weeks from today until we leave and we are very excited! We will use this page to add pictures and video about our trip across this great country!
love
Laura and Dan
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