On the Road Again

Thinking over our road trip, I realized recently that I could do numerous posts elaborating on our many destinations. In the meantime, however, new blog post ideas are piling up. So, I thought I’d share this Road Trip Article I wrote for this week’s Source. It really summarizes some of the best and worst parts of the trip, my favorite part being the “lessons learned” at the end.

I did want to share some more photos of our trip, though. For the amount of time we were gone, we really didn’t take that many – we were too busy enjoying ourselves! To recap, we traveled from Central Illinois to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, to small town Idaho for a family reunion, to the Seattle area to visit friends and family, back through McCall Idaho, to Las Vegas to visit my sister and see the Hoover Dam, to the Grand Canyon, with a camping stop in Richfield, Utah, to home – in just under 3 weeks!

Highlights of the trip for the kids were anytime swimming – in gorgeous lakes, the amazing Puget Sound, backyard kiddie pools, and heated campsite pools. They loved meeting new cousins, celebrating Ella’s birthday, riding the ferry, and gorging on snacks. By far, their favorite part of the trip involved spending time with Grandma Cathy, Grandma Nancy, and Grandpa!

Highlights for me were getting to know Tim’s extended family better, spending time with my mom and sisters, and seeing The Grand Canyon. I think I’ve called things “awe-inspiring” before, but The Grand Canyon truly trumps anything else I’ve seen. Someone joked to me that it was “just a big rock,” but I would love to go again, camp there, and wake up to the glorious sunlight, clear air, and incredible views for a week straight.

Here’s the part where I go picture crazy! I couldn’t pair down photos from 3 weeks enough to post individually, so I made a little slideshow (vs a movie, so you can flip through fast). Here’s the part where you grab some popcorn and join me for my version of the old-fashioned vacation slideshow!