~ Flea

Dear World,

We’re here, we’re home! But do you know what’s really gross? When we went into our bedrooms, there were fleas jumping all over us! Gross! So we had to sleep in the RV again and we bombed the house so lots of the fleas died. We got our birds back when we came home and we got Edison back the second day we were home. And she literally had fleas dropping from her, and they were twitching because the vet put medicine on her that would kill the fleas.

My favorite parts of the trip were going horseback riding on my cousin, Jessie’s horses and white water rafting. My least favorite part of the trip was staying in the RV for eleven hours.
Well, it was a great trip and the ending didn’t make it bad, I’ll still remember the wonderful moments hours in the RV.

By world,
Kira

All Good Things…

…must come to an end. :-( We decided to change our return plans a little based on feedback from friends and family, and separation anxiety from cousins. We stayed an extra day in Colorado giving us the opportunity for a horsey ride and to watch Shelby (niece/cousin) perform in her horse show. Another advantage for driving instead of flying. However, this made for a straight drive home with no access to the internet on our return on Sunday.

This was an awesome trip on several dimensions. First, we made it through 3,000 miles of driving! We are still alive and have all agreed that it was a very positive experience with a huge happiness factor! We drove in the middle of the night, through a buffalo jam, beautiful scenery, and hours through vast nothingness. We are still alive and talking to each other! Amen!

Second, we re-acquainted ourselves with our extended family and were blessed to share in their experiences and daily life. Another aspect of success was living life less ordinary along the way. How often do you buy firewood to roast a marshmallow? Or hold on dearly to a lifeline in a raft while journeying through the rapids? Have you seen the Milky Way lately – if not, get out of town on the next clear night. It’s still there and it’s amazing! We planned a surprise birthday party for Jessie, organized a 15-person side-trip to a local water park, served as the “home base” for the Westernaires during a rodeo show, and turned Mormon while driving through Utah (just kidding!). Lastly, and most importantly, we spent quality time with ourselves. The 9-to-5 day was dismissed for two weeks as we lived life less ordinarily with our kiddos.

Most memorable experiences:

• Kira: Horseback riding and whitewater rafting!
• Kelsey: Whitewater rafting!
• Megan: Whitewater rafting and Pirate’s Cove (water park) and swimming at the campground.
• Graham: Whitewater rafting!
• Linda: Whitewater rafting, “Wide open spaces” seeing the family and watching the cousins run around together.
• Jeff: Whitewater rafting, Jackson Hole (I could live there), and spending time with my sister and brother and their families in Littleton, Colorado.

Of course, we did have some challenging moments. We paid visit to three urgent care clinics in two different states, luckily only due to extended cold illnesses. We decided to “keep to plan” on the first day and drive to 1am to remain on track as we left so late in the day. It turned out fine after we agreed to stop at the next Wal-Mart to purchase a portable DVD player for the kids. Later in the trip, we did roast a little as the generator didn’t power the AC as it was s’posed to during times without electricity – like at a rodeo or while waiting for Old Faithful to erupt in 100 degree heat. Again, we survived. We were challenged upon our return with the flu and a very dirty house as we had our wood floors refinished during our departure. Also, as the pets were away, we learned quickly upon return that the fleas missed them. A lot. It was a horror movie as they attacked us and we were forced to retaliate with flea bombs. We finally arrive home and had to sleep one additional night in the RV due to the smell of the new wood floor finish and the flea bombs. But the wood floors sure look nice though!

Forgettable moments that time will hopefully instill humor into:

• Kira: The 11 hours in the RV on the first day (my parents are freaks!)
• Kelsey: The 11 hour first day and coming home to FLEAS!
• Megan: 11 hours in the RV and the FLEAS! (although I did like the movie Bug’s Life!)
• Graham: 11 hours in the RV and the FLEAS!
• Linda: The fleas … definitely the fleas!
• Jeff: The illnesses that half the family was going through really weighed on us towards the end of the trip. Then we arrived home to fleas, fumes, and the flu!

By the way, Seattleites pay an outrageous price for a gallon of gasoline. Once we left western Washington, prices dropped 30 cents. Moreover, once we left the state, it dropped another 30 cents! Did you know that we pay 34 cents a gallon on tax in Washington? We never paid over $3/gallon during the trip – it was a constant $2.74 through Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Oregon.

Thanks for all the comments on the blog – they really meant a lot to the kiddos during the trip!

Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses?

The kiddos had a great time riding Jessie's Mustang today. One of our goals for the trip was to see a Mustang, who'da thought we'd be riding one?!?

Thanks Jessie!

Megan Loses a Tooth!

Chrissy (our niece/cousin) helped Megan with her loose tooth by doing the "1, 2 (no 3)" trick when pulling on her tooth. Out it came! Megan has another loose tooth but didn't want to overburdened the Tooth Fairy tonight, so she's waiting a day.

Thanks Chrissy!

Jessie's Day!

Today was Jessie's birthday (our niece/cousin). We spent today floating down a lazy river at the local water park and soaking up the sun. Later, we cooked up a great dinner and celebrated Jessie's birthday in style. The neighborhood pyros made up for our rainy Fourth that we experienced yesterday!

Yee-Haw on the 4th!

On the Fourth of July we were treated with a pre-Rodeo show that featured our Niece/cousin Jessie in eastern Colorado. She is a member of the precision drill team called the Westernaires. She has been riding on this team for six years and loves it. Her horses, Ariel and Ally, are her life. Some folks even brought their own horses and walked around the rodeo with them. Jessie and her teammates performed many precision tricks, including riding and jumping bareback and without a bridle! This is called Liberty riding.

We are so proud of Jessie! It was really hot and sunny in eastern Colorado.

The weather turned quickly and we had to hide in the basement later that day when we got back to Littleton due to a tornado warning. The sky was so cool with bolts of lighting and flying cow! (just kidding about the cow). The heavy rain forced us to miss the fireworks. :-(

Lilly's Close Encounter With A Bison!

We saw a lot of Bison in Yellowstone - they seemed to enjoy walking or laying in the road. It makes for quite the traffic jams ... a little more exciting than your typical commute. Lilly (our dog) hadn't paid much attention to them ... until this picture was taken. We had the windows down & the bison was walking right next to Jeff (who was driving). It walked next to us for a bit - then stopped & went behind us. Lilly had her nose up in the air and was curiously sniffing ... casually walking around the RV. Then she spotted the beast and practically leaped through the rear window. From that point on she was on alert!

Mammoth Hot Springs

After all that driving, we are simply lounging at Deb and Ed's (Jeff's sister and brother-in-law). Mark and Louann (Jeff's brother and sister-in-law), along woth Louann's sister Opal, stopped by last night to visit. They are from michigan and are also visiting Colorado for Louann's family reunion.

Here are some additional pictures from Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone earlier this week.

Sunday's Mission: Littleton

We spent Sunday making serious tracks through the state of Wyoming – our goal was to arrive at Deb and Ed’s in the evening (Jeff’s sister and brother-in-law). This would have us driving about 500 miles in 9 hours. While Wyoming rushed in with huge excitement a few days ago entering Yellowstone, it sure settled down into vast stretches of nothing. During our cross-state commute, we went hours without seeing a structure, prompting us to ask the question, “Who owns this vast land and what is it used for?”

Above is a screenshot of our minor detour (in blue) to provide a rest stop for driver and doggie. Traveling today is so different from 30 years ago when our parents ventured out on the open by-ways. We looked into getting wireless broadband for our travels and determined that it’s not worth the price yet for the coverage area provided out here in the west. However, from the Midwest and eastwards, it appears the wireless broadband coverage is omnipresent. This changes everything. The informed public is beginning to get concerned with Big Brother tracking your whereabouts through your GPS-enabled cellphone (Google on “cellphone tracking”). If you have a cellphone that was purchased in the last two years, you have a GPS-enabled cellphone to support 911 calls from your cellphone. Imagine the day when all cars are GPS-enabled by default. Now Big Brother knows how fast your drive. Consider crime solving in 10 years!

Another amazing advancement (?) from the days spent stuck in the rear seat of our parent’s car, fighting with our siblings as our skin becomes glued to the hot vinyl seats, is the ability to microwave hot dogs and serve them up without stopping the car. And the same goes for rollin’ rest stops – no need to stop! Dads all over would be so proud.

It appears that our colds are subsiding as we close in on Deb and Ed’s place. What’s worse than having your kid brother and his family arriving at your house late on a Sunday night? Arriving with the cold virus on-board. Sorry Deb and Ed!

Another day, another great adventure. Living life less ordinary.

Whitewater Ahead!

On Saturday, we went whitewater rafting on the Snake River near Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and it was awesome! Woo-hoo!! We were blessed with another gorgeous day! Here is a picture of our adventure and a link to more pictures of our experience. Everyone really enjoyed the trip and desire to go again.

http://snakeriver.elevationimaging.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?&category=241700

The Grand Tetons!

We completed our tour through Yellowstone on friday and drove through the magnificant Grand Tetons. An incredible view from anywhere! We arrived at Snake River KOA in the evening and had a wonderful campfire (finally!). Everyone is very excited for the river rafting trip tomorrow.

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(From Megan)

Dear friends,

Tommorrow me and my family are going white water river rafting!! And two more days until we are at our aunt Debbie's house! And today we were at Yellowstone and saw Old Faithful! And right now at 11:22pm we are at our campground.

Love,

Megan

Old Faithful

On Friday, the family woke up in the middle of Yellowstone and headed out to see Old Faithful. What an amazing sight. As we drove up to the area, the geyser was erupting, so we parked the RV and made lunch while waiting for the next "show." This is where the rooftop air conditioner paid for itself! We then headed out with full tummies and witnessed a rare thing of beauty.

Yellowstone is cool!

(From Graham)

Dear Blog,

Today we went to Yellowstone Lake. At the RV campground, we found a red squirrel. We had fun. Our dog Lilly is exhausted from swimming in the lake. Today was awesome.

Sincerely,
Graham

Life Less Ordinary

We finally made it to Yellowstone and check this out! It's not too often that you see a buffalo outside your car window. We arrived in Yellowstone National Park Thursday afternoon from the north and journeyed south to the middle of the park. We were told that we'd see a lot of wildlife in the northern section and that was an understatment. Wow! Buffalo everywhere - including in the street. Lilly enjoyed them as well - she started smelling the air then finally saw one out the back window and went absolutely nuts! We also saw lots of elk and Linda even saw a grizzly! What a beautiful day! We stayed at Fishing Bridge RV Park for the night, right in the middle of Yellowstone.

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(From Kelsey)

Dear World,

Today was awesome! We finally got to Yellowstone and we were driving to our campsite which took and hour and a half and while we were driving, we passed a restaurant where elk where laying right by the people! One scary thing was the bison – first we saw some sleeping in a field, but then while we were driving, we had to stop because a bison had come right up to us on the road and almost put his head through the window.

Bye for now,
Kelsey

Just passing time

(From Kira)

Dear World,


Hello out there, is there life out there? Sorry, I think I went weird because these people locked me in an RV for 11 hours! Hey look, now were in Butt, Montana, ha ha! I mean Butte. We drove for so long. Hey, you try going to the bathroom in a moving RV! When we first got in our RV we had to stop in 10 minutes, I guess Megan was hungry or somthin’. A few more hours until we get to Yellowstone! Yay! First we got out of Washington, into Idaho. And now were in Butte, Montana. In Idaho we saw sand twisters in a huge field of SAND! Isn’t that exciting. Lilly, our yellow Labrador, is with us. Yay! Well, yesterday my dad went to Wal-Mart and without telling Kelsey, Megan & Graham (and of course Lilly), he bought a DVD player! Cause the RV didn’t have a TV. Well, it was hard to hear because everything was moving in the RV. There was beautiful scenery and in-between states there’s nothing but empty land. Well, that’s pretty much all that’s going on around here! Bye 4 now! I hope to write soon!

Bye World,

Kira


(From Kelsey)

Dear World,

Today (Wednesday) was painful!!! We stayed in the Rolling Terd (RV) for more than 11 hours and you know me, I can’t sit still for more than one minute, but my Dad got us a DVD player in Spokane, which made our journey better. Even worse, I am still suffering from my sore throat, so I’m taking Advil every 3 hours, which I can’t wait to take more because they taste like candy! We are now traveling through Butte, Montana; four more hours until we get to Yellowstone! I wish you could’ve been here to entertain me and help me ignore Graham’s obnoxious snoring! At least there’s air conditioning!

Some beautiful sights I saw in Montana as that you could see the mountains and the sunset, sand tornados, and even cooler the city was built on a mountainside. Some bad things about our Rolling Terd is that if you lean back, you bump your head on the counter which really hurts! Also, the bathroom seems like its only 2 feet big, and I keep banging into things. Well, at least I’m the only one who got to sit in the front where there’s a lot of air conditioning and you get control of the music.

I love to look out the window here! There’s beautiful scenery with the trees lined so perfectly, but it’s so quiet around here – it seems like tumbleweeds roll around here! Other than that, we are really close to Yellowstone and I can’t wait to get there!

See you later,
Kelsey

(From Megan)

Dear friends,

I really miss you. I am bored because we have been in this RV for eleven hours! In the RV when I looked out the window when we were in Montana, I saw a mountain! There is four more hours until I get to Yellowstone! Yellowstone is a place in Wyoming. We are also going to Colorado where our cousins live. I am writing this note to you because I am so bored! This city is on a mountain! (Butte, Montana). We saw ducks and geese swimming in a pond at our campground. There were tumbleweeds in the fields rolling all around. I saw sand twisters in the fields. Our dog Lilly is with us!

Love,

Megan

(From Graham)

On the first night, we found 18 ducks and 3 swans at the campground in the morning – I wasn’t awake when we arrived. One of the swans hissed every time I went close to it. The ducks were hungry. We are now in Montana. We are going to Yellowstone National Park. We found lots of horses. Kelsey keeps on asking to put on Soak Up The Sun (Sheryl Crow).

Signed,

Graham

p.s.: the city (Butte) is very big. There is a big ‘M’ on a big hill.

On the road!

Hello everyone!

Day one (Wednesday, June 28th) was a long day. We started out much later than planned and finally got going just after noon. We drove until 1am to make up time.

Its early afternoon and we are just a few hours from Yellowsone!

I am sending this update from my cellphone, so will provide more details later.

Bye!
jeff

Getting Ready!

T minus 13 days

Well, we got the RV reserved, the KOA reservations set, saw the movie 'RV,' and still managed to convinced the family that living in a 'rolling terd' for 12 days is a good thing!

Our goal for this mission is to create precious memories for our children and not forget one of them at a scenic overlook.

Our planned itinerary:

• Wednesday, June 28th: Depart Seattle and drive I-90 as far as the caffiene lasts - hopefully within a couple hours of Yellowstone.
• Thursday, June 29th: Play in Yellowstone.
• Friday, June 30th: Go back and get Graham from the last stop; see the Grand Tetons.
• Saturday, July 1: White-water rafting on the Snake River near Jackson Hole.
• Sunday, July 2: All-day drive to the Denver area, arrive at the home of Jeff's 'little' sister.
• Monday, July 3 through Wednesday, July 5: Reconnect with the extended family.
• Thursday, July 6: Head to the Mountains, visit Grand Junction.
• Friday, July 7th: Dig for Dinosaurs in Dinosaur, Colorado.
• Saturday and Sunday: Drive all weekend back to Seattle.
• Monday, July 10: Recover from over-stimulation, too-much family bonding, and our backaches from sleeping in an RV for two weeks.

Check back for updates on our travels.

Bye!