The Adventure: Final Stats

Total Miles Driven: 5437

States Visited: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin

Books on Tape Listened to:
David Sedaris – When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Jack Kerouac – On the Road
James McBride – Color of Water
Jon Stewart – America the Book
Joseph Campbell – Power of Myth/Sukhavti
Michael Pollan-Omnivore’s Dilemma
Mitch Hedberg- Mitch All Together
Steven Wright – I Still Have a Pony
The Patti Smith Interviews
Amy Sedaris-I Like You
Stephen Colbert – I Am America
Fred Alan Wolf – Dr. Quantum

Wild Animals Seen: Buffalo/Bison. Ponghorn, Moose, Elk, Mule Deer, Mountain Goats, Prairie Dogs, Eagle, Hawk

Badlands National Park – South Dakota

Custer State Park South Dakota

Mt. Rushmore South Dakota

Seattle Day 1 Pictures

Here are the picture highlights from our first day in Seattle.

Days 14-15: Hitting the home stretch

We had a lovely walk around Albert Lea MN this morning. The town is ringed by multipurpose trails and connect several lakes and ponds. We drove to Madison, WI and had a lovely dinner with our old friends Patrick and Amy, and their three sweet kids, and Amy’s parents. Unfortunately we do not see P and A often since they live in Limerick, and it is always tremendous to catch up with them. Hopefully we will see them again before too long. Tomorrow we will see if we can make it all the way back home.

Day 7 Pictures- Petrified Woods

Here are the pictures from the Petrified Woods in Washington State.

Days 13-14: South Dakota to Minnesota

We stayed last night in a cabin at the Game Lodge in Custer State Park in the Black Hills. I had read an article last spring about the new eco-tourism going on in the Dakotas and they featured Custer State Park. The lodge is called the “1927 Summer White House” and I see why it has been popular for so long. It is a great, wide open place with beautiful scenery and more wildlife than any place we have seen. We saw a large herd of buffalo ( easily over 100 large animals) and many pronghorn. Last night we went star gazing, and the dry weather resulted in a spectacular skyshow. We put on lots of miles today and ended up in Albert Lea, Minnasota. Tomorrow we are going to stay in Madison, WI and check out another college town.

Days 10-11-12: Yellowstone

After Spokane we stayed in Bozeman, one of the few western towns we could see living in. Wonderful sites, good coffee, and a great food Co-op. From there we headed into Yellowstone country, fantastic. We camped at the Madison campgrounds. Harry swam in the river, which I think is warmed by the many thermal springs in the area. He lost his shoe in the rapids but a young fly fisherman downstream snagged it for us. Had a great night at the campsite, did not sleep that great but it was worth it. We hit the major Yellowstone sites the next morning and then drove out of the park. The drive to Sheridan, WY was so spectacular,even more impressive in scenery than Yellowstone, we saw a big forest fire in Shoshone National forest, classic old west rock formations near Cody, through the 10000 ft heights of the Big Horn mountains. We saw pronghorn and even a Moose, which is a rarity. Sheridan is a nice town with great coffee and bake shop, Java Moon, and a nice creek walk off Main street. Heading into South Dakota today, our plan is that we will catch Mt. Rushmore.

Days 7-8-9 – The Big U-Turn

We drove from Idaho to Seattle, stopping on the way at the Ginko Petrified Forest. The CCC in the 1930’s marked and preserved in there original state some very interesting petrified logs from many different types of trees. The hike to see them, through the desert was hot but worth it. Tucker didn’t appreciate it though. The middle of Wash State is basically a desert with a river down the middle. The desert quickly turns to the beautiful  tree covered Cascasde moutains, and meanders down to the Puget Sound and Seattle.

L stayed in Edmonds, just north of Seattle, with our friends Julie and Paul. Edmonds is right on the Sound and we ate at a very nice seafood restaurant there on Friday, watching the boats and ferries going in and out. Saturday we toured the city of Settle and met my students Chad and Mike for lunch at a Thai place in Fremont. We had a great time, and H was very impressed with the Seattle lifestyle.

Sunday we departed the coast, heading back East. We stayed in Spokane, had great Mexican for dinner, and in the morning had a tremendous walk through Manitos Park which has quite extensive gardens. On to Montana today.