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Mr. B's Big Adventure!
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SUMMARY: Click on any
link below to read more about Mr. B's Adventure at
that location
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8
Day 1
Hi all,
We left Johnstown at 5:20 PM for our big adventure. Our
first stop came at 6 miles when I noticed the front bike
rack had come undone. Our second stop came at 36 miles when
we remembered we didn't turn on the propane for the
refrigerator to work. Our third stop came at 52 miles when
the bike rack broke through the front plastic grill of the
RV. After that we made some real time.
We drove for over 400 miles until 2:30AM when we pulled into
a truck stop outside Toledo, Ohio. The night was hot and
humid and the noise and lights of the trucks made it
impossible to sleep. Needless to say, we all woke up on the
wrong side of the cot. But the truck stop had a great place
for breakfast and we quickly changed our attitudes and got
settled in with our books for a long day of driving.
8
Day 2 Hi Everyone,
We left the truck stop at about 7:30AM for
a full day of driving. A nice man I met at the truck stop
told me to go a different route so that I'd miss the traffic
in Chicago, but I thought I'd be fine. As you can imagine,
we got stuck in traffic in Chicago for over 1.5 hours. While
sitting in traffic I waved to a fellow RVer from Amsterdam,
NY. Most of the city drivers weren't very nice to my 29 foot
RVs trying to change lanes quickly.
We did stop at a Cabella's store. It was a
huge store and they are known for all the animals they have
displayed. I tried to attach a picture of the store entrance
and a moose. It rained most of the day and we mostly saw a
lot of wheat fields, corn fields, and hay.
They allow triple trailers on the roads here and it makes me
quite nervous when they pass. I had one funny moment when my
daughter Quincey was sleeping on the couch and I hit a big
bump. The peanut butter jar fell from the cubbered right
onto her head. I didn't laugh out loud until I knew she was
OK:-) Today, we drove over 700 miles
through Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and into Rochester,
Minnesota. I have to say, I'd love to come back and visit
Wisconsin, it looked like a great state. I hope everyone is
enjoying their summer. Mr. B
8
Day 3 Hi Altamont,
Today was a rest day after 2 days of long driving. We stayed
in a small campground in Rochester, Minnesota. There were
only about 20 campers in all. The campgrounds were located
in a residential neighborhood, which was interesting. It
turned out to be the perfect spot. There was a big field to
run and play in as well as a pool with few people using it.
We caught up on some rest and reading. We
all are keeping journals during the trip. I'm really
enjoying writing in my journal. If any of you take trips or
do something special this summer you should take a journal
along and write in at the end of the day. It is a great way
to reflect and practice your writing. I
don't think I mentioned what the RV is like that we're
traveling in. It is 29 feet long and has the space over the
driver where the kids sleep. They've actually used Velcro
tape and a curtain to divide the space right down the
middle. We have a small refrigerator and toilet area. In the
back is what they call a "Camping Queen" bed. It feels more
like a glorified single bed, but it serves the purpose.
Our RV is massively underpowered and has all the agility of
a sloth: the word land-yacht comes to mind. :-) Cars fly by
us on the highway and you can see the frustration in the
other drivers when we're in front of them on a two-lane road
where they can't pass. I suppose its all part of the
experience. After my wife read the first
two entries of our trip, she has asked to preview all the
future entries. I have some spelling corrections to
make---cupboard and Badlands---and Canyons should have been
underlined, but I can't do that on e-mail. Keep reading
everyone and enjoy your summer!!!
Mr. B
8
Days 4 & 5
Today we drove for nearly 700 miles to get
to the Badlands. We drove across some of the most beautiful
flat-lands I’ve ever seen. I know why they use the phrase,
“Amber waves of grain.” The wind blew across these endless
fields of wheat and the wheat moves in waves just like a
lake or ocean. One of the most impressive
sights was coming down to the Missouri River. All of a
sudden you’re heading down this HUGE hill and you see this
giant river as your cross a bridge. I had no idea the
Missouri River was that large. We arrived
in the Badlands at about 6:00pm. We were driving and seeing
prairie lands and then BOOM!! You see these giant colorful
spires and cliffs right out of nowhere. You can climb all
over them. They are more like clay or hardened mud rather
than stone. The footing is treacherous, but you just can’t
help yourself from climbing up. We stayed
at a nearby campground and watched the sun set. The Badlands
went from bright reds to dark purple as the sun set. It was
a sight to behold! The next day, we continued our drive
through the park and stopped often to explore, climb, and
look for wildlife. Jack and I wanted to see a rattlesnake
(from a distance) but we didn’t. This is a
must see area and I’d like to come back and stay longer. It
is a beautiful land, but also appropriately named as
Badlands. I hope you all are enjoying some fun and adventure
of your own. We’re off for the Black Hills of South Dakota!!
8
Black Hills Days
 Hi
Everyone, Sorry it has been so long since
we’ve communicated. I had trouble using the Internet at our
last KOA. We love the Black Hills area!!! This is some of
the most amazing country we’ve ever seen. Driving into the
area you’re overwhelmed by the GIANT granite spires that
rise from the mountains. Huge rocks that you just want to
climb and play upon. There are enormous pine trees and
amazing vistas around every corner. We
rented a car at our KOA and did a great hike at Custer State
Park. Mrs. Teats told me all about this park and you could
spend a week here and not see everything. The hike was to
the top of a mountain and down through a cool stream bed.
Granite was everywhere and you could see herds of bison in
the distance. Next, we drove to Wind Cave
National Park. Here we had a special treat my wife arranged.
Over 1,000 people visit this cave every day, but only 20 get
to take the Candlelight Tour. We were given a shiny aluminum
bucket with a candle in it and we set off, with a guide, to
explore a part of the cave few others get to see. It was
soooooo cool!!! At one point, our guide had us all blow out
our candles and you couldn’t see your hand waving in front
of your face. It was total darkness and silence!
Wind Cave is unique because it was made
from carbonic acid instead of a flowing underground stream.
Basically it was made the same way soda-pop makes cavities
in your teeth. Remember that kids:-) Next, we visited Crazy
Horse Memorial. Crazy Horse was a Native American leader and
this giant monument, carved into a granite mountain, is
enormous. His head is larger than all four heads on Mount
Rushmore. We learned a lot about the history and culture of
Native Americans at this stop and I would encourage you all
to read more about his life and the life of all Native
Americans. There is so much to learn from their lifestyle
and beliefs.
We finished the evening at the lighting
ceremony at Mount Rushmore. We toured the grounds and saw
the monument from many different angles. At dusk, a speaker
talked with the group about the four presidents carved into
the mountain. The faces gently came to light as patriotic
songs played in the background. It brought tears of pride to
my face as I witnessed this event and reflected on the many
blessings we have as Americans. I would
love to take all the students to the Black Hills for a field
trip. This is such a special area with so much to
appreciate. Oh, I forgot one of the most important things-
there are no mosquitoes in the Black Hills!
Don’t forget to send in your post-cards to
the school about your travels and books you’ve been reading.
P.O. Box 648, Altamont, New York, 12009.
8
Yellowstone Days We
left the Black Hills and traveled through northern Wyoming.
The excitement grew as we entered Bighorn National Forest.
It felt like we were driving straight up hill. The road had
“switch-back” turns and you could look out the passenger
window and see nothing but air and rock ledge. Kathy’s palms
were sweating the entire time and she kept humming, which
bothered everybody else. At one point, the car engine was
over-heating so we had to drive with the heat on, but it was
pretty cool at that elevation and it didn’t bother us.
Finally, we arrived at the top of the mountain and it
leveled off to a gorgeous plateau. There were vast fields
and thick dense forests. As we rolled along, we noticed a
large black “thing” in a field. As we came closer that
“thing” turned out to be a GIANT BULL MOOSE feeding in a
field. His antlers looked to be six-feet across and we got
as close as we dared for pictures. It was exhilarating and
scary at the same time, but we all felt so lucky to see this
sight on our trip. We entered Yellowstone
through the East entrance at Cody, Wyoming. It was very
late, but we needed to travel all the way through the park
to Jackson to pick up a rental car and then return again to
our camp at Fishing Bridge, which is about in the middle of
the park. We stopped driving at about 12:30 A.M. and fell
asleep. I woke up at about 5:30 A.M. and
started driving through the park. All of a sudden there were
three giant (what I first thought were deer), but turned out
to be cow elk. They were huge and standing right at the side
of the road. Of course, I woke everyone up and we were all
charged-up for our Yellowstone adventure.
The rental car turned out to be a savoir.
Yellowstone is a huge park and it can take hours to get from
one main place to the other. Plus, everyone drives slowly
and people are always stopping at the side of the road to
see animals or other sights. The first day
we drove to The Old Faithful Inn and saw the famed geyser,
Old Faithful, spout off about 130 feet in the air. It sends
up between 4,000 – 8,000 gallons of steaming hot water in
the air. It is an amazing sight, but it STINKS with the
smell of sulfur. Yellowstone is home to more geothermal
areas than any place else on Earth. We saw Geysers, Hot
Springs, Fumaroles (steam vents), and Mudpots. The variety
of geological features in this single place is remarkable.
Our second day, we hiked for about 6 miles through the Grand
Canyon of Yellowstone. The mighty Yellowstone River cuts
through the yellow rock leaving high cliffs and thunderous
waterfalls. On the way back, we walked down 348 steps to
Artist’s Point to see an amazing view of the Lower Falls.
The metal stairs hang from the cliff and it is a torturous
walk back up. I felt badly because I raced down with the
kids and some nice man and lady held my wife’s hands while
she braved the trip. Kathy is a wee-bit afraid of heights.
On third day we traveled up to Mammoth
Springs and Roosevelt Tower. We saw more amazing sights and
scenery at every turn; water falls, valleys, cliffs,
mountains, and wildlife near and far. The
next day we did an early morning hike and got ready for our
chuck-wagon cook-out. A team of horses hauled our wagon out
on the prairie and we enjoyed a good ole cowboy dinner.
There was a singer (sounded like Johnny Cash) and camp
coffee that tasted like flavored mud. But the steaks were
juicy and the beans were delicious. On the way back we saw a
black bear on a hill and on the drive home we saw a grizzly
in the valley. It was dusk and we couldn’t get a good
picture of him, but it was exciting all the same.
We saw bull elk, with huge antlers standing at the side of
the road. We were awakened by the clumping sounds of bison
walking through our camp site. Mule deer, coyotes,
pronghorns, white pelicans, osprey, trumpeter swans, and the
yellow-bellied marmot were some of the animals we saw during
our visit.
Each day we tried to do a hike of about 3
to 6 miles to some interesting spot. We hiked in valleys and
on top of mountains. The days were hot and the nights were
cold. Yellowstone is a land filled with wonder and
diversity. When you walk in the woods you know you’re not on
top of the food chain and that heightens your senses and
strengthens the sense of adventure. I hope to revisit this
beautiful place again at some point in the future and
experience the nature, diversity, and wonderment all over
again. Yellowstone takes the cake!!!
8
Flaming Gorge Days:
Hi Altamont,
For the past two days we’ve been at a KOA campground in the
Flaming Gorge right on the Utah/Wyoming border. This huge
red-rock gorge has a 91 mile lake that was created by a
man-made dam that generates power. It is well-named because
when the sun hits the red rocks it does look like it is on
fire.
I called the school yesterday to check on
things and Mrs. Andress told me my superintendent, Mr.
McGuire, is also in Utah. I called his cell phone and
discovered that he too is in the Flaming Gorge area for some
fly fishing. Imagine how happy he would be to travel 1,500
miles to see a co-worker:-) The Green River is known for
great fishing. It is suppose to have 16,000 fish in every
mile along the river. That is a lot of fish and there were
tons of fly fisher-people in this area-it seems to be the
thing to do here.
Today, we rented a rafting boat and
paddled seven miles down the Green River crossing category I
and II rapids along the way. Kathy and I beamed with
pleasure watching the kids squeal with excitement as we
paddled through rapids and bounced off huge boulders in the
river. We packed a lunch in a cooler and got out and swam
often as we meandered down the river with giant cliffs
hanging above.
This is an amazing recreation area for
boating, swimming, fishing, hiking, and off—road adventures.
Originally, I thought this would just be a basic lay-over
area on our way to Moab, but it’s turned out to be a special
highlight of our trip so far.
I hope all of you are enjoying the summer
and doing lots of great reading. I finished Canyons the
other day. It was a great book and very appropriate for this
area. I also finished a book called, Our Iceberg is Melting
by John Kotter. This book was my summer reading homework for
school. I have homework too!!!! It is a great book for young
and older adults. It is about a colony of penguins that have
to deal with the fact that their iceberg is melting and they
have to cope and manage the change that comes along as a
result.
I’ve started a new book called, Leonardo’s
Shadow, by Christopher Grey. I am pretty excited to read
this book. I love the time period and Leonardo DaVinci is
such a fascinating person to research and learn about. I’ve
just started this book so I can’t tell you much more. Keep
reading everyone and wish us luck as we head to Moab where
the temperature should be 104 degrees each day!!
Mr. B
8
Moab Days:
Hi Altamont,
We left the Flaming Gorge before sunrise to set off for our
300+ mile drive to Moab. Again, we drove up and down huge
mountains along the way. In Wyoming, the state leases land
to farmers so they can let their cattle graze and so for
many miles we had to drive about 10 miles per hour because
cows and calves were walking in the road and crossing the
road. It was very frustrating, but I resisted the urge to
drive fast and have veal for dinner.
Utah is a beautiful state with giant
cliffs, mountains, and scrub prairie. Along the way, we
could see dried-up riverbeds and I was telling the kids how
dangerous they become when it rains because they
“Flash-Flood” so quickly here.
The drive into Moab is amazing. You’re
surrounded by red cliffs and the people here have the
absolute COOLEST TOYS on Earth. People have jacked-up trucks
and Jeeps, there are neat ATVs and dirt-bikes everywhere,
mountain bikes I’d give my right arm to have, and the single
most fantastic toys here are the dune-buggies. These things
rock!!! Most have awesome paint jobs; they have amazing
suspension and I REALLY WANT ONE!!!
We rented a stock Jeep Wrangler and drove
through Arches National Park and Canyon Lands Park. Also, we
wanted to experience some of the many 4-Wheel Drive trails
they have in the area. I can’t begin to describe the beauty
of these rocks and cliffs. Just when you think you’ve seen
the most amazing sight, you turn the corner and there is
another rock formation that blows your mind. We all loved
seeing the arches and for the most part the walks to the
arches were pretty short.
Canyon Lands Park was different, however.
There, you’re on top of the canyons and looking down into
them. The trails were longer and we just couldn’t do the
multi-mile hikes in this heat (104 by 11:30AM). We drove the
jeep through the park and got to see some amazing cliffs and
canyons. I’m sure the pictures won’t do the vastness and
heights of the canyons justice. It is one of those places
you have to see to believe.
The highlights for me were the 4-Wheel
trails in the Jeep. We first went off-road to see Gemini
Bridges. We traveled up the sides of cliffs by switch-back
turns over sand, loose rocks, and slick-rock (that is the
name for the hard stone because it is smooth and gets very
slippery when wet). It was a bit scary at times and you
definitely needed a special kind of vehicle to do this.
Gemini Bridges are two arches are about 5 feet apart and
cross a span of about 60 feet. The arches are about 400 feet
up in the air and we held the kids with white-knuckles as we
looked around the area. It was extremely high and mistakes
here are fatal!
Next, we went to Long Canyon Trail. Our
guide map said it was an “Easy” trail with one part that was
moderate called, “Pucker Pass.” Let me tell you, “Pucker
Pass” is appropriately named. The trail started with a steep
switch-back trail along the side of a giant canyon. All of a
sudden the walls closed-in on the Jeep and there were large
rocks and rock ledges to manage while we were still on the
side of this cliff. A long time ago, a HUGE boulder fell
from above and you have to drive under it as it leans
against the cliff wall. We were scared! Kathy was praying
out loud!! The Jeep rocked, bounced, and leaned way over as
it skidded off rock ledges and loose large rocks on the
road. We were pretty psyched when that part was over and the
remainder of the trail was decent. In fact, at the end of
the trail we got to see some “Petra-Glyphs” (ancient Native
American rock paintings on cliff walls). They were cool!
When we returned the Jeep, the man told us
that the Park Service had called him and is reclassifying
Long Canyon Trail as difficult and shouldn’t be used by
stock Jeeps anymore. That made sense to me. It’s just lucky
that I have an innate ability to 4-Wheel like a pro.
Moab is a fantastic little community.
There are so many young people (age or spirit) here and each
one has his or her passion for some particular type of
recreation. The people are fit, happy and friendly. They
seem to have their priorities in order as to what really
matters in life. I can’t help but reflect on my early 20s
and wish I would have lived here for a time. This is a great
place to get in touch with your physical and mental self and
experience the magical bond between exercise and nature. I
hope I can revisit when it is not so hot and take advantage
of the awesome bike trials the area offers. We’re exhausted
and tomorrow we leave for our last destination--THE GRAND
CANYON North Rim where we won’t have any hook-ups for the
RV. Keep your fingers crossed for us!!
Mr. B
8
The Grand Canyon (North Rim) Days:
Hi Altamont:
We woke up early at Moab and after a quick 400 miles we
were heading into The North Rim of The Grand Canyon. Most of
the ride took us through the heart of Apache Nation. We did
stop at one location on the way and viewed dinosaur
footprint fossils in the rock. I’ll try to show pictures of
them, but they were difficult to capture on film.
We were nervous about going to our next
stop. Moab was so hot and we knew our campground at The
North Rim didn’t have electricity or water hook-ups. We
thought we were in for more super hot days and uncomfortable
nights. Our 400 mile drive took us through beautiful canyon
and red-rock country. The landscape remained mostly scrub
bushes and desert-like. As we climbed out of a giant valley,
we were suddenly surrounded by a forest oasis. Giant
Ponderosa pine trees, bison-filled meadows, and wild-flowers
filled the landscape. It was such a stark contrast to the
land we had been seeing all day long.
At one point, while we were looking for
animals in the trees I noticed a vast open space and BANG!!!
There was the Grand Canyon just beyond the trees. We were
driving right beside it and I was shocked at how the trees
grew right up along the rim. It is so different than what I
remembered about my visit to the South Rim, when I was 17.
The South Rim is barren and this was such a lush, rich
forest environment.
We arrived at our campground at The North
Rim and it was amazing. It is, by far, the most beautiful
campground we’d ever seen or stayed at. The sites were huge
and we were nested among gigantic Ponderosa pines with deer
wandering through our sites. The limited hours for
generators ensured peace and quiet all day and night. The
temperature was cool and the nights were crisp. The North
Rim is the place to visit if you’re going to The Grand
Canyon. Not to mention, The North Rim receives less than 1/3
of the visitors of The South Rim; so there were no crowds or
congestion anywhere.
The day we arrived, we checked out the
main lodge and did a short hike around the rim. The view is
incredible and the scale of the canyon defies definition.
I’d look out and see a rim miles away and be told that is
not the other side of the canyon. The Grand Canyon is about
4,000 feet deep and about 10 miles across. The color of the
rocks change according to depth, some are bright red while
others are nearly white.
Our second day, we woke up leisurely as
the sky was overcast and we were tired. We decided to drive
a loop with several view-points along the way. The
temperature was perfect, but the overcast skies didn’t allow
for perfect lighting for canyon shots. A couple of times
thunder clapped and you wouldn’t believe how it echoed
through the canyon. I swear the ground moved under my feet.
We enjoyed every stop along the loop as we climbed rocks and
hiked paths. Later in the day, we had lunch at the side of
the canyon and were excited for a night filled with family
games and the sounds of nature.
As we rounded our last hair-pin curve on
the way out, a large rock had fallen along the side of the
road. The on-coming traffic didn’t allow me to move into the
other lane and BOOM----mini-disaster struck!!!!!
We hit the rock and massively punctured
one of our rear tires. There was no hope of repair and we
were about 6 miles away from our campground. We limped in to
the campground and discovered they couldn’t help at all. I
called AAA and they said they’d have a tow-truck there by
4:30pm. By 6:30, nobody had arrived and I made the decision
to drive 90 miles to a nearby town to try to buy a new tire
in the morning. Fortunately, a worker overheard our story
and she helped to get Kathy and the kids an emergency room
at the motel.
It took me nearly four hours to make the
drive. Kathy and Quincey were up all night worried about me.
Jack, on the other hand, enjoyed his best night of sleep of
the entire trip!! The first words out of his mouth in the
morning were, “Are we going to breakfast buffet?”
I did arrive safely and bought a new tire
first thing in the morning. I returned to the canyon and
picked up the family and we decided to leave one day early.
We felt it was time for this trip to be over. We loaded up
the RV and tried to mentally prepare for the 2,400 mile
journey ahead.
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon has to
be one of the most magical places on Earth. Both the power
and solitude of nature are showcased in near perfect
harmony.
8
Mesa Verde National Park:
Hi Altamont,
We left The Grand Canyon a day early on
our way home with one stop set for the 4-Corners area.
Unfortunately, we pulled into the 4-Corners Monument at
8:30pm and they closed at 8:00pm. We were pretty down
because we all had been practicing our poses. We thought
about staying over night, but decided to push on and head
for home.
We slept at a Wal-Mart and woke up early
to drive some more. We had decided earlier that we wouldn’t
have time for Mesa Verde National Park, but as we drove
(literally) right by the entrance, I saw Jack craning his
neck trying to see the cliff dwellings and I just had to
turn in to the park.
Jack’s grin grew each of the 23 miles we
drove up the side of this mesa. Mesa Verde, Spanish for
green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the
Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700
years, from A.D. 600 to A.D. 1300. Today, the park protects
over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff
dwellings.
We stopped at the visitor center and
bought tickets to tour Balcony House. Jack chose that site
because it was the most adventurous to reach. You have to
climb a 30 foot ladder, crawl through a rock tunnel, and
then climb another 18 foot ladder. Lastly, you walk along
the edge of a cliff face until you reach the top. Getting to
and from the dwelling site is as much fun as seeing the site
itself.
We ate a quick lunch and visited some
other sites before we met our tour group for Balcony House.
We climbed the first ladder and were in the cliff site
listening to our ranger talk, when Quincey turned ghostly
white and said she didn’t feel well. She turned to me and
fainted in my arms. She was only out for a second or two,
but we were in a cliff dwelling on the side of a mountain!!
There was still an 18 foot ladder to climb and she’d have to
walk on the side of this cliff to get back out. If she
fainted on either of these places it could be fatal.
We sat together in the site and discussed
with the ranger what we could do. One option was to have a
cage lowered and Quincey would be placed in the cage and
lowered down the side of the cliff to the base of the
mountain. She would then be walked out of the valley to
where a car could meet her. The whole process would take
about 4 hours.
A search and rescue gentleman (from nearby
Pike’s Peak) was on our tour and he helped to care for
Quincey. He gave her energy snacks and sat with us for quite
some time as we finally decided we’d climb out of the cliff
dwelling. Quincey said she was feeling better and some color
was returning to her face.
I climbed the ladder, outstretched, with
Quincey on the inside of me climbing as well. We made it
just fine past both scary parts and we asked for an
emergency technician to check her out when we got to the
top. The emergency technician sat with her for over an hour
checking her vitals every 15 minutes. He said it was a case
of dehydration. He said they receive about 3 calls every
week for teens dehydrated on these tours. We really were
surprised because we thought we were all drinking enough,
but the arid atmosphere and altitude just rip the moisture
out of your body.
After Quincey was given the “All Clear” to
go, we made a bee-line for the camper and said good-bye to
Mesa Verde National Park. That was it, this trip was over.
We enjoyed seeing the sites, but we felt we knew why the
Ancestral Pueblo people left the area.
We continued our drive through the State
of Colorado with Kathy blaring John Denver’s "Rocky Mountain
High" the entire way. It really is the most beautiful state
with giant mountains and fast running streams. I can see why
people become addicted to living that lifestyle. Our poor RV
barely made it up some of those mountain passes. One time,
we had to stop because it sounded like it was going to stall
in the middle of the road.
After we crossed the Rocky Mountains, the
roads leveled onto the plains and we settled in for our book
on tape, The Secrete Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kid.
Those 8 cds really helped to pass the time as we drove
toward New York.
We stayed two nights in parking lots and
one night at a KOA campground. We were excited to have power
to run the A.C. But, when we arrived at 11:30pm, we
discovered it was a 50 amp service and we couldn’t hook up
to that much power. Again, it was time to have the trip be
over!!
I’m writing tonight from a hotel in Ohio.
We had to stop and watch the opening ceremonies of the
Olympics. It’s also nice that we are in a hotel because an
entire 1/2 gallon of milk spilled in the RV fridge and the
lovely smell of sour milk is starting to permeate the entire
vehicle. We should arrive back home tomorrow and I’ll have
some final words for the end of our trip. It is a little sad
returning to “Civilization,” but I think we’re all ready to
have some normalcy of work and regular summer fun.
8
Back Home:
Hi Altamont,
We arrived home Saturday about 3:00pm. We
drove in from Ohio and the closer we got to home the more
reasons we found to delay the actual arrival. As much as we
wanted to get out of the RV, there was also something in all
of us that didn’t want the trip to end.
Although we started this trip with a goal
to visit the western national parks, in the end it followed
the old adage, “It’s about the journey and not the
destination!” I’m grateful that we got to see so much of
this amazing and beautiful country, but I’m more grateful
for the time with my family and children. Seeing the wonder
of discovery through the eyes of my children throughout this
trip has been a gift that I will treasure for a lifetime.
A highlight of this trip for me has been
sending in these notes and pictures to the students and
families of Altamont. I feel so blessed to work in such a
fine school with such amazing kids and supportive families.
Working with the children at Altamont is rewarding each and
every day.
A special THANK YOU goes to Amy Zurlo at
the district office for maintaining the web-site throughout
this trip. She has so much to do each day and she willingly
offered her time and expertise to make this all possible.
Thank you Amy!!
Some the statistics for our trips are:
Round Trip Miles = 7,000+
Average Fuel Cost = $3.98 per gallon
Average Gas Mileage = 10.4 mpg (Range 8.6 to 12.2)
Number of National Parks/Monuments visited = 9
Number of states driven through = 16
Number of state slept in = 8
Highest elevation = 11,022 feet
Number of books read in all = 8 (includes 1 book on tape)
Individual Highlights:
Jack- “Seeing the animals that we see on TV up
close.”
Quincey- “Visiting Yellowstone and playing in
the campground pools.”
Kathy- “Visiting the Black Hills of South
Dakota.”
Pete- “Climbing all the different rocks and
cliffs on the trip and I parallel-parked the RV between 2
cars on Moab’s Main Street.”
*If we made a commercial for our trip it would say:
Admission to nine national parks/monuments? ---- $82.00
(America The Beautiful Pass)
Cost of fuel for 7,000+ miles @ 10mpg? ----- Way too much
money
Spending over three weeks with your family visiting national
parks? ---- Priceless
Returning from 3.5 week trip living in a 29 x 6 space still
married? ----- Miraculous
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