So close, yet so far away

Thank goodness this is our last day before our arrival in CT. I don't think I can handle any more surprises on days I am expecting to uneventful. The drive was extremely normal. Normal toll booths, normal road construction, normal 10+ over the speed limit. But wait, no Journey day would be complete with out at least something happening. Driving through Buffalo, NY was definitely an adventure. We are on the third floor, all the way at the end of the hall; right next to a ventilation/emergency access door. The card sitting on the front desk read "Please do not leave any valuable visible in your car". The door card envelope has a warning that reads "For your safety: chain, bolt and bar your door. Do not answer unless guest is identified." And the bathroom has a phone in it. Now, at least Sarah and Jenn can talk to each other. Long story short, I'm glad this will be an overnighter. We found out today that our stuff will be arriving on Monday; HOORAY! So we will be staying at a hotel in Harford with our friends the O'Malley's. Then on Thursday, we will be off to Branford; bringing the traveling part of The Journey to a close. I asked Isaak when The Journey blog should officially end; his answer "when our stuff is in our house". So I have a few more days, then I can guarantee I will find something else to blog about. It will also be an early night so we can get an early start tomorrow.
Until tomorrrow, keep us in your thoughts and prayers for our final push to CT
Love,
JS&K

Our New Friend

Just when I thought today's drive would be uneventful: WRONG AGAIN! To start out the day, I somehow ended up going the wrong way on a one way street. The best part, it was witnessed by no less than a dozen carloads of people. I was the "loony guy from out-of-state". Once we finally made it through the U-District of Madison & on to the freeway, the day was shaping up much better. After we crossed into Illinois, we made a new friend (dripping with sarcasm): TOLL BOOTHS. Don't get me wrong, most of the toll highway was well-paved, but those booths are a pain! There's not enough time to get yourself into a good "freeway-drivin' groove" before BAM! slow and pay. One highlight was during the drive through Chicago. Anyone who has seen the IKEA commercial with the VW bug piled high with IKEA stuff will understand. Just check out the picture!

After those trucks it was time for lunch; we figured McDonald's was a good bet. We saw a sign and prepared to exit. Little did we know this particular McD's was on an island in the middle of the interstate! Once we got inside it was like any typical Golden Arches. My favorite part was a young man who ordered "2 cheeseburgers, no burger". Guys, I'm not making this stuff up! After that, the drive was pretty standard, save the toll booths and our best friend Road Construction. Sarah and I both decided we are never EVER living in a big city...EVER! Chicago was nuts, and we never left the freeway. One difference I have noticed as we make our way east: folks drive a whole lot faster. The average posted speed limit: 60; average vehicle speed: 70+. I also noticed, and liked, these eastern states have a minimum speed. I love that part!

Well, it looks like I will actually make it to bed before midnight. On that note, I do want to point out how glad I am we are making this move with the kids out of school. The time change has had very little intra-family effect, just inter-family. Us being +3 from family will take some adjustments, but I think we'll be just fine. So, with that I am off to bed; tomorrow it's from here in Wauseon (wAW-see-on), OH to Buffalo, NY. Planning on stopping for lunch with the Nichols' girls near Cleveland (keeping our fingers crossed). The drive from here to Buffalo looks like about 6 ish hours. And, as always, blog post to follow. One cklosing note: I pointed out to Sarah that I am becoming attached to the insanity of The Journey. I called it a case of Stockholm Syndrom, ifthat's not to extreme. I truly have enjoyed this trip so far; only 2 days left and then...who knows. I guarantee I will find something to blog about one The Journey comes to a close. Until next time friends, sleep well and may God bless and keep all of us!
Love,

JS&K

P.S. I almost forgot the best part: if you are ever passing through Ohio on I-90, find the little town of Wauseon, turn left after the exit toll both (the Best Western will be in front of you) and eat at the little diner on the left, Smith's. They have awesome pies and DEEP-FRIED PICKLES! don't knock it till you tried it.

drove through 3 1/2 states & 360 miles

deep-fried pickle

A Long Day...

Those of you who are used to a post full of fun and excited might be a little disappointed tonight. After 9 hours and 432 miles, a little over 2000 mile total so far; I'm gonna keep this one short and sweet. We covered all of Minnesota and half of Wisconsin today. The two highlights were the SPAM museum in Austin, MN & Rocky Rocco's in Onalaska, WI. For anyone who even eats SPAM once in a while, that place was AWESOME! and a must-see. So many great pictures; Isaak & I even got to can some "SPAM". After our usual souvenir grabbing, we were back on the road. I called my folks as we crossed the Mighty Mississippi & we ate dinner at Rocky Rocco's. A little piece of trivia for my Spokane followers; the woman who took our order informed us that Rocky's is actually a Wisconsin chain that branched out. There is one each in Minnesota & Washington State. One side highlight was the kids faces lighting up (no pun) at seeing fireflies for the first time. That's about it; the next few days will be long ones. From here to our next stop will be 360 miles including Chicago; the next day will be 340 miles including Cleveland. I'll keep up as best I can; the good news is: only 3 days left! So, all four of us are on our ways to bed for another full day tomorrow. We are still unsure about the situation with our belongings, so there might be a "Where's Our Stuff?" blog coming soon to a computer near you.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers and take comfort in knowing we're almost there.

JS&K

Austin, MN

Just sending a mini-post letting our followers know we are on our way in to the SPAM museum...

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Happy Anniversary! (in two time zones)

Today is Sarah's and my 10-year wedding anniversary; what did we spend it doing? Laundry and driving! Our anniversary dinner; pizza, salad & bottled water from room service. Well, such is the life of a military family. But enough him, haw and "oh, woe is us!", how about the fun parts. "Where the heck is Wall Drug?" I'll tell you; it's somewhere between there & here (actually, it's an hour east of Rapid City). Everyone who travels I-90 through South Dakota has to stop at Wall Drug, so we did. Got some great pictures of the store front; I pretty much played up the "tourist" role and had the camera out the whole time taking random pictures of everything. We had a light snack and some free ice water. On our way past the rest rooms, Isaak was drawn to a mining exhibit. I assumed it was simply a "play in the dirt show". I couldn't have been more wrong! We had 3 choices; purchasing a bag of dirt and, using a sliuce box, sift out gems & stones. We could pan for gold; or as a family, we could explore a mine shaft mock up and keep whatever stones we found our our "easter egg hunt". We chose the family deal and came out with 3 small bags of really cool polished rocks. Then we picked up a post card and a bumper sticker; some home made ice cream, a souvenir cup and were on our way. We stopped about half way at a rest area and I have to say I have never seen so many grasshoppers in my whole life. They were literally EVERYWHERE! Just outside Sioux Falls, we got to watch the largest storm I think I have ever seen pass right in front of us. As we headed into Sioux Falls, the Weather Service posted a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the area. I wasn't concerned but we'll get to that in a sec. So, after a quick stop at Wal-Mart to grab water wings for Isabel and some dive sticks for Isaak, we were checked in, fed and in the pool by 7:30ish (Central Time). Now by "in the pool", I don't mean in swim suits and swimming around. Anyone reading this, pause for a second and Google "Ramkota Hotel, Sioux Falls, SD". To be a spoiler, "in the pool" means either speeding down a 3-story corkscrew waterslide or running around under and umbrella- shaped water fountain. Or even trying to navigate a rope strung across the pool while walking across a floating "log" loosely anchored to the bottom while someone is shooting a water cannon at you. I told the kids about the water slide earlier in the week (it's amazing what you can use for punishment leverage as a parent) and they both had mini heart attacks when I told them the water park was open till 11PM!! (most of the pools we have swam in closed at 9). Isabel also informed me "I was the best daddy ever" and Isaak gave my hotel choice 2 thumbs up. I discovered that when I tell my kids "swim as long as you want" it works much better and there is less fighting than "5 more minutes". We swam until about 10 and they were pretty much swam out; here comes the "Storm Warning" I talked about. The kids decided to be done because of the strom outside. I didn't realized the entire sky would be filled with both sheet and bolt lightning. Not to mention it rained long enough and hard enough to drown a small dog. And apparently the staff was going through their Severe Storm protocol because when we returned to our room, there was an evacuation plan under our door. Okay, maybe it was a big deal but I still got a good picture of the lightning. Again, as I close my blog, Sarah and the kids (and dogs) are sleeping soundly, which they deserve after beeing cooped up most of the day. Tomorrow, we are off on another long leg, Siuox Falls to Madison, Wisconsin. Most likely some stops in between, but it will be a good 7 hours of driving. The prayers must be working because this adventure seems to be getting easier, at least for me. Besides, only 3 , maybe 4, more nights and we'll be in our new home. As before, as long as family and friends look forward to "The Journey" posts, I truly look forward to posting them.

Love,

JS&K

(sheet lightning in the parking lot)

3 monuments in one day...

Since we had a very uneventful drive to Wyoming toward South Dakota, we figured we would fill it with as much "touristy" stuff as we could. On our way to SD, we stopped by Devil's Tower; Spectacular! Kids got ice cream and Isabel picked up another post card (she's collecting them). As from my previous post, we stopped in Sturgis (post card & t-shirt) then rolled into Rapid City around 3:30ish. As soon as the kids and I were dried and changed from the pool, we piled in the Explorer and were off to the Crazy Horse Monument and Mt Rushmore. If I wasn't feeling proud enough being in the military because of this trip, the gentleman at the gate informed us our trip was free in thanks for my service! Then, at the snack bar, Isabel's pizza was free; only because it was older than 15 minutes, whatever free is free! After tons of pictures, Isaak decided he need a collection for the trip, so he has started collecting state-shaped magnets; one for each we pass through. One side bar: on our way from Crazy Horse to Rushmore, I received a message that I am #35 (out of 459) on the MK Chief (E-7) advancement list. I was so excited I had to pull over because I was hyperventilating. OK, so on to Mt Rushmore. If the mountain doesn't take your breath away, the museum on the lower level will. The engineering alone is amazing; not to mention the pride and patriotism those men had! After, yes more post cards and a bunch of pictures, we headed for the barn. Got back to the hotel just in time for the kids to fall asleep. Now that the blog is caught up and Sarah is almost done with home work, time for some shut-eye before our adventure tomorrow; WALL DRUG, HERE WE COME! And the corn palace, too. Also, we change time zones again tomorrow; now we'll be plus 2 hours from the family (FYI).

You guys keep readin', I'll keep writin'

JS&K

Sturgis baby!

Just checked in @ hotel in Rapid City after a decent uneventful drive and lunch in Sturgis. Goin for a quick dip in the pool then off to Rushmore & Crazy Horse

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Off to Rushmore

It's 8AM Moutain Time; Sarah and I are enjoying a warm cup of coffee while the kids sleep off yesterday's mayhem. 210 miles to Rapid City and Mt Rushmore. Hopefully today will go better than yesterday. Better get to gettin' before it gets to warm (it's 62 degrees at 8 in the morning).

JS&K

The not-so-short drive

OK, folks, anyone who tells you the trip from Yellowstone to Cody, WY is a piece of cake is on drugs. And if your GPS tells you it will only take 5 hours from West Yellowstone, MT to Buffalo, WY...THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW AT 70 MPH! OK, enough ranting; the scenery was breathtaking. Seeing the eastern approaches to Yellowstone were even more amazing than the western (if that's possible). The part that honestly took my breath away was the acres and acres of dead trees. It looked like a scene from a distorted horror movie. But the greatest part about the razor-pointed trees was the gorgeous greenery on the forest floor. Even with the climbing and dropping, the layers of earth exposed by the eons of erosion was an amazing sight. I have a new-found respect for dry land farmers. I don't think I saw an irrigation ditch or sprinkler riser for at least 100 miles. And Wyoming isn't nearly as flat as I assumed it would be.

The stop at Cody was quick, down and dirty. The longer-than-expected drive made it so we had to cut our trip short. If (and that's a BIG if) we go back through we will make it a designated stop. Even though it was a 9-hour trek and we only covered 327 miles, it was another chapter in our journey and at least blog-worthy. Sarah and I had a radio discussion about the importance of every singled able-bodied American making a cross-country trip! After 3 days and a little over 1200 miles, I have found a greater appreciation for the pioneers and a deeper love for my country. I have also learned so much about the small towns and communities, especially the people, that make up these United States of America! Due to our extreme mountain climb and descent, I am exhausted. Tomorrow's leg will take us to Rapid City, maybe sneak some pictures of Sturgis, and make our way to Mt. Rushmore. Hopefully it will be easier on us than today. Two notable events did occur though; one, my car turned over 120,000 miles on the western side of the Big Horn Mountains. She is still running like a top. And we hit 1200 miles just outside Buffalo, WY. Well, until tomorrow, your prayers are helping us through each day & keeping us safe.

JS&K

Off to Cody...

Buffalo Bill Museum, here we come. Coffee is brewing kids are sleeping and I am chompin' at the bit to get on the road. I can't wait to get to Cody and see all the Westerm History. Hopefully Sarah & the kids will enjoy it as much as I will.
Everyone have a day, don't fall down! See you in Buffalo (WY not NY)
JS&K

Yellowstone Park!

What a day! Family was out the door at 9 AM for our visit to Yellowstone National Park. It is so amazing how nature repairs itself after such a tragedy as the Wildfires of '88. So much new growth right alongside the old. Right off the bat, we saw a herd of elk grazing by the Madison River. Then an eagle soared above us. As we made our way to Old Faithful along the "See Yellowstone In A Day" route, we saw a bison rolling in the dirt; naturally, we snapped some great pictures. A little further on, we randomly stopped at the Painted Pots sight. What an amazing phenomenon. From steam naturally escaping the earth's crust and multi-colored mineral pools to the boiling hot springs and mud pots; which we found out were not mud. Instead they are pools of rock melted and boiled by sulfuric acid. Believe it or not, the smell wasn't bad. The kids kept telling us, "it smells like the beach". Back in the car we travelled on, arriving at the Old Faithful area about 45 minutes before she was scheduled to blow. We got a bite to eat and wandered the grounds to kill time. We found a small spot to sit and wait for the show. At 12:06 PM, we got our show. Again, such an amazing sight to see; only glitch, we were down-wind and so when the steam cooled into rain,

we got a little extra gift. I told the family next to us the should put signs up that read: "Caution possible splash zone". Sarah took us on a tour of the Old Faithful Inn, where she stayed during her visit when she was a kid. At the gift shop, we picked up some knick-knacks and post cards and were on our way. As we made our way back to the car, we crested a small bluff and almost came out of our shoes. There off to one side of our path was a 1500 pound bison! So we got some great shots and moved on (quickly and safely, because apparently a bison can run 3-5 times faster than a person!) After our Old Faithful adventure, we headed out to Lake Yellowstone for a light picnic. On our way out, we ran into a random hot spring, in the middle of the parking area; naturally pictures followed. Our trek drew to a close with an amazing close encounter with yet another bison.

This time we were in the car but he was about five feet away. Again, after some great close-ups, we quickly moved on. After a light dinner at Arby's, the kids burned off some steam (no pun intended) in the pool and I wandered in to down town to browse the shops (bad idea). Only came home with one thing, so good for me. Of course, after a dip in the pool, getting them calmed down and into bed was an adventure. But, as this installment of "The Journey Blog" draws to a close the kids are calm and almost asleep, Sarah is finishing up some home work and the cars are packed for our next leg. We will be stopping in Cody, WY to check out the Wild Bill Western Museum and then on to Buffalo, WY for a quick over-nighter. As always, keep us in your prayers and stay tuned for the next blog!
Joe, Sarah & the kids

Up Early...

Preparing for our day in the park. Kids are still fast asleep; Sarah and I are slowly getting ready (coffee is a little weak). I am SO excited for today; tonight's blog will probably be another long-winded one, so prepare your selves.

And so it begins...

Since I (Joe) am new to this whole "blogging" thing, bear with me. I'm up way past my bed time catching up on our first couple of days of what is "The Journey" (named given by Isaak and adopted by the family). At 4:30 P.M. PDT on July 5th, 2010, Sarah, the kids and I began our journey from the West to the East. Our first night was spent eating pizza and popcorn in Missoula, MT. We made it there from Wallace, ID in just over 3 hours. After dinner, the kids and I swam until our fingers were wrinkly and our eyes burned (prompted a trip to Costco for goggles). Up early for Isaak's favorite, continental breakfast then off to the Lewis & Clark Caverns. As some of you may know, I have lived almost my ENTIRE life in Washington, so when we crested the Rockies I can safely say I was awestruck. Sarah and I both felt how small the pioneers travelling east must have felt that first trip over. Lunch was a picnic at a non-descript rest are at the top of the Continental Divide. After lunch, we were off to the Lewis & Clark Caverns. When we got there, Sarah found out we were behind a group of 32, which meant an hour wait. SO, we cruised the gift shop, bought some post cards and were back on the road. We made it safely into West Yellowstone, MT right before dinner; we drove through town & found a quick bite at The Outpost.

After dinner, we wandered through some great shops with Isabel asking every time we paused, "Can we go swimming yet?!?" Fortunately, Isaak pointed us toward the Yellowstone Historic Center. The family got to see exhibits on the first planes into Yellowstone, the Quake of '59 and the Great Fire of 1988. So after a little history lesson we "FINALLY got to go swimming" (Isabel's exact words). And, again, swam till our skin was wrinkly (no bleary eyes this time). And now, Sarah and the kids are tucked happily into bed with daddy catching up the blog. As I close, I keep thinking about the pioneers. How did they do it? Travelling out here...not knowing where the were headed or when they would get there...by horse or foot or wagon, maybe making 60 good miles a day, if they were lucky. Now we travel by every known conveyance, making 3-to 400 miles in a few hours. We blog, text, Facebook; use GPS, listen to satellite radio, use 2-way communication, etc. etc, etc. How far we have come!

Well, I am off to get some much-needed rest. Thank you to everyone who sent prayers and wished us luck. So far The Journey has been great, even though we still have a long road ahead. We love all of you and if you stay tuned, we'll keep you posted!

Love,

Joe, Sarah Isaak & Isabel

West Yellowstone, MT