6 months, 20,000 miles, 37 states and 25 national parks later we have returned to Spokane. 

 

WE DID IT!!!  It feels really good to say that. 

 

The last leg of our trip was spent in Idaho.  From Yellowstone we traveled west to Ketchum and caught up with our good friend Rick Lethbridge.  We absolutely LOVED Ketchum!  Rick showed us a great time (thanks again!) at his bar, the Cellar Pub.  Sun Valley is so beautiful this time of year, with changing leaves and a touch a snow on the mountain peaks.  We can't wait to return, next time in the winter to ski! 

 

 

 We continued north and took a few days exploring the Sawtooth Mountains.  Needless to say, we were dragging our feet to return home.  We camped each night on forest service land (free!) and found many beautiful spots.  Nights grew very cold and we woke to snow on our last two mornings. 

We stayed just north of McCall near a beautiful reservoir on what could have been our last night.  But it didn't feel right to make the drive to Spokane just yet.  I BEGGED for one more night.  And I'm so glad we made that decision. 

From McCall we headed towards Lewiston and Clarkston and stopped for a pint at the Riverport Brewing Co.  Afterwards, we grabbed a bottle of whiskey and headed towards St. Joseph National Forest in northern Idaho.  We found a great campsite up an old logging road, listened to the debate, cooked a feast, drank whiskey, danced and watched the snow fall.  It was a perfect 'last night'.  And, of course, I cried. 

What an amazing adventure.

I cried because I was sad to return home and so bummed for our trip to be ending.  Our little life in our tiny camper was wrapping up.  But more importantly I cried because I was just so darn happy and thankful we were able to put our lives on hold and just take off.  To see and experience so many wonderful parts of our country.  Places I had no idea existed.  And most importantly to have shared all this with the most amazing person in my life.

 

We survived the unforgiving heat of the desert and the unbearable humidity of the south in the dead of summer.  We survived swarms of insects so big and unfamiliar and their consumption of our flesh.  We ate BBQ in Texas... and Tennessee... and Georgia... and North Carolina.  We had fried chicken, biscuits, cornbread, grits, collard greens, New Mexican style chili, po-boys, oysters, blue crab, gumbo, philly cheesesteaks, buffalo wings, lobster rolls, chowder, deep dish pizza... My god we ate a lot (I see a personal trainer in my very near future).  We hiked in 25 national parks.  We followed fall from New England and on through the north.  We out-ran Hurricane Issac.  We met the friendliest people in Texas and the rudest in Washington DC.  We saw the land of the west and the history of the east.  We slept at Walmart, Target, truck stops, rest stops.  We drank cheap beer and even cheaper whiskey.  We played cards, watched X-Files and had many dance parties.  We drove, or rather Joe drove, 20,000 miles.  And there is not a single thing we would do differently. 

 

Since we've been back in Spokane we have been getting the camper fixed up and ready to sell.  We've been catching up with Pat and Char and all their 'Micabilly' friends.  We had drinks with Matt and Vanessa and their wonderful kids last night!  I even had the chance to visit with Brooke and her lovely mother Joan, Sean and their kids at their new house here in Spokane (a HUGE congrats to you two!).  It's been great fun.

 

But, we are getting ready to make the final trip back to Seattle in just a few days.  We're in search of a new place to live and are getting (mildly) excited about returning to work.  Well, our bank accounts are excited about us going back to work.  Mom, Dad- I CAN'T WAIT to see you!  To our friends, you know who you are- we can't wait to catch up.  And of course we're very anxious to see our man, Chester.  Oh, and the turtles. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



HOLY COW!  We really couldn't be any closer to home, considering we were just in Maine a month ago.  We pulled into Sun Valley a few hours ago, had some lunch and are looking forward to meeting up with Rick later this evening!  But lets back track a bit.  We have come a long way since Chicago.  

We traveled back northwest through Wisconsin to Duluth, Minnesota.  Clouds grew heavy and low and temperatures dropped considerably.  We stopped at Fitger's Brewhouse for a hot lunch and a few stouts before moving on.  Continuing northwest, we traveled by many beautiful lakes before pulling over in the Chippewa National Forest for the night.  Trees were stark as all the leaves had fallen.  Fall had passed and winter felt heavy.  Highs were in the mid 30s.  Chilly weather kept us moving.  The next day we traveled to Fargo, North Dakota and again our stay was brief.  We look forward to returning to Minnesota and North Dakota and exploring a little more another time.  

We turned south from Fargo and slept at a truck stop just past the South Dakota border that night.  We woke to a gorgeous sunrise and icicles on the truck.  

We traveled west, through seemingly endless prairies and plains, from the eastern border of South Dakota to Badlands National Park.  

Before Badlands, we made a quick stop at Wall Drug.  For anyone who has traveled through South Dakota, you know what I am talking about.  It's a ridiculously touristy strip of shops selling nic-nacs of all sorts.  Signs lead to this bizarre stop for hundreds of miles.  So we had to stop.  

Badlands National Park was fantastic.  The landscape is a beautiful mix of high prairies, canyons, steep mountains and hoodoos.  And, we had the place to ourselves, which is always a bonus.  

We went on a great hike and braved the cold, windy weather.   

We saw many big horned sheep.

And witnessed fantastic sunsets.  

After a great few days we continued west through Sturgis and Deadwood and back south to Mt. Rushmore.  

Mt. Rushmore is even more impressive than we imagined.  It was great fun checking out presidential facts and learning how the engineers crafted such an enormous 'sculpture'.  

We also checked out Crazy Horse.  At first sight we were disappointed.  It's fifty years from completion and felt like a giant tourist trap driving in.  But after watching the documentary of the sculptor and the family behind the memorial, we grew a greater appreciation for what is to come.  

We continued south through the Black Hills National Forest to Wind Cave National Park.  The drive itself was beautiful.  We knew very little, or rather nothing of Wind Cave, other then seeing it on the map.  To our surprise the park was gorgeous.  It's rather small, with rolling plains full of elk, bison, pronghorns and prairie dogs.  We were satisfied with the scenic views and incredible wildlife, just to find out that Wind Cave lies beneath the hills and is the worlds longest cave!  139 miles of cave in one square mile.  Amazing!  

We loved every moment of South Dakota and could have explored the Black Hills for weeks.  But it was time to move on.  

We put on some serious miles and drove the length of Wyoming the next day.  It was a gorgeous, yet long drive.  Our goal was Jackson but skies grew dark and it was time to pull over.  We found a forest service road in the Teton National Forest and woke the next morning to a beautiful creek.  

As we made our way to Jackson the next morning we enjoyed the view of the Tetons towering over the highway.  

Jackson is a great town.  We arrived in the early afternoon and enjoyed watching the Hawks game from the Snake River Brewery.  

We camped that night on a forest service road just outside of town and spent the next day exploring Grand Teton National Park.  Unfortunately we woke to a cold, cloudy day, but it was still beautiful. 

We saw several moose, elk and even a small grizzly!  

It was amazing watching the snow line drop over the next few days.  

All campgrounds in the park were closed for the season but we found a great spot just outside of the park limits.  

After a nice hike around Two Ocean Lake the next morning, we continued north through the Tetons to Yellowstone National Park (marking twenty-five national parks this summer!).  

Yellowstone was gorgeous.  And so quiet this time of year.  It was the perfect time to be there.  Despite the chilly days and freezing nights (upper teens), we could not have asked for better timing.  Just a few of the many campgrounds remained open and water was shut off for the season throughout the park.  But as always, we made do.  

Wildlife was spectacular.  We saw HUNDREDS of bison, herds of elk and even a couple wolves!  

Scenery was equally as spectacular.  

When Old Faithful erupted, hail began to drop in buckets.  It was very theatrical, to say the least!  

Yellowstone, the Tetons, and all of Wyoming are a wonderful place to be.  We had such a great time and loved having the wide open space to ourselves.  We'll definitely be back.  Perhaps next time it'll be a little warmer!  

Sitting in Jackson, Wyoming I realize just how much we have to catch up on!  

Eastern Long Island felt like the beginning of our New England tour.  It was absolutely gorgeous, especially Montouk and the East Hamptons, with perfect weather, beautiful beaches, big surf, historic lighthouses, outdoor farmers markets (with the most delicious honey crisp apples!) and rolling vineyards.  We camped at a rather busy state park on the north side of the island.  Despite the crowds, the sunset that evening was spectacular.  

To avoid the dreadful drive back through Brooklyn, we splurged on a ninety minute ferry ride from the tip of Long Island to New London, Connecticut.  What a treat!  We sat outside on the top deck the entire time and enjoyed the views and sunny, breezy weather.  

Our time in Connecticut was brief.  We did, however, drive a short distance out of our way to check out F40 Motor Sports from 'Chasing Classic Cars'.  From American classics to European exotics, we were blown away.  We had a chance to chat with the shop manager and a few old men about their rides.  Joe was thrilled!  

We had a beautiful drive back east towards Rhode Island and spent the evening exploring the very charming town of Newport.  We had a few beers, walked the docks and witnessed yet another gorgeous sunset over the pier.  

From Newport, we made our way to Provincetown, the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusettes.  We parked outside of town and rode our bikes back down the narrow, cobblestone streets lined with seafood restaurants and nic-nac shops.  The Cape Cod charm was exactly how we pictured it.  Tiny beach houses with weathered paint and seashell lined driveways were stacked one-on-top-of-the-other and lobster boats crammed the docks.  We indulged in some chowder and local beers.  Later, we drove about fifteen miles west and stopped at a great seafood shop to pick up some Wellfeets, local oysters grown right out front.  And wow, were they ever rich, salty and incredibly smooth.  

Plymouth, just up the Massachusettes coast, was our next stop.  We arrived in the early evening and checked out Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II, a replica that made the exact voyage across the Atlantic as the original Mayflower.  

After our tour through many east coast cities, we decided to save Boston for another trip.  We were anxious to get to Maine, anyway. 

After driving through Boston and New Hampshire we arrived to Portland, Maine on another beautiful, sunny day.  We spent the early afternoon walking around town and checking out the lobster boats that lined the piers.  As Maine's 'largest city', Portland has a small town feel and is very, very charming.  

We continued north to the town of Wiscasset for some highly recommended lobster rolls at Red's Eats.  And my God they were incredible!!!  Nothing but a toasty roll and an entire lobster perfectly poached on top, with drawn butter and mayo to the side.  We drove a long way anticipating the perfect lobster roll and we certainly found it.    

The drive along Highway 1 to Acadia National Park was stunning.  We fell in love with Maine on this drive (and after that lobster roll!).  We camped at a beautiful state park in Camden that had fantastic views of the Atlantic and Camden's harbor.  The town itself was incredibly charming.  

Acadia National Park was beautiful.  We hiked the 'highest peak' (not that high) and biked the windy carriage roads, enjoying scenery from all angles.  Unfortunately, we got a little rain and gray skies on those days but were treated to clear, sunny days on our way in and out of the park.  We met a great couple, Mike and Kerry from Long Island, who joined us for beers over our bon fire.  They were a blast!  We shared some great laughs over travel stories.  

The drive west through Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont was beyond words.  With fall approaching the colors were brilliant.  The brightest yellow, orange and red imaginable lined two-lane highways through rolling hills and forests.  We drove through the White Mountains of New Hampshire and Green Mountains of Vermont.  We stopped at Lake Winnipesaukee (What About Bob!) and drove past what felt like hundreds of other tiny lakes.  We enjoyed some delicious Vermont cheese and some of the most flavorful, juicy homegrown tomatoes we have had in a long time.  Although, Char, your tomatoes are still better and we sure missed them this season!  We also saw many historic covered bridges. 

New England was a very, for-lack-of-a-better-word, special part of our trip.  Maybe it was the time of year and perfect weather… whatever the reason, we wanted more.  We wanted to stay.  If it weren't for our love of the northwest, we may have stayed.  Regardless, we'll be back.  

Through the southern Adirondacks and Upstate New York, also very beautiful this time of year, we eventually made our way to Buffalo, New York and Niagara Falls.  Given Joe's love for hot wings we stopped at two of Buffalo's most famous wing spots.  And they were good.  But honestly, nothing spectacular.  For all you Spokane boys who love the Wing Dome in Seattle, you'll be happy to know the Wing Dome beats any of these places by a landslide!  

We camped north of Niagara Falls on Lake Erie that night and explored the falls the next afternoon.

  We opted to ride on the 'Maid of the Mist', one of few tourist excursions we have paid for on this trip.  It was completely worth it!  What a view from the boat and such a thrill being practically right under the falls.  And not to mention the laughs we got from wearing the cheesy, but very practical, ponchos.  We had so much fun!

Once we got our fill, we continued on south, crossed the Pennselvania border and camped in the Allegheny National Forest.  Fall colors were just as alive here.  

The next morning we made our way up to Cleveland, Ohio.  As we pulled in 'Cleveland Rocks' blasted on the radio.  Talk about perfect timing.  We checked out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and had a few pints at the Great Lakes Brewery.  After which we got, yet another, oil change.  

We camped at Walmart that night (there's not always a perfect camping opportunity and besides, it's free) and made our way to Detroit the next morning.  Nothing screams breakfast like a couple coney dogs (hot dogs with chili and mustard) but we were in Detroit and it's the thing to do.  But you can't have just one.  You need to do the coney challenge between Lafayette Coney Island and American Coney Island that just happen to share a wall with one another.  So we had one, and then went next door, and had another.  Who won our vote?  Well… they were pretty much exactly the same.  Although Lafayette had a steamed bun, which we liked.  So there you go!  

The very cute college town of Ann Arbor was our next stop.  I blogged for a bit while Joe checked out a few breweries.  We camped at Walmart, again, that night.  

The next day we traveled north through the Manistee National Forest to Traverse City, on the northern tip of the southern peninsula of Michigan.  We checked out a few more breweries and eventually made our way west to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, with a final pit stop at Joe's Friendly Bar (with seriously one of the friendliest and best bartenders we have come across on this trip).  

When the sun hits Lake Michigan it shines royal blue and is crystal clear.  It travels for as long as the eye can see.  It's simply amazing.  The sand dunes were surprisingly massive and rolled for miles.  The sand itself is as white and as fine as any tropical shore.  

We continued on to the 'U.P.' (Upper Pennisula) of Michigan the following day.  Once we crossed the five mile Mackinac suspension bridge time seemed to have traveled back twenty years.  We were in the middle of nowhere and campgrounds were closed, so we set up shop on a forest service road.  We bought smoked trout from a gas station (smoked on site) and went to a bar where the bartender weighs and registers your bear while serving Busch Light to the other customers.  This actually happened.  And it was awesome.  

The next day we camped right on Lake Superior where Joe took a dip, braving the freezing waters.

  Not far from our campground was Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore.  Steep, sheer cliffs dive deep into the turquoise, clear waters.  Again, seemingly tropical.

Changing leaves continued to impress.  

We eventually made our way southwest to northern Wisconsin.  The sun continued to shine and the drive could not have been more pleasant.  We camped that night on the tiny Bear Lake and had the place to ourselves.  We both took the kayak out for a ride. 

We stopped in Green Bay the following afternoon, en route to Chicago.  After the recent Seahawks vs. Packers game, we worried about driving through town with our Washington license plates.  Titletown Brewing Company was our first, and only stop.  We vowed not to mention our Seattle home, but it didn't take long for us to come clean.  And to our surprise, everyone was really nice.  We thought for sure we would be booed out of there immediately.  But the bartender and her regulars were so welcoming we stayed a few hours!  

That night we stayed at a gorgeous state park with more stunning fall colors and listened to the Presidential debate on the radio.  

John was meeting us in Chicago the next day and we could not have been more thrilled!  

We got caught up on laundry, packed our bags, parked our beast at the airport, took the train into the city and stayed in the very first hotel of our trip.  We got into town late Thursday night, met up with John and went directly to an Irish pub walking distance to our hotel (imagine that!).  It was so much fun catching up!  It seemed like just yesterday when we left town.  

The next two days were spent walking the city, exploring different neighborhoods, checking out tourist attractions and, of course, enjoying (many) refreshing adult beverages.  

We enjoyed deep dish at Pequod's, Chicago style dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, and martinis in the Hancock tower.  

We found a little dive called Shoe's Pub (thanks to Matt Fejeran) and it quickly became our favorite spot.  

Shoe's had awesome bartenders and hilarious regulars!  We spent our last night in town here, had many laughs, made new friends and Joe even sang a little karaoke!  

We had a blast in Chicago.  It's an enormous city and three days is hardly enough time to see it all.  I know we will all be back to explore more.  But what we did see this weekend was enough to grow an appreciation for the chilly weather, low profile brick buildings crammed one-on-top-of-the-other and locals with a sense of humor so dry you wonder if you're even invited back.  

Thank you, Ian and Steph, for all your recommendations of your hometown and a HUGE thank you to John for taking a few days off work and flying all the way to Chicago just to meet up with us!  And especially for being flexible of our timing, not knowing our whereabouts until just a few weeks before booking your ticket.   

We could not have had a better time!