Sunday, August 12, 2012

On the road again...actually now off the road again

This is more of a travel update than a cancer update.

We took a family trip. A very loooong family trip. A Griswold type family trip.
23 days, 5500 miles and 12 states.

We loaded up the the truckster (Toyota van) and headed west from the DC area to Yellowstone.
Stops included the jolly green giant in Blue Earth, MN, the Corn Palace and Wall Drug in South Dakota. We saw the Badlands, Mount Rushmore and Devil's Tower. We had a four night stay in Yellowstone and saw many, many animals, the geysers, and swam in some unpublicized but great hot spring fed rivers. We then dropped down to the Grand Tetons for a couple more great nights.

So many highlights:
float trip in a storm on the Snake River
alpine slide in Jackson
Notch Trail in the Badlands
Mount Rushmore at night with lightning in the background
old style oil lamp cave tour in Jewel Cave National Monument
horse back riding with the girls
sleeping in the tent for 13 straight nights, much of it in the mountain air

On the way back we saw good friends in Indiana and Michigan and visited family in Ohio and western New York.

Whew, it was a great trip but good to be home.

Why did we do this? These are some of the favorite places Marcie and I first visited together 18 years ago. We felt the need to share these places and our spirit of exploring with our children. Subliminally, I think we feel that although my tumor appears to stable, the clock is ticking very quietly but noticeably. If not now, when else can we make a trip like this?




3 comments:

  1. Glad to read that your golf ball is not changing... I like to check in and of course love the good news! We too took a road trip - 17 days, 5439 miles this summer. Hit Needles, Arches, Mesa Verde and Chimney Rock National Parks, a rodeo, a county fair, Abe Lincoln's tomb, tubed down hot springs and visited just 11 new states!
    Hello to Marcie and the girls! Hope you all still remember us...
    God bless,
    The Cushen family

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  2. Of course we remember you! How are the kids? We can't believe it almost six years since we picked up the girls. G is starting 2nd and A is going into 3rd here in Cheverly. We should get together soon.
    Jim and Marcie

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  3. Sounds great. So envious. Didn't do something as grand as you :) but did do some good ole car camping with the family who've never ever gone camping before in their lives (can you believe it?!). Similar to you, I also had the same thought in the back of my mind about the slow ticking clock and doing as much as I can in enjoying myself before it hits zero.

    I'll have to ask you about those secret hot spring fed rivers someday.

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