All Shook Up

Theme Songs So many theme songs were played along our journey to Memphis! "An Okey from Muskogee"(finally know it's a real place), "Think I'm on a Roll Here in Little Rock" (thanks Collin Raye for the oldie, but goodie), "Maybe it was Memphis" (Pam!), and of course the trip would not be complete without Arrested…

Adventure Tips

Ocean Front Property in OK-lahoma It rained significantly last night and we awoke to a lake outside of our door. DOT informed us I-40 was closed due to floods and people are being rescued with the rising river. We found a route to take and were able to get around the road closures.  We thought…

Getting Our Kix on Route 66

  Navajo and Hopi Native Americans Along our journey from the North Rim of the GC to Albuquerque, we passed through several protected reservations, where the level of poverty was heart breaking. The views were gorgeous but it was clear that there were little resources, with many of the houses unfinished yet occupied, churches that…

Zion Mountains and the Grandest of Canyons

After a great visit at Bryce Canyon, we were up early to head towards Zion National Park. We heard traffic was bad, so we left as early as we could, balancing the kids need for sleep. The drive through Zion's entrance was beautiful, and looked like a postcard. The contrast between the bright blue sky…

Meeting the Hoo Doos

Salt Lake City Leaving Jackson Hole was tough! We stayed longer than we had other places, so it was a tough adjustment getting back on the road. We were tired and cranky, and it took us a day to get back into the swing of things. The smoke from all of the wildfires in WY…

Heaven on Earth

  Jackson, WY This was the week we were most looking forward to, as well as where we planned to stay the longest, because it is amazing. Driving from Yellowstone and seeing the Tetons as the backdrop, looks like a never ending postcard. We were so thankful to see the Tetons on our way in,…

From Geysers to Buffalo

Yellowstone National Park Arriving through the east entrance, we passed through Yellowstone Lake, where pelicans live on the Islands. National Lampoon's Vacation We often felt like we were airstreaming with Chevy Chase, who was guiding us through the park, and quickly learned that Steven has the correct formula for irritating the kids. "Look, there is…

Buffalo Bill Cody’s Vision

Buffalo, WY Traveling to Cody, we stopped for lunch in Buffalo, where we grabbed sandwiches on homemade dill bread that were so yummy!  It is also home of the Occidental Hotel, which was founded in 1880, and hosted visitors such as Buffalo Bill, Teddy Roosevelt and Calamity Jane. Downtown Cody, WY Buffalo Bill's vision was…

Badlands/Custer State Park/Mount Rushmore

"I've been about the world a lot, and pretty much over our own country, but I was totally unprepared for that revelation called the Dakota Badlands. What I saw gave me an indescribable sense of mysterious elsewhere - an endless supernatural world more spiritual than earth, but created out of it," said Frank Lloyd Wright…

Focusing on the Journey, Not the Destination

It's easy to get focused on the final goal, rather than what we are seeing, feeling, and learning along the way.  I know I am guilty of that in my every day life. We even find ourselves doing that on our trip...driving to get somewhere and then remembering that the journey is part of the…