luftballoon

Our road trip west for 2 weeks went splendidly. we started out on I-70 west, never knowing what was past the chicago exit....that being the farthest west any of us had been in 20 plus years(my family used to go camping when i was a girl and the memories of driving to missouri flooded me as we drove onward). i liked to think of our trip as unplanned to make it more fun in my head.....as if we were just getting up and going on a whim. those two weeks were so very much needed for our little family....nate to escape from his work place, me to escape the thoughts of oncoming full time school, and austin just along for the ride enjoying his summer break. it really could not have gone smoother and now i feel as if i could drive anywhere...literally anywhere. no destination is too far or unreachable. there is truly nothing lovelier than being forced to be with the ones you love  in a car for 2 weeks...every minute of the day. with the exception of Las Vegas and Death Valley, one of the same really....every destination was mesmerizing, a new adventure. in the end we saw the following-

* St. Louis and the Gateway Arch

* Kansas and all its rolling hills and flat plains

* Colorado and its Rocky Mountains

* Utah's Bryce Canyon and more, soooo beautiful and red

* Nevada and all its hot weather and sin smog

* California, you were large and plentiful...death valley, the valleys of fruits and vegetables for hours and hours, san francisco and its nippy breeze, Napa Valley, the coast and the redwoods

* Oregon and its green green everywhere...Portland and its utopian society

Thank you my boys for seeing a bit of the world with me!