1 To Go (Day 177)

Let's Review

Oct 30, 2013, 4:13 PM

Steve and I left home May 7th on our Zoos Across America Retirement Trip. Our first stop was Savannah to visit with Becca and Penelope, I got some amazing photos of the that beautiful baby. Then to Atlanta to visit Zoo Atlanta, Coke, and Stone Mountain, and from there to North Carolina to see my brother and his family at Fort Bragg and North Carolina Zoo. DC was next on our list, we visited the National Zoo and Smithsonians. Pennsylvania was our next stop. Kim and Robert were really great putting up with us for almost a month. We hit the Philadelphia Zoo and so many other things. It was so great to make new wonderful friends and take some photos that will always bring me a smile remembering trekking in a creek and see Geo's face when Catherine held out a frog, oh it was perfect (thanks guys!). Then heading west to Ohio to go to the Columbus Zoo with Robert and Celeste, their daughter-in-law and grandkids, and the Toledo Zoo to see Scott and Debbie and Scott's sister Ruth Anne, it was so good to finally meet her (just an instant friendship formed). 

Wow we have already traveled so many miles. The Lower Peninsula of Michigan was next. We hiked, went to some small zoos and just had a relaxing time. Then we ventured further north into Michigan's Upper Peninsula and Canada. We found an island lost in time, water falls, pictured rocks, and the Great Lakes, oh it was spectacular. West again we drove to Wisconsin and into Minnesota. In Minnesota we went to another zoo and the Mall of America. From there we made our way to South Dakota, we stopped in Sioux Falls to visit the Great Plains Zoo then moved on to the Rapid City area and went to a Bear Country, Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument. It was a perfect day and we were really glad we took the bus tour, someone else had to do the driving. 

We are only about half way through the trip. We are in Montana, Badlands territory and one look and you can understand why it would be called the "bad" lands. We also visited Yellowstone National Park and saw a herd of bison. After that Glacier National Park and the area around it where we found a moose, HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!!!  Now we are in Washington State, it only took us about as long as the covered wagons to get to the west coast. We went into Vancouver, Seattle, Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, Mount St. Helens, Point Defiance Zoo, and the coast where a kite festival was going on. 

Now we turn left and head south. We stopped in Oregon we saw Crater Lake and piles of rocks standing like sentinels in a valley. Then into California we went to wine country, to San Francisco, we saw giant redwood trees and sequoias big enough around to have tunnels cut in the base, we went to Sacramento on a day when the comic book characters all came to life and walked the streets. We went to Utah to go to Zion, Bryce, and the Grand Canyon's North Rim we came across some Navajo Indians and bought totem and a horse hair bowl, great souvenirs from a trip of a lifetime. We went back to California to visit the San Diego area where Steve's grandson Curtis is in the Marines, we met a recent addition to the family, Curtis' wife Courtney. Our family got a special gift the day Courtney joined our ranks. I got a special treat being asked to make dinner for Curtis, Courtney, and five of the guys Curtis works with (other Marines). It was so great to meet them and and cook them a home cooked meal, judging by the fact that 2nds, 3rds, and even 4th helpings were eaten, I think those boys appreciated the effort. 

After California's second visit we headed to Vegas to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. Kim, Robert, and Alex, and my father and step-mother flew in to help us celebrate. We had the best time! We went to the Hoover Dam, we gambled, and took in some of the nightlife, and it was over too soon. From there we really had a push east. We stopped in Flagstaff, Arizona in hopes of seeing the Grand Canyon South Rim, but those plans were dashed by the government shutdown. This was the ONLY blot on a perfect once in a lifetime trip. I hope everyone in Washington is ashamed of themselves for acting like spoiled rotten children and I do mean ALL of them and the media alike. The media is just as much at fault for fanning the flames. If I had my way they all of them would have a time out in the way of being sent home for good, banished NEVER to return. Starting with the "Spoiled-Brat-In-Chief". Can I get an AMEN?

Anyway, we actually had snow in Flagstaff as we were leaving. We made it to Albuquerque to see the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta, it was so amazing, we enjoyed it totally. Then to look for aliens in Roswell, New Mexico. We did find aliens running all over Roswell, even the streetlight globes are green and have eyes, what a giggle we got out of all of this. After this we head even further east to the great big state of Texas. San Antonio was great, we went to the Alamo and walked along the river, Houston you could keep, we weren't impressed. From there to Biloxi, then New Orleans, then Mississippi. After Mississippi we head to our home state of Florida. We decided to relax for a few days at the Gulf of Mexico. We did take advantage of this time and we relaxed cause starting tomorrow we are going to have a lot to do to get things back in order at home. 

So this is my recap of our trip. We are about two hours from home. Tomorrow we will be busy I'm sure!! Goodnight all, tomorrow I plan on putting out the last blog, just to let everyone know we made it home. So until then. . .