Home Sweet Home

We have finally made it back to beautiful Ronkonkoma, NY. It feels good to be home and get a chance to sleep in our own beds again. Thanks to cousin Katie, our house was safe and sound while we were away. It's hard to believe that this trip is over and that we actually did it - it almost feels like the day after Christmas. Where did the time go ? All that planning and now it's gone. But we do have over 4000 photos and 7 hours of video to watch any time we want to remember all the great things we did and saw. But they will never take the place of actually being there and experiencing this great country as a family. This blog was meant to be a diary for us of our travels, hopefully we can keep it here online for years to come. Thanks to all of our friends and family who constantly followed the blog and made comments. We missed everyone and can't wait to see you all soon. 

 Here's some of the things we accomplished on our trip :

Wrigley Field, Chicago - Cubs vs. Astros
Top of the Willis (Sears) Tower
Millennium Park
Boat ride in Chicago River and Lake Michigan
Giordano's - Chicago's Deep Dish Pizza
Mall of America/Nickelodeon Universe, Bloomington, Minnesota
Corn Palace - Mitchell, SD
Badlands National Park, SD - Door Trail & Window Trail
Wall Drug Store, Wall, SD
Jewel Cave National Monument Lantern Tour, SD
Custer State Park, SD - Wildlife Loop
Needles Highway & Iron Mountain Road, SD
Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Keystone, SD
Crazy Horse Memorial, SD
Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming
Cody Rodeo, Cody, Wyoming
Beartooth Highway, Wyoming/Montana
Yellowstone National Park - Grand Canyon of Yellowstone/Norris Geyser Basin/Old Faithful
Jackson Hole White Water Rafting, Snake River, Wyoming
Grand Teton National Park - Taggert Lake Trail/Jenny Lake/Signal Mountain
Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho
Catamaran ride on Lake Tahoe
Yosemite National Park - Yosemite Falls Trail/Mist Trail/Bridalveil Falls Trail/Mariposa Grove Trail
San Francisco - Lombard Street/Golden Gate Bridge/Alcatraz/Ride The Ducks/Fisherman's Wharf
Los Angeles - Hollywood Sign/Hollywood Walk of Fame/Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Disneyland & Disney's California Adventure Parks
Huntington City Beach, California
Angel Stadium of Anaheim - Angels vs. Texas Rangers
Las Vegas Strip/Freemont Street Zipline
Route 66, Arizona
Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona - Bright Angel Trail/Rim Trail/Desert View
Zion National Park, Utah - The Narrows Trail/Rock & Stroll Trail
Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah - Mule Ride to bottom of canyon
Monument Valley, Arizona/Utah
Arches National Park, Utah - Fiery Furnace Trail/Delicate Arch Trail/Double Arch Trail
Coors Field, Denver, Colorado - Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals/Coors Field Tour
Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Mo - Cardinals vs. Milwaukee Brewers
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial/Gateway Arch, St. Louis, Mo
City Museum, St. Louis, Mo
HersheyPark, Hershey, PA

                            Here's what it looked liked in the Odyssey on our way home......

And finally.....our Exit 62  LIE

     

Feel The Rush

We have been on rides from the Carousel to Kingda Ka (the tallest and fastest in the world) but I have to say that we have found the most amazing roller coaster we've ever been on in SKYRUSH in Hershey. We were totally unprepared because it's not too high and there are no loops. For the entire ride you're convinced you are going to fly out of the seat. We spent Monday night in the park and the entire day there on Tuesday. The family was there to meet us and join in on what has become an annual trip now. Tomorrow we wake up and finally head home !!!  

                            Finally the sign the kids have been waiting for....and it's not a National Park

                                         Kayla and her cousin Ava getting wet.............

Jillian with her Poppy - the #1 follower of this blog !!

What would Hershey be without Grandma ??

Do those shirts come with batteries ??

I don't think this guy would take her on a trip across the country !!

SKYRUSH

Just arrived in Columbus, Ohio which is just a stop over until we get back to our home turf. That's HERSHEY, PA - The Sweetest Place on Earth !  Every road trip must end at our favorite place - Hershey Park. We've been waiting for a year to ride Skyrush and now it's just a day away. We'll be arriving at the White Rose Motel around 4 PM. We're expecting quite the reception from the family when we arrive !
See you there.........

The Gateway to the West

Well, in our case The Gateway to the East, as we head home - St. Louis, Missouri !  It's hot here - but it's another small, clean city. First night here Brendan and I walked to Busch Stadium for the Cardinals-Brewers game (The girls had enough of baseball games). Nice stadium, but they are getting to look all the same as well. However, as advertised, the Cardinal fans are one of the strongest groups we've encountered - packed house, but it was a Friday night, and they did just win the World Series.  Got our Bruce Sutter bobbleheads and Brendan got his first BP baseball of the trip. Woke up early Saturday morning and took a trip to the top of the Gateway Arch - the symbol of St. Louis. A cool little pod-like tram takes you up to the top for a view of the city in one direction and the other of the "Mighy Mississippi" River as Clark Griswald called it. After lunch we rested up in the hotel and then went out to a place called the City Museum. It's not really a museum, more like a playground made out of old junk, but definitely interesting. All sorts of slides, swings, tunnels, and caves and an old Ferris Wheel on the roof. Overall we enjoyed St. Louis.

                                                         Brendan at Busch Stadium

                                                With the baseball and the Bruce Sutter Bobblehead !

Fran and Kayla in the tram pod going up to the top of the Arch

At the top......630 feet

View of the city.....you can see the Dome where the Rams plays on the right

I can take him out......

Wooooooooooo

Mile High

We've made our way to Denver, Colorado in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains. Our first night we headed over to Coors Field for the Rockies - Cardinals game. Of course Carlos Beltran hit a two-run HR in the first inning for St. Louis. The stadium looks similar to Citifield, especially inside, (same architect) but it's bigger and more open. The next day in Denver we slept late and rested. (No getting up at 7 AM in order to be on the trails by 8) We went to the movies to see Brave and shopped at Target. The city has a few tall buildings, but the surrounding area is basically like LI. Before we headed east to Kansas, we went on the stadium tour of Coors Field, then got in the Odyssey and endured our longest drive of the trip (534 miles). At least we are heading home now. We arrived in Topeka, Kansas at 8:45 PM. Lost an hour - we're in the Central Time Zone now - only an hour difference from NY.


                                                                       Coors Field

       In the Rockies Dugout 

Hmmm.....I think I'll pinch hit for Brendan Ryan here

Ever want to see a Kansas wheat field ??  No more mountains to drive over !