August 12, 2006: What a long, strange trip it's been!
Fifty-one days, 12,504 miles, 34 states, and one Canadian province; 625 gallons of gas, 20 homes, 15 hotels, and four new tires; 40,391 words, 395 photos, 270 Internet links, and 112 bullet points. It feels like I’ve written a novel, and in terms of length, I suppose I have. Call it a memoir; that sounds more elevated than a mere diary or journal. I hope that in days to come our sons - and perfect strangers - will enjoy reading and learning from it.
This trip may seem like an arduous way to spend a vacation with kids, and occasionally it has been. But we’ve visited so many people, seen so many places, and done so much that we couldn’t have done otherwise, and both our boys have been amazingly patient, all things considered. And it’s nothing compared to our honeymoon, which began in late 1988 and ended in early 1990.
For 15 months, we traveled around the world: French Polynesia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Mongolia, the Soviet Union, Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Greece, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and England.
Highlights of that eventful trip included scuba diving for several days on the Great Barrier Reef, crossing the Australian outback twice, attending a wedding in Sumatra and funerals in Bali and northern Thailand, witnessing the Chinese student uprising that culminated at Tiananmen Square, transiting the Soviet Union on the Trans-Siberian Railway, exploring the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, being tear gassed near the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and watching the Berlin Wall open at Potsdamer Platz.
Our next round-the-world adventure is waiting for the day we retire, when the kids are in college and Debbie and I can fly the coop for at least six months to see a few of the places we missed on the first big trip. At this point, I picture starting with the Andes and the Amazon, flying from Brazil to South Africa, working our way up to East Africa, flying from Kenya to India, trekking in Nepal, and crossing China to Korea and Japan before flying home.
So as you can see, we’re incurable travelers. Yet even the most incurable of us must rejoin reality, at least for a while: unpacking, laundry, mail, bills, housework, yard work, office work, play dates, grocery shopping, and a much-needed oil change and car wash, just for starters. Debbie's sister Meryl is staying with us in Seattle, my thirtieth high school reunion is today, and Tommy's tenth birthday is less than a week away. Life doesn’t stop and neither do we.
To end this epilogue, we’d like to thank our many hosts, who have both put us up and put up with us. It was a joy to be with you, and we’d again like to invite all of you to come see us in Seattle any time we’re home. (The weather is particularly pleasant in the summer, though: clear and warm and almost never hot or humid.) Let our journey inspire you. Break free of that all-too-American malady, vacation deprivation, take your own Great American Road Trip, and visit the Great Northwest!
Date: Route (Visiting)
Thursday, June 22: Seattle, WA – Vancouver (Harriet)
Friday, June 23: Vancouver – OR – Woodland, CA (Jim, Cindy, Evan, Amanda)
Saturday, June 24: Woodland – Sacramento – Woodland (Jim, Cindy, Evan, Amanda)
Sunday, June 25: Woodland – San Francisco – Altadena (Jim, Cindy, Evan, Amanda, Peggy Sue, Bradley)
Monday, June 26: Altadena – Pasadena – Palm Springs (Peggy Sue, Bradley, Mid)
Tuesday, June 27: Palm Springs (Mid)
Wednesday, June 28: Palm Springs (Mid)
Thursday, June 29: Palm Springs – Altadena (Mid, Peggy Sue, Bradley)
Friday, June 30: Altadena – Hollywood – Altadena (Peggy Sue, Bradley)
Saturday, July 1: Altadena – Pasadena – Altadena (Mid, Peggy Sue, Bradley, Alan)
Sunday, July 2: Altadena – Pasadena – Las Vegas, NV – AZ – St. George, UT (Peggy Sue, Bradley, Steve, Susan, Alberto)
Monday, July 3: St. George – Zion National Park – St. George
Tuesday, July 4: St. George – Zion – Bryce Canyon – Kanab
Wednesday, July 5: Kanab – Grand Canyon, AZ – Phoenix
Thursday, July 6: Phoenix (Todd)
Friday, July 7: Phoenix – Flagstaff – Meteor Crater – Grants, NM (Todd)
Saturday, July 8: Grants – Albuquerque (Mina Jo, Michael, Betty, Joe, Annie, Ben, Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva)
Sunday, July 9: Albuquerque – Los Alamos – Centennial, CO (Mark, Kathy, Abby)
Monday, July 10: Centennial – Denver – Centennial (Mark, Kathy, Abby)
Tuesday, July 11: Centennial – Denver – Colorado Springs – Abilene, KS (Mark, Kathy, Abby)
Wednesday, July 12: Abilene – Kansas City – St. Charles, MO (Shelly, Ben)
Thursday, July 13: St. Charles – St. Louis – IL – IN – Lexington, KY (Meryl)
Friday, July 14: Lexington – Louisville – Lexington (Meryl, Jay, Philip, Ellen)
Saturday, July 15: Lexington (Meryl)
Sunday, July 16: Lexington – Mammoth Cave – Nashville, TN (Trent, Ellie)
Monday, July 17: Nashville (Trent, Ellie, Shayna, Adena)
Tuesday, July 18: Nashville – AL – TN – Atlanta, GA – Macon (Trent, Ellie, Shayna, Adena)
Wednesday, July 19: Macon – Brooksville, FL (Claudia, Jim)
Thursday, July 20: Brooksville (Claudia, Jim, Christine, Taylor)
Friday, July 21: Brooksville – Disneyworld – Brooksville
Saturday, July 22: Brooksville – Homosassa Springs – Brooksville – Hernando Beach – Brooksville (Claudia, Jim, Scott, Cindy, Christine, Donny, Taylor, Toby)
Sunday, July 23: Brooksville – SC – Wilson, NC
Monday, July 24: Wilson, NC – Williamsburg, VA – Alexandria (Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva)
Tuesday, July 25: Alexandria – Washington, DC – Alexandria (Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva)
Wednesday, July 26: Alexandria – Occoquan River – Alexandria – Washington, DC – Alexandria (Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva, Ruth, Jerry)
Thursday, July 27: Alexandria – Falls Church – Washington, DC – MD – PA – Kenilworth, NJ (Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva, Jonathan)
Friday, July 28: Kenilworth – Milburn – NY – CT – Newton, MA (Miriam, Matthew, Eve, Joseph, Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva, Daniel, Mina Jo, Michael, Brice, Dina, Harold, Phyllis, Janine, Benjamin, Isaac, Eliana, Jacob)
Saturday, July 29: Newton – Cape Cod – Newton (Janine, Benjamin, Isaac, Eliana, Jacob)
Sunday, July 30: Newton – RI – Mystic, CT – NY – Highland Park, NJ (Benjamin, Isaac, Eliana, Jacob, Melanie, David, Jesse, Sophia)
Monday, July 31: Highland Park (Melanie, David, Jesse, Sophia)
Tuesday, August 1: Highland Park – New York City, NY – Highland Park, NJ (Melanie, David, Jesse, Sophia)
Wednesday, August 2: Highland Park – Ithaca, NY (Melanie, David, Jesse, Sophia, Bill, Deanna, Sarah, Rachel)
Thursday, August 3: Ithaca – Seneca Falls – Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada – Toronto (Bill, Deanna, Sarah, Rachel, 3 friends)
Friday, August 4: Toronto (3 friends)
Saturday, August 5: Toronto – Battle Creek, MI (3 friends)
Sunday, August 6: Battle Creek – IN – Chicago, IL – Rockford
Monday, August 7: Rockford – WI – MN – Sioux Falls, SD
Tuesday, August 8: Sioux Falls – Mitchell – Badlands – Wall – Mt. Rushmore – Devil’s Tower, WY
Wednesday, August 9: Devil’s Tower – Cody
Thursday, August 10: Cody – Yellowstone – Butte, MT
Friday, August 11: Butte – ID – Seattle, WA
This trip may seem like an arduous way to spend a vacation with kids, and occasionally it has been. But we’ve visited so many people, seen so many places, and done so much that we couldn’t have done otherwise, and both our boys have been amazingly patient, all things considered. And it’s nothing compared to our honeymoon, which began in late 1988 and ended in early 1990.
For 15 months, we traveled around the world: French Polynesia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Mongolia, the Soviet Union, Poland, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Greece, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, France, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and England.
Highlights of that eventful trip included scuba diving for several days on the Great Barrier Reef, crossing the Australian outback twice, attending a wedding in Sumatra and funerals in Bali and northern Thailand, witnessing the Chinese student uprising that culminated at Tiananmen Square, transiting the Soviet Union on the Trans-Siberian Railway, exploring the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, being tear gassed near the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and watching the Berlin Wall open at Potsdamer Platz.
Our next round-the-world adventure is waiting for the day we retire, when the kids are in college and Debbie and I can fly the coop for at least six months to see a few of the places we missed on the first big trip. At this point, I picture starting with the Andes and the Amazon, flying from Brazil to South Africa, working our way up to East Africa, flying from Kenya to India, trekking in Nepal, and crossing China to Korea and Japan before flying home.
So as you can see, we’re incurable travelers. Yet even the most incurable of us must rejoin reality, at least for a while: unpacking, laundry, mail, bills, housework, yard work, office work, play dates, grocery shopping, and a much-needed oil change and car wash, just for starters. Debbie's sister Meryl is staying with us in Seattle, my thirtieth high school reunion is today, and Tommy's tenth birthday is less than a week away. Life doesn’t stop and neither do we.
To end this epilogue, we’d like to thank our many hosts, who have both put us up and put up with us. It was a joy to be with you, and we’d again like to invite all of you to come see us in Seattle any time we’re home. (The weather is particularly pleasant in the summer, though: clear and warm and almost never hot or humid.) Let our journey inspire you. Break free of that all-too-American malady, vacation deprivation, take your own Great American Road Trip, and visit the Great Northwest!
Itinerary: The Great American Road Trip 2006
Date: Route (Visiting)
Thursday, June 22: Seattle, WA – Vancouver (Harriet)
Friday, June 23: Vancouver – OR – Woodland, CA (Jim, Cindy, Evan, Amanda)
Saturday, June 24: Woodland – Sacramento – Woodland (Jim, Cindy, Evan, Amanda)
Sunday, June 25: Woodland – San Francisco – Altadena (Jim, Cindy, Evan, Amanda, Peggy Sue, Bradley)
Monday, June 26: Altadena – Pasadena – Palm Springs (Peggy Sue, Bradley, Mid)
Tuesday, June 27: Palm Springs (Mid)
Wednesday, June 28: Palm Springs (Mid)
Thursday, June 29: Palm Springs – Altadena (Mid, Peggy Sue, Bradley)
Friday, June 30: Altadena – Hollywood – Altadena (Peggy Sue, Bradley)
Saturday, July 1: Altadena – Pasadena – Altadena (Mid, Peggy Sue, Bradley, Alan)
Sunday, July 2: Altadena – Pasadena – Las Vegas, NV – AZ – St. George, UT (Peggy Sue, Bradley, Steve, Susan, Alberto)
Monday, July 3: St. George – Zion National Park – St. George
Tuesday, July 4: St. George – Zion – Bryce Canyon – Kanab
Wednesday, July 5: Kanab – Grand Canyon, AZ – Phoenix
Thursday, July 6: Phoenix (Todd)
Friday, July 7: Phoenix – Flagstaff – Meteor Crater – Grants, NM (Todd)
Saturday, July 8: Grants – Albuquerque (Mina Jo, Michael, Betty, Joe, Annie, Ben, Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva)
Sunday, July 9: Albuquerque – Los Alamos – Centennial, CO (Mark, Kathy, Abby)
Monday, July 10: Centennial – Denver – Centennial (Mark, Kathy, Abby)
Tuesday, July 11: Centennial – Denver – Colorado Springs – Abilene, KS (Mark, Kathy, Abby)
Wednesday, July 12: Abilene – Kansas City – St. Charles, MO (Shelly, Ben)
Thursday, July 13: St. Charles – St. Louis – IL – IN – Lexington, KY (Meryl)
Friday, July 14: Lexington – Louisville – Lexington (Meryl, Jay, Philip, Ellen)
Saturday, July 15: Lexington (Meryl)
Sunday, July 16: Lexington – Mammoth Cave – Nashville, TN (Trent, Ellie)
Monday, July 17: Nashville (Trent, Ellie, Shayna, Adena)
Tuesday, July 18: Nashville – AL – TN – Atlanta, GA – Macon (Trent, Ellie, Shayna, Adena)
Wednesday, July 19: Macon – Brooksville, FL (Claudia, Jim)
Thursday, July 20: Brooksville (Claudia, Jim, Christine, Taylor)
Friday, July 21: Brooksville – Disneyworld – Brooksville
Saturday, July 22: Brooksville – Homosassa Springs – Brooksville – Hernando Beach – Brooksville (Claudia, Jim, Scott, Cindy, Christine, Donny, Taylor, Toby)
Sunday, July 23: Brooksville – SC – Wilson, NC
Monday, July 24: Wilson, NC – Williamsburg, VA – Alexandria (Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva)
Tuesday, July 25: Alexandria – Washington, DC – Alexandria (Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva)
Wednesday, July 26: Alexandria – Occoquan River – Alexandria – Washington, DC – Alexandria (Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva, Ruth, Jerry)
Thursday, July 27: Alexandria – Falls Church – Washington, DC – MD – PA – Kenilworth, NJ (Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva, Jonathan)
Friday, July 28: Kenilworth – Milburn – NY – CT – Newton, MA (Miriam, Matthew, Eve, Joseph, Elisheva, Tobias, Margolit, Akiva, Daniel, Mina Jo, Michael, Brice, Dina, Harold, Phyllis, Janine, Benjamin, Isaac, Eliana, Jacob)
Saturday, July 29: Newton – Cape Cod – Newton (Janine, Benjamin, Isaac, Eliana, Jacob)
Sunday, July 30: Newton – RI – Mystic, CT – NY – Highland Park, NJ (Benjamin, Isaac, Eliana, Jacob, Melanie, David, Jesse, Sophia)
Monday, July 31: Highland Park (Melanie, David, Jesse, Sophia)
Tuesday, August 1: Highland Park – New York City, NY – Highland Park, NJ (Melanie, David, Jesse, Sophia)
Wednesday, August 2: Highland Park – Ithaca, NY (Melanie, David, Jesse, Sophia, Bill, Deanna, Sarah, Rachel)
Thursday, August 3: Ithaca – Seneca Falls – Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada – Toronto (Bill, Deanna, Sarah, Rachel, 3 friends)
Friday, August 4: Toronto (3 friends)
Saturday, August 5: Toronto – Battle Creek, MI (3 friends)
Sunday, August 6: Battle Creek – IN – Chicago, IL – Rockford
Monday, August 7: Rockford – WI – MN – Sioux Falls, SD
Tuesday, August 8: Sioux Falls – Mitchell – Badlands – Wall – Mt. Rushmore – Devil’s Tower, WY
Wednesday, August 9: Devil’s Tower – Cody
Thursday, August 10: Cody – Yellowstone – Butte, MT
Friday, August 11: Butte – ID – Seattle, WA
posted by Tom & Debbie at
12:22 PM
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