Day 5 - Hello Seattle!

Blogger: Paula
We have arrived in Seattle! Wahoo! 2,800 miles and 12 states in five days - Whew! As we predicted, Day 5 was the most scenic and the longest as we anticipated our arrival in our new home state. We had the earliest wake up call of the trip hitting the road at 6:15 a.m. which allowed us to witness a beautiful sunrise over western Montana. We found the west side of this very long state to be much more scenic with hills, mountains and life! We even saw a herd of buffalo!

I have to admit that Idaho was not a state that I thought would make my top highlights list. I thought it would be flat land with potato farms. Boy was I wrong! While we only traversed the skinniest part of the state, the views were by far the most dramatic of the trip! The mountains were stunning with vertical rock formations and thick evergreens with a few gorgeous lakes and streams intertwined. I was disappointed that it was one of the shortest states since it was indeed the most spectacular.

We were certain that the entire city of Seattle (four hours away) heard us whooping when we crossed into the state of Washington. We couldn't pass Spokane without stopping at the Jesuit University of western Washington - Gonzaga. It was a beautiful campus, and the Hermanns jumped out to "stretch their legs" coincidentally at the athletic facilities.

Those last four hours seemed to take forever. The scenery was not what we had expected - it was very flat and pretty boring until we hit the central part of the state. We saw another wind farm, a few lakes, and had a big laugh when we passed into the city of George, Washington! I was also a little hesitant to get out at the scenic lookout as there was a sign that said "watch for rattlesnakes." Gratefully, Mike and Andrew did not see any (I enjoyed the view from the van).

Our first rain of the trip came as we drove into Seattle - an appropriate welcome! My cousin's wife is from Seattle and her parents graciously extended the offer for us to stay with them during the transition week. We arrived for our first home cooked meal in a week and it was delicious, (not to mention it was terrific not to have to balance dinner on a hotel mattress).

An exhausting day, but a true sense of accomplishment! We drove across America. Much like the pioneers who made that journey in months instead of days, we now have an appreciation of the diversity of the land and the size of our beautiful country. Let the chapter begin.

Day 4: What a Country!

Blogger: Mike

After today's ride, we were impressed once again with the diversity of landscape and lifestyles in our country. We completed the trip through South Dakota, traveled about 200 miles in Wyoming and started to cross Montana, pulling up for the night just past Bozeman in the town of Belgrade. We've left ourselves quite a challenge for tomorrow - about 300 miles more in Montana, across the thin part of Idaho and then crossing Washington, from Spokane to Seattle. We hope to get started early!

But back to today! We started the day with our biggest sight-seeing adventure of the trip. We stayed in Rapid City and had about a 30-minute drive to Mt. Rushmore. It was a must-do! We were on the road before 8 and there were few guests when we arrived at the monument. It was an interesting exhibit - a tribute to four outstanding Presidents that led with different causes. But it was also just as much a reflection of what can be done with great ideas. As I learned about the history of sculpture, the idea came from a South Dakotan who thought it would be good for tourism. He was certainly right. Completed 14 years after it started, the monument is the centerpiece for a thriving South Dakota tourism industry. From the exhibits we saw along the way on I-90 yesterday to the plethora of entertainment options in the Rapid City area, including a live bear exhibit, a petting zoo, the required wax museum, the reptile gardens, plus all types of family attractions. Our hotel even had an indoor water park attached. The tourism idea continues to be a mainstay in a state that would not be much of an attraction without the manmade monument and the supporting attractions.

From the manmade wonder, we then began to observe the natural wonder of the Rocky Mountains over the rest of the day. Wyoming was sparse and almost desert like. The further we drove into the state, the mountains became a larger part of the horizon. Our trip did not take us to the natural tourist attractions in Wyoming - Yellowstone and the Grant Tetons.

The massive state of Montana offered large stone mounds, fertile valleys and houses with great views! We enjoyed our first few hours in the state and look forward to more great vistas tomorrow!

Day 3: Hello South Dakota!

Before we made this leg of the journey, I did not realize just how big South Dakota was. It is 380 miles long which we crossed most of today, and ranks 46th in population. Today, we started in Rochester, Minnesota, and the first part of the trip was along the southern part of Minnesota. The land is flat and full of wind farms. Literally, there were hundreds of wind turbines! I have never seen so many in my life. I saw a commercial earlier in the morning that stated 15% of all Minnesota's electricity comes from renewable resources! I beguiled the time by reading "A Tale of Two Cities," by none other than Charles Dickens. I also had the audiobook on my iPod which helped with the pronunciations.

Once we entered South Dakota, with not much change in landscape, we came across Sioux Falls, the largest city in South Dakota. It was our lunch stop and we carried our sandwiches and subs to a nearby park that had a river running through it with a waterfall. It was quite scenic, and surprisingly warm. After our lunch break, we started the long and weary journey across the state of South Dakota. The horizon extended for miles and miles and nothing more than ranches and fields were seen. On I-90 in South Dakota there are thousands of billboards that advertise many of the areas local attractions. For example, there is the Corn Palace, a museum dedicated to corn and is entirely made out of it, and the famous Wall Drug Store. Wall Drug Store is in the western part of South Dakota and is known for the ridiculous amounts of stuff that they sell. They practically sell everything from homemade treats to anything you can imagine. There is even a chapel in the store! Wall Drug store has become a tourist hotspot. Unfortunately, the Hermanns did not stop because of the long journey. Wall Drug Store took up a good 40% of the billboard advertisements. Other advertisers were Reptileland, the town of 1880's (a town themed from the 1880's), the National Museum of Woodcarving, Rushmore Caverns, and many more outrageous attractions.

The scenery changed slowly as we trekked across the state. It become hilly and there we more elevation changes. Mountains and hills started to appear on the horizon. We then reached Rapid City, the destination for day 3. Our hotel is new and has been accommodating, and as of right now everyone but me is asleep weary from a long day of travel.

Andrew