Most of my stuff is in a storage unit until 4 weeks from now when I return from the trip. 10'x15' holds it all.
Tune up, check. Car wash, check. Everything in storage, check. It's time to travel to North Dakota!
Welcome to South Carolina along I-85. Approx. 2 hours from Marietta.
Welcome to North Carolina along I-85. It took me about 2 hours to drive plus I slept for an hour in the parking lot before taking the picture.
Fail! Note that black thing near the bottom is a HOOK.
Unfortunately, I didn't see a Welcome sign when I entered Maryland. This is from http://www.flickr.com/photos/erkpod/3568532179/.
After a day in the car drinking soda, eating Pringles, drinking Slurpees, and having lunch at Friendly's (complete with a sundae)...I'm glad I had “vegetables” available for dinner.
Welcome to Pennsylvania. (We later drove back to Maryland to pick up West Virginia then back into PA to visit the caverns. It was a convuloted trip...)
When you're within 10 minutes of another state, you gotta go!
Pennsylvania countryside from the mountain that contains Laurel Caverns. Outside Uniontown, PA.
Rachel actually posed for this photo. We were both too cheap to drop the quarter.
The 45' high rapelling rope inside Laurel Caverns, PA.
The limestone walls inside Laurel Caverns.
Rachel makes a golf ball roll uphill. Great optical illusion on a 30% grade.
Who knows what this is besides a bunch of cool lights lighting up a cave.
Another interesting limestone formation in Laurel Caverns. Are you bored looking at cavern photos? Me, too.
Ohio!
Rachel makes dinner at Barkcamp State Park in SE Ohio.
As we head out on Monday (June 22), here's what the Jeep looks when packed neatly.
Mmmm, ice cream.
Ice Cream at Dad's Drive In in Goshen Township, Ohio. 2 small cones: $3.00.
Goshen Township, Ohio. Approximately an hour north of Columbus.
Rachel made that fire (don't worry, she added real logs later). Apparently Camp Barney is where she learned.
Rachel's fire.
Our home for the month, on loan from my friend Marcia.
Rachel wanted to give you a view from her “cockpit”.
Behind our campsite at Harrison Creek State Park in northwest Ohio.
That white semi-circle cutout was on many barns throughout Ohio.
We toured Spangler Candy Company in Bryan, Ohio. These are just some of the things we bought.
Another state line!
Ferris Wheel on Navy Pier in Chicago.
Lake Michigan / Chicago River.
Navy Pier and a pleasure boat.
Lake Michigan
The hostel in Chicago.
My family loves the Cubs. I, unfortunately, find watching baseball to be like watching paint dry. This pic is for Mom and Lehr.
Pirates and dinosaurs, oh my! At the Field Museum in Chicago.
At the Field Museum, Chicago.
Fireworks at Navy Pier, Chicago.
Given the exposure time and diameter of the Ferris Wheel, could you figure out how fast it's moving?
On the Ferris Wheel.
Chicago at night.
Journaling two ways.
Big Kahuna wave pool at Noah's Ark water park in Wisconsin Dells.
Wisconsin state line along I-94.
Welcome to Minnesota.
Darrell, Ashley, Megan, & Rachel at Wild River Outfitters along the Upper St. Croix Riverway.
Trumpeter swans
Rachel gets some advice on paddle use.
Darrell and I used to work together about 10 years ago.
Rachel gets started paddling the St. Croix.
Artsy shot.
Self portrait.
Rachel, what did you think of kayaking the St. Croix today?
North Dakota! Monday (June 29) around 1:30 Central Time.
Rachel was so excited to hit the state line.
Where are we? Oh yeah, NORTH DAKOTA!
Just in case you forgot, we're in North Dakota!
Rachel was most excited about learning to drive on this trip. She got her first lesson in the parking lot of the Fargo Dome. The Jeep is a manual transmission, so she had a lot to remember.
After the first driving lesson. Where was it? That's right, North Dakota! (Where the driving age is 14.5 years)
At our campsite in Fort Ransom State Park. Rachel has just returned from fetching the water.
Looking out over the prairie grass from our campsite at Fort Ransom.
Cooking mac & cheese at the campsite. I think that's the only dish we've eaten while camping, so I've decided I'm on mac & cheese strike.
The valley in front of me was carved by a river that was formed umpteen million years ago from a melting glacier.
Run Rachel, run.
At Fort Ransom state park in North Dakota.
We noticed two things in this eroded cliff: 1) birds have nested in the soil near the top and 2) check out how the dirt changes patterns about a third of the way down. Fort Ransom state park, ND.
Camp fire.
The view from our campsite in North Dakota.
Prairie grass.
This is a very scary sight when you're in North Dakota and nearly every exit reads “No Services”. We stopped at one gas station that was closed and had to drive on.
Painted Canyon at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota.
First one captured on film, but the second bison we spotted in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND.
Our campsite at Theodore Roosevelt. We pitched the yellow tent, it rained, tent flooded, so we pitched the backup tent (thanks, Marcia!).
Interesting clouds. Nothing more to see here, please move along.
Awww, a prairie dog. (Photographed by Rachel)
Something walked through here...we hope it's a bison track.
Another state line -- South Dakota.
In the Black Hills National Forest. Lake P-something-or-other.
Cool bridge on US 16 near Keystone, SD.
Yes, the bison was this close to the car -- Rachel took this from the passenger seat with a 35-80mm zoom lens.
Mom: I still haven't found Chief Falling Rock yet, despite all the signs.
The Black Hills, South Dakota.
This is called “Eye of the Needle”. I just thought it looked like a giant vagina.
Rachel, climbing where I'm too scared to go.
Crazy Horse Memorial in Custer, South Dakota.
Crazy Horse Memorial. This thing's been in progress for 50 years.
Iron Mountain Road in the Black Hills National Forest. That's Rushmore in the distance.
Is that snow in July? Turns out it's hail that fell today, but still!
Kansas!
Somewhere in Kansas.
Interesting clouds in Kansas.
Oklahoma state line!
Rachel's 4th of July hairdo.
New friends in Oklahoma City.
Storms roll in quickly out here (in Oklahoma) and I remain fascinated by the clouds.
This is what's left of a GIANT tree, not 20 feet from the entrance of OU's administration building.
On the campus of the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK.
Mini golf at Arrowhead State Park in Oklahoma.
At Pete's Place, family-style Italian food in Krebs, Oklahoma. Yay for looking like Target employees and a random guy.
Welcome to Arkansas!
The observation tower at Hot Springs National Park. It's operated by a private company and we were feeling too cheap to go up.
Louisiana. I felt like we were cheating to get this state as we only drove through the northeast corner of the state.
Traffic and construction on the I-20 bridge over the Mississippi River. I'm glad Rachel had the camera handy and I didn't have to supervise her getting a picture of the sign.
The Mississippi River, driving East (so that's MS in the distance).
An old Eliason family tradition is to see all the Civil War cannon anywhere you visit.
This is the first air conditioned state line sign we've seen. Thank God.
Alabama!
Florida! This is the last state line Rachel and I will cross together.
Rachel plays in the ocean at Picnic Tables, the beach I've been going to since I was younger than her.
Mom and Rachel at Picnic Tables.
Rachel, what do you think about playing in the waves?
Stefanie and Rachel at Petrillo's in Indialantic.
After dinner, the kids dip their toes in the water.
Rachel and Stefanie at the beach in Indialantic.
