I'll be back...

I'm headed into a busy few days as we end our trip and begin to settle into our new life in Illinois.

I'm not done posting about our trip, but my internet is iffy for the next few days.

Check back next week to see how we completed our trip and any last minute thoughts from the road.

After we arrive, I plan to leave this site up for awhile...just in case any of you are interested in your own RV journey across this glorious country! I should be posting regularly over at momisright again soon.

And please, please, please leave us comments! I've heard from many of you that you are following our pilgrammage and that you even read momisright...jot a note in the comments of either blog. I get an email when notifying me when you do and it always brings a smile to my face!

Aloha for now....

Favorite on the Road Games

TLO adores this peg game from Cracker Barrel. The Boy does not believe that I made one just like this in eighth grade shop class.


Rush Hour by Think Fun is a HUGE hit! We had to go to Barnes and Noble to buy more cards to expand the game. Check it out...you'll love it, too!

Three States in One Day!

We started the morning in Texas.

We drove most of the day through Oklahoma...where the winds really do come sweeping down the plains (and onto the highway...yikes!)

We ended up in Joplin, Missouri.

En route, we were able to make a stopover at the Gleeson's, of the Gleeson Blogomerate fame, in OKC, a mere few blocks off of our route.

We were treated to warm, friendly hospitality and a yummy "Gleeson Goulash." I'll post the recipe over at momisright when I get it. It was kind of a shredded beef in almost a bbq sauce, with noodles. It was fantastic and was such a welcome break from our usual fast food and on the road sandwich lunches.

Their kids are just as adorable in real life as they are on-line! And Sean and Phoebe seemed like old friends.

Here are a few pics from our visit:

The Boys: Mitch, holding Gil, hanging out with Bede.

Faith and Jenna.

Our Oklahoma flag pic....featuring real, live Okies!

What a darling bunch of kids!

Route 66 Stop--"U Drop Inn" Shamrock, TX

Here's a flag pic of the kids at the "U Drop Inn" in Shamrock, TX.

This building has been lovingly and beautifully restored and is a shining example of Art Deco design. It used to be a Conoco station as well as a restaurant and Greyhound Bus station.

I met a charming docent when I visited and enjoyed talking with her. She told me they had received a federal grant to help with the renovations. If only more of the old Route 66 memorials could be so well-preserved!

Super Supper Deal!

We discovered that Cracker Barrel does a family meal to go!

For around $35, we got enough food for six of us to have dinner, plus about four of us to have a second "C.O.R" dinner (Clean Out the Refrigerator) the next night. (So, enough for 8, easily, if not more).

It was so good!

You pick a main dish of either Chicken 'n Dumplings, Meatloaf or Roast Beef and then get three generous portions of "vegetables." We added a fourth (fried apples). You also get a baker's dozen of either biscuits, corn muffins or a loaf of sourdough bread.

We are sorry we didn't discover this earlier in the trip. A well-rounded home-made meal with little effort (and lots of leftovers) is such a God-send!

God Bless Texas!

Both of the older girls were born in Texas. Foo in 1989 in San Antonio. Boo in 1991 in College Station. Here, they return to their "roots."




The Amarillo KOA also had the added attraction of...

Wild bunnies!

A-L-B-urquerque to Amarillo, TX

We stayed in Alburquerque, NM for one night and then moved on to Amarillo, TX.

Know what these are?

Cadillacs!

Cadillac Ranch, just west of Amarillo. Another piece of Route 66 memorabilia.

For the record...Hubby was unimpressed and wouldn't let the kids sign the cars. His response? "They had been vandalized." Well...DUH, Honey. That's the idea!!!

The kids were freezing in this picture and didn't want to stay and pose in funny ways with the cars.

The Winner of the BEST Gift Shop!

Clines Corners.

Located at the junction of Highway 285 and Interstate-40. (Actually, I think it's considered a Trading Post.)


I could have spent a fortune here! Fortunately for Hubby, it started snowing a lot and we rushed off to try outrun the storm (we did).

My Indian Blanket

I think I've mentioned how much Foo and I have enjoyed the great gift shops across this great land of ours.

I purchased this Indian Blanket in New Mexico. They are softer than I expected, even though this is an inexpensive "tourist" one. The handmade Native American ones (about $400-$600 and up) were so soft and gorgeous!

It's been a wonderful lap blanket in my chilly front seat.

And, no. It is NOT a "Native American" blanket. It is an "INDIAN" blanket.

Seeeeeeee???

"I'm Mommy..."

Payton has this way of doing things and then looking at us like we're the crazy ones.

Like she'll sit in a seat when someone moves and then look at them as if she is trying to convince us, "But, I'm Mommy. I'm supposed to sit here." Or, "I'm Daddy. That was my hamburger I just ate."

We've had a lot of fun with this on the trip.

It might help to know what Payton's "voice" sounds like. She sounds like a female Goliath, from the old Lutheran Davey and Goliath cartoons.

Aaaawwww....

We'll show this to them when they grow up, to prove to them that they really did like each other.

Life on the Road

Foo and The Little One watching "A Little Princess" on DVD.

All the kids chillin' in the "dining room."

Boo helping The Boy check email.

The Painted Desert

The Painted Desert, part of the Petrified Forest National Park.

These formations are called the "Teepees."


At the northern end of the park, there is a visitor's center that features a free 20 minute informational movie. It was excellent!

6 stars!!!

Another Petrified Forest

We call this the "Album Cover" photo.

Interested in a Family RV Trip?

You really, really must check out Lolo's Extreme Cross-Country RV Trips!!! This great site chronicles seven summers of RV adventures by Herb, Lolo and their two boys. They were my inspiration.

Do not miss it!

No...The Petrified Forest is Not Scared (or really a forest, either)

All over Holbrook, you see "Rock Stores." This seemed funny at first. They sell gorgeous pieces of polished and unpolished petrified wood, gems and fossils. Very cool.

There is petrified wood all over Holbrook, even next to the KOA bathroom. Stone-like pieces of wood that you'd swear were poured into tree-shaped molds.

The Petrified Forest is a National Park (tip: Glad we bought our National Parks pass at The Grand Canyon. $50 annually.) It also features the views of the Painted Desert and ancient petroglyphs. We really enjoyed our visit here!

More Route 66 from Holbrook, AZ

Gettin' Our Kicks....

On Route 66!

The end of our trip will parallel "The Mother Road" or Route 66. Here are some of our pics from Holbrook, AZ: