We finally got to sleep in, sort of, today, given that we didn't have a long way to drive. It was nice, because it's getting hot and gave us more time at our ultimate destination. Nine years ago, Jeff and I drove through Petrified Forest National Park very, very quickly. It was technically after closing time, so we basically got to drive the road and look at scenery, but couldn't stop at any of the pull-offs for fear of the National Park Service ranger coming after us. It has been on my to-do list for a return for a while, and do it we did. We came in from I-40, so saw beautiful vistas of the painted desert. We saw a few animals, ravens, etcetera. Liam took many pictures of them, not so much of the ... read more

After awakening at 3:30 to a weather alert (thankfully just a flash flood warning), we actually awoke later than the previous mornings. It looked like it was going to be a terrible day, horribly windy and 70% chance of rain with strong storms. There've been two big tornados here over the last couple weeks, and I've been more than a little worried about another one. Thankfully, it turned out to be a beautiful day--not too hot, no rain. Our first stop was the Museum of Osteology in Moore. It opened in 2010, with one person's collection started when he was seven years old. The entryway sets the tone, with a lion attacking an antelope, jawbones of two different types of whales. There is also a small exhibit showing beetles cleaning a variety of skulls. I apparently ... read more

We did a lot of driving today, but actually got to get out for a little while, which felt good. We started in Willowbrook, Illinois, and drove Route 66 through many smallish towns. We stopped for an earthcache in Joliet and pulled up just as a barge was going through a drawbridge. We saw that bridge close, and then the one down river go up, too. The boys (and parents) thought it was very cool. We also stopped at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield to see Lincoln's Tomb. There were storms in the area over the past 24 hours, which was very apparent along much of drive. Our first indication was a huge chunk of silo in the middle of a field, with the closest farm buildings across the highway. The next was a destroyed barn ... read more

We awoke to a less wet day. It was still quite cloudy, but the forecast suggested periods free from rain. I had picked this park for the butterfly garden and burial mounds and views, so we drove over to the Nelson Unit to do a little hiking. I also, of course, wanted a geocache for today, and the only one around here was a multi. We realized the first part was back in town, so Emily, Cole and I went walking and sent Liam and the men to find the needed information. Cole picked dandelions in the garden while I did a little desperately needed weeding. We're a little early in the season for great flowers, and a little cool, I think, for butterflies. We hadn't heard from the men, so we took off on the ... read more

For our summer vacation this year, we are returning to one long trip. It started with the suggestion that we take my parents on Route 66, but has ended up to be a nearly month-long tour of the western US. We have been, of course, but we will introduce them to Arizona, California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana, and perhaps a couple other states as well. I hope it will be a lot of fun and memorable for the right reasons. The title suggests we are almost ready to leave. That's not entirely true. I am very ready to leave from the perspective of needing a vacation. I'm ready to be away from the responsibilities; I'm ready for the boys to be done with school. I'm not, however, ready to leave tomorrow. We are ... read more