Geo: 36.4072, -105.57380 degrees and sunny7.010 feet above sea level (Troy is 678 ft)Great views. Beautiful weather. Enya playing (seemed appropriate). I haven't listened to it in years. It was so nice to wake up at leisure and have my coffee with quiet mountain views. It rained a little last night. Paul and I stepped outside and there was this amazing smell. I am not sure if its the sage brush or this other plant they say opens it's pores to take in the rain and releases this amazing smell. Imagine stepping into one of those little shops that are filled with lavender and spice only this is a smell all around mixed with a fresh mountain air. It smells so good. You want to bottle it up. This morning we just vegged. Layed like broccoli. ... read more

Geo: 38.8331, -104.82285 degrees and sunny72 degrees in the mountains10,000 feet above sea level1 pool1 pizza13 cool small towns1 ski resort1 inappropriately named store1 gondolaAnother amazing day. We decided to be adventurous by driving the scenic route into the mountains. Our only hesitation was time. 1 hour from Denver to Colorado Springs direct route. Scenic drive is a little over 4 hours. Our friends, the Rangel's suggested we drive west into Idaho Springs for pizza at Beau Joes and then drive the scenic route to Colorado Springs. This morning, I said, "we are doing it. I want to see more of Colorado." Everyone agreed and off we went with a John Denver album playing while driving down a "country road...Rocky Mountain High, Colorado."Idaho Springs is about 30 minutes from Denver and the cutest little town. Loved ... read more

Geo: 38.8709, -99.332285 degrees and sunny (all day)\514 miles7 hours 18 minutes1000 smashed bugs on the windshield1 mass150 fruit flies that found, grew or emerged from the fruit we left in the van overnight1 University1 Capital3 amazingly well behaved kids who actually enjoy road tripping (who wouldn't want to Van-Go)Today, before we left the Lou, (and after we found a car full of fruit flies) we went to mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. It is an enormously beautiful cathedral. It may have been the longest mass we've been too. Paul looked at Elizabeth and said, " We may have to skip Denver because this mass is so long." It was nice though. I like taking them to different churches so they are comfortable someday going wherever they are if they want to go ... read more

Geo: 42.5624, -83.1545550 miles9 hours and 50 minutes2 movies1 Missouri 50 states movie (15 minutes-we wouldn't torture our kids...maybe a little. We made them write a report about it. KIDDING!)4 states including Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri0 swear words I Bob Evans Bloomington1 Residence Inn Downtown City viewOpen road ahead. Pavement leading us to the unknown ahead of us. Joyful singing and laughter.... Really? It's not a Disney movie people.Let me start over. Road filled with cars. Semis pressing us against the highway divider. Headphones and a movie passing the time so Paul and I can listen to our music and chat. Now a traffic jam. Doesn't matter. We have nowhere to be, only places go. Oh, the places we'll go.Our departure was very smooth. I think we've packed everything but the kitchen sink. Lovin this ... read more

Geo: 42.5624, -83.1545I have spent the last year mapping out our next road trip across the US. We are very excited once again. We will be traveling to some south/southwestern states. We will travel for 16 days in our beast, our conversion van. We have enjoyed our van over the past couple of years. It is quite comfortable and room. It is actually very easy to drive. This year, our new states are Tennesee, Arkansas, Oaklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri. Some states we will spend the night and have a meal while others we will find some local activities to give us a flavor for the state/city. I use tripadvisor for ideas, tips as well as reviews on activities. It has been very helpful. I also use Roadtrippers app to map our my ... read more