We've Made It To Kalamazoo!

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Hi everyone!

We’re very sorry for not updating our travel blog for the last few days. I wish I could claim that:

1. Our computer died just as I was writing our first travel journal.
2. Our car broke down as we left our house and we didn’t leave until now.
3. None of our hotels had internet access until today.

Unfortunately, none of these things have happened. But we have been on the road for up to 12 hours a day and totally exhausted by the time we got to our hotel for the night. Since we were trying to get to Kalamazoo in time for the pre-wedding festivities, Kathy did not plan any sightseeing stops along the way.

We left Sandpoint on Saturday, June 17, bound for Billings, Montana for the night. We stopped in Missoula, Montana so Kathy could visit the first Coldwater Creek (CWC) store on our route. When we arrived in Billings, there was one more CWC store to visit before we called it a night. The Montana scenery was absolutely beautiful. Montana is known as “Big Sky Country”, and it truly lives up to its name.

Sunday’s drive took us as far as Fargo, North Dakota. Along the way, Kathy planned a stop at the new CWC store in Fargo, but she forgot it was Sunday and we wouldn’t be there until after the store closed. Instead, she decided she needed a picture of every state capital building along our way. That would mean an unplanned stop for a picture in Bismarck, North Dakota, with stops in St. Paul, Minnesota and Madison, Wisconsin the next day.

On Monday, we stopped at no less than three CWC stores in two states. The first was in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Next up was Woodbury, Minnesota, then Madison, Wisconsin where we stopped for the night. We were running so late that day, we made it to that last store a mere 10 minutes before they closed.

Tuesday took us through the rest of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and finally Michigan. We stopped at CWC stores in Algonquin, Deer Park, and Skokie, all in the state of Illinois. We had planned to stop at a pet store in downtown Chicago, but the traffic in the area was SO BAD, we decided to skip it. The traffic put us behind schedule, so we had to also bypass the CWC outlet store in Michigan City, Indiana. We arrived at Kathy’s parent’s house in Kalamazoo in time for a delicious home cooked steak dinner.

Today (Wednesday), we shopped with Mom and Dad Matteson and helped them get ready for a BBQ that night. We also stopped by the Portage CWC store (Kathy assures me that this would be the very last CWC store on this trip). At the BBQ, we met most of Tracy’s (Jon’s fiancée) family. Even in the mists of their wedding planning, Jon and Tracy found time to celebrate Kathy’s, Sarah’s (Jon’s daughter) and my birthdays with a beautiful (and delicious) cake. Everyone had a great time.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for our next Travelogue coming soon (hopefully).

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Photos

ROXY Theater, Missoula, Montana
Kathy had to snap this picture for our youngest puppy, "Roxy".

Coldwater Creek Store, Maple Grove, Minnesota
Located in the Shoppes at Arbor Lakes.

Coldwater Creek Store, Madison, Wisconsin
Located in the West Towne Mall.

Coldwater Creek Store, Skokie, Illinois
Located at the Old Orchard Mall.

Comments

[Kay & Dan Bourdon]

We are enjoying your travelogue and all the pictures, especially of the babies and the CWC stores! Have a great time at the wedding! Kay and Dan

[Dad Sierra]

Happy To See Your Travelog
Seeing your belated travelog means you, Kathy, and the kids were on track and made it safely to Kalamazoo. After not seeing any log for many days, I thought you guys made a detour to Hawaii before heading towards the East. Wishful thinking! Hey, great photos of Kathy at CWC Stores, the kids waiting in their private buggy, and the best looking Capitol buildings along the way. We'll be checking in to see more photos and reports of your journey. Have a great time there.

[Mom Sierra]

Enjoy the Travel Log.
I notice in the great pictures of the CWC stores with Kathy in it holding a large shopping bag at her side in all but one of them. The CWC stores had a good sale with a hefty 50% disc. that I too would have taken advantage of it. That was a perfect idea to use a baby carriage to carry those pair of cuties everywhere you go! We hope you had good weather during your travel.