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| Wayne Fredrickson of Big Sky RV in Bozeman, MT gave us a great price for our trailer. It was sad to leave it behind. |
We're home. From the date of this post you'll notice we've been home for almost six months! Life back in Indiana swept us up with kids activities, taking care of the house, business, and relishing in staying put for the foreseeable future. It's been on my mind to get back for a final post, to figuratively put a bow on this wonderful trip and to put some final thoughts together on this grand adventure.
First, we are all grateful for the opportunity. Clearly not everyone can leave work and responsibility behind for three months.
We saw a lot of the United States - 23 states - on our 14,750 mile drive. It's a big country but our leisurely pace made it seem smaller. Maybe because we were never intimidated by the drive as the daily distances were short, or perhaps because we saw the country in one slowly changing continuum. Regardless, the US seems smaller to me now.
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| Amber waves of grain storage units in South Dakota. |
My favorite place? That's a tough one. For scenery I'd go with Big Bend and the Rio Grande River, all the more so because we had the place seemingly to ourselves. People - we ran into kind people everywhere and debunked the myth that Midwesterners have a monopoly on friendliness. Food - hard to beat the great Mexican food in the Southwest with the best being the Red Iguana in Salt Lake City. Best hike - to the top of Texas high point Guadalupe Peak. We had great bike rides all over but its hard to beat the rides down mountains in Death Valley, Mt Rainier, and the Cascades. We avoided Cities in general but Victoria BC was the best by far.
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| U Haul speed limit. Yeah, right! |
There are a lot of entrepreneurs out there. Not that every small shop owner would see themselves that way. It amazes me the clever ways people figure out to make a buck. The list is infinite: The guy selling elk jerky on the side of the road, river guide companies, restaurants in school buses, and new age healers in Sedona. And all apparently successful along with the self satisfaction from making their own way and being their own boss. In a time of economic uncertainty it made me feel better about our future knowing that people with energy and ideas can make a go of it.
We certainly got to know each other better. In tight quarters our best and worst qualities revealed themselves and we came to know and respect one another more. This will no doubt become one of the brightest memories that we all have of our time together as a family.
Most importantly we gained a new appreciation for our home and life in Bloomington, Indiana. Southern Indiana is verdant and uncrowded. Bloomington is a vibrant small city full of eclectic charm that we appreciate more from having been away. Life if good here and I can't imagine living anywhere else. But its always good to get away.
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| Sister Daisy enjoys Dashel's attention. |
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| We bought two puppies the day after we got home. Brother Scout after a big meal. |
