The Final Round-up

Dates: August 16-29, 2008

Miles: 5,176

States: 10 (California, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California)

Route:

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Official Trip Logo
(courtesy of friend and neighbor Charles):













Car Time: Will Shortz's Mind Games, iPod shuffle (ELO, BOC, Japancakes, Lanterna, Warren Zevon, She & Him, Friends of Dean Martinez, Deadwood theme, Close Encounters of the Third Kind theme, The Shining theme), This American Life, Charlotte's Web (read aloud by Chris, who does an excellent Templeton the rat), That Mitchell and Webb Sound, various guidebooks and travel brochures, discussions of the future, funny/sweet stories about the people we know, the occasional and always colorful small spat (ask us about the sparkling cider/trashcan debacle in Utah), lots of noshing on dried edamame, my mom's homemade peanut butter cookies, grapes from my parents' backyard vine, Weight Watchers pretzels, rice cakes, Trident sugarless gum, Twix, bottled water

Regrets: Not taking the Stanley Ghost Tour. Not making it to the pizza parlor in Lincoln recommended by John and Molly. Not taking the trail into the Badlands I saw. Not getting a photo of Dina and Trish in Deadwood (the ladies running our favorite breakfast spot). Not calling South Dakota "SoDa" more often. Not seeing a bear in Yellowstone. Not buying the $18 pioneer-style shawl at the Oregon Trail Museum in Montpelier, Idaho. Not being able to take photos at the Anniversary Inn. Not making it to Shiprock or Four Corners -- too tired!

Joys: Everything else (save the sunglasses-in-the-toilet part)