I recently returned from a whirlwind trip across the entire country and Eastern Canada. The drive home, beginning in Nova Scotia via northern New Brunswick and the very southeastern tip of Quebec totaled nearly 4500 miles, of which I drove AT LEAST 4000 of those. It was an AMAZING trip but it also felt nice to return home to my own room, bathroom and not have to drive several hours a day.
My vacation began at 3:30 AM Thursday, April 10. I flew from Idaho Falls to Boise to Salt Lake to Baltimore, MD. From Baltimore I caught a passenger train to Washington DC where Destiny met me and housed me for 5 days—thanks Dest, I had a blast!!!!
While in DC, Friday thru Monday, I walked my butt off taking in as many of the historical sites as I could. On Friday I went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, The National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are housed, and Destiny gave me a personal tour of the monuments: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FD Roosevelt, George Mason, Vietnam War, World War II, and Korean War Memorials (and probably more that I can’t even name right now). Saturday Destiny and I metroed to downtown DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade then drove a friend’s car to Mt. Vernon, VA to George Washington’s home. Sunday was church and Arlington National Cemetery. Monday I went to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving where they make all of our mullah! They were currently printing $1 bills but I saw a massive stack of $100’s. They must do a KILLER background check on those workers!!!!! I also had a personal tour of the Capitol with Destiny’s friend Rachel who works for Congressman Flake from AZ. I also toured the Holocaust Museum, which was really interesting and thought-provoking, but I didn’t finish the very end because I lost my camera and almost had a nervous breakdown (I lost this camera’s twin in Yellowstone’s backcountry a couple of years ago and would have kicked myself in the head if I lost this one too). I knew I’d left it in the bathroom but it wasn’t there when I went back. Luckily, someone turned it in WITH my driver’s license and credit card and $5 still inside! After the relief of finding my camera, I walked to the White House. Couldn’t get QUITE as close as I did 11 years ago…I wonder why!! My last night in DC was spent in a local tavern playing trivia with Destiny’s friends. That was fun. We should have been asked more sports questions, though, cause I would have really kicked butt!!
My vacation began at 3:30 AM Thursday, April 10. I flew from Idaho Falls to Boise to Salt Lake to Baltimore, MD. From Baltimore I caught a passenger train to Washington DC where Destiny met me and housed me for 5 days—thanks Dest, I had a blast!!!!
While in DC, Friday thru Monday, I walked my butt off taking in as many of the historical sites as I could. On Friday I went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, The National Archives, where the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are housed, and Destiny gave me a personal tour of the monuments: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, FD Roosevelt, George Mason, Vietnam War, World War II, and Korean War Memorials (and probably more that I can’t even name right now). Saturday Destiny and I metroed to downtown DC for the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade then drove a friend’s car to Mt. Vernon, VA to George Washington’s home. Sunday was church and Arlington National Cemetery. Monday I went to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving where they make all of our mullah! They were currently printing $1 bills but I saw a massive stack of $100’s. They must do a KILLER background check on those workers!!!!! I also had a personal tour of the Capitol with Destiny’s friend Rachel who works for Congressman Flake from AZ. I also toured the Holocaust Museum, which was really interesting and thought-provoking, but I didn’t finish the very end because I lost my camera and almost had a nervous breakdown (I lost this camera’s twin in Yellowstone’s backcountry a couple of years ago and would have kicked myself in the head if I lost this one too). I knew I’d left it in the bathroom but it wasn’t there when I went back. Luckily, someone turned it in WITH my driver’s license and credit card and $5 still inside! After the relief of finding my camera, I walked to the White House. Couldn’t get QUITE as close as I did 11 years ago…I wonder why!! My last night in DC was spent in a local tavern playing trivia with Destiny’s friends. That was fun. We should have been asked more sports questions, though, cause I would have really kicked butt!!
On April 15 I flew to Nova Scotia to pick my parents up from their mission. We spent two days there visiting sites I’d not seen on my two previous trips to Halifax/Dartmouth. We went to the Titanic cemetery where most of the victims of that tragedy were laid to rest, including Jack Dawson (what girl doesn’t know Jack?)! We also went to Peggy’s Cove where there is a gorgeous lighthouse build on a bed of granite rock.
Once we got on the road, destination Idaho, we took a detour to Prince Edward Island via a 7 mile bridge across the ocean. That is also the home of Avonlea, if you are an Anne of Green Gables fan—that’s where it all took place. We drove to Bathurst, New Brunswick, to an area of my parent’s mission they’d not been to yet. It’s very close to Quebec, so it’s very French. Church that Sunday was spoken in both English and French. It was an interesting experience. After church we drove across the Quebec border then back south to Bangor Maine. In the next week we went to Acadia National Park in Maine, Joseph Smith’s birthplace and memorial in Sharon, VT, detoured a bit to Rhode Island and Connecticut because I didn’t know if I’d ever make it back to those states (not big destinations states so I thought I’d hit them while I was so close so I can focus on other destinations). We went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, drove through Southern Michigan, and spent a night at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, via Wisconsin. I have a good friend from college in Minneapolis; however, she and her boyfriend happened to be going to Chicago the day we arrived so we didn’t get to see them. BUMMER!
Leaving Minneapolis we ran into a winter storm on I-94 to Fargo, North Dakota in which the freeway was closed three times and a trip that should have taken 4 or so hours took 10.5. We ended that day, Saturday, in Dickinson, ND, about 100 miles west of Bismarck and when we tried to go to the church building for meetings the next morning found out that they were having Stake Conference in Bismarck. My mom had said staying in Bismarck would have been our best opportunity to go to church but my dad was insistent on driving a little farther and got a reality check when he didn’t listen to my mom and her amazing intuition. However, we got an earlier start on our drive through Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There were MANY Prairie Dogs and WILD horses and I thought they were pretty neat. Monday we went to Devil’s Tower National Monument in Northeast Wyoming and drove to Southwest Montana, my home. Our final stretch took me through West Yellowstone, which will always have a piece of my heart.
Once we got on the road, destination Idaho, we took a detour to Prince Edward Island via a 7 mile bridge across the ocean. That is also the home of Avonlea, if you are an Anne of Green Gables fan—that’s where it all took place. We drove to Bathurst, New Brunswick, to an area of my parent’s mission they’d not been to yet. It’s very close to Quebec, so it’s very French. Church that Sunday was spoken in both English and French. It was an interesting experience. After church we drove across the Quebec border then back south to Bangor Maine. In the next week we went to Acadia National Park in Maine, Joseph Smith’s birthplace and memorial in Sharon, VT, detoured a bit to Rhode Island and Connecticut because I didn’t know if I’d ever make it back to those states (not big destinations states so I thought I’d hit them while I was so close so I can focus on other destinations). We went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY, drove through Southern Michigan, and spent a night at the Mall of America in Minneapolis, via Wisconsin. I have a good friend from college in Minneapolis; however, she and her boyfriend happened to be going to Chicago the day we arrived so we didn’t get to see them. BUMMER!
Leaving Minneapolis we ran into a winter storm on I-94 to Fargo, North Dakota in which the freeway was closed three times and a trip that should have taken 4 or so hours took 10.5. We ended that day, Saturday, in Dickinson, ND, about 100 miles west of Bismarck and when we tried to go to the church building for meetings the next morning found out that they were having Stake Conference in Bismarck. My mom had said staying in Bismarck would have been our best opportunity to go to church but my dad was insistent on driving a little farther and got a reality check when he didn’t listen to my mom and her amazing intuition. However, we got an earlier start on our drive through Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There were MANY Prairie Dogs and WILD horses and I thought they were pretty neat. Monday we went to Devil’s Tower National Monument in Northeast Wyoming and drove to Southwest Montana, my home. Our final stretch took me through West Yellowstone, which will always have a piece of my heart.
1 comment:
I have been waiting for this blog! Oh, it was good to see you!!
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