August 26, 2010

Americana Road Trip

So many photos to share, I'll just dive right in.  This summer was our big drive across country to visit family in Oregon.  Coast to coast - really!  It was daunting but once we started planning it we were more and more excited to head out and see the country.


We posted up a dry erase map and charted our path across, putting pictures connected with string to the places we would see along to way.  It was a great way to get the kids involved.

We hardly got out of the neighborhood and I was already sick to my stomach.  Of course, those that know me well know that this is common with any kind of anxiety/change/adventure.  So we charged on.


We stopped for Cracker Barrel for breakfast and then this McDonald's in PA where they host the Big Mac museum.  This was the one and only McDonald's we agreed to stop at and it had a great playground for the kids.

One of the things that kept the trip fun is that for every stop we made, we gathered something to put in our scrapbook.  Something that didn't cost anything.  A sugar packet, crayon box, or flyer.  We created the scrapbook as we went, leaving room for pictures later.


Taking a bathroom break near Vermillion, Ohio.  It was surprisingly how all across the country, you would see historical markers and stumble upon history by accident. 


This place had a plaque describing how near this location in a location judge's house, he would help slaves free by letting them go down through a secret door in his house, a tunnel underneath that led to the Lake Erie, and then the people would be taken to freedom by boat to Canada.  Quite remarkable, just to happen upon a story of the underground railroad.


This was a very common sight, as L has to go to the bathroom seriously every hour and a half.  More than the pregnant woman!

And that was day 1.  7 days it took us to get across.  Great memories and luckily we were all safe.