Blisters in new places!

Six states, seven nights, 4 days of 12+ hours behind the wheel in the car.


Stop #1 Winter Quarters, Nebraska
A very enthusiastic Sister Missionary decided we needed to dress up to take the tour. The tennis shoes really complete the outfit.



Ami: "Daddy, I don't want them to eat me."
"They are not real. Don't worry."
"I don't want them to bite me either."



Next stop? California Tacos and More, as recommended by Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. The meat was great, and the guacamole was worth every rave review (recipe on Food network website). Pounding the food quick with your hand on your .45 while watch'n you car from the restaurant window in the hood? Best way to raise a heart rate to burn calories while you eat!



What's the best activity when you get home after a long day of sitting in a car? Swimming, unless you prefer more sitting - on a bed in a hotel room!



Next Stop? The Mall of America. Why? American Girl Store!
Oh, and Legoland. Tim was not very excited as you can see. This is prior to him nearly wetting himself with glee.


After that, it was on to Nickelodeon Universe. Maggie was tall enough to go on all the rides, and Tim could handle most with a chaperon!


This was the straight drop ride! Amazingly enough, Maggie, Tim, and Ami all enjoyed the crazy rides. Maggie's favorite part about the fast roller coaster with loop-de-loops, corkscrews, and other things was, "Watching Dad black out and laughing at him." In my defense, I'm paranoid of roller coasters and still went on the rides with the children. And yes, I actually blacked out for about 5 seconds at the top of the drop-off into the corkscrew. Tim and Ami's favorite was the log ride with its 2 and 3 story splash-mountain-esque drops.

You can see Ami enjoying it below while my fight-or-flight reflex kicks in for the twentieth time that day and I succeed again at keeping my cookies where they belong.

She "loved the coaster". Those genes did not come from Dad.

Now, why did we go on this trip again?

Oh yea. You would think we would have a better picture of the couple, but they all turned out blurry. Lame. Sorry Mrs. Hoffman! I mean, we were trying to get a picture of her hair... yea, that's it.


Next a detour to the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. It rained, proving that those lands were naughty. Wow, that was not even close to funny.

On to respect our heritage and forefathers.

This is about how Mount Rushmore went. It was only salvaged by a six pack of cold Henry Whineheart root beer.

So we took them to see the crazy horse monument and laser light show:


Finally we went to Independence Rock and Martin's Cove:

When we asked Ami what the best part of the trip was, she replied, "Being a pioneer in the car[t]".


In reality, Pioneer children did not sing as they walked, they asked for water and bathroom breaks.

Offensive trip conclusions:
Wyoming: God's barrier to remind the rest of America that unless you are divinely commanded, there is no reason to dwell in Utah.

Nebraska: Moo, but green... perhaps there is a connection between cows and fertilized grass...

Iowa: Irrelevant?

Minnesota: Wishes it were Wisconsin, which incidentally, wishes it was Canada, eh?

South Dakota: Started advertising the Black hills over 340 miles away, and for good reason. They were awesome. Unfortunately, SD should really be viewed from a Harley.

I said "yes".

and Melissa said "no".

Again.

Oh well. Back to work for another year. Thanks for the memories...