Day 11 & 12 – Vegas – The Respite. Not.

Las Vegas!!!! It was amazing. We thought that this would be a rest stop, but it was far from that. The first morning, we went swimming. It was very hot, so a swim was well needed. It was going to be 109 degrees and was already in the high 90s at 8:30 in the morning. The pool was like heaven on earth. In the middle of the temple pool, was a temple, and statues of Caesar and his buddies. The Neptune pool was square and the perfect place for handstand contests. The Venus pool was a European style pool and people under 21 are not allowed. We swam around for 1 hour. It was tons of fun. Then we headed back to the room to get ready for a series of hotel visits.

We headed to the south end of the strip and fixed any homesick feelings by going to New York, New York. When we walked into the hotel, we saw the NYC skyline. It felt like home. We headed upstairs to eat. We had hot dogs and pizza. I know New Yorkers eating pizza in Nevada doesn’t work but whatever. We happened to come across an ENORMOUS arcade. It was so cool!!!!! We played tons of games and then we were off. We walked outside to get a taxi, and it was just us and another young couple. The lady kept looking back at me and I didn’t get it, until I saw who was stepping out of the taxi…… Melissa Rycoft, from the Bachelor. She smiled and waved at us and then walked inside with her fiancée. My first celebrity sighting – sic.

Next we headed over to Mandalay Bay. Originally we were going to go to the Shark tank, but instead we got our faces drawn. It turned out really well. Dad headed back to Caesars, while us girls when to Luxor. There we did this green screen Magic Carpet ride. They video taped us on a carpet then put a background behind us, so it looked like we were riding around Las Vegas. After that we went to MGM and saw the lion habitat. It was really cool.

We headed back to Caesars for a quick rest and then hit the strip for dinner. We had a fabulous steak dinner at Mon Ami Gabi, an outdoor café at Paris. We sat in perfect view of the dancing fountains at Bellagio. After steak, we went inside Paris and to the shops. It felt like you were outside with clouds and the sky painted on the ceiling. We were very tired and soon decided to head back for a good night sleep.

The next day was just as hot. I never realized how much taxis came in handy. What seemed like a block away, was worthy of a taxi ride, due to the heat. We started the day off by heading over to the northern end of the strip. We went to Circus Circus and enjoyed their arcade. Lea and I decided that we didn’t want to play games, and instead used that money and two months of our allowance to buy a dress and a purse. We enjoyed watching Erin spend her money on the games and followed her around like puppies. There was one game that Erin loved. You had to roll the ball and it had to land in the hole. Depending on which color hole you rolled it in, your horse would move a certain amount. Erin won 2 times, scored two stuffed animal prizes and continued to dart around the arcade like a loose fish. Sadly she ran out of money. After the arcade, Dad once again headed back to the hotel while we all went out to the souvenir shop – more shopping –yeah!!!

Before dinner, which was just a sandwich while watching the Treasure Island show, we met Dad in the Sports Bar. There he was enjoying America’s pastime of baseball with a bet on the Marlin’s game. We watched from afar for a moment, without him knowing. All of a sudden, he jumped out of his seat, pumping his fist in the air and skipping across the room after a bottom of the ninth homer. Weird, very weird but so are most guys.

We spent the evening seeing the Pirates battle in front of Treasure Island. There wasn’t as much pirate fighting as there was girls dancing in lingerie. After the show, we spent time walking around the canal at the Venetian, and Mom even bought a purse!!!! I was so proud of her. She doesn’t buy anything for herself so when she even bought a matching wallet, everyone was smiling. Las Vegas was tons of fun, but very tiring and far from restful. We are almost in California. I’m sooo excited.

Talk to you soon,

Torey

Day 10 - Viva Las Vegas

Erin at the "O" show





Lake Mead at Hoover Dam







Cdog here again and enough of this nature stuff, granola and national parks. It’s time to get back to civilization and to my playground – Las Vegas. I woke everyone up early and was pacing by 7:30 AM to get a move on. Girls will be girls so wheels up were more like 10:00 AM. We had a 5 hour uneventful drive and very little merits discussion until we approached the Hoover Dam – 30 miles from Vegas. Suddenly, some dude in aviators with a badge pointed Debbi, our driver, over for an inspection. I hopped out to see what the problem was? He said he was Sgt. Jim Spade, homeland security, and wanted to inspect the inside of our thule. Well he was obviously one of Obama’s boys just by noticing his confidence. I went the conservative route and didn’t bring up the recent Boston incident. Debbi calmed the girls while I went into sales mode. I told the officer we were on a cross country expedition and he could look at whatever he wanted but to stay out of my golf bag. I turned the key and opened the thule and he gave one of those waves like Beyonce singing “Single Ladies’. In no time we were on our way and commenting how lame our government can be sometimes.

As we approached the strip the girls’ eyes began to bulge. Luxor, MGM, New York, New York and a right turn onto Las Vegas Blvd. It was time for one of those “talks” as they saw sketchy men handing out flyers. Then came Paris, Bellagio and finally Caesars Palace where we are taking up residence for the next three nights. Once in the room, Debbi surprised the girls with tickets to Cirque de Soleil’s “O” for tonight. Dresses came out of the bags, lipstick was applied and in no time we were off to Bellagio for the 7:30 PM show.

The show was unique as very few words were spoken and the stage kept transforming into a pool. Since I was sitting alone I kept checking my I phone and practicing craps for later on.
The girls really enjoyed it and even I cracked a smile as well. We walked back to our room at 10:00 PM as the temperature cooled down to 96 degrees from 109 which our car registered in the mid afternoon.

So much to do and so little time. Send me some good karma so I can pay for this trip.

Cdog

Day 9 - Riding the rim and beyond in the Grand Canyon

Rule # 1 – Hike in the Grand Canyon before 10:00 am and after 4:00 pm.

Therefore, we woke up early, put some granola bars and a lot of water into our backpacks and headed to the bus stop by 7:30 am. We took a shuttle bus out to the furthest point on the west rim. We were planning to go on a U.S. Ranger guided hike. This hike was going to be a 1-2 mile round trip hike below the rim. It was on the challenging Hermit Trail. The view of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River were unbelievable. From every scenic point the canyon took on a different image. The colors changed depending on the time of day. Although the Colorado River looks beautiful from the rim edge, it is considered a serious danger. Although the top layer looks calm, only 1 foot below the currents become dangerously strong. and can sweep an average body down stream with little chance on survival. Fact of the day: Approximately 250 people die accidentally each year hiking in the canyon due to shear ignorance and lack of safety. Two people died this week and one today.

We met Ranger Nancy and headed down the trail with about 30 people. The trail was steep and narrow with loose rocks that made us check the treads on our shoes several times. We learned a lot of safe hiking techniques and used them throughout the hike. The ranger was very knowledgeable and geared the hike towards the children. We searched for fossils from the ocean bottom that were here 270 million years ago before the Grand Canyon existed. We used paint swatches, just like you moms do when deciding paint color for your dining rooms, to take notice of all the different colors that are in the canyon. Erin loved the hike because the ranger made it fun. She even got Nancy’s autograph. Once we got to the end of our descent hike, we were 3 layers down in the canyon.. We took a short rest, thanked the ranger and then began our ascent out of the canyon. The entire Walsh clan was surprised how much they enjoyed the hiking experience. Although we all had jelly legs at the end, we were wearing big smiles.

The calmness didn’t last long! As we were refilling our water bottles before heading back to the village, Torey let out a huge cry! She found a bee between her thighs and began to close her legs. Well the bee put up a good fight and stung her. With no first aid kit, Mom had to think “out of the box.” while Chris worked to calm his patient. Debbi ran back towards the trail, found a hiker and bummed her first cigarette. Chris and the kids were in awe when Debbi un-rolled the cigarette, took the tobacco, added a little water and made a paste. The paste was applied to the wound and Torey was smiling again.

We rested our legs in the afternoon before an early evening hike. This time we took the Bright Angel Trail, a steep and popular trail. It was a wider trail and we quickly noticed that this is where the mules take folks down & up every day. Yuck! There was mule poop everywhere! We hiked down 40 minutes and decided to head back when we heard thunder. We learned that getting out of the canyon takes longer and you should always be safe. Luckily, we got to the top just as the black clouds rolled in and the first drop of rain was felt. Within 5 minutes, the thunder and lightning was constant, as was the rain. There went our plans to watch the beautiful sunset as we all sprinted to our shuttle bus and to safety.

We decided to stay in the cabin for the evening and Mom pulled together a light fare – cheese/crackers, fruit and vegetables –very French like. It was perfect and our weary legs were ready for bed.

Keep on traveling with us,

Erin and Debbi

Day 7 - Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez, CO

Ok……time for a Cdog blog. We started the day with a quick breakfast and then packed plenty of the day’s most essential element – water. We were expecting a very hot day and Gatorade or fruit water is prohibited on any park trail. Sugar attracts rodents – like ants in the East – and would threaten the historic ruins which date back 1,500 years.

After a short drive, we entered the Mesa Verde National Park and began a 15 mile uphill ascent. The road went in circles like I have never seen before but the rock formations were breathtaking. Nobody got car sick so that was a good sign for a memorable day ahead. We stopped at the visitor center and signed up for two tours guided by US rangers. The park is huge (over 52,000 acres) and likely as big as Westchester County where we live. There were designated campsites, an opportunity to outback, (whatever that is?) and one lodge to stay overnight. The park has both gorges and cliffs but was ravaged by fire in 2002, destroying what were once the reservoirs which are dry in modern day. The ranger said it would take over 300 years for the trees to grow back because of the dry climate. If the economy has got you down and you are on a budget, this is the place to come as the full day’s activities only cost $45 for our family of five.

Our first tour was 75 minutes long and is considered the most strenuous hike. We began to explore the old balcony house by ascending down 400 feet into the canyon. The walk included uneven steps and tight passage ways with no railings. I kept my eye on Erin who liked to skip along the edge to give Mom a heart palpitation or two. When we arrived at the balcony house the ranger taught us about how 2,000 Pueblo Indians survived very hot summers followed by cold, long winters. We learned that men worked the area to till crops while women worked up to 5 hours daily grinding corn with rocks to make corn meal and then bread to provide for their families. Women didn’t live very long – usually 20 to 25 years – as child birth was the biggest cause of death. Most female Pueblos gave birth at age 12 or 13. And I thought raising middle school girls was concerning. To leave we climbed a 35 foot straight up ladder, two other smaller ladders and hiked upward until we had to crawl thru a very narrow and 2 foot high rock formation. The ranger told us a big man, Helmesie like, got stuck only 3 weeks ago. Fact of the Day – The human body when stuck naturally expands much like a blow fish. Since the man was no longer there I suppose he is now part of Mesa Verde legend?

Our next tour was to explore the most famous ruin called the Cliff Palace which was the largest village. It included 125 some odd “rooms”, storage and round ditches called Kivas used for ceremonial rituals. Our guide, Peter, began the tour with a speech as we listened to Halloween type thunder followed shortly by a hard rain. The rain was cold and Peter was the only one prepared as he whipped out his ranger jacket and covered hat with a brim. The Walshes persevered and did not throw in the towel, like some, as we huddled together to keep warm. Before the trip, we talked with the kids about the climate change we would experience on the trip – 100+ degrees in the Grand Canyon and likely 50 degrees in Canada. However, we didn’t expect to experience this type of change in 10 minutes listening to our guide. Once we arrived at the Cliff Palace, we had some intervention from above and the rain stopped. It was a now a bad hair day for Debbi. We were not allowed to touch any rocks as the oils from our hands could harm the ruins. The architecture of the village was precise and equally impressive. It is incredible to think that their work has lasted as long as it has. They say at Mesa Verde, much like Lambert Ridge, there are no facts only stories. Nobody really knows……

We left the park at 5:30 PM and headed back to Cortez for a quick dinner and much needed rest. This was our first of 3 national parks we will visit and hope the other two can live up to Mesa Verde.

Cdog

Day 8 – Four Corners – NM, AZ, CO & Utah

This morning started with a quick breakfast on the run followed by a trip with Dad and Erin to Conquistador CC for some work on my golf swing. I was much better today then in Kentucky and
even reached the sticks out in the fairway. Erin cashed in on a promise by Dad and then we were off to a playground. The only one we could find was Mickey D’s so we prepared to buy an early morning burger to gain entry. Erin and I chased each other up and down the slides and we were sweating in no time. Dad had water ready for us for the cool down.

Mom and Torey picked us up and then we were off to a ride through the desert in search of Four Corners. The ride was only 50 miles before we arrived. I heard so much about this landmark but was surprised how small, baron and out of the way it was. When we arrived we easily approached the landmark – it looked like a big coin in the ground surrounded by each state flag. I put my foot in each state while Erin laid down and was in four states at one time. Mom took our pictures and we were off to visit the local Navajo Indians who were selling their goods. I added to my thimble collection, Erin started a small bell collection and Torey spent her own money to pick up a necklace.

We were off for another 200 miles through the desert to get to the Grand Canyon. I noticed how the landscape changed from the mountains of MesaVerde to the ragweed coupled with a few scenic rock formations once in Arizona. After 5 hours, which is like a drive to D’Agostinos for us by now, we entered the Grand Canyon National Park. We all got out of the car at a lookout point and were instantly amazed by the depths of the canyons before us. We arrived at the Willow House Hotel – 30 miles into the park. We had a quick dinner and are off to bed soon. We need to get up very early as hiking is not recommended between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM because of the extreme
heat.


Thanks for checking in,
Lea

Day 6 Experiencing the culture of New Mexico

Finally, a well needed "slower day" has arrived. We planned to tour the Santa Fe area with no scheduled commitments. Hooray! After 5 days, a little housekeeping is needed - laundry and cleaning out the car! Chris went off to hit some golf balls (in the brown grass), the girls played some mini tennis and I tried to get up to date with my journal.

We drove into Santa Fe and quickly noticed how different the homes/buildings are. Everything has the adobe style with the reddish clay color. Homes are clustered very close together. Fact for the day - Santa Fe, established in 1640,is the oldest capital and the highest in elevation (7,000 ft). It also seems like the smallest in square miles I have seen. It is very compact and you can walk basically everywhere. We went to the town plaza where local musicians were playing and artists were selling their goods. Jewelry, artwork and pottery are very prominent. We visited two old cathedrals - The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, where the oldest US statute of the Virgin Mary is displayed, and the Loretto Chapel, which is known for the miraculous spiral staircase. On the recommendation of Giada DeLaurentis of The Food Network,we went to Tia Sophias for some authentic New Mexican cuisine. The food was fabulous and unique. We sampled the red and green chiles, the local stew and Sappasillas - a lightly fried bread sprinkled with honey and cinnamon.

In order to spare Chris the agony of more shopping, we decided to start our journey to Cortez, CO. It was going to be a 5 hour drive - doesn't sound bad after just finishing two 10 hour drives. The thrill of driving has wore off today - the Barbies that we so heavily depended on to get us through some tough hours were starting WWIII. All three girls wanted the pregnant Barbie. I'll blame that on the Lewisboro Elementary environment where it seems like half the teachers will be delivering in the coming months. With some careful negotiating -Chris wanted them to be roadkill - the Barbies were saved and the girls were once again on neutral territory.

The topography west of Santa Fe was completely different than what we had seen the day before. We saw beautiful mountains and plateaus with a palate of green, brown and red colors. There were few towns and those we passed were very rundown. It took us 6 days before a directional mistake was made. Chris was so excited to see the metropolis of Durango, with its river and basin, that he missed a critical turn. The girls called this an MM (man mistake) which have been surprisingly sparse so far.

The hotel accommodations were surprisingly nice. We definitely didn't know what to expect in Cortez. We will be staying in Cortez for 2 nights as we will spend a full day tomorrow at the Mesa Verde National Park exploring the cliff dwellings. It will be very refreshing not having to pack up the car tomorrow morning.

Thanks for traveling with us!
Debbi

Day 5 Oklahoma City/ Driving to Santa Fe

Yesterday, we woke up knowing that it was another long travel day. -It's only an 8 hour drive, but after yesterday's experience, I know it will feel like a lifetime. - I had very low expectations of fun. We went down to the lobby, and started off our day with a very tasty and filling breakfast. We then took out our scooters and rode them around the city. We rode down to Brick Town, a water front canal similar to San Antonio. It used to be an old, rundown, and dilapidated warehouse in the 1940s. They dug down 40 feet and made a man made canal. We decided that a great way to tour the city was by riding on a river boat tour. Our tour guide, Mason, taught us about everything that we passed. I think dad's favorite thing that he saw was the sonic head quarters. (His Favorite Restaurant) There was another family on the boat that had 3 little boys. One boy was sitting behind me and kept holding on to my shirt. It was so cute. :)During the tour, we saw these large, incredible statues. Mason told us he would drop us off, and come back and get us in a little bit. They were statues of Horses and People traveling during the westward expansion. There were 20 statues so far, there would soon be a total of 46. (46 because Oklahoma is the 46th state) After the statues are finished, it will be the longest set of bronze statues in the world. One of the men in the statue, was suppose to resemble the designer, some of the other men, where supposed to resemble his 'golf buddies' and the dog, was supposed to resemble his dog. And for a small 250K donation, you can be bronzed too.  We got to climb all over the statues. It was tons of fun. After Mason picked us up, we learned a little more. By the end of the tour, he and my dad were only talking about how expensive baseball tickets were. BORING.
We headed back to the hotel, and headed over to the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. We walked to the gates, and saw the Reflecting Pool. The reflecting pool stood where the street used to be. Behind me stood the Field of Empty Chairs. There were 168 chairs, each standing for the people who died. The 19 smaller chairs stood of the children that where killed. The chairs were set up in the in the form of where the building was bombed. Each chair has the name of someone who was killed. Next to the chairs, is the survivor wall. It is actually part of the wall of the original building. The names of the people who survived also placed on the wall. The trees, which stood in the field of empty chairs, would soon be as tall as the building was. On the two sides of the reflecting pool, there is a gate that says 9:03 and on the other side, it says 9:01. The 9:01am east gate, represents the 'innocence of the city' before it was attacked. The 9:03 am west gate, represents the moments and days after the bomb. I loved the fact that everything was placed in their spot for a reason.
Now let's get to the treacherous part… THE CAR RIDE. Well, it wasn't really that bad. It felt much better than the ride, the day before, even thought it was a longer ride. Passing throught Amarillo, something caught our attention. Convincing dad to make a 'U' turn, was a tough sell. We went back and visited the cars that stick out of the ground. We spray painted our names onto them. When I was spray painting, i got stuck in the mud. Basically, my shoes are still there. We stopped in Santa Rosa to try to hit some golf balls, only to discover that the course was closed. The fairways were brown and the greens were dead. Whatever. We learned from the night before, not to postpone dinner, so we ate in Santa Rosa and kept on moving. For the next 2 hours, my mom droved in pitch black and pouring rain. We were told that it was the most rain Santa Fe as gotten at one time, within the past year. Periodically we saw a sign for a school bus stopping, but there wasn't a single home in sight. The hotel was nice, and perfect for a good night sleep.

We're getting one step closer to the west coast, and I am SOOOO excited.
Talk to everyone soon,
Torey :)

Day 4 - The tallest thing I've ever seen! St. Louis

Monday, July 20, 2009

This morning we had to get an early start. We had a 9:00 reservation at The Arch. At breakfast we met local hostess and Baptist preacher, Ruth Booker. She was extremely nice and blessed me. I would trade her in for my sisters, especially after four days of driving. She gave me a great big hug when we left.

From the hotel we walked 7 blocks until we arrived at The Arch. "It was the tallest thing I've ever seen!!" No one in my family had ever seen this monument. We were all thrilled. Mom and Lea couldn't stop taking photos.

To get to the top of the monument we went into a really small elevator that had 5 seats. It reminded me of the Willy Wonka Space Capsule. We pretended I was Charlie and we were about to break through the glass ceiling.

Chris & the girls inside the "Willy Wonka capsule"

The ride up is 4 minutes and the ride down is 3 minutes. The Arch is 630 feet tall. There are 32 small windows that you can look through. On one side you can see the Mississippi river and the other side is the city. The people on the street looked like peanut crumbs.

Looking out the small windows at the top of the Arch

When we returned to the ground, we visited the Lewis & Clark Museum. This told the story of the westward expansion during the early 1800s. It had a lot of beautiful pictures. Lea remembered a lot about this expansion since she just finished studying it in 5th grade. Fact of the day - Did you know that Lewis & Clark sent care packages to the President that detailed their findings? These packages included skull/bones of animals that they had killed and eaten, skin of a yellow bear, and horns of two deer.

We left St. Louis at noon since we had a long drive to Oklahoma City. The drive started out pretty uneventful. We began to see billboards that made us laugh. Dad saw one for a "Vacuum Outlet Center" - how many vacuums does one family need? There was another one for the "Largest Rocking Chair in the World."

My sisters are a little annoying but I got through it as best as a 7 year old could. We spent a long time playing Barbies today. The driving hasn't been too bad. OK...Mom said that we promised Mrs.Gaglioti that we wouldn't "sugarcoat" any part of the trip. This was the first day that the driving got to my parents. After driving 5 hours through the rural Missouri and Oklahoma plains, the only thing you could see was cattle. Dinner had to be postponed since there was no eatery in sight and exits every 35 miles or so. In fact, Dad started singing all these crazy songs about being in Oklahoma and being on the range while listening to sickening country music. We know why the speed limit is 75 mph in this area - they want to spare you the pain and let you get through it as quickly as possible.

Tomorrow is going to be another LONG day of travel also after we visit the Oklahoma City memorial of the Federal building bombing.

Hope y'all like it!!!

Erin

Day3- Workin' on the Farm Shelbyville KY

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Today was a very exciting day as we met Alexine Dreager. She is my great-aunt's best buddy. We met her for breakfast at Cracker Barrel along with her sister-in-law Rose, niece Lisa and great nephew Brandon. From there, we drove to her farm. Her farm is called Willow Mist. "Willow", because she has a bunch of willow trees on her property and "Mist", because her favorite horse's name is Misty. It is located in Shelbyville, Kentucky between Frankfort and Louisville and has 19 acres with 6 Arabian horses, 11 cats, 1 dog and 1 big tractor called big blue. We were there to work and our first task was a dreaded job… SCOOPING THE POOP! or mucking y'all stalls. There was a lot so Erin asked, "Do we have to get every piece?" It didn't smell so nice either.

After we scooped the poop we laid down the horses' bedding. All we had to do was lay down the pine pellets and add water. In about 5 minutes it turned to a saw dust material. We also had to sweep the cobwebs off of the lights and windows in the barn. Fact for the day - most barn fires are caused by cobwebs being next to light bulbs. Then we each had an opportunity to drive the big blue with a front loader. You should have seen my dad go racing across the grass! I think he found a new toy - we were trying to imagine him circling the neighborhood - without cockspur or the red cup.

Finally the fun kicked in. We got to bring the horses into the barn. We brushed them and learned how to clean their hooves.

One of the treats the horses love is peppermints. They will do anything for a peppermint. While Torey and Erin rode the tractor with mom in the fields I picked a whole bowl of beans and a cantaloupe from the garden.

Everyone agreed that this was a wonderful day and a lot of fun! But there is definitely a lot of work that needs to be done if you live on a horse farm. Did you know Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky?

We left the farm at 2:30 pm and began our journey to St. Louis, Missouri. We traveled through Indiana and Illinois with little excitement. There is a town named Santa Claus in Indiana close to French Lick where Larry Bird began his basketball career.

Upon arriving in St. Louis, we could see the Arch in the distance. Boy, it is huge! We crossed the Mississippi River (which has very brown water). Mom was thrilled to see the river since she missed seeing it 32 years ago when she traveled cross country when moving to New York. She was mad at her Mom then so she closed her eyes when her Mom told her to look out the window to see the longest river in the USA.

The hotel room is enormous (Erin can do cartwheels in it). It is nice to spread out a little. We went swimming this evening, wrote in our journals and are hoping to get a good night sleep since we have another long day tomorrow.

Thanks for checking our blog and tracking us.

Love, Lea

Day 2; Heading to Frankfort, KY

Golfing along side the Horses A flea market in rural Pennsylvania



We left Pittsburgh at 9:30 AM knowing that we had a 6+ hour trip ahead of us. After yesterday's drive, we have learned that our targeted ETA isn't necessarily our actual time of arrival. It was a quiet drive although we were surprised by numerous rain showers that appeared out of nowhere. Just before the West Virginia border, we got off the highway in search of the Pennsylvania welcome center. It was a desolate exit with only rundown and empty garages. But Chris saw a lonely sign saying "Flea Market" and he insisted we drive down the narrow road for 4 miles to find it. Boy...talk about junk. I don't know if this junk will ever be someone's treasures, but it was actually quite fun for the girls to see the Saturday excitement in this small town.

We continued our drive across West Virginia and through Ohio with very little excitement. The girls passed their time by making more friendship bracelets, watching a movie and practicing their math facts!!! We told them that they wouldn't love the entire trip!

Once we arrived in Kentucky we headed for dinner and had an exciting evening. Chris wanted to play golf with the girls at the Franklin County Lakeview Park. What he didn't expect when we arrived their was to see the County Fair (and numerous rides that the girls had never seen) and a large horseshow. It worked out perfectly since everyone headed to the fair which left us alone on the golf course. It was a par 3, 9 hole course and the girls played tremendously well. Chris was a proud papa!!! We actually have pictures of the girls teeing off on the 8th hole with beautiful horses only a few yards behind them. Only in Kentucky!!

Overall, the family is very excited at this early part of the adventure. The driving hasn't been too bad and we've had a lot to laugh about! We need a good night sleep since we are heading to the horse farm tomorrow!!
Later,
Debbi
(pictures to be posted tomorrow)

Day 1: Pirates vs. Giants 2-1

Us with Manny Sanguilen
A family photo outside PNC Park


Yesterday officially started our Cross Country Trip!!!! :) As you may or may not have know, my mom ( the organized person that she is,) has mapped every step of our trip on AAA.com. My dad, the free going, plan-it-as-we-go person decided with in 4 miles of our house that he should change the way that we were going to go to Pittsburgh. He decided to take a more 'scenic' route. His more scenic route cost us another hour. :( Whatever. ( We saw 5 mountain tunnels. I never want to see another one again.) The car ride was somewhat good. It was 8 hours, (Supposed to be 7) and was full of excitement. With in the first hour, nobody knew what to do. We had already done like 8 different things. We decided to do friendship bracelets. That took up one more hour. The Burke Family, gave us 11 cards, each card had a typical question that every child asks in the car during a long trip, written on it. Some of the questions were, Are We There Yet? My Sister's Annoying Me. Why Can't I use the DVD Player. I have To go To the Bathroom. I'm thirsty. Do You want to Play Eye- Spy? It was a great idea. Our family decided that between me, and my sisters, we could only use each question once a day. Not to far into the trip Erin used the, Why Can't I use the DVD Player? With in 2 hours, I used the... My sisters are annoying me. They kept asking me to cut string. Someone, ( I don't know who,) used the I have to go to the Bathroom a few times.

When we got here, we dropped our stuff off at our room, and headed over to our baseball game. Every where you looked, there was a bridge. Actually, there are 720 bridges in Pittsburgh!!!The great part, is that the stadium is right next to our hotel. Literally. We got our tickets and got Pirates Towels. (It was free towel night, perfect for California.) With in 30 of walking around the stadium, it started to DOWN POUR. And i mean DOWN POUR. It was hard!!! The game was supposed to start at 7:10 but started at 8:00. While it was raining, we went to Manny's BBQ and got some good pulled Pork Sliders. We also met Manny Sanguilen, the best catcher ever to play for the Pirates. He signed our tickets, and even invited us behind the table, (Where he was sitting,) and had us take a picture. That doesn't happen very often. It was so cool. We went back to our seats, (towels were perfect, because the seats were very wet.) and all the men in the funny Yellow Rain Boots, ran out on the field to remove the tarp. It was very fun. By the 2nd inning, Erin, couldn't resist her favorite food, Cotton Candy. :):) At the 5 inning I got my soft serve ice-cream. It was so creamy, and came in a Pittsburgh Pirates Hat Cup. Lea, got a cotton candy too. It was such a good game. Jones, had a home run for the Pirates, ( In the second inning i think.) and some one on the Giants scored later. We left around 10ish ( It was the beginning of the 9 inning,) and went to our hotel. We watched the rest of the game on the T.V. (The game lasted 14 innings. Jones, again, scored a home run, but this time it went out of the park, into the river.) It was such a great day. I can't wait to see every one on the West coast, but I already miss everyone on the East. Check in later, for more Posts,
Thanks,

Torey

One day left!!!!

We are almost ready!!!!! With a few days of LOTS of packing, we are finally ready to take off. We hope you enjoy reading our blog :)

We're Almost Ready!!!:)

With about 17 days until our Cross Country Trip, our family is very excited. We can't wait, and we hope that everyone visits our blog as often as possible.