Road Trip: The long haul home

We love driving.  But we also love taking a day or two along the way to spend with family.  However, we had already been gone from home SOOO long that we decided to make this a quick trip home.  Or at least as quick as one adult and three kids can travel 2,000 in a minivan.

First, we got to do my VERY favorite day of driving from my parent's house to Denver.  Breathtakingly gorgeous.

We made our annual stop at Georgetown Lake

to throw some rocks in the lake.

We had a quick visit with Amy, Dave, and their kids.

Played with water guns (summer weather in Denver is PERFECT!),

 and watched some Olympics.

And Jack had his first day of school!

Wow!  Good thing we don't start this early in NC.

Next, we were off to Missouri.

That drive wasn't quite as picturesque.

 But this GIANT art easel was pretty cool.

Our fun stop was the Sternberg Museum in Hays, KS.

But with the time change and leaving CO late,

 we arrived about 20 minutes before they closed.

 Play quickly, kids!

They were good sports about it.

We stayed the night in Independence, MO.

Then we were off to Kentucky.

Our fun stop:

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis,

one of the most recognizable landmarks in the country.

Very cool to see.

Not quite so cool to actually visit.

The lines were long and there was lots of standing around waiting.

It took us over two hours to actually make it to the top.

A little longer than we like to spend for a fun stop.

Luckily, they have a fun gift shop 

and a neat little museum to look around

while we waited for our turn.

 Bison.

 Tee-pee

Yippee!  Our turn in the little pod that took us to the top!

 Guess which one of these kids is afraid of heights.

Cool view of Busch Stadium.

We made it to Louisville, KY and had another 

short (but sweet!) visit with Uncle Alex and Aunt Stephanie.

Then it was on our way HOME!

It was SO fun to push the "Home" button on my GPS.

But, first we stopped at the Clay Center in Charleston, WV.

This is one of my kids' favorite science centers.

They give it 6 out of 6 thumbs up.

That landscape is starting to look familiar!

I'd been in the desert so long that I had forgotten

just how many trees we have out here.

And they just grow.

On their own.

Amazing.

Woo hoo!

We made it!

This was easily our longest road trip to date.  The kids were phenomenal in the car.  I can't believe what good travelers they are.  Other than the GTSB, it was a fabulous vacation.

Now back to the real world.  Lots of unpacking, laundry, organizing, and school shopping ahead!