2009 Journeys: Across the U.S.

Over the years, Ben has repeatedly reminisced about how his family traveled around the United States for nine months in a converted bus when he was eight years old.  He has many wonderful memories of that trip, and he dreamed of taking our own children on a similar journey.  This summer we hit the road in our RV for a condensed two-month loop around the United States. 

For our trip east, we selected a southern route that would take us through Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. 

Our westward route took us through West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, and then home to California. 

We left on June 8th and returned home on August 8th, with our hearts full of awe from the many beautiful places we saw and the experiences we shared.  We also met many wonderful people and were able to spend some precious moments with family and friends along the way. 

What an amazing country we live in!!!  We all learned so much--about the complex cultural history of this nation, the incredible land formations, the diverse wildlife, crazy weather patterns, and so much more.  And the strong family bonds that we started with grew even tighter.  

Click on each "Day" below to read the details of our journey.

	Day 1: California to Nevada Beach
	Day 2: Nevada Beach to the Hickison Petroglyphs
	Day 3: Hickison Petroglyphs to Great Basin National Park
	Day 4: Great Basin National Park to Salt Lake City
	Day 5: Salt Lake City
	Day 6: Salt Lake City
	Day 7: Salt Lake City to Moab
	Day 8: Moab
	Day 9: Moab to Silverton, Colorado
	Day 10: Silverton
	Day 11: Silverton to Bandelier National Monument
	Day 12: Bandelier National Monument to Santa Fe
	Day 13: Santa Fe to Alamagordo, New Mexico
	Day 14: White Sands National Monument, New Mexico
	Day 15: Alamagordo to Roswell, New Mexico
	Day 16: Carlsbad, New Mexico
	Day 17: Carlsbad to San Antonio, Texas
	Day 18: San Antonio, Texas
	Day 19: San Antonio to Lafayette, Louisiana
	Day 20: Lafayette to New Orleans
	Day 21: New Orleans
	Day 22: New Orleans
	Day 23: New Orleans to Central Alabama
	Day 24: Central Alabama to Chattanooga, Tennessee
	Days 25 and 26: Resaca, Georgia
	Day 27: Resaca to Rock Hill, South Carolina
	Days 28 and 29: Rock Hill, South Carolina
	Day 30: Rock Hill to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
	Day 31: Cape Hatteras
	Day 32: Cape Hatteras
	Day 33: Cape Hatteras to Virginia Beach
	Day 34: Virginia Beach to Outskirts of Washington, D.C.
	Day 35: Washington, D.C.
	Day 36: Washington, D.C.
	Day 37 and 38: Delaplane, Virginia
	Days 39 and 40: Williamsburg, Virginia
	Day 41: Williamsburg to New River Gorge, West Virginia
	Day 42: New River Gorge, West Virginia
	Day 43: New River Gorge to Twin Knobs Recreation Area, Kentucky
	Day 44: Twin Knobs Recreation Area to Rend Lake, Illinois
	Day 45: Rend Lake to St. Louis, Missouri
	Day 46: St. Louis
	Day 47: St. Louis to Central Iowa
	Day 48: Central Iowa to St. Paul, Minnesota
	Day 49: St. Paul, Minnesota
	Day 50: St. Paul to Mitchell, South Dakota
	Day 51: Mitchell to Badlands National Park
	Day 52: Badlands National Park to Custer, South Dakota
	Day 53: Custer, South Dakota
	Day 54: Rapid City, South Dakota
	Day 55: Devil's Tower to Cody, Wyoming
	Day 56: Yellowstone National Park (Old Faithful)
	Day 57: Yellowstone National Park (Yellowstone Lake)
	Day 58: Yellowstone (Canyon and Roosevelt Areas)
	Day 59: Yellowstone (Mammoth Springs) to the Grand Tetons
	Day 60: Grand Tetons To Park City, Utah
	Day 61: Park City to California Border
	Day 62: Home!