Special thanks....

We could not have done this trip alone!

Thanks to our gracious hosts:

Erica & Matt Sivery, Ayla, Jonah, and Sage

Jen Moriarty, Maddie, and Jack (Brain and Kenyon were out of town)

Grandma Elaine & Grandpa Ed

Aunt Sis Smoker

Jill & Kevin Wille, Alex and Kate

Becca & Mike Dorgan, Tommy, Amy, and Maggie

Thanks to the Kleinman Family for saving us a trip to NY and coming to PA.

We could not have seen and done all we did without help from:

Grandma Kim & Grandpa Alan

The iPhone Map App

Yelp

RoadsideAmerica.com

Google

If you are planning a crazy adventure, get in touch, we learned a lot along the way!

Home sweet home!

26 days, 16 states, 4,813 miles

It was an incredible adventure. We saw so many things that it's hard to keep track of them all. One of the best parts for Jim and I was the time spent as a family and exploring the tucked away gems across the country. I love the small towns and wacky sites while he loves the driving (he drove all 4,813 miles) and the vast open country without a sign of civilization. I love to navigate and follow along on the maps. Our favorite map question, "I wonder what that is?" And then we go find it. Our goals were to take the girls to visit the great grandmothers and to show them how big our country really is. It was fun to see them process when Jim told them that all the squares and colors they see out the airplane window are the farms we drove through in the middle of the country! 

We asked them about their favorite parts...

Samantha liked Hershey, the water park, and the time with her cousins. One of her favorite stops was the time at the cabin in the mountains in Pennsylvania. She also liked the big storm in Kansas. Intense lightning like that leaves an impression! Ali liked the green slide best (at the water park in Iowa). Ali loves water. She would count down until we got to the hotel each night and she could get into the pool. I think by day 25 they had forgotten about the salt mine! As we settle back in at home and look through pictures and share our travels with friends, I know they will bring up more and more of the fun times. It's hard to pick just a few things from 26 days packed with adventure. Regardless, their favorite stop is still the service area in Ohio where they got their new "stuffies". 

When we asked them what they didn't like, Samantha didn't have much to say. After a bit of thought, Ali said, "When mom wouldn't let us watch a movie in the car. It was just corn!" 

The girls are great travelers. They are usually easy to entertain and got along pretty well for sisters strapped next to each other in the back seat for almost 5,000 miles. They are definitely related to Jim and I and have embraced our love of adventure and exploration. They have also grown to appreciate where we live and loved coming home. 

We know it was a great trip- Jim and I sat with a US map at the dining room table after the girls went to bed last night. We already have ideas about where we will go next summer! Stay tuned....

The Brownie Trail

For those of you who know my family well, this will make perfect sense. For the rest of you, it will be one more segment in the wow! they really are crazy world of the Maule Adventure.

We were fortunate enough to visit my high school friend, Becca, in Chicago. Becca, like my mother and sister, loves to bake. It's one of the things we have always shared- in high school and now, as we bake for our families. Anyhow, we were at Becca's on a big brownie day and she packed us two take-away containers of brownies. We love our sweets, but in moderation (sort of) and if you have read this far you know how many ice cream stops we have made so the brownies traveled with us for a while. We were in the middle of nowhere in Nebraska, really that's pretty much all of Nebraska, and I was watching the girls and Jim swim and enjoying a brownie. It was so good that I sent Becca a text to let her know. Her response, "It's practically being there myself!" That started the silliness (see photos below). We call it the Brownie Trail to represent the westward migration, just like the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the Cowboy Trail... You get the point. If Jim were one to put bumper stickers on his car, I would get him one that says "I brake for historical markers." There are A LOT of historical markers and many of them are for a trail. Ours tastes much better! Thanks, Becca!

Brownies crossing state lines!

The last 3 at 12,304 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park. They taste even better at altitude!

We hope this brownie fame will mean there will be brownies for future Maule Family Adventures!!

Back in the mountains!

Rocky Mountain National Park

It was a picture perfect day to drive through the park. Amazing views, a variety of wildlife, snow patches, and beautiful blue skies. We walked up the trail and climbed to the top of the rock to the 12,304 ft elevation marker. In true Parnass Family fashion we ate brownies at the top. It is breathtaking to be that far above tree line and be able to see forever.

The elk viewing in the park was incredible! Unbelievable bulls (lots of 6 x 6's) in velvet. There were herds everywhere. Very tempting to poach around here...

We had a wonderful picnic surrounded by pine trees. We could hear the creek and waterfall in the distance. A fitting last day of our adventure.

Sam: I liked all the stops. Our lunch stop was my favorite.

Ali: I liked climbing on the rock but my favorite part was hitting mom with a snowball. 

Animal viewing Africa style.

Top of the world- 12,304 feet.

Our last 3 Becca Brownies! Delicious!!

Jim is literally on top of the world!

Picnic lunch spot.

Big Thompson Canyon

We went to Estes Park through Big Thompson Canyon. This was one of the areas severely impacted by the flooding last year. The road has been repaired, but the effects of the flood are evident everywhere. It's frightening to see the high water marks and the debris that the water left behind. There are houses left with half a foundation precariously perched on what was riverfront property and is now just river. Many are marked as condemned and many are in the process of rebuilding. The girls asked great questions about floods and the river and how the people got to safety. Flood or not, the drive is dramatic and breathtaking- just not with high water!

Colorado!!!!!

We are in Colorado but we can't see the mountains. (It's too hazy to the West.) We did find a field of windmills in the great plains. (In case we didn't know it was the great plains, there was a sign to tell us.) We have been in Colorado for 20 miles and we have seen antelope (pronghorn), a coyote, and a hawk. We are hoping for elk in Rocky Mountain National Park.

We are very excited to be close to home!

Wyoming

We had a great stay in Cheyenne. It does not feel like a big city even though it's the capitol of Wyoming. We found a fun playground and had a yummy dinner at Mitchell's BBQ. The girls said it was a fun stop because our hotel had a nice pool. They are easy to please!

Wyoming's Wildlife

No welcome sign on this road....

We picked up some wildlife along the way.

We can see the mountains!!

Much excitement from the back seat as we got our first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains in 24 days. Throughout the trip Jim asked the girls if they would like to live wherever we were. For the first few weeks they considered it. They really liked some of the playgrounds and that had a big influence. PA was popular because they liked hanging out with their cousins. Somewhere in Iowa, though, they decided that they like the mountains and where we live. As much as they have loved the adventure, I think they are excited to go home.

Dobby's Frontier Town, Alliance, Nebraska

A crazy collector put together his own little town of old buildings. There are all sorts of things you would find in an old west town and plenty of junk too. The girls liked the 2 person out house.

In school!

Don't misbehave here!

Carhenge, Alliance, NE

Stonehenge made out of cars. Other car sculptures as well, including a covered wagon. Graffiti is encouraged on some of the cars so the girls left their mark.

They liked the Mater truck best.

Signing the "Ford Seasons" sculpture.

A unicorn and a picture of Zerp.

The steering wheel.

Ellsworth, Nebraska

This was the whole business district. A cool old cowboy store dating back to 1898. The ice cream, however, was fresh.

Nebraska Fun Fact

The north west quarter of Nebraska has hundreds of square miles of sand hills. The rolling grass covered hills are actually sand.

Ashfall Fossil Beds, Royal, Nebraska

A fascinating fossil discovery site. There was a wide array of ancient animals (not dinosaurs) buried when a gigantic volcano erupted in southern Idaho.They believe that the site was a watering hole and that's why there is such a high concentration of animals there. Like Pompeii, the ash preserved the remains well. It is a working site so we got to talk to students and other paleontologists while they worked. We were surprised by the variety of animals and the resemblance to African animals as opposed to species from North America. There is a huge barn over the dig site. It reminded us of Dinosaur National Park. We highly recommend this stop!

Sam: It was fun. I liked it when we got to try digging in the sandbox for fossils.

Welcome to Nebraska

Our third state today and 14th overall. It's interesting to see how fast the landscape changes from flat cornfields to rolling hills of wheat.

Wacky in South Dakota

Saw this at the drive in....

Tastee Treat Drive In, Yankton, South Dakota

We stopped for lunch and milk shakes. It has car service but we went inside. (Road Trip Rule: No eating in the car) Authentic 1950's feel so we sat at the counter. Sam had her first malt! It was delicious. I can't imagine why you would be in Yankton, South Dakota, but if you are it's worth a stop!

Sam: The caramel malted was delicious!

Welcome to South Dakota

We got out of the car and Sam asked, "Where are the four heads?" Ali answered, "On the sign." South Dakota is a big state and we are on the other end!

Iowa is not so boring!

Despite the negative attitudes towards Iowa yesterday, we really enjoyed our stay. The people are very friendly and the scenery is nice, even with all the corn. There has been a lot of rain so it's very green. In fact the water in the background of the South Dakota sign is not a lake, it's a flooded corn field!

Storm Lake, Iowa is a very nice place. It's a small lake with bike paths and boats. There is a beach and a water park. The town is nice and has a bunch of restaurants. It's a nice stopover if you are passing through.

Sam: Iowa is not that boring. They have a water slide!

Ali: Iowa is not too boring cause of the water park.

Le Mars, Iowa

Supposedly the ice cream capital of the world. They had lots of cones and we would have loved to try some but everything is closed on Sunday.

Ali: Let's have ice cream because it's ice cream day! (Sunday)

Samantha liked the cone painted for the girl scouts.