Gabe's 45 States

We were just sitting around talking about how many states Gabe has been to (or will have been to by the end of this trip). Kieran has been to almost as many, Izzie a few less. At some point we'll try to make a list of all of the parks.

Alaska  Arizona  Arkansas  California  Colorado  Connecticut  Florida  Georgia  Idaho  Illinois  Indiana  Iowa  Kansas  Kentucky  Maine  Maryland  Massachusetts  Michigan  Minnesota  Missouri  Montana  Nebraska  Nevada  New Hampshire  New Jersey  New Mexico  New York  North Carolina  North Dakota  Ohio  Oklahoma  Oregon  Pennsylvania  Rhode Island  South Carolina  South Dakota  Tennessee  Texas  Utah  Vermont  Virginia  Washington  West Virginia  Wisconsin  Wyoming

Plus Washington DC

States not yet traveled to (as of July 2011): Alabama  Louisiana  Mississippi  Rhode Island  Hawai'i

Visiting Kentucky and Naeyeshveel

Hi there, y'all. Are y'all doin' alright with y'all's y'all? Great thing about Kentucky #1: Everybody is super-friendly. Great thing about Kentucky #2: It really is the center of America... if you go north, you're in the North. South, you're in the South. Same with the East and the West. It really is the crossroads, loaded up with culture and cultures. Great thing about Kentucky #3: I am an Adonis at the swimming pool. No sucking in the gut, no keeping the shirt on, no worrying about the ol' muffin top. It seems that the burgers and fries (and ribs and fried chicken) have taken their toll on the entire population.

So Izzie made her first-ever campground friend while we were staying in Bowling Green. Unfortunately, it only took a short time for him to go from being her first CGF to her first six-year-old stalker. Greatest moment with this kid was when we arrived home at 9pm after a full 12-hour adventure to Mammoth Cave, only to have him pop out of the darkness before we even got out of the car. I swear I heard creepy violins screeching a soundtrack just as the headlights glimmered off of his thin, yellow eyes...

When last we met, we had just gotten back from Lincoln's boyhood home, which seems like a lifetime ago. That night we had one of the most intense thunderstorms I have ever experienced in my life (including once having a tornado on-site), certainly the most intense we've ever had while camping, and it went on, without interruption, for two solid hours.

Tuesday we went to Mammoth Cave, and it was just the greatest. We all put in 4.5 miles, including hikes above and below the ground. The coolest thing was when we were all completely schweaty, hiking up from the river, drenched in sweat, when - without knowing it - we approached the cave entrance, which was spewing 50 degree air down the hill onto us. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Wednesday, we went to Nayeshveel, Tennessee. Probably an awesome town after dark, without the kids, but... everything we wanted to go too was too expensive for what it was. So we had the most spectacular BBQ lunch at Jack's, went to a record store, and drove home for swimming. We did visit the Nashville Parthenon but, as it would have cost $60 for all of us to go inside, we didn't.

Today we finally (finally WHAT?!?) drove to Memphis and are staying on Hound Dog lane at the RV park on the grounds of Graceland (Graceland, Graceland Tennessee). We are behind the Heartbreak Hotel and just down the way from Elvis' jets. But the best part is that our beloved Mommy finally XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX THIS SECTION REDACTED XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX and flew into Memphis early this afternoon. The kids and I got up at 6:00 and departed super-fast so we could get here and get her picked up.

We are going to tour Graceland tomorrow, and I don't know what beyond that. But it is sticky hot.

I'm having all kinds of trouble with Flickr right now, but I'll get lots more pics up as soon as I can.

From "humble" origins...

Monday, June 27: Today we visited the Jim Beam distillery and Abraham Lincoln's birthplace. I know which one I'm supposed to be more awe-inspired by, but…

The distillery was pretty cool; the highlight (at least for me; it was introduced as "oh, by the way, this…") was that they had the world's smallest working bourbon still! It looks and works just like the big one in the plant next door, but it's only about 9 inches tall. It's produced a gallon of bourbon in the last 50 years. But since it intentionally produces marketable alcohol, it's registered with the ATF.

Everybody's heard the tale of how Lincoln was born a poor woodsman… well, look at this! Does this look like the home of a poor woodsman??? Marble, columns, sitting stately upon the hill. Some humble beginnings. The only thing wrong with the place is that some jackass built this crappy old log cabin in there. I have no idea how in the world they are going to get that thing out of there. Good luck with that. I asked and asked how come "humble" Lincoln's house was so fantastic, and nobody knew. I finally got the answer out of some good samaritan. It turns out that the huge marble thing isn't Lincoln's house at all. Apparently, he was actually born in Kenya.

Tomorrow is our first actual hiking and adventuring as we head to Mammoth Cave. We don't have an internet connection at this campground, so it might be a day or two before we're back. See you soon!

Drivin', Y'all

Sunday, June 26: Today was entirely uneventful. We learned three things about Kentucky. 1) Folks is real friendly. 2) Drawls and y'alls are more prevalent here than in the deepest parts of the deep south. People seem to hesitate mid-phrase and decide how to rework their sentence to include more y'alls. 3) Big hair didn't die in the 80's.

Highlight of the trip: signs for the KY Action Park and Big Bone Lick State Park. Yes, to answer your question, I do know how incredibly immature I am. Thank you.

Day 1: Scenic Ohio, USA

So we're here outside of Columbus, in a not entirely unattractive place. Just a one-night stop before we continue on tomorrow to Bowling Green, Kentucky. From there we'll explore Mammoth Cave and Nashville before moving on to Memphis. I wish there was something huh-larious to tell you, but today was mercifully uneventful. When we think back to the day ones of past trips - windshield falling out of the camper - fuel pump breaking and unavailable for a month leading to camper trade-in and new camper purchase - explosive dog diarrhea - catching air with 14-ton RV on train tracks and destroying bike rack - mirror falling off of RV on the way to Detroit, causing me to miss the Muse concert at the Fox Theater - bike rack falling off of RV and all bikes run over (but then Mom saw some poor teenager on a similar bike, thought he'd snagged it, and ran him down on foot) - just having kids arguing in the back seat doesn't seem so bad.

10-year-old Gabe is currently schooling pro gambler Alex in Gabe's first-ever game of Texas Hold 'Em.

Wish I'd looked at a map and seen that we were going through Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame while we were planning today.

This is the second time for me in Columbus, as our first time was with the University of Michigan Marching Band. You've probably seen players at the end of football games greeting and talking with their opponents. That's because even though during those 60 minutes of play they are trying to destroy each other, they all belong to the same fraternity. It's like that for collegiate musicians, as well. We belong the FBG, the Fraternity of Band Geeks. Roxanne knows what I'm talking about. After the game, no matter who we play, the Michigan Band always invites the opposing school's band back to HQ for refreshments and camaraderie. Maybe a friendly drum-off. Even the Sparties, even the Irish. But going to Columbus is a different experience. When I came here, we marched into the stadium, formation as tight as is humanly possible, surrounded by one hundred Ohio state troopers. (I swear I'm not making this up.) The reason for this is because as we approach the stadium, drunken scarlet-clad good-ol'-boys started throwing their bodies into the group, who are physically repelled by increasingly angry troopers. Occasionally one actually breaks into the band and starts throwing fists around until the troopers can shove him out. And this is before the game. During the game, their little pep band actually comes over to our side to taunt us. Walking around the track to halftime, an 18-year-old french horn catches a random fist from the front row and has her nose broken. As the game gets close to the end, it was tied (I think), with Michigan pressing. The State Police commander makes the decision to get us out before the crowd can get after us. We have to do an emergency evac - a premature evacuation - miss the end of the game, and then have our bus rocked by the drunken hordes. I don't actually remember who won the game. So I guess what I'm saying is... I can't wait to get out of here. Like Agent Smith in The Matrix, "it's the smell of this place."

But fireflies. Lots of fireflies.

And so it begins...

Today's the day... it's finally time... here we go...





Westward, HO!!!





Wait, um, what did you just call me?!?!?

Packing Up! Ready to Go!

Well, it's almost that time again... one camper is getting loaded, one is in for major repair, we're in a complete state of panic figuring out how we can ever possibly get all of our work done before we go. Everything is as it should be. Very soon, we will be entertaining you with tales of almost dropping children off of cliffs, dehydration-induced hallucinations, encounters with bears and, in all likelihood, something about poop. Somehow, it always comes back to poop.

This past weekend, Saturday night at 10:00 pm through Tuesday morning, the plan for the trip was changed seven times. And the final result... we're doing exactly what we said we were doing.

If you're just stopping by for the first time, I invite you to join us on some of our previous adventures.

(p.s. The sleepy griz picture is from Denali National Park, Alaska, last August.)