UTAH TO PHILADELPHIA

 WE LEFT SATURDAY MORNING TO START OUR DRIVE TO PHILLY TO HELP NICK AND HEATHER MOVE THERE FOR MED SCHOOL.  WE DROVE THROUGH UTAH, WYOMING AND NEBRASKA THEN WE LOOKED FOR A HOTEL AT MIDNIGHT THE FIRST NIGHT IN NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.  LITERALLY THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE AND NOT A HOTEL ROOM TO BE FOUND.  AFTER A BAD RESERVATION ONLINE TO A HOTEL THAT HAD NO ROOMS AND HAD GIVEN AWAY A NEWLYWEDS ROOM WE FOUND THIS LITTLE BEAUTY.  IT WAS A DUMP AND SMELLED LIKE URINE.  WE SLEPT IN OUR CLOTHES SINCE IT WAS SO GROSS.  THE LOCKS, THE CURTAINS, THE CHAIRS, EVERYTHING WAS DISGUSTING AND WE HAD TO PAY MONEY FOR THIS.

 THIS PIC DOESN'T DO THE SHADE OF THE TOWELS JUSTICE BUT THE TOP ONE WAS GREY, YES GREY. COULDN'T WAIT TO WASH MY FACE WITH THIS UNCLEAN ITEM.

 REALLY NOT SURE WHAT KIND OF BUSINESS HAS GONE ON IN THIS CHAIR BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY NO ONE SAT IN IT.

 THIS IS THE GREAT PLATTE RIVER ROAD ARCHWAY MONUMENT. IT WAS COOL AS WE BLEW UNDER IT ON THE FREEWAY.

 THERE WERE STATES OF CORN FIELDS SO TALL AND FULL OF CORN READY TO BE EATEN.

 JUST SOME BEAUTIFUL PLACE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIELD.

 COOL OLD BARN.

 I'M SURPRISED THIS PICTURE TURNED OUT SO GOOD SINCE I WAS GOING 75 MPH.  I THINK IT IS A GLASS BARN OR SOMETHING BUT VERY COOL.

 MILES OF BEAUTIFUL COUNTRYSIDE.

 WE TOOK A LITTLE DETOUR AND THE ROAD WAS VERY FUN. I COULD SEE MYSELF RIDING A HORSE THROUGH THE FIELDS AND DYING A HAPPY WOMAN.

 THIS WINDMILL WAS DISMANTLED AND BROUGHT TO THE U.S. MANY YEARS AGO BUT IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.

 MY GUYS LOOKING HANDSOME.

 THIS HOUSE WAS SO INTERESTING, THE ROOF WAS GROWING ALL SORTS OF GROWN COVER AND WAS BEAUTIFUL. 

 ON THE WAY BACK TO THE FREEWAY I MADE THE GUYS STOP OFF FOR A PIC TO SHOW OFF JUST HOW MASSIVE THE CORN WAS.

 LOVING LIFE

 SMILE HONEY

 WHERE'S WALDO?

 HAPPY MAN

 THE CARAVAN

 WONDERED WHERE THIS LEAD TO BUT A BEAUTIFUL ROAD.

 JOHN WAYNE WAS BORN HERE IN WINTERSET, IOWA. 

 ANOTHER DETOUR WE MADE.

 THIS STOP WAS FOR MY DAD, JOHN WAYNE WAS HIS HERO ALWAYS.

THIS PARK AND THE STATUE  WITH THE FLAGS WAS BREATHTAKING.  THEY WERE ALL MILITARY FLAGS AND A VERY NICE TRIBUTE TO ALL.

 THE TOWN HALL IN WINTERSET ON JOHN WAYNE DRIVE.

 THIS WAS ON THE WAY BACK TO THE FREEWAY BUT THERE WERE MILES OF BACK ROADS TO THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY.  THIS WASN'T REALLY ONE OF THEM BUT IT WAS A GREAT BRIDGE IN THE MIDDLE OF A BEAUTIFUL SETTING.  I COULD HAVE STAYED FOR HOURS.

 YOU CAN'T ACTUALLY DRIVE ACROSS IT ANYMORE BUT YOU COULD WALK THROUGH IT.

 PHOTO SHOOT, HEATHER WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS SPOT.

 MY TURN.

 GORGEOUS SPOT

THE SUNSETS WERE BEAUTIFUL ALONG THE WAY, I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED SUNSETS SINCE A YOUNG GIRL, WHY STOP NOW?

 WE HAD TO MAKE A PIT STOP, SOMEWHERE IN THE DARK, AND THERE WERE A BUNCH OF LITTLE FROGS JUMPING AROUND THEN WE CAME ACROSS THIS GUY.  HAD EATEN HIS TWO YEAR SUPPLY ALREADY. HE WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF MY PALM.

 I WANTED TO GET PICS OF ALL THE "WELCOME TO..." WHEN WE CROSSED OVER THE STATES BUT SOME OF THEM WERE IN THE DARK BUT THIS IS US CROSSING THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER INTO ILLINOIS.

 ILLINOIS, THE LAND OF LINCOLN.

 HEADING FOR INDIANA

 WE WERE AVOIDING THE TOLL ROADS SO WE WENT THROUGH THE TRUE GHETTOS A FEW TIMES BUT BACK IN THE MIDWEST TOWNS ARE VERY PROUD OF THEIR WATER TOWERS AND THERE WAS ONE IN EACH TOWN.

 STOPPED FOR GAS AND NICK CHECKED THE OIL IN THE MOVING TRUCK AND THE OIL STICK, I CAN'T THINK OF THE REAL NAME RIGHT NOW, WAS MASSIVE. LOOK HOW LONG IT WAS.

OHIO

 WE HIT PENNSYLVANIA IN THE DARK SO THIS WAS THE FIRST PIC OF IT IN DAYLIGHT.  BEAUTIFUL REST STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST.

 TREES FOR DAYS IN PENNSYLVANIA.

 ALMOST THERE. WE GOT THERE IN TIME TO GET THINGS SQUARED AWAY FOR NICKS APARTMENT AND FIND A HOTEL TO LAY OUR HEADS DOWN. 4 DAYS OF DRIVING.  IT WASN'T REALLY BAD EXCEPT FOR THE FIRST DAY.  THE REST WAS QUITE ENJOYABLE FOR ME.  NO KIDS, NO DOGS, I MADE NO PHONE CALLS, JUST ENJOYED THE TIME LOOKING AT THE STATES I HAVE NEVER SEEN AND HAVING SOME GOOD QUALITY TIME WITH ME. :)

 AFTER WE UNLOADED THE TRUCK AND UNPACKED SOME OF THE APARTMENT THE NEXT DAY WE TRIED TO HAVE SOME FUN AND ENJOY THE CITY.  WE STOPPED OFF AT "CHUBBY'S" FOR A REALY PHILLY CHEESESTEAK AND BOY WAS IT WORTH THE DRIVE FOR THE REAL THING.  I JUST WISH I COULD HAVE EATEN THE WHOLE THING.  SO GOOD.

 NICK WAS VERY HAPPY I TOOK THIS ONE JUST AT THIS MOMENT, CAN YOU TELL?

 THE HOMES WERE AMAZING AND LIKE NOTHING I HAVE EVER SEEN.  SO DIFFERENT AND BEAUTIFUL IN THEIR OWN PHILLY WAY.

 THIS ONE NEEDED SOME LOVE AND ATTENTION.

 NICK TOOK US DOWNTOWN TO SHOW US WHERE HE WAS GOING TO BE FOR THE NEXT YEAR.  IT WAS SO WEIRD SINCE THE CITY HAS A LOT OF POVERTY, THERE WERE MANY PEOPLE THAT WERE IN DIRE NEED OF A JOB THEN THERE WAS ALL THE MED STUDENTS IN THEIR SCRUBS AND WHITE COATS.  IT WAS AN INTERESTING MIXTURE.

 THE BUILDING IS QUITE NEW AND VERY BEAUTIFUL. I'M SO EXCITED FOR HIM TO START THIS PART OF HIS SCHOOLING.

 JUST AROUND THE BLOCK FROM THE SCHOOL, MORE COOL HOUSES IN NEED OF SOME TLC.

 THANK YOU, WE FEEL WELCOME!

 VERY BEAUTIFUL BUILDING THAT HAD BEEN LOST FROM BEING TAKEN CARE OF.  

 I LOVED THIS PICTURE OF DOWNTOWN.

 HISTORY WAS MADE HERE.

 I REALLY LOVE OLD BUILDINGS, THEY JUST DON'T MAKE THINGS LIKE THEY USED TO.

 TRAVIS GOT US TICKETS TO THE SCORPIONS AND TESLA WHILE WE WERE IN PHILLY FOR MY BIRTHDAY.  ANOTHER ONE OF THE MANY REASONS THE DAYS OF TRAVELING WERE SO WORTH IT.  TESLA WAS FANTASTIC LIVE, THE LEAD SINGER WAS SO WEIRD AND A BLAST TO WATCH.

 WE WERE 3 ROWS BACK FROM THE STAGE.  SO CLOSE WE COULD TOUCH THEM.  I COULDN'T STOP SMILING!

 THIS GUYS JUST COULDN'T STOP SMILING EITHER.  I LOVED IT.

IT WAS SO FUN AND I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO STOP PLAYING.  I HAVE LOVED THE SCORPIONS SINCE I WAS IN 8TH GRADE.  

I AM SO GLAD THAT NICK AND HEATHER ASKED US TO HELP THEM! I LOVED THE TIME WITH NICK AND HELPING THEM GET THERE AND GET SET UP.  I ALSO LOVED THE TRAVELS AND SEEING MORE OF OUR BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.  NOW I CAN PICTURE THEM IN THEIR HOME AND THEIR NEW CITY.  I CAN'T BELIEVE WE DON'T GET TO SQUISH AND LOVE ON MADELINE AS MUCH BUT I'M GRATEFUL FOR PICTURES AND SKYPE AND ALL THE OTHER TECHNOLOGY WE HAVE SO WE CAN SEE THEM OFTEN.  BEST OF LUCK KIDS WITH YOUR NEW ADVENTURE, I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU.