Heading Home

We awoke this morning with one thing on our minds – two more days driving and we are home! We started this trip in high spirits with a two-day push to get to Colorado Springs, and now we are ending still in high spirits and attempting to drive from Sioux City to Clemmons in two days. With three drivers, this should be no problem.

Today we crossed the “I” states – Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. I wonder if it is pure chance that these adjacent states all start with an “I”. The vegetable of the day was corn, and for the first 400 miles of our trip we were almost always driving next to corn fields. Every time I pass through the mid-west I am amazed at the vastness of the farm lands, and this trip was no exception.

I’ve been asked several times if I regret coming home a few days “early,” and the answer is not at all! What matters most to me is that we are following the route home that the boys choose in Vancouver. We have taken the time to visit attractions along the way each day, and have enjoyed seeing some spectacular land that we would have otherwise missed.

When the boys saw that we would be crossing Iowa on I-80, they remembered watching a History Channel show on Truck Stops two weeks ago and learning about “Iowa 80.” The world’s largest Truck Stop. They looked this up on the internet, saw that we would be passing by, and thus it became an afternoon destination for us! This was not a roadside gimmick, but was indeed a massive and impressive place. This is to Truck Stops what the Mall of America is to Malls, and we were there!

As we drove today I asked each son for five things that they think they will always remember from this trip. Interestingly, they named the exact same things for the first four: (1) Time in Vancouver and with the Andersons, (2) Time with their cousins and family in Fresno, CA, (3) Whitewater rafting in Colorado, and (4) Climbing rocks in the riverbeds in Yosemite. Paul’s number 5 was the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, and John’s number 5 was seeing the Giant Sequoia and Redwood trees in CA. It will be interesting to see what the boys remember most 30 years from now.

My memory will be of making the dream of showing my sons the USA into a reality! It’s been a wonderful three weeks with the boys – not one argument or disagreement on this trip, making me realize how much I have blessed by God with these boys! As great as this has been, I can’t wait to be with my wife and daughter again!

We are driving late tonight, as the boys have chosen to take us into Kentucky.

Tomorrow’s only destination is HOME!