2005 USA Road Trip
Brier to Arizona to Orlando to North Carolina to Washington DC to Maine
to Niagara Falls to Mt. Rushmore to Home...
Summary Stats...
9,750 miles * 1,236 gallons of gasoline * 42 States (and Wash. DC)
The Jordan clan just returned from a 32-day, 42-state, coast to coast RV trip. Part was holiday, part weekends, part work, and part vacation. Photos will be posted shortly (we took a lot of them...)
This trip culminated in a dream I've had for the family - to visit all 48 contiguous states of the United States. The baby came along after the dream had reached some fulfillment, so she's only at 42 states. But Leslie and I and the seven oldest kids have now been to all 48 lower states of these awesome United States of America!
Day 1 (Thursday, September 1, 2005)
Left home at 9:15pm. Went to see Bob's dad on Mercer Island on the way (just as we did in 1998). Traveled over Snoqualmie pass and stayed the night at the Cle Elum rest stop. Ran the generator the whole time. Pulled in and got set up and then to bed at midnight. Did not have a repeat of the tire blow-outs I had two weeks earlier on a shakedown trip. The new tires did just fine!
Day 2 (Friday, September 2, 2005)
Up and at 'em at 5am. On the road by 5:30am. Kids still asleep in the coach. Went to Oregon Trail Interpretive Center for a couple of hours. Saw a live one-man play (Roy Egan of the Ezra Meeks team) which was very well done. As a bit of a thespian myself I could appreciate the work Ray did.
Day 3 (Saturday, September 3, 2005)
Wow, what geology along highway 93 in Nevada! Miles and miles of the wonders of creation. Lots of climbing as well, we peaked out at over 7200 feet. Had what we thought was a tire blowout, but it was only a valve stem. The Almighty was looking out for us on this incident as it happened at a rest stop in Ely, Nevada. 100 miles before, and 100 miles after were absolutely no services. We pulled into a tire shop just before closing and got the valve stem replaced. Bill was $5. I gave the lad $20 and told him to keep the change. God's hand clearly on us.
Day 4 (Sunday, September 4, 2005 - Andrea's Birthday)
Toured Hoover Dam. Talk about an amazing engineering feat! It was started in 1931 and completed in 1935 - the year my dad was born. Easily over 100 degrees. All RVs were searched (took about 5 minutes). Water level at Lake Mead was relatively low. Up until now gas was always just under $3 per gallon, but not in Arizona... We stayed the night at Kingman and enjoyed an hour or two or three in the pool. Topped off the night by having a birthday party for Andrea, who is 18 today!
Day 5 (Monday, September 5, 2005 - Labor Day)
Drove to Prescott, Arizona, our first objective. Could not find an RV site with a pool, so we went further south to Black Canyon City to a KOA. They had a very nice pool that the kids used a lot. Stuck up a conversation with a native Arizonan who, later that evening, brought by a live tarantula for us to look at. It had crawled across his foot in his campsite. Man, you have to be nuts to want to live in Arizona...
Day 6 (Tuesday, September 6, 2005)
My day was spent working. I went to the Prescott Airport to install some HySecurity gate operators. I drilled holes in concrete, helped lift operators onto the concrete pads, installed a couple of loops (takes many feet of wire), and installed some rails. Also learned more about programming and troubleshooting. Was disappointed at the quality of gate and fence installation - shabby far too often. I got back to the campsite at 7pm. I slept good that night. The family spent the day in the pool, except for a couple of hours in the hottest part of the day and then they were in the recreation room of the KOA.
Day 7 (Wednesday, September 7, 2005)
Second day with me and Shawn Davis of HySecurity working on the operators. We finished up one of three we began, and installed the third one. In all we installed three operators and had them all running. Due to the poor work of conduit placement we couldn't install any more operators. We got back to the camp site at 4pm. I swam until 5pm and we left at 5:30pm and began climbing to I-40 and went to Flagstaff and then on to Meteor City to stay the night. We were up and out of the site before the meteor site was open so we didn't see it.
Day 8 (Thursday, September 8, 2005)
Entered New Mexico and at Albuquerque we visited for almost two hours (until closing) the National Atomic Museum. Lots of interesting things surrounding the Manhattan Project, the Cold War, radiation and energy, and missiles. Fascinating and sobering as well.
Day 9 (Friday, September 9, 2005)
Came into Texas and in Amarillo witnessed the largest standing cross in North America. It also had a numerous statuary of the 13 stages of the trial and death of Christ. Very impressive. The center is almost complete. In 1998 all that was there was the cross. On the same day we came into Oklahoma and in Oklahoma City we saw the memorial of the bombing site. No one was doing much talking at this site, it was very much sacred. I left my HySecurity baseball cap on the fence that had hundreds of mementos left by those sharing in the community of those moved by what happened. Stayed the night in the hometown of NFL Superbowl quarterback Troy Aikman.
Day 10 (Saturday, September 10, 2005)
Covered four states today: OK, AR, TN, MS. In Arkansas, which is a beautiful state, we toured the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Park. The Library has only been open since last November, and they hoped to have 300,000 visitors in the first year. Thus far they are at 410,000 and are now projecting 500,000 first year visitors. In the three-story Library is an exact scale reproduction of both the Cabinet Room and the Oval Office. Also, the presidential limousine is also on display. The Library is clearly all about Bill. He designed it, he narrates most all of the videos, has everything from his boyhood to his adulthood to his current activities. He is a remarkable man, with seemingly limitless energy and the ability to attract people. The staff at the Library seemed very proud to be there. The Park is still under construction. The Library is worth seeing, regardless of your political affiliation or your personal disposition toward Bill Clinton. Just as we pulled into the driveway another valve stem gave way, so I called AAA and they put on my spare, then I drove to Sears and got the stem replaced. Again, God was with us, as I typically drive between 60 and 70 mph, and a blowout at that speed would not be good. Both of our valve stem issues came when I was parked and near repair services. After the Library (it's my goal to attend all Presidential Libraries, and now I have one under my belt) it was on to Memphis, which we got to just after dark. We crossed the Mississippi River and entered Mississippi shortly thereafter. We camped in a Wal-Mart lot behind another coach. All in all a very good day!!
Day 11 (Sunday, September 11, 2005)
Another four state day - MS, AL. GA, FL.. Started out by driving to Tupelo, MS and seeing the Elvis Presley birthplace. Just a small one-room house - pure poverty. The Presley family left there when Elvis was 13. On the site is a museum, chapel, many outdoor attractions, a 1939 Plymouth - what they loaded up and drove to Memphis in when Elvis was 13, and a park. In Alabama we again went to Montgomery (as we did in 1998) and saw the First Confederate White House, the State Capitol, the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church (where MLK, Jr. was pastor), and the slave auction area. Lots of reverence for the Confederate cause, including statues of Jefferson Davis (the President of the Confederate States of America). We drove hurriedly from there into Georgia, then into Florida. In all this was our longest driving day at over 550 miles. Wasn't too bad though.
Day 12 (Monday, September 12, 2005)
A short driving day (200 miles) into Orlando. We pulled into the Orange County Convention Center where my company was an Exhibitor. Since I was wearing jeans, a tank top, and sandals I didn't go in, but rather went to the campsite (our best one yet, even a bit better than the KOA, which was excellent) and I swam for a few minutes before hopping a cab and going to meet the rest of the HySecurity team for dinner. The kids swam for the rest of the afternoon.
Day 13 (Tuesday, September 13, 2005)
A full day for me in the convention center. I stayed there between then and the evening dinner appointment. The kids and Leslie spent much of the day at the pool, washing clothes, and playing pool and reading in the RV park recreation center.
Day 14 (Wednesday, September 14, 2005)
Have you even been Tasered? I did at the convention. It was two seconds that seemed like 45 minutes. Jef Faulkner from engineering and Brian DeNault, the president with engineer's blood, also did it. None of us liked it but that's what happens when you're inventive, daring, dashing, and bold. None of the sales guys did it. No comment... :-) I got back to the RV park by 4:30 and I spent the rest of the day washing the RV, swimming, and eating. A very good convention for HySecurity. The HySecurity team is a close-knit group of professionals with a great sense of humor that I'm enjoying being a part of. That night the family watched "The Man From Snowy River." At least everyone else did. I was sound asleep after 20 minutes.
Day 15 (Thursday, September 15, 2005)
First thing we went to the Kennedy Space Center. Took some pictures of a Shuttle, the Shuttle booster rockets, and some other rockets as well. We toured the Astronaut Hall of Fame and it was excellent. Lots of things to see, watch, hear, and even experience (like a 4g centrifuge, a moonwalk with 1/6th gravity, Space Shuttle simulator (working that stick is not at all easy), and a 14-seat rocking, pitching, rolling, and yawing Shuttle. We then drove out of Florida through Jacksonville and into Georgia. In Georgia we swung by Fort King George, and though the gate was locked (it was after hours) we saw pictures outside of this fort (much the same size as Fort Clatsop in Astoria, OR, pretty small - more like an outpost). We then drove out of Georgia and into South Carolina, where we spent the night in Canadys.
Day 16 (Friday, September 16, 2005)
In South Carolina we went by a War Between the States Museum, but, alas it was closed. There were some things outside to see and we did. In Florence, SC we went to a National Cemetery and looked at some very old graves, many of which dated back to the Civil War. We drove to Kinston, NC to see Earl and Virginia Spence (Earl is a boyhood friend of my dad). At Earl and Virginia's we ate and spent the night in their front yard (I hooked up electricity). We called and talked to Dave (my brother), and my mom and my dad. Earl's son Joe was there too!
Day 17 (Saturday, September 17, 2005)
We began the day by going to breakfast with Earl, Joe, and Virginia Spence at the Golden Corral. From there Earl and company took us to the CCS Neuse (a salvaged Civil War ironclad), then to the CCS Neuse II, an exact (nearly) full-scale (the world's largest) replica of the original ironclad. We got a tour from a guy who worked there. Very impressive, and very tough for the seaman living on board (inside temperatures can rise to over over 150 degrees F.) From the two ironclad sites we went on to the Maplewood Cemetery in Kinston. There we saw the graves of my grandfather and grandmother. At the cemetery we bid goodbye to Earl and Virginia and we drove on to Virginia. We went to Jamestown, site of the first English speaking settlement in the United States. Part of the drive included a free ferry ride on the "Pocahontas." Once a year the Park Service at Jamestown does a drama surrounding the life of Nathaniel Bacon, and they leave it up to the audience whether he was an insurrectionist or a patriot (I suspect some of both). We were there on the one night that they did the drama! Interestingly enough, the once day per year performance was cancelled in 2003 and 2004 due to Hurricanes. Indeed we came at the right time. At Jamestown we saw replica ruins of the site, as well as some original foundation bricks (under glass). It was a very hard life for the settlers, about six in seven died the first years of the colonies. We stayed the night at the Jamestown Campground, where they let us have exclusive use of the pool after closing (man, it was hot and muggy that night).
Day 18 (Sunday, September 18, 2005)
We took a short 5-mile car tour of some Jamestown sites, then from there we went on to Williamsburg and toured the Presidents Park, where a bust of each president, along with some history and facts and quotes were displayed. The busts were each about 18 feet tall. We had some local "BBQ" at the museum as well. BBQ in the south is roasted pork chopped up and mixed with a tangy sauce. Very popular and very tasty! From there we beat a path to the nation's capital. We arrived at 5:30pm, and had about two hours of daylight to see things, then we re-saw them, and saw some more things, in the nighttime. We left there at 1:30am, and arrived at a campsite in Maryland at 2:30am. In DC we saw up close the Capitol Building, the White House, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, the Iwo Jima (Marine) Memorial, the FDR Memorial (new - also, very large, and a tour bus driver toured his group through and we tagged along - this guy was very much an ardent New Deal believer and he was very enthusiastic), the WWII Memorial (also new), the Vietnam Memorial and the Wall, the Korean War Memorial, and the outside of may other buildings and historic sites. Everyone really enjoyed this day, and a long, long day it was! The Nation's Capital is something to be proud of. When we stopped for the night, we were within 20 miles of our next objective - Gettysburg National Battlefield in Pennsylvania.
Day 19 (Monday, September 19, 2005)
After a full night's rest (we got to bed at 3am!) we arose and headed less than 30 miles to Gettysburg National Battlefield and the Gettysburg National Cemetery. There were quite literally hundreds of monuments over the 60,000 acres that is the Gettysburg NB. Highlights included a monument dedicated by FDR in 1938, another monument is on the site where President Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, the field where Pickett's charge occurred (from both the CSA and Union side), and Little Round Top - a rocky hill where Col. Lawrence Chamberlain's men held the flank. Very impressive and very moving. This was the bloodiest battle on American soil. The CSA, if they had won, would likely have won the war - and it was close. There was a laid-out automotive tour route and we finished it just as it was getting dark. we drove back into Maryland and spent the night doing laundry and watching the movie "Gettysburg."
Day 20 (Tuesday, September 20, 2005)
Whew! This was a day of ups and downs... On the down side we journeyed out of Maryland and into the upper tip of Delaware. We took some photos at the Delaware Tech, voted Community College of the year in 1999 - which was fine. Maybe it was bad luck that the neighborhoods we drove in in Delaware were a blight. Junk everywhere and horrible roads (potholes and bumps abounding). Easily the ugliest state we were in (so far). In New Jersey it was worse. Toll roads everywhere and the roads were the worst in the nation. Finally I began asking the toll booth attendants what they used the toll money for. One didn't know and the second said it was for the roads. I said I'd driven 6,000 miles across the country and these were the worst roads of them all. Not sure they appreciated that... Anyway, in the Jersey side we viewed the Statue of Liberty (at night). Very majestic and loaded with history and hope for immigrants. We drove out of Jersey and into the zoo of New York. Again, miserable roads (toll, of course). Surely I'll have to have the front end aligned when I get back to Seattle. Nothing could withstand that kind of punishment. With no campgrounds to be found, we settled in a Service Area (like a Rest Area, only with a gas station, restaurant, and 100 trucks staying the night). Oh, did I mention in the wonderful state of New Jersey at a Service Area the "full serve" guy couldn't speak English and didn't fill the tank (unlike what I asked for), the restaurant server couldn't speak English, and the garage attendants who were sitting around smoking cigarettes couldn't speak English either and they couldn't change the oil on my motorhome (they said this with a snicker - any reason to go back to sitting on their brains). But in the midst of this we went to the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia. There we saw Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Benjamin Franklin's Grave, the Betsy Ross House, and even the US Mint (closed - of course...). In Independence Hall we saw where George Washington was inaugurated (the second time) and where Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated VP and where the second president, John Adams, was inaugurated. Lots of tours and sights and it was very interesting and enjoyable!
Day 21 (Wednesday, September 21, 2005)
This day started great! We had spent the night just inside of Connecticut and in the morning drove to Groton where there is an awesome US Submarine Museum (all free). We went aboard the Nautilus (first nuclear powered sub), saw the conning tower for the George Washington, watched films, saw displays, and had a wonderful time. We got the oil changed in Groton too, as well as the generator oil. In Groton I got a quick look at the General Dynamics facility where submarines are built. Very large indeed! We then drove into Rhode Island and took a detour to Newport and saw the many mansions of turn-of-the-century industrialists who had very stately summer homes. We also went on the beach and viewed the mighty Atlantic Ocean. It was a 5-star day weather-wise. This was truly a lovely place to live. We also looked at Fort Adams, the Eisenhower Summer Home (even went on the porch), and more monuments and cemeteries (this time of Union soldiers). We drove out of Rhode Island and into Massachusetts, land of virtually no campgrounds. We ended up going to Boston Commons at midnight, then we drove over to the Old North Church, where Paul Revere left to ride to alert the army as to the coming British invasion. The roads were exceedingly narrow, such that I pulled in my mirrors and even drove partly on the sidewalk. The motorhome is "big and wide" and thus the need to get on the sidewalk. At 1am nobody was around, so I could drive up and down four blocks at 3 mph without much of an incident. We found a campsite on the Massachusetts/NH border, and stayed there. Next day will be the end of the third leg - Maine!
Day 22 (Thursday, September 22, 2005)
After getting in to the campsite at 2am we had a lot of work ahead of us just to get going. First, we had to get set up and those still awake to sleep. In the morning, about 10am, I drove to the gate to pay the fees (very expensive, by the way...) and then we went to the showers and dump station. After 10 showers, we filled the fresh water and dumped the gray and black water, and got on our way at 1:30pm. We quickly entered New Hampshire and then almost as fast were in Maine. In Maine we drove to Portland and toured the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow boyhood home (he wrote the poem about the midnight ride of Paul Revere). Very interesting. Seems Longfellow's dad was a personal friend of George Washington. We had a guided tour and it was very educational. Afterward we saw a monument to the Maine men who fought for the Union. Seems there are no end to monuments on the east coast! The third leg of our trip will be in the books when we stop tonight!
Day 23 (Friday, September 23, 2005)
We spent the night in New Hampshire and arose early and hit the road. We went to the homestead of Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States (and often voted dead last on the list of competent presidents). The home was built by his father, General Benjamin Pierce, who served under George Washington. From the beauty of NH (the colors were just beginning to change) we entered another beautiful state, the state of Vermont. Immediately we found a private farm (the Hamilton Farm) that produced and sold maple syrup. We stocked up on lots and had a private tour of the farm and the sugar house, where they reduce the sap to syrup. Very enjoyable. Then we hit the boards to NY and on to Niagara. We arrived at 10:30pm and saw the American Falls in the dark (it was lit up with floodlights). We then went to camp.
Day 24 (Saturday, September 24, 2005)
We arose early again and went back to Niagara Falls intending on staying only 30 minutes, but we stayed almost 2-1/2 hours. The Falls are spectacular and you can walk right up to them at more than one spot. It was tremendous and I'd recommend it to anyone. After an very enjoyable time at the Falls we pointed the rig west and headed out. We drove through the rest of upper NY and into PA. Then we diverted south past Pittsburgh and eventually into the panhandle of West Virginia. It was only a short ride there before we were in Ohio and onto the Tim and Jill (and son Ellis) plantation in Newark, OH. Tim is a salesman with HySecurity and handles the eastern states (Shawn Davis, whom I met up with in Arizona, lives in Arizona and handles the western state sales for HySecurity). We visited with Tim and Jill and Ellis before tucking in for night at 11pm. (Did I mention that Jill fixed brownies for us?)
Day 25 (Sunday, September 25, 2005)
At the Campen Compound Tim and Jill fixed us a great breakfast while Ellis provided personal tours of the grounds to our kids. I got to soldering the kids' two broken computers and fixed Ryan's (now it charges) but Andrea's still doesn't work (she can, though, use Ryan's charged battery). While at the Campen's the kids got a kick out of riding the go-kart in the open field. We also had lunch with Tim and Jill. They're quite the hosts! We left at 3pm and did not have time to visit the Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH, but judging from the write-up in the travel book, and my buddy Steve Becka's recommendation, it is quite the place. I'll be going back to Ohio, so when I do I'll see it then (guaranteed!). We dipped into Kentucky for dinner at, where else, Kentucky Fried Chicken (this was only the third time we'd eaten out all trip). We entered Indiana and the rains really got going (our first of the trip). The locals said it hadn't rained all summer and that this rain was courtesy of Hurricane Rita. It poured all night but eased up by morning.
Day 26 (Monday, September 26, 2005)
We arose early (everyone showered the night before so Leslie and I got up early and starting driving while the kids were still asleep). We drove up to Indy and visited a local racetrack, the Indianapolis Raceway Park (NHRA track). We then headed to the north end of state and headed east (yes, east) so we could go to Michigan. Michigan is important in that part of my dream for the kids was realized: Rebecca, Andrea, Melissa, Ryan, and Jessie, and Leslie, have now been to all 48 contiguous states. In Ohio I hit 48. When we hit Wisconsin then Nathan and Jessie will hit their 48th state. So, only Karissa will have to go to some more states by the time this trip is over (she'll hit 42...). Michigan, the 48th for the older five kids, came in with a literal splash. We went to New Buffalo which was only one mile within Michigan, but it is the longest and best beach (according to the man at the Welcome Center at mile marker 0.5) in Michigan. The lake was very rough and the kids enjoyed a long time on the broad sandy beach running up and down and going out onto the man-made boulder jetty where some big crashing waves helped to get some kids quite wet. From Michigan we drove back through the state of Indiana and into Illinois. Serendipitously we drove past the exit for Wheaton College and we pulled in for a visit. Wheaton College is where Billy Graham graduated, as well as Jim Elliot, a missionary martyred in 1956. I play the role of Jim Elliot in a 60-minute drama the team Catalyst has presented the last two years to churches, prisons, and juvenile detention centers (last year I played Nate Saint, another Wheaton graduate and also martyred in 1956 with Jim Elliot and three other men). Very moving to be at this college. The day ended with a 2-hour session in a laundry mat... :-) We stayed the night in a Target parking lot - too tired to move on...
Day 27 (Tuesday, September 27, 2005)
We were on the road while it was still dark. We wanted to clear the Chicago traffic, even on the outskirts, which we did. We drove into Madison and saw their enormous capitol building. Very ornate and very much like the one in DC. We also toured the Veterans Museum, complete with displays from all of the major conflicts, even the Civil War. I did a fine job if I say parallel parking the 29-foot motor home into one roadside spot. The car in front was forward in its spot, and the car behind was a bit back in its spot, so I wedged in just fine. We stayed in Madison 2-1/2 hours on a 5-star day. No clouds, blue sky, mild temperatures. Perfect. Just like Seattle... We then came into Minnesota and saw the headwaters of the Mississippi River. Even here the river is enormous, very wide and very magnificent. Tomorrow we clip Iowa and then on to South Dakota!
Day 28 (Wednesday, September 28, 2005)
The day began very blustery and rainy. We drove to the fabled 50-foot tall Jolly Green Giant statue and took photos in the very cold and driving rain. Needless to say, this was a quick stop! We kept driving and the weather got much better. We drove into Iowa so as to say we did and also to look for a local post office to mail our last postcards (the kids wrote them all - except I sent out two, one to the RV dealership and one to my brother Dave). In Iowa we took photos in the corn field and the kids had a good time in a local park. We then drove onto South Dakota and barely made it in time to the famous Mitchell Corn Palace. We drove onto Belvidere and camped out for the night.
Day 29 (Thursday, September 29, 2005)
This was the fateful day that we decided to extend the vacation all the way to Sunday! We visited the Badlands and they were spectacular. The kids climbed on them and we had miles of excellent geology to admire. After that we went to Mt. Rushmore, which is always a hit (I've been there at least five times I can remember). We even walked the new path up under the mountain. Very impressive indeed. Then we dipped further south to Crazy Horse Mountain. The museum was incredible, and the laser light show that evening was beyond spectacular. It really brought a tear to my eye. To me this trip had a great deal to do with the diversity our our nation. I experienced native American Indian culture in South Dakota, the struggle of the Blacks in Montgomery, Alabama, the accents of people from Kentucky, South Carolina and New Hampshire, the pride of the armed forces as we visited numerous museums, and the hospitality of many a Welcome Center worker who guided and directed me to points of interest in their state. To me this is diversity - not this ongoing mantra of accepting perversion as diversity. This great country was built by many cultures and heritages and it makes our county strong in its diversity.
Day 30 (Friday, September 30, 2005)
We awoke to the daytime sight of Crazy Horse Mountain. Truly spectacular day or night! We then drove to Wyoming to Devils Tower - the first of our nation's national monuments. We walked entirely around the mountain, and were awed by the many people climbing this monument. After this it was on to the Little Bighorn Battlefield Memorial. Due to it being late in the season it was only open until 6pm, and we arrived at 5:50pm - but had enough time to see the museum and the grave of the massacred enlisted men. There were markers where the men fell on that June day in 1876. The officers, including Custer, were exhumed and interred in other parts of the country - with Custer himself being buried at West Point. We drove onto Billings for the night. Tomorrow we get back into the Pacific Time zone!
Day 31 (Saturday, October 1, 2005)
This is what professional athletes call a "travel day." We drove from Billings to Spokane, meaning we drove 450 miles through the Republic of Montana, the Idaho panhandle (73 miles) and 27 miles into Cheney, just east of Spokane. We set up camp by 5:30 and were in the pool by 6pm. We then had a lazy dinner and watched "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." Since we had been to all these sights in DC, it was a good time.
Day 32 (Sunday, October 2, 2005)
The last day... We arose and promptly went to the pool and hot tub (at least some of us). We then cleaned out the entire inside of the motorhome so as to not have to do it when we got home. Our first stop on the way home was the Gingko Petrified Forest in Vantage, Washington. There we watched a video and looked at lots of petrified wood (very impressive) and some Indian petroglyphs. Very interesting and enjoyable. Then it was off to home where we arrived at 9:05pm after tanking up. In all a very successful trip - can't wait to take the rig out again!