2010 - On towards St Louis!

It's along about the 2nd half of December and we've been really, really lucky for travel weather!  No matter how you cut it - it is a long, long trip but.... I enjoy driving .... I LOVE watching the countryside and all the beautiful vistas that God put into this truly amazing USA ~ just for us!!!  How lucky are we!!!

To try and keep Chaito from getting really stressed - we took 'his' bed and blanket in with us each night!  There was a light dusting of snow on the ground as we went over to the breakfast at Best Western in Santa Rosa.  It had pretty much turned to a drizzly rain by the time we got loaded up and ready to go.  Chaito sure kept a good close eye on his buddy ~ I'm thinking that he wanted to make sure we didn't leave him - and we didn't!! ;-)

Keith and Chaito make perfect travel partners!

We had lunch here at Shamrock, OK.  The whole town was done up with the theme.  It was cute to 

see.

When we left Yukon, Oklahoma our trip meter was 3,828.4 miles.  This is the number of trip miles from the time we stopped for gas in Florence, OR.  That's a lot of miles folks!

More of the flat scenery that is so prevalent all the way through the center of our country.  It's flat and in December - it's brown - and I've been thru here in the summer - and it's like the song says - "Amber waves of grain" - it all seems to have a beauty of it's own.  I am in somewhat of a somber reflective mood as I drive through here.  This is the morning that Linda texted me that Uncle Jim passed on during the night.  Probably ~ in a really strange way - the scenery calmed me.

And we have arrived in St. Charles!  Chaito has his spot all picked out!  There was some really, really cold weather just in front of us - school closures and all sorts of stuff - but - we are in luck - it's cold and there is some snow and ice leftovers - but the skies stayed blue and the sun shining for our whole trip!

We got to St. Louis in time for the 'Portrait Party' that April has planned.  Ricks whole family came in mass and this really great lady came in and took portraits for us.  Ricks family is very upbeat and lively - They came - they posed - we ALL ate (and ate, and ate), and it was time to nap! LOL





The Orf house was all decorated for Christmas and even had a jigsaw puzzle set out for everyone to stop and try to fit a piece ~ each and every time we walked past.  Chaito stayed with them for the few days we were there - a bit easier on him than in the hotel room.  He, Monica, and Nana made fast friends - at least I think they did - no one told me any different!

I got this great idea that I was going to try to map our trip - I got as far as Coos Bay to Bremerton - and took this photo - and lost the map - So much for that great idea - but you can see by this - we literally visited 2 corners of the country (Bremerton and San Diego) before heading across with our final destination being Florida (and Keith really does want to do the Keys before we head back out!)

We spent a fun evening bowling, touring the Christmas decorations, looking all over for a Coldstone Ice Cream shop - finally settling on Steak and Shake - where April felt enough of an appetite to actually, really eat something (I'm so proud of her!), and the final photo is at the Orf's - Elizabeth is teasing about their less-than-full-size tree!


















It's been a great trip so far!!