Day 12

After a final long day of travel, we are home. 

The suitcases are unpacked, and the laundry is piled high.

It really is true, it is much easier to come home when the house is clean.

Here are a few random "Trip Wrap-Up" facts and thoughts....

1.  It is illegal to pump your own fuel in Oregon.  This took awhile to get used to.  Actually, I am not sure my husband ever got used to it.  I could see some huge advantages to this (snow, rain, wind....), but it is not fantastic when you are in a big hurry.

2. Speaking of hurry, we may be able to learn a thing or two from the people in Oregon.  The fuel thing might work there because it honestly does not seem like people in Oregon are in near as huge of a hurry as the rest of the world, especially when it comes to driving.  Although not perfect, they are in general more cautious than anywhere else we went.  The 55 mph speed limits on highways were definitely new and different.

3.  If I hear "Can we go to a gift shop?" or "Can we buy something here?" from my little guy one more time, I may just explode.  The boy is obsessed.  I will say, however, that when he gets something new, it does typically entertain him quite well -- at least for 12 hours.

4.  The funniest quote from the whole trip is still up for debate.  For awhile it was the "Are these guys all dead?" comment at Mount Rushmore.  However, yesterday afternoon, after driving a collective 58ish hours, we crossed back over the KS state line.  After I said, "We're back in Kansas, boys.", the little guy piped up, "We're not in Oregon anymore?!? Shoot."

5.  Finally, this trip was definitely a lesson in geography for all of us.  Not traveling much as a kid, I had no idea (beyond textbooks and virtual pictures) what we would see past Colorado.  Needless to say, God must like variety, and He did a pretty good job of sharing it with us.  Imagine that.