OK, back to Glacier's question (what would I change or do differently or what do I wish we'd seen but didn't) and to unique's (anything "yicky" that she might want to avoid on her own upcoming road trip).

I would have loved to have spent more time in Idaho, Montana, the northern California coast near Mendocino and the Oregon coast. These were exceptionally beautiful areas. But, on any trip, you have to resign yourself to the fact that you simply cannot see or do everything. The beauty of that, of course, is there's plenty more for the next trip! I was driving about 300 miles a day on our journey on roads chosen for this trip, and I'd look down other roads, knowing there were 300 different miles to be had by taking any one of them. The vastness of this country is truly mind-blowing.

I included the kids in the trip planning, and we ended up, after numerous reworks, with an itinerary that gave us all what we most wanted to see. I wanted Appalachia, Cajun country, New Mexico's pueblos, Monument Valley (by itself worth a drive cross-country), California's Redwoods, the Grand Tetons and the Great Lakes. Dana, a passionate horse lover, had to see every inch of Kentucky horse country -- the Bluegrass region around Lexington. Adam wanted "car museums" (and junk food), so we hit places like the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky and the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Something for everyone. It worked well.

And the parts that unique would call "yicky?" Well, the stretch around Shiprock, New Mexico near Farmington and Bloomfield was searingly hot and tedious. I'd give that a miss. And, crossing Nevada in summer was a challenge. The day we crossed southern Nevada via Rachel and the Extraterrestrial Highway was a tense day, the longest day of the trip. I breathed an audible sigh of relief when we hit the California border and started our ascent into the cool Sierras.

And, something else that dogged us during the journey -- wildfires that blazed in some seven western states. Wildfire figured prominently in our trip. Yicky? You bet. But perversely fascinating, as well. I gained new respect for the people who live with wildfire threat and especially for the wildcatters and firefighters who risk their lives and spend weeks away from home trying to protect others' lives and property.

Cheers for now,

Lori