Rover and Dover Adventures

Since I'm an engineer, I just can't help by quantify the trip. So, below are some of the numbers that help define the trip. 1 Crazy idea that was permitted to grow and swell A surprisingly small amount of tears 2 cars (large majority of the tears shed here) 2 Countries 2 Canadian Provinces (British Columbia and Alberta) 3 Theme/Amusement Parks Legoland Universal Studios Calaway Park 4 Time Zones 6 ½ Zoos/Aquariums San Diego Telus Park Monterey Bay Hogle Zoo Point Defiance Oregon Zoo Bass Pro Shop (counting as a half) 8 Museums Exploratorium Discovery Cube San Diego Model Railroad Museum Comic-con Museum Telus Spark Science Center Pacific Science Center Science World Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OSMI)  9 Hotel/AirBnB Nights Seattle San Francisco (2) Salt Lake City (2) Madison (2) Portland Helena 12 State/Provincial Parks/Recreation Areas Oroville Dam  Chino Hills North Sterling Nolin Lake Mormon Island Roan Mountain Great Seal Silver Falls Antelope Island Sand Hollow...

I woke up to the sounds of the forest waking up.  The birds were calling and it was another great day.  I laid in bed for a bit and did my best to just soak it all in.  After nearly an hour of just enjoying nature (I should have done WAY more of this on the trip - maybe without kids to distract me someday, ha!), I decided it was time to pack up the camper and head home for the last time. Because I had so much success avoiding the toll road yesterday, I decided to continue down the alternate path today.  It added a few minutes to my trip, but also added a lot of character and provided some nice photo opportunities.  It also slightly extended my vacation which I was all for.  Eventually though I was back on the interstate on a very familiar route home. Because I was still on vacation, I made one last stop at one of the top rated donut shops in the state, Daily Donuts in Graham.  They didn’t fail me and soon I had something for myself and the boys as a ni...

  I woke up to another crisp, chilly morning with a LOT of dew.  Since I wasn’t in a hurry, didn’t have anywhere in particular to go, and didn’t want to pack up the camper wet (again!), I started with pancakes on the griddle one last time.  Then I went for a morning hike through the park. The hike was amazing, I got in just under 7 miles on some of the STEEPEST paths I’ve ever been on.  There were so many sections that were steeper than a staircase!  But the most interesting part of the morning was that I didn’t see another human for the entirety of my hike!  I did encounter a box turtle who was eating something off the path, but otherwise it was just me and the birds.  What a relaxing way to start the day. After getting back to camp, I set my destination for a campsite within the nation’s newest National Park - New River Gorge in West Virginia.  All the campsites there were first come first serve so I had my fingers crossed that there would still...

Today I would genuinely start the trip home.  I had no more scheduled stops and nobody left to stop and see.  However, Amy had given me until Friday to get home so I didn’t need to rush.  I’d still have two nights left in the “wild’ before I got home. I woke up this morning to find everybody already moving about.  Kathy had an appointment to get to so Bill and I enjoyed a lot of great conversation.  It was amazing the topics we covered, I really did have a great time visiting.  Hopefully he and I can continue to share book recommendations and chat about them in the future. Bill had expressed some interest in how all the camper pieces worked so, likely to the dismay of his neighbors, we pulled it out on the street and popped it up.  He explored it and asked some questions about all the workings of the various systems - I think he was considering having one for his hunting grounds.  Eventually Kathy got home, checked it out briefly, and then we were...

  While Midland, MI was also not on the direct route home, it had been many years since I had been able to get up there and see my Aunt and Uncle so I decided to add yet another diversion to the trip.  Midland was my destination for the day, but before I departed, I still had a nephew to enjoy! Since we all had gone to bed pretty early, we also got up pretty early.  The good news, at least for me, was that Harlod was awake and in a great mood.  We enjoyed some breakfast and then headed out for a morning walk before Harold went over to daycare and his Mom and Dad started their day. It was a beautiful Midwestern morning - crisp, cool, with some dew on the ground.  Being able to have Harold and Amanda come out for a walk was the ideal way to start the day, at least as far as I was concerned.  We found some nice flowers to see and also wandered the local community garden.  It looked great and made me want to harvest some for myself! After the walk though, ...