Vacation

I can't remember who said it, but I read this quote in the Potty Mouth (a restroom stall publication at Pikes Peak Community College):

A vacation is something you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking.

Ready for a break and willing to drive 4000 miles in the name of heirloom family furniture, Dusty and I took to the road last month. We saw a lot of beautiful country, got to know our new vehicle better, and caught up with many relatives along the way.

In the last week of March we set out across Kansas. It was a sunny day, the sky was a pristine blue, and I finally got a chance to love the cruise control mechanism.



We drove through the night. And when the sun had risen, we were somewhere in the Midwest, splashing through the spring rain puddles and speeding by hundreds of little towns, sprawling farms, and giant cities.







We finally slept once we arrived at Dusty's grandparents' home on the border of Virginia and West Virginia.



Wishing we could have stayed to visit longer, we said goodbye to our gracious hosts and promised to come back again.



Colorado just doesn't have this kind of H2O sitting around. Sure, we have a few human-made reservoirs and trickling streams here and there... but nothing like the Bluestone River - yes, this is a RIVER! The water looked so deep and luscious, I just wanted to jump in!



I took a rock home from beneath this waterfall. The rocks in West Virginia look so different from the rocks in Colorado. I think they are more sedimental or something like that... I don't know, I nearly failed that online Geology class. But the Appalachian Mountain rock now sits in my Rocky Mountain front yard.



America is such a beautiful place. We have beaches on both coasts, and in between we have rugged mountains, rolling mountains, open prairies, and tons of farmland. I mean lots and lots of farmland.



See the farmland beyond the Appalachian Mountains? This picture was taken within the Shenandoah National Park on Skyline Drive.



I can't say that the Appalachian Mountains count as mountains (having just purchased a home at roughly 8,500 feet), but I was in love with the variety of vegetation and the friendliness of the folk we ran into along the way.







While visiting with my dad's family in Maryland, I had the privilege of getting to know his side of the family a little better. Below is my dad and his little sister some time ago.



After reluctantly leaving my relatives behind and promising to meet up again soon, we traveled to another part of Maryland to meet with Dusty's relatives who were kind enough to give us the family dining set that belonged to Dusty's great-grandparents, and show us around the area where the family has lived for hundreds of years.

This home, previously owned by Dusty's ancestor, has a civil war cannon ball lodged in the side.



While taking photos of the gravestones of Dusty's Maryland ancestors, we ran across a Civil War reenactment group camping out. They offered us what meager rations they had, and we graciously partook of their coffee and hardtack.





This cute little soldier must have been on Spring Break or something, because he was just too happy!



After visiting with our relatives in Maryland (and desperately wishing we had more time to spend with them), we were back on the road heading west.



Delicate spring flowers were already blooming in the fertile farmland of Ohio.



While we were in Ohio, we made sure the load of furniture was secure and safe from getting wet on the long journey back home.



We visited with Dusty's parents, cousins, aunt and uncle before leaving them behind and starting down the road again.



The weather was clear all the way home.



We drove through the night, arriving in Colorado Springs the next morning.



We waited a day or two, letting our furniture sit in the driveway before unloading it. We needed to sleep very badly.



We unloaded it eventually, but you'll have to come back later and see what the furniture looks like in our dining room.