National Park Road Trip 2010

Our cross-country trip was a phenomenal experience for all of us. I put together a great video full of pictures from our trip along with some creative editing with music. You can download the video from this link. Depending on your internet connection it may 20 minutes to an hour. It is in HD and I think it is worth the effort.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=WCOGNQTP

We drove 6,000 miles in the old RV. Surprisingly it made it without any major problems. Below is a map of our route.

We were fortunate to be able to to see the Parkers on our way out...






and then stop at the Gamminos for a family reunion...





before the real driving began. Our first stop was the Cherokee National Forest, TN





Mammoth Cave National Park, KY





Hot Springs National Park, AR





McClellan Creek National Grassland, TX





Petrified Forest National Park, AZ





Flagstaff, AZ on Father's Day. On the way into town we wondered if the highway would be closed due to the big forest fire to the north.

The night turned out to be a lot of fun because there was reggae festival going on in the downtown...




Kaibab National Forest, AZ



Ponderosa pine bark smells like buttermilk...


Grand Canyon National Park, AZ










Lake Powell, UT






Bryce Canyon National Park, UT










Horseback ride in Jackson Hole, WY




Jackson, WY





Grand Tetons National Park, WY











West Thumb Geyser Basin at Yellowstone National Park, WY





Old Faithful and the Lower Geyser Basin...







Climbing and shooting the rapids in the Firehole Canyon in Yellowstone National Park. The Firehole River is heated by thermal features which made it a comfortable 87 degrees. This was one of the boys favorite spots for the entire trip. We had to come back for a 2nd day of jumping in the rapids and floating through the narrows...











The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone





Wildlife at Yellowstone




Devil's Tower National Monument, WY



Mt. Rushmore National Monument, SD







Badlands National Park, SD










Prairie dogs just outside of the Badlands...





ObaRV's souvineers...

Walk Now for Autism - Philadelphia, Oct. 2, 2010

We are participating in Walk Now for Autism to help find a cure for autism. Autism is the second most common developmental disorder in the United States affecting one in every 150 children born today. Despite some promising discoveries, the cause of autism is unknown and a cure does not exist. Research is crucial. Every 20 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism. Not only must we find ways to improve the quality of life for children and adults with autism, but we also must find a cure, and soon.

Walk Now for Autism is our chance to make a difference in the fight against autism by raising money for autism research and heightening public awareness. Please join us in our fight as we try to raise $1500 to help fund essential research. We will be walking on October 2, 2010 and would like you to support those affected by autism. You can donate to Walk Now for Autism and join my team online through our webpage at Kade's Korner. From that page you can join our team, Kade's Korner, by clicking on Join at the top of the page. You can also donate to any of the walkers on our team by clicking Donate at the top of the page. Donations can also be mailed to Autism Speaks using the donation form located on our page or send a check made out to Autism Speaks. Our team name is Kade's Korner; please note this on your check and the donation form.

One consideration you might make is to calculate your donation amount by 'sponsoring' us on our upcoming RV trip. We plan to drive roughly 6,000 miles on this trip so a 5 cent/mile donation would be $30.

Please join us in our fight against autism. Thank you for making a difference in the lives of the more than 1 million Americans living with autism today.

Sincerely,
Beth, Randy, Logan, Leif, and Kade

RV Ready for Take-Off

We finished up the final fixes on the RV over the weekend.

Water damage on dinette seat...

cut-out and replaced with plywood and then covered...

rusted auxillary battery compartment...

rebuilt...

chair installed...


Let's go!!!!!

Locust Lake State Park

The RV survived the maiden voyage to central PA.

for of weekend of camping...

biking...

and hiking...

Kade's Artwork

RV Update

We continue to work on the RV, and we are preparing for a weekend trip to test it out soon...

Coco Is Growing Up

We went back to our favorite local hiking spot again during the beautiful weekend. It is the closest place where we can go let Coco run wild.

She digs in the stream for rocks like Solomon used to do...

After running around in the woods she was so tired that she fell asleep with a toy in her mouth...

and she still thinks she is a lap dog...

New Car

The old Saturn served its purpose and had to be let go. We ended up buying a brand new car for the first time, a 2010 Honda Fit...