5 states, 4 national parks, 3 days, 2 fugitives, 1 awesome weekend (take 1)

so there we were. all of us together. on thursday night. the eve of our epic road trip. i screamed with excitement "we're all here" repeatedly. we went grocery shopping. packed the cooler with soda's and candy. and eventually got a bit of shut eye.

our alarms rang at 4:14am. i woke everyone else up and we were getting in the car just as my watch said 5:00am. that was when we wanted to leave. already a perfect beginning.
we were on the road. the stops were excessive to say the least. i had a tiny bladder issue. i woke up feeling sickly and dehydrated so with my breakfast i consumed almost an entire 32 oz. nalgene of water. good for the body. but not good for travel time. by the time we hit wyoming. only an hour from home. i was already stopping for time number one. several times in between i stopped. nobody else had to use the restroom. just me. and my pea-sized bladder.

well. eventually we made it to lunch time. and two thirds of the way across wyoming. we were quite impressed with the centerpieces at this wyoming arby's.
annaleesa was having fun. in the beginning she didn't show it much but there were occasions when joy and giddiness would bust through her somber exterior.

oh. then there was this. by the afternoon everyone. including myself. had had all hey could take of my frequent bathroom stops. i was driving. frustrated at the need to go yet again. i pulled over on the side of the road and did my business.

quick and easy. and nobody saw anything that scarred them permanently. success.

there was also that point in the road trip when making t shirts with sharpie markers went a little further than the shirts. we wanted the world to know that dreams were coming true for us. i think they got it.

there were many of these throughout the trip. the random. self-timer. roadside photo. this was the first of many.

there was also that rest stop at orin junction, wyoming. i used the restroom. shocker. and then we were summoned by a cute man over to his little booth of baked goods. they were doing a fundraiser for their garden club. we can donate. jaymee put three dollars in the pot. we made out with all of these snacks!!!

these were the first of many biker friends that we made throughout the trip. we had actually encountered them at the orin junction rest stop and it turned out that we stopped at the same gas station about one hundred miles down the road. we figured it was fate. we took a picture to remember the moment.

and then there we were. in south dakota. by now we were so giddy. within 60 miles of natalie and jaymee's lifelong dream to see mt. rushmore.

with every turn anticipation mounted...

by the time we got here it was almost too much for any of us to contain.

we finally made it to our campsite in hill city, south dakota. we checked in. set up camp. and of course headed straight to mt. rushmore! there was that car from california that was following way too closely. jaymee pulled over and let them pass. nobody was going to ruin this perfect moment for any of us.

we got to the entrance of the memorial grounds. not to the monument yet. but excited nonetheless. let me paint this picture for those of you who weren't there. i had created a playlist before the trip that was patriotic. heart of america. down-home. country lovin'. good music. i.e. america by: neil diamond. as we took pictures with the sign the car doors were open and this playlist was blaring. like really loud. we were stoked. and so were the passerbys. this is another self-timer miracle.

and then. there we were. at mount rushmore. dreams came true. people in our party probably cried at the moment when you first see the heads. it was great. i coudn't have been happier.

of course i had to take this picture for the loved ones who are from alaska. one of them is there today. as i write. never forget the people who love you.

we talked to these guys while looking at the "iowa" pillar. turns out they were from iowa too. interesting chaps they were. nat captured this picture and i think it pretty much speaks for itself.

oh yeah. there was this kid. of all the places for you to choose to wear such a shirt....a national park. yikes!

we asked a nice couple to take this photo upon our arrival. you'll never guess where they were from...OGDEN UTAH! no freakin' way.

i pledge allegiance...

after taking in as much as we could. our little hearts and souls were just filled to the brim. so we decided to take the hike around and underneath the heads.

here i am. in the womb of mt. rushmore.

and still excited to see them again at the other end of the hike.

of course. there had to be the gangbanger pose.

tut tut it looks like rain.

so we forged the cafeteria for food. having been in a car all day and finally at our destination. the famed mt. rushmore. we decided to eat outside on the patio with the heads as our view. it was great.

just as we finished eating the rain began. it poured. there was lightening. it was really cool to sit outside and watch. but then it started raining even harder. the tent started dripping really cold water on us. so we went inside. these two had ice cream to pass the time.

the rain stopped just in time. as the sun went down we headed to the amphitheater for the flag ceremony. we met mr. ranger and of course had to have a picture with him.

after the presentation they lit the mountain. it was so cool. i may or may not have cried. for a moment in time this very unpatriotic american citizen felt very patriotic. i was proud to be an american. we're comin' to america!