Harper's Index to John and Lo's Summer Adventure

Miles driven: 12,831

Average miles per day: 203

Cost of gas: $2642

Oil changes: 2

Tires purchased: 4

Tires repaired: 2

Windshield replaced: 1

Bearing seals replaced: 2

Car washes: 2

Speeding tickets: 0

Most commonly seen roadkill: Deer

States visited: 23

Northernmost stop: Grand Marais, Minnesota

Southernmost stop: Miami

Circus sites visited: 2

Drag strips visited: 1

Jet skis ridden: 2

Family members visited: 18

Bodies of water waded in: 17

Fish caught: 5

Crocodiles spotted: 1

Campsite with the most mosquitos: Yellowstone River, Forsythe, Montana

Old men who wanted to talk about the teardrop: 11

Beers consumed: We have no idea.

Backtracking

Although we had to backtrack (a no-no on a road trip) to return to CA, we did everything we could to enjoy our last few days on the road. Sleeping in the teardrop has been the bomb, and we stopped in a few beautiful places in Colorado and Utah before hitting the hellacious Interstate 15.

Creekside in Vail

Blue Colorado skies

I don't know this fly fisherman. I just included his photo because I wish it were me.

 A final view of summer in the Rockies.

Tire Trouble (Again)

I thought: We're on our way back home, there's nothing to blog about anymore. I now know: A lot can happen when you're on the road, no matter which direction you're headed.

While southern Minnesota proved to be relatively uneventful, Nebraska did not. It started out fine. In fact, this sounds strange, but we stayed overnight at a really great rest stop just east of Adair, Nebraska. Not only was it large and immaculately clean, it doubled as a monument to local wind farming, with a wind blade more than 100-feet high welcoming visitors, and picnic areas covered with metal canopies sporting windmill-like arms much like you'd see on an old Danish windmill.

Scattered throughout the picnic area were large rectangle light boxes that glowed in ever-changing colors, from white to green to purple to red and so on. It made me happy that someone had taken such pride in designing and building a roadside rest area that would entertain and inspire, rather than exist solely as a place to take a shit or a nap.

We left in the morning on Interstate 80, and traveled for about 300 miles when we ran over this:

It's the hook end of a bungee cord that impaled our tire, which led to this:

Fortunately, we found a nearby tire dealership in Gothenburg, Nebraska, where we got the tire patched.  While I was waiting, I took in the local scenery.

Check out the size of the tractor tire leaning against the wall.

Grain silos are everywhere.

The tire store is in an abandoned gas station.

It turns out that Gothenburg not only sports a tire repair place, it also has one of only four of Nebraska's original Pony Express stations, where a rider would change to a fresh horse in order to keep up his speed. The Pony Express carried mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from 1860 to 1861. It was essentially put out of business by the advent of the telegraph, but it is remembered for giving a start to Buffalo Bill and it lives on in our collective imagination of the great American frontier.

We followed the Pony Express trail as far as Julesburg, Colorado, before turning south, having a great dinner in Sterling, Colorado, and spending a beautiful night under the full moon at the North Sterling State Park. A good ending to an eventful day. And a lot to write about after all.

Family Reunion

One of the most rewarding parts of this grand summer adventure has been the opportunity to see friends and relatives. Our final stop before heading home was a family reunion of sorts, with baby Grayson Arthur Emmanuel Becknell taking center stage with the extended Becknell clan. Everyone had a chance to hold him, and he loved every minute of it.

Justin takes a turn as the proud Papa looks on.

Charlotte is a baby expert now.

Grayson had a lot to say when he hung out with Hannah

Chris shows off one of Justin's paintings, part of Grayson's baby gift.

Josh and Justin together again

Josh gave us an insider's culinary tour of Surdyk's delicious cheeses and cakes, and we had several picnics while we were here.

By the Mississippi

And in the Walker sculpture garden

Sadly, it's time to point the truck and trailer westward for the long drive back to California. We've had a fantastic summer, and really appreciate everyone's hospitality, literally from coast to coast. We are grateful for all our friends and family whom we saw along the way, and for such sweet memories.

Installations

The final weeks of this summer's adventure center around friends and family. After visiting the Brookshaws in northern Wisconsin, our next stop was Chicago, where we met up with Charlotte.

Our visit included dinner with Jess and Jerry.

After helping Charlotte get her new apartment in order, all three of us piled in the truck to drive back to Wisconsin to meet Hannah. Along the way, we stopped for a photo in Delavan, Wisconsin, which is the home of the original P.T. Barnum Circus as well as several other circuses that toured the country in the 19th century. More than 100 circus performers of that era are buried in local cemeteries. Charlotte posed at the foot of a commemorative statue of Romeo, the elephant who toured with the Mabie Brothers U.S. Olympic Circus in the 1850s.

Hannah flew from Vermont to Madison, where we met her at the airport with an official cheesehead gift, a welcome to her post-graduation home. Then we ran around for two days contributing to the local economy and helping her set up her apartment.

Vivian, Hannah and Charlotte in the new 'hood.

Becca, Hannah and Vivian celebrate their jobs with Epic.

Capitol Dome in evening.

Vivian and Hannah pose on the porch of their new place.

This trip may be costly, but the rewards of seeing our "kids" happy and healthy and launching full force into their adult lives truly is priceless. We're couldn't be more happy and proud.