Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Ruedebuhr Road Rage–Day Twenty

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Today we began a 700 mile mad dash for home.  We were departing for Europe in two days, so we had to get back, return the RV, and get our four legged family ready to be shipped with us on our flight to Frankfurt.

We started the day with a brief walk, and the boys made a new friend.  Rufus asked if something this prissy could really be counted as a dog…

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We then loaded up and started eating up the miles…

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We crossed the boarder into Idaho in a snowstorm. What do you call a winter storm warning when it is issued in June?

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The boys killed time by wrestling in the back.

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This so exhausted Cooper that he decided to take a nap in the back.

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Miles and miles and miles of highway rolled past.

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We finally started seeing familiar territory, passing through Spokane, and over the Columbia River.

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When we finally arrived in Seattle late that night, Cooper could not contain his excitement to be done. 

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We were a bit sad the trip was over, but looked forward to heading off to start the next chapter of our life in Luxembourg.

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Ruedebuhr Road Rage–Day Nineteen

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We woke early and I took the boys for a walk, during which expressed an intense interest in meeting the horses who were also staying at the same RV park.

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We loaded up and Rufus assumed his usual spot just behind the driver (to insure that we took no wrong turns).

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We drove into the Wyoming Rockies, and the scenery began to get increasingly dramatic.

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After we crossed the Continental Divide, we caught our first glimpse of the Grand Tetons.

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We drove into the valley of the Snake River, the views continued to be jaw dropping.

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We also started to see buffalo along the road. The boys expressed intense interest in these, and we promised to see if we could arrange a closer inspection.

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We arrived in Jackson, WY and took in the famous elk horn arch on the main square.  Rufus wondered where the owners of all these sets of horns had gone.

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The boys also got to inspect a stuffed buffalo. 

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After a walk around town, we loaded up and drove north, past Jackson Lake.

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We arrived at the gates of Yellowstone, and drove path Lewis Lake, still partially frozen even in early June.

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We arrived at the National Park complex at Old Faithful just in time to see the geyser erupt.

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As we continued to drive through the park, we continued to see lots of wildlife.  It being calving season, there were lots of buffalo calves to enjoy.

 

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Kelly even got an up close picture of an elk cow before we exited the park and continued our drive home to Seattle.

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Monday, June 02, 2008

RuedeBuhr Road Rage–Day Eighteen

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Today we loaded up and started the long drive from Fort Collins, CO back to Seattle, WA, via Yellowstone National Park.  The day turned hot, and we draped damp towels over both dogs to keep them cool.

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I drove, and Kelly lounged in the back of the RV enjoying the amazing western vistas that opened before us.

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After about four hours on the road, we stopped at a spectacular outcropping of rock near Split Rock, WY. We unloaded the boys and started up to take in the view.

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Along the way, the boys paused for a drink at a sink hole in the rock.

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The view from the top was indeed spectacular.

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The boys found a grassy area in which to wrestle.

 

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We paused to reflect on how much we were enjoying the trip and each other.ruedebuhr road rage day 18 253877

As the wind was howling over the prairie, we decided to make our way back to the RV through the maze of house sized boulders.

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Once back in the parking lot, we loaded up and I drove us into the sunset with Cooper riding shotgun.

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