We made it. 56 days, exactly 8 weeks of traveling on the road and taking in what mother nature has to offer.

I don’t think it’s quite hit us yet.  We keep hearing that going on this trip is incredible and a once in a lifetime thing and we agree. It doesn’t seem like it yet. Perhaps with time and growing up it will truly feel like a trip of a lifetime and make it an even more cherished experience.

It’s good to be home, weird but good. After traveling for 2 months and moving on to a new place within a few days after you just got there makes staying in once place feel weird and different. Knowing that we don’t have to plan on what we’re doing or where we’re going tomorrow makes today feel slow and almost dull.  It may sound depressing, but it’s a good thing. It means we’re home and it means we’ve seen and done all the things we set out to do.

That’s the thing about this trip. We’ve seen countless things. There isn’t something we missed and said, “I wish we saw that…”  We’re very satisfied with how things panned out and we’re glad just to be home.  We missed our families and friends.  Just to see them and spend time with them again makes the return home even better.

I suppose it’s bittersweet that it’s over, but hey, we all knew that was going to happen. :)  You hate to say goodbye to such an awesome trip, but its got to end some time and I’m just happy we got to do this.  That’s all. I’m happy and feel very fortunate.

In case you were wondering about our return trip, here are the details.  There isn’t much to report, so be warned.  We left Friday, July 4 (Day 54) and drove from Truckee, CA to Twin Falls, ID.  We got to watch some fireworks in Twin Falls, but after traveling for 7-some hours on the road, we just wanted to crash.  The following day (Day 55), we drove 12.5 hours from Twin Falls, ID to Rapid City, SD.  That was a long day and it felt good to hit Rapid City because we knew we were only a day away from home.  The following morning (Day 56), we met up with Shayanne’s grandparents to have breakfast and say goodbye.  It was good to see them again and I know Shayanne was excited to see them.  We left Rapid City about 10:00 mountain time and hit Waconia about 7:30 central time.

Shay’s family was expecting her and I elected to keep it a surprise and only tell my roommates.  Everyone was super excited to see us and we got a nice welcoming.  It just felt good to be home…

I have the remaining pictures uploaded to the site.  I’ll write another blog following up with my thoughts of the trip sometime in the near future.  I just need some time to walk away from it and let it absorb.

Day 51 Pictures
Day 52 Pictures
Day 53 Pictures
Day 54-55 Pictures

Today was a solid day of sight seeing, physical activity, and interactions with good people. It started with leaving Rapid City, South Dakota in the morning and hitting up Dinosaur Park before we left the city. A cheesy place, but Shayanne loves the Brontosaurus there, so we had to stop. After the brief visit, it was time to see Devils Tower in Wyoming.

It wasn’t a very long drive, only an hour and 40-some minutes. We went into the park and walked the trail around Devils Tower. The scenery was amazing and Devils Tower was awe-inspiring. It made us feel so insignificant. About halfway into the hike we encountered some climbers who were making their way up Devils Tower. Pretty impressive stuff.

After the hike, we went up the road and got some lunch. We ended up meeting some really nice people who worked there. They were just all-around friendly and helpful. They also had an oversized checkerboard there, so Shay and I took in a game of checkers. Shayanne won by default and really, I would like to point out that I was being a gentleman and let her win. I’m classy like that.

Once we were finishing with lunch, we headed back to the park and took in our first bike ride of the trip. It was good to get out and do some physical activities. We must’ve biked somewhere between 4-5 miles. We plan on going back tomorrow. It’s supposed to be in the 70’s. We’re also going to try camping tomorrow night in the park. It’s supposed to be clear and 47 degrees which is about 9 degrees higher than average.

Shay and I also might be taking a detour on the trip. It looks pretty probable that we’ll be checking out the Grand Canyon in Arizona and then Lake Powell in Utah. Neither of us have ever been to the Grand Canyon, so we’re going to really try to make it work. The only thing that could hold it up is my work schedule. If we can stop enough to let me work, we should have no problem in getting to see the Grand Canyon.

That’s it for tonight. We’re both pretty tired. I have the pictures up from today on the website, so be sure to check them out. Day 4 pictures.

Man, the days are so fulfilling that by time I finish uploading the photos, I hardly have enough time to write a follow up blog.

Today was a very eventful day. We stayed near the Rapid City region and saw a bunch of different things. We first started by checking out the Cosmos, which is north of Mount Rushmore. I remember that place when I was 12 and I thought it was fun then. 12 years later, it’s just as awesome! After that, we visited Shayanne’s aunt and uncle at their Coffee shop which is just north of Hill City. After that we drove down Hwy 16 and drove past Mount Rushmore. We didn’t feel like paying admission to get in, so we drove by it and stopped a couple of times to take pictures.

After that we headed south to Custer State Park. That was VERY COOL! We cruised down Hwy 87, aka Needles Highway, and stopped many times along the way to take in the scenery. We found a special rock formation and ended up naming it “Clinton Rock”, after our former US President, Bill Clinton. I think you’ll understand how we came up with the name. If possible, we’re going to try going back to Needles Highway again tomorrow and hike up to Harney Peak.

After our stop in Custer, we headed up towards Hill City. We stopped there to grab a quick bite to eat and then walked through the town. We checked out the local art galleries and shops. The best shop featured famous rock and roll concert and album artwork. It was pretty bad ass if you’re into that sort of thing.

Once we were finished in Hill City, we drove up to Deadwood to check out the Mt. Moriah Cemetery which has the gravesites of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. I don’t think either of us have been in a cemetery for as long we were today. That place was just interesting and had tons of history. There was a portion of the cemetery that overlooked Deadwood. Just an amazing view!

After Deadwood, we headed back down to Rapid City and met up with Shayanne’s grandparents for some dinner and we went through her family’s photo albums. Shay was pretty pumped with seeing all these old photos.

We have photos up of from our adventures today: Day 2 pictures.

As for tomorrow? We’ll see… I have to catch up with some work. I hope I can do some of that tonight as well so that we have time to do some fun stuff tomorrow. We are having dinner with Shayanne’s aunt and uncle (the ones we visiting at the coffee shop).

More updates tomorrow, check back then!

Day 1 is over and done with, and what a day it was. Shay and I are both really beat (in fact, she’s already laying in bed). I just finished uploading photos from today’s adventures at the Mitchel Corn Palace and the Badlands. Right now we’re crashing in Rapid City. We’ll be spending a couple of days here checking out a bunch of stuff. Things like Mount Rushmore, Harney’s Peak, Deadwood… Things like that. Should have an update for you all tomorrow as well as new pictures uploaded.

There is more to write, but right now, I need to catch some Z’s. I’ll leave you with a link to the pictures: Day 1 Pictures