Below is a day-by-day account of our trip from New Mexico to Portland to Alaska to Chicago to Dallas and back to New Mexico. The updates were posted daily on Facebook, but I wanted to gather them all in one place. Additional post-trip comments are in brackets.
Great Northern Trip, Day 1: We made it safely to Moab. The wreck on I 25 last night put us behind by about 3 hours (putting stuff in the storage unit, and other ABQ errands that had to wait until this morning), so no Arches NP this trip. That’s OK. We’ve been there before, and Moab has lots of its own beauty. We’ve collapsed at our hotel, are going to grab dinner, and then will go to the pool. It’s been a peaceful, lovely day.
Near Moab, UT
Great Northern Trip, Day 2: We drove from beautiful Moab through beautiful country to Boise. Some thoughts: I don’t want to drive on Starvation Road or live in Snowville, Utah; Salt Lake City is crowded with trucks and traffic; and it was too hot for all of the hawks that we saw on this same road last year. The day could not have ended any better, meeting up with two friends from high school, Mike Pena, (whom I knew lived in the Boise area) and Ken Maldonado, (whom we did not know lived in the Boise area and surprised us by meeting up with us [after connecting with us through Facebook]). We had a delicious dinner and a fun time catching up. Just some kids from Gallup — who knew that we’d leave good marks on the world?
Great Northern Trip, Day 3: As most of you know, we drove up to Portland and back last year to bring stuff to Collin. Going through Boise, we saw signs for the World Center for Birds of Prey, and have wanted to visit it ever since. What a terrific experience! We both love raptors, and they have many, including Bob’s favorite, the Harpy Eagle, and the largest population of captive breeding California Condors. They also have a museum about the sport of falconry. I highly, highly recommend it. The drive through the mountains and along the Columbia River was beautiful. We arrived in Portland, got food truck food, and look forward to seeing our kid (who works swing shift) tomorrow.
African eagle 
California condor 
Peregrin falcon 
Harpy eagle 
Great horned owl
Great Northern Trip, Day 4: We spent a relaxing morning not doing too much, and I submitted an article about downsizing for publication. Then we went out to lunch with Collin, helped him (well, Bob mostly helped him) work on the love of his life, his little Nissan 200SX, getting it ready to race. Then we took a nap, watched Collin do some welding for the car, and went out for pizza.
Collin’s Nissan 200SX 
Oppie Bobblehead at Atomic Pizza
Great Northern Trip, Day 5: Today was spent at the Portland International Raceway watching Indycar and all of the support series. I got autographs from and my picture taken with two of my favorite drivers, Alexander Rossi and Connor Daly. The racing was fun, as was wandering around the paddock and getting up close and personal with the cars. They had a session with stadium trucks (usually in an indoor arena on dirt) that was absolutely a riot. Since the timing of this whole trip was centered around attending the Portland Grand Prix, I’m glad we made it and had fun.
Heather with Rossi & Daly 
New Mexico at the Portland Grand Prix 
Fast car by our great seats
Great Northern Trip, Day 6: Portland Indycar Grand Prix. Beautiful weather. Lots of fun. Some good racing and decent results. I have to share a short video of the Stadium Truck Racers. They were so much fun! [On Facebook page. Message me if you want to see it.] We have become fans.
Great Northern Trip, Day 7: We got to see Collin drift his car today. We each even rode with him for a couple of laps. What a kick! I can see why he likes it, but drifting goes against pretty much everything he learned in autocrossing. It’s about being almost out of the control all the time, while autocrossing is about being in control of the car all the time. He had a blast all weekend, after he got some overheating issues addressed. On the way home tonight, the car chugged — possibly fuel filter or fuel pump — and got a tow home. It just means he gets to work on his true love again.
Ready to drift 
Getting on the tow truck 
Heather’s favorite guys
Great Northern Trip, Day 8: We arrived in Kodiak, Alaska, and are having a wonderful visit with my great friend and college roommate, Voni Harris and her husband Rich. We saw two bald eagles, lots of jumping salmon, a kingfisher, and some hunting seals today. The scenery is spectacular, and the company and the food are terrific.
Great Northern Trip, Day 9: Not only is Kodiak beautiful with its stunning scenery, it has cool places to visit and abundant wildlife. We toured the Kodiak Military Museum today, with its incredibly enthusiastic volunteers (as a WWII historian, I’m embarrassed about how little I knew about Alaska’s efforts in the war — including two islands that were captured by the Japanese). Then we drove out to Fossil Beach. It has breathtaking views of the mountains, and we watched a big pod of whales or a pod of big whales — or both — spout off. We saw seals and otters and eagles and bison (bison aren’t native), but none of the famous bears yet. We can highly recommend Harris Tours for showing us great places to eat and great things to see as well as providing great conversation and good times.
Great Northern Trip, Day 10: Another gorgeous day on the island with lots of bears (although they weren’t live ones). We visited the harbor, looked at many boats, and saw jellyfish (always reminds me of the Panama sailing trip peeps — you know who you are). Then we went to the downtown Visitors Center for the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, which is way away from the refuge. The refuge itself is not accessible by car, only plane or boat. Lots of bear info and bear statues. Then we visited the Kodiak History Museum. It’s so well done and really interesting, and you can take a selfie with a bear — well, half a bear. Then we drove up a mountain and looked at views and the windmills that provide a sizable chunk of Kodiak’s electricity. Then Rich Harris made us a delicious dinner that included some of his wild caught halibut. Then we had a “popcorn” talk, the talks Voni Harris and I used to have in college staying up late at night discussing world issues, sans popcorn. Another great day!
Great Northern Trip, Day 11: We left Kodiak during a majestic sunrise. During our long layover in Anchorage, we went downtown to the Anchorage Museum, a huge place full of history, art, Native Alaskan exhibits, and more. A special exhibition on the Franklin Expedition (look it up) was well worth seeing. After a yummy lunch, we headed back to the airport and are now back in Portland for just one more night. What a big, wide, beautiful world we live in.
Great Northern Trip, Day 12: We had a nice breakfast with Collin, took a long time to pack, watched Formula 1 qualifying for the Italian Gran Prix, and left Portland. Our goal was the Mount St. Helen’s National Volcanic Monument. We made it, but the foggy photo is what we saw of the volcano. It was a beautiful drive. The forest was thick and green and supposedly full of wildlife. All we saw was wilddead, a dead squirrel, a dead opossum, and a dead raccoon on the side of the road. Then we made it to Tacoma and visited a college friend of Bob’s who is in ill health. Now we are sitting out a massive thunderstorm. Every day is an adventure. Some are more…adventuresome…than others.
Great Northern Trip, Day 13: The drive to and around Mount Rainer National Park was beautiful, even if it was foggy and wet and we didn’t get to see the mountain or take any hikes. We did enjoy the forest and the rivers. It was in the low 40s when we reached the beautiful Sunrise Visitors Center. 80s when we reached the Yakima Valley, where we bought some fruit. We made it to the Tri-Cities and had dinner tonight with Manhattan Project National Park Ranger Becky at the Atomic Ale Brewhouse (where else would we eat in the Hanford area?!?!).
Great Northern Trip, Day 14: The day began with a tour to B Reactor, the world’s first plutonium production facility, which supplied fissile material for the Manhattan Project. I’ve wanted my geeky husband to see this engineering marvel for years, and I think he loves it even more than I do. Then we came to Spokane, walked the River Park and saw the beautiful falls. Dinner was at the historic Davenport Hotel, where the Crab Louis Salad was invented (yes, that’s what we had for dinner). Our hotel here is a bit of a flea bag (all reviews on Hotels.com are not accurate), and legalization of marijuana has been rough on this town, which was much cleaner and nicer when I visited several years ago for a conference. Still, it’s been a fun day.
Physics lesson from Docent Bert 
Oppie Bobblehead 
Control panel for reactor 
Great Northern Trip, Day 15: As a 4th grader, I visited Flathead Lake, Montana, and thought it was the most beautiful lake I’d ever seen. Those memories proved true today as we arrived at this, the largest natural lake (by surface area) in the U.S. It was as gorgeous as I remembered. We saw two bald eagles. We took a hike at Flathead Lake State Park and got circled by an osprey, making us really glad we weren’t fish. We saw at least four species of hawks today and pygmy nuthatches, among the wildlife. Everything is big in Montana — the rivers, the lakes, the birds, the mountains, the valleys, and the sky — and beautiful.
Great Northern Trip, Day 16: Today was a day for majestic landscapes and waterfalls. The photos will have to tell the story, even though they can’t do justice to Glacier National Park, truly the Crown of the Continent. We did not see much wildlife, only three big horn sheep and a few red tailed hawks in the park (apparently a grizzly was close, but we never saw it) and some deer and elk in the fields on the way back to the hotel. We had a great hike to the Hidden Lake Overlook, and snow capped some of the high peaks this afternoon (yes, it got cold). I need a new word for beautiful.
Great Northern Trip, Day 17: The plan today was to arrive in Billings in the early afternoon and perhaps see a museum or something along those lines. Thankfully, many years ago in Hawai’i, my kids taught me it’s okay to be a bit spontaneous when traveling. So we decided when we left this morning to swing through the northern portion of Yellowstone instead. What a treat! Today we saw lots of wildlife — many bison, elk, deer, pronghorn, hawks, and ospreys. I was reminded that the Yellowstone valley between Liberty, MT, and the park, is still my favorite spot on the planet. After a drive through the beautiful Lamar Valley (vainly in hopes of seeing the wolves), we drove over Beartooth Pass, 10,900 feet, and there was snow! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such magnificent, stunning, incredible views. The road on the north side of the pass gives the Million Dollar Highway in Colorado a run for its money, except it has guardrails. We saw a marmot, and a ptarmigan almost ran into our windshield. And Bob was going to throw a snowball at me but realized discretion is the better part of valor. Montana (and that northwestern corner of Wyoming) solidified itself today as my favorite state — at least in the not-wintertime.
Great Northern Trip, Day 18: We left Billings and headed off across Montana and Wyoming. Spectacular river valleys and mountain views crossed our vision all along the way, as did many pronghorn. We made a quick stop at Devil’s Tower in Wyoming and then came to Mount Rushmore. Bob had never been to South Dakota before, so he got a new state and a great new monument. We then went to Crazy Horse Mountain, new for both of us. The monument is still under construction and will be for many, many years. The orientation film at the museum alone was worth the visit. As we stood looking over the vistas from the Black Hills to the plains, and reflected on the fact that (yay Senior National Parks Pass) we saw Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and Mount Rushmore in a three-day period, Bob said, “It is, indeed, America the beautiful.”
Devil’s Tower 
Crazy Horse under construction 
Model of Crazy Horse
Great Northern Trip, Day 19: Today was a travel day. We left Rapid City early, and thank goodness we did, since the interstate in southeast South Dakota was closed due to flooding. After being kicked off the interstate, there were no signs or people to give us directions, Google maps had things all wrong, and roads were closed all over. Pray for all the farmers and other folks affected by these floods. They were also flooded in March of this year. After a nearly 2-hour detour, we got back on track and made it to Rochester, MN. We are sad to be so close to the home of famous author Joy Riggs and miss her while she’s in California. However, we were able to buy a bottle of Los Osunas tequila at one of the few places in the United States that sells it. (We toured the distillery near Mazatlan several years ago and finally finished the last sip of the bottle we bought then just before we sold the house.) Excited to see Kid #1 tomorrow.
Great Northern Trip, Day 20: We had bad traffic from about 30 miles west of Madison, WI, until we got to Emily’s house in Bridgeport, IL (Chicago), but we made it (whew). We also paid more than $10 in tolls for about 100 miles of road in Illinois. I’ve never minded paying for toll roads, but it seems a little excessive. Anyway, none of that is important. We are with Emily and having a great visit. We went out for a terrific Chinese noodle dinner and came back and made brownies. That’s what’s important.
Great Northern Trip, Day 21: Today was a day of non-exploring but getting some real world things done. Togo, our workhorse GMC Yukon that has put in nearly 4,000 miles on this trip so far, got a bath to get off all the dead bugs from Eastern Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Did you know that in Chicago you can pay someone $17 and they will thoroughly clean your SUV inside and out?!?! Wow! Big cities are amazing! Then Bob changed the oil while I did some laundry. We got some bills paid and took a walk. When Em got home from school we had Chicago deep dish pizza. The pizza chef made sure the bottom crust got crisp. I will be full for two days. Yum.
Togo clean inside and out, plus new oil.
Great Northern Trip, Day 22: This is a long post because it’s been a long, great day. It began with the television show “Chicago PD” filming literally outside of Emily’s front door. Crews and trucks and probably famous people (we’ve never seen the show) made a lot of noise and really crowded her usually quiet little street. Then Bob and I went to the Chicago Board of Trade, a fabulous Art Deco building constructed in 1929 (just a year younger than Fuller Lodge!). It’s gorgeous — and full of history. We met with some traders/financial/investment folks there. Then Emily found us, and we went to the Balzekas Museum of Lithuanian Culture. Emily and I have wanted to visit there from when we first came to Chicago last March to see various graduate school programs, and we saw the “brown sign” for it from the El. The museum has wonderful artifacts and art. Half of it is “cabinet of curiosity” cases, and half is some decently done, rather more modern exhibits on Lithuanian freedom and displaced persons after WWII. They have an amazing rare book collection, along with what looks like a great archives and genealogy section. Interesting stuff. Then we went to Navy Pier and had dinner at Harry Caray’s Tavern. Then we saw “The King’s Speech” at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. It’s even better than the movie, which we loved. A bunch of sad Cubbies fans were on the subway on the way back, as they lost to the Reds tonight. Whew, what a day.
Vault at Board of Trade 
Art Deco 
Eastern European tradition 
Bob at Navy Pier 
Great Northern Trip, Day 23: The Great Northern Trip turned south today. Leaving Chicago, we ventured to Geneseo, IL, where we had a wonderful visit with Bob’s cousins, Jim and Dick and Linda Pace, along with 97-years-young Aunt Marge. It was delightful (and we didn’t manage to take a single photo — sorry family). Aunt Marge is great, still very much herself, wanting to ensure that everyone does everything just right. We had one of those big Midwestern lunches with lots of fried stuff (Aunt Marge and I are both big fans of fried green beans — who even knew there was such a thing?), and Bob had one of his childhood favorites, a breaded pork cutlet. After several hours in Geneseo, just one of the quaintest towns you can imagine, we headed to Quincy, where we saw a gorgeous sunset over the Mississippi River. (Remember this bridge on the way back from MWMUN, Rick Hunsaker? Proof that I’ve always been a terrible navigator, but at least Bob and I have made it this far — so far.)
Great Northern Trip, Day 24: We crossed the mighty Mississippi this morning and stair-stepped south and west across Missouri to reach the town of Springfield and our dear friends, Randy and Peggy Williams. It’s so wonderful to have friends in the world, be it Alaska or Missouri, where you feel comfortable coming into their home, kicking off your shoes and curling your legs up on the couch, having a glass of tea, and visiting like you just saw each other last week, even though it’s been months or years. (I always hope our home, no matter where it is in the world, is like that.) It’s also great to have nearby places with delicious frozen custard!
Mississippi 
Yum! 
Good friends!
Great Northern Trip, Day 25: Do you know the name of the second major battle of the Civil War? Wilson’s Creek. We visited the national battlefield today, just a few miles from Springfield. It was extra special because Randy is a volunteer there, so we got the inside scoop. The site is like several puzzle pieces — a historic home, a historic road, a couple of historic cornfields (really) — and when you put them together, you get a really good picture of what happened in the battle. Both sides claimed a victory, but mostly it was just sad for so many of those involved. In other news, we seem to have brought fall to yet another part of the country, as it’s 10 degrees cooler today than it was yesterday, and it rained in this part of the Ozarks for the first time in September.
Randy at the main house 
Dining room 
Bob at the fireplace 
Battlefield view 
Spring House 
View of the house 
Nearby cabin 
Cannon
Great Northern Trip, Day 26: We could have stayed many days in Springfield with Randy and Peggy, but the road called, so off we went. We started by visiting sites of many of my fondest childhood memories, my grandparents’ farm south of Neosho, MO, and Jones Chapel Freewill Baptist Church, where I was first introduced to my Savior (and great gospel music). The old church burned so the church in the photos is new. Granny and Grandpa’s old house is gone, but the barn is still there, and the wonderful memories. On the way, Missy, a childhood friend, met us for a quick cup of coffee at the Longview Cafe (but I didn’t get any bubble gum at the Longview store…). Then we visited the cemetery where my grandparents, my uncle, and some cousins are buried. Cemeteries are weird, but it was a good stop. In Tulsa, we drove through Bob’s old neighborhood. He had a huge oak out front that I loved. Then we made it to Dallas, where we are staying with cousins Scott and Karen (the hostess with the mostess) Reed. We have several busy day of visiting and business coming up.
Jones Chapel 
Missy and me 
The barn 
Where the house was 
Grandparents 
Uncle
Great Northern Trip, Day 27: We slept in, watched the Singapore Grand Prix, and had some of Karen’s delicious cake for breakfast (I love having cake for breakfast!). Then we went for a long walk in the heat of the day in humid Texas (preparation for living in the tropics). Then we had an absolutely delightful dinner with niece Terri and her family. Great kids, great food. And the last couple of hours has been spent talking about health and politics and war and peace and about million other things with cousin Karen. A great day was had by all.
Great Northern Trip, Day 28: Today was some business, some fun. We now have an address in the United States, based in Texas (eeek!), and we got some bank accounts set up that don’t have international fees. We also got to visit with our dear friend Julian, who can talk about more things in 1.5 hours than most people can in a day (he’s an attorney). And we finally got to spend some time with cousin Scott this evening because he wasn’t working (he’s an anesthesiologist and works a lot). We’ve been on the road for four weeks now and realized we didn’t need as much in our suitcases as we originally thought.
Great Northern Trip, Day 29: More business and more fun today. The business was working on address changes and flights to Panama (still having dog transport issues, but we’ll get there). The fun was visiting with Karen and Scott and then getting to see our dear friends Guy and Tanga Tidmore, whom we haven’t seen in about 15 years or so. It was such a wonderful time! (Guy and Tanga married the year before we did, and Bob caught the garter, and I caught the bouquet at their wedding.) This trip has been all about seeing wonderful places and wonderful people.
Great Northern Trip, Day 30: We could have spent two weeks in Dallas and not gotten to see everyone we wanted to see! We will come back, friends. And thanks to all of you that we did see for your hospitality. However, once again, the road called, so off we drove. On a complete whim, we stopped by the Goodnight Historical Center in the once thriving town of Goodnight, TX. We learned about Charles Goodnight of the Goodnight/Loving Trail fame (which I first became interested in 40 years ago when I read “Centennial” and then again with “Lonesome Dove” [not 40 years ago]). Goodnight was a big proponent of bison and, in fact, many of the bison in Yellowstone are descendants of the herd he bred in the Texas panhandle. He also bred cattleo (buffows?) In Amarillo, we had a great visit and dinner with Terry and Angie. Ice cream shakes topped off another great day.
Charles Goodnight 
Goodnight’s Victorian home in Texas
Great Northern Trip, Day 31: That’s it. 31 days on the road. 6690 miles on the truck (363 gallons of gas). Ten hours in the air to get to Alaska and back. An Indycar race. Seven national parks/monuments. One British play. Sixteen beds in 30 nights. (The best free hotel breakfast was at the Red Lion Inn in Richland, WA. The potatoes were amazing!) Fifteen states.. Lots of museums and interpretive centers, but I’m not into numbers right now. ? Six dogs and three cats. But the very best part was the many, many friends and family were were able to see along the way. Thank you for making this trip so special! Now, heads down, we have paperwork, car work, and other things to get done. We leave for Panama on or around Oct. 30.
