Just wanted to add a couple of pics of Emerson at Lake Sacandaga to Jamie's recap posting... just cause i think they're cool (hope they appear that way on the blog).

Headed East

The Write Inn near Chicago
Quinny girl in Lake Erie
Emerson enjoying his "wings" in Lake Sacandaga in the Adirondacks
Niagra Falls with the family

How much longer?

My girlie and I on Lake Erie in Huron, Ohio

Emerson found a jeep in Lake Erie. What a find!

How'd she get so old? Such a sweet easy going baby.

Em and Quinn taking in the sights in Chicago.


Checking out Lake Michigan
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Coos+Bay,+OR&daddr=Bend,+OR+to:Boise,+ID+to:Fort+Collins,+CO+to:Evanston,+WY+to:Kearney,+NE+to:Des+Moines,+IA+to:Chicago,+IL+to:Huron,+OH+to:Goat+Island,+NY+to:Amherst,+NY+to:Mayfield,+NY+to:Danielson,+CT&geocode=&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=43.096345,-79.041309&sspn=0.061295,0.110378&ie=UTF8&ll=42.228517,-93.427734&spn=31.722873,56.513672&z=4


So, we've arrived in Connecticut, as you may have guessed. Time here is already flying, so before the memories begin to fade, here's a recap of our trip;

The main characters in this 2-weeks journey include; a three-year-old boy strapped into a seat with a dvd player bolted to his lap, a seven-month-old girl also strapped in with a mileage cry to indicate when enough is enough, a large panting black lab who is ostracized from most hotels and parks, one determined father, and one patience-tested mother, and a schizophrenic GPS system to guide the way.

When put that way, it is a miracle we made it and that we actually enjoyed ourselves. Okay, Sean, Emerson and I enjoyed ourselves. Judging by Quinn's new feining board pose when it's carseat time, it's safe to assume she did not enjoy the hours in her seat. Mother's guilt kicking in here... I'm sure we set her back a couple of weeks on her milestone development, but I think she'll catch up. And Eli, actually I'm not sure Eli didn't enjoy himself. He's neurotic about being left so I think part of him felt content to be around us 24/7.

So, how did we divide up the 4,058 miles? One cotton pickin' mile at a time that's how. Here goes;
Coos Bay, Oregon to Boise, Idaho (which is where we'll be headed in October, by the way, for Sean's permanent job)
Boise to Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins to Evanston, WY
Wyoming to Kearney, Nebraska
Nebraska to Des Moines, Iowa Here I asked if a hotel allowed dogs. Their reply, "For what reason?" "Protection," my reply
Iowa to Chicago, Illinois Ah, finally we stayed for more than one night! We had a great time in Chicago. There was so much to do and see that we need to come back for sure.
Chicago to Huron, Ohio We stayed at a little hotel right on Lake Erie. It was perfect weather and we took the kids down to the lake and played and had dinner. This little town tops my list of memorable places on the trip.
Huron, Ohio to Niagra Falls, Toronto/New York Memorable in other ways was Niagra Falls. We accidently crossed the Canadian border only to be harrassed by an armed Canadian officer who's watched one too many bad cop movies. Once we made it back home to the U.S. of A. (okay it was only about 10 minutes, but, whew 10 minutes of harsh interrogation can seem like a lifetime) we saw Niagra Falls from the New York side. I have to say, I think it was prettier than the Canadian side, but maybe I'm a little biased after all the dealings. Niagra Falls was pretty spectacular and spectacularly simple to check off our list (It's the journey not the destination- sink in already!). Emerson kept asking what would happen if he went over it in a kayak...on a t-rex....with a rappelling rope... This scene is now part of many of his stories.
Amherst, New York to Adironack Mountains, New York The weather on our drive to the Adirondacks was insanely wet. It felt like we were in one continuous car wash and really, I'm not sure how Sean was able to see at all. I tried to stay limp the entire time just in case and instructed the kids to do the same. Quinn's got it down, Emerson not so much. Once we neared the Adirondacks the weather cleared and the day was sparkly and glorious. It was beautiful. We arrived at a less than cleanly (read disguisting) "cabin" (read pit) on Friday and stayed two nights. We stayed on Lake Sacandaga, which was picturesque.