Family Reunion - Haskell & Suedbeck

We have met so many relatives of Lori that I stopped trying to keep track 30 minutes after arriving.
This is actually the first time since our wedding that all of Lori's brothers and sisters are together. It has been a lot of fun catching up and meeting all of Lori's cousins, aunts, uncles etc.
We are staying in a hunting lodge that is a bed and breakfast with a hotel next to it. Apparently South Dakota is the pheasant capital of the world.
This family reunion has taken over all of the rooms here.
Tonight we are celebrating the 60th anniversary of Lori's aunt and uncle.

Off to SD

We had high hopes last night for a good night sleep since we actually got a two room suite.
Unfortunately we had a loud A/C and Leo woke up at 1am and 3am.
Right now he is snuggled up with me in a recliner chair. I think I will trade exhaustion for this.
We are staying in an off season hunting lodge for the weekend. I'm not sure what the cell service will be like and I'm sure there is not free wifi. Pictures will be posted on Monday when we arrive in Gillette.

Casper Wyoming

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 After a long travel day we have arrived in Casper, Wyoming.
Wyoming is a very beautiful state. We took I-80 until Rawlins and then turned on to the small two lane road for a beautiful drive to Casper.
Along the way we stopped at a place called "Devil's Gate".  We got a chance to walk around and read about the pioneers and their travels across the country.  It was really cool and James really liked seeing the pictures of the wagons and horses.  It was hard to explain that people actually traveled across this area without a DVD player in an air-conditioned car traveling 80 miles an hour.

As we approached Casper, my truck turned over 50,000 miles.  We are going to be adding a few more thousand on this trip, but it is well worth the memories.

Tomorrow we are doing our longest day of traveling to make it to Gregory, South Dakota for the three day family reunion.

Salt Lake City - Liberty Park

We arrived in Salt Lake City this afternoon and had lunch and play time at Liberty Park (one of the biggest parks in Utah).

James thought the salt flats were really cool and we were able to see some huge mounds of salt.

Salt Flats

Playtime at the park

Liberty Park

Fun with Legos in Salt Lake City

Elko, NV Day # 1

We made it to Elko, NV.  Today was our long travel day.  The boys did an amazing job.  Just a few "brotherly moments" and few of pit stops.
Traveling with a 4 year old and an 18 month old requires quite a bit of planning.  We had plenty for them to do and James really enjoyed looking at the mountains and the trucks with THREE trailers on them.
Best hint we got was to purchase a couple of metal cookie sheets for drawing tablets and a table for snacks.  We had a magnetic alphabet set and have been using that to play spelling games.
There are no pictures today due to the fact that there is not a lot to see in Nevada.

We are off on our adventure

Today we begin the first leg of our family road trip.
Packing for a family road trip is a lot different than when I was single. Just packing clothes had been tough. Can't pack too much, can't pack too little. We have some stops strategically planned to resupply if needed and we are bringing laundry detergent to do a couple of loads along the way.
We are also goon to avoid eating fast food a much a possible. We have a cooler in the truck and a cooler in the back stocked with lunch supplies. This is going to help save a lot of money and time.
I will post again from Reno and then from Elko.

Let the Packing Begin

Well, we are off on our family road trip next week.  We will be updating this blog as we go both on the road (The passenger will be blogging, NOT the driver), when we stop and at each of our destination.
Here is our itinerary:

• Tuesday - Elko, Nevada
• Wednesday - Salt Lake City, Utah
• Thursday - Casper, Wyoming
• Friday - Monday - Gregory, South Dakota (Haskell/Suedbeck Family Reunion)
• Monday - Mount Rushmore & Gillette, Wyoming
• Tuesday - Thursday - Livingston, Montana (Yellowstone National Park)
• Thursday - Twin Falls, Idaho
• Friday - Winnemucca, Nevada
• Saturday - Home

It is going to be an adventure and we are looking forward to spending time with Lori's family and showing James some of what the U.S. has to offer. (I'm not sure Leo will appreciate the scenery, but I know that he will have a great time)

Photos will be posted daily.  

The Coble Family