A beginning and an end...

This is it. The end of the blog. The end of the road trip!

We hope you enjoyed reading about our journey -- we enjoyed almost every minute of it! It's one more road trip to add to our growing list of life-long stories about being on the road. (We thought of two more road trips we've taken. One involved Liz traveling to Philadelphia while I was there with a March of Dimes conference and she brought along fabulous cannolis from Vaccaro's Italian Bakery back in 2000. In 2003 or so, Liz and I went with our dear friend Jen and her then infant son Diachi to Monticello. It was a blast and we spent most of our time fighting over who got to hold Diachi!)

So while this is an end -- it's also an exciting beginning as well. Liz is ready to start her new job in DC and Andy will be joining her in September. Lots of changes between now and then, but it's all starting to shape up. The SUNY office space is wonderful and in the same building she used to work in when she was with Cornell. She is staying with good friends in Maryland who have two adorable children and a beautiful home. And she will be working for both of her alma maters - SUNY Binghamton and Cornell.

In multiple conversations across the 6 days on the road we both agreed that it sure feels good to be back in DC and on the East Coast as well. There's just a feeling about being back in the Nation's Capitol. It's certainly different than anywhere else in our Country - it's amazing and wonderful in it's very own way. As we moved across the country we were also reminded that every single pocket of our country has something fabulous to offer. It's ALL good! While Liz loves Oregon and is glad to be moving back to DC, I am so happy to have visited DC once again and yet be headed home to Oregon.

I would be kidding everyone if I didn't admit to being a bit sad... It's been a once-in-a-liftime road trip with one of my best friends!!! But I am also sad to have Liz moving away from Oregon. I have loved being able to work at OSU with Liz. It's a privilege and opportunity neither of us ever expected to have. We had been friends for over 10 years before we ever wound up working on the same coast. Our friendship started in DC with both of us showing up at the National 4-H Council to be interns (Which turned out to be glorified tour guides -- by the way!) and so it's only fitting that this is where the road trip ends.

So I'm a bit sad to have this road trip come to an end. But I also know that we now have yet one more great story we can tell in the years ahead...

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." -- Helen Keller

Tourists in DC!

Liz and I arrived in DC LATE on Thursday night, essentially Friday morning. Friday was a slow day because we were both worn out, but we did take in a few of the tourist sights. Liz went to work on the Hill for a bit and I headed to one of my favorite spots in DC. Arlington Cemetery.

I have always been moved by and found inspiration at Arlington. When I was a tour guide, I saw Changing of the Guard many times, spent at least two Easter mornings at the sunrise sermon and was at Arlington during countless burials hearing the bugle play taps and the 21 gun salutes. I left DC before the Women in the Military Memorial at Arlington Cemetery was complete. It is a well done memorial for our women who served in the military. And it's a rare quiet and cool spot in DC. (With clean bathrooms too!) I spent some time going through the exhibit and then trekked up the hill to Lee's restored home in the center of the cemetery. Great view of DC from the top of the hill. For all of the tours I worked with during my time in DC at the 4-H Center, we almost always rode on the Tourmobile bus that only covers the high points of the cemetery. This time I wanted to set out on foot to see the lesser known spots in the cemetery. It was well worth the effort. I saw Jackie O's grave marker (When I was a tour guide JFK's and their two infant sons were the only markers), the Taft grave, Thurgood Marshall's grave, Audie Murphy's grave and a section of graves for 4 star generals. I ended my trip in the visitor's center viewing a photo exhibit put together by National Geographic. There were lots of solemn faces and quiet tears.

I left Arlington and metro'd to Union Station and Liz and I grabbed lunch. I love the metro! Clean, easy and cheap. Crowded -- but it's a holiday week/end. If you've never used Metro and plan a trip to DC -- jump in and use it. Union station has an exhibit on the building of the Titanic -- and the building itself is one of my favorites. I love the naked guard statues! Liz bought me a pignoli cookie from Vaccaro's Italian Bakery... Decadent!

Gargoyles, flying buttresses and the Bishop's Garden were the afternoon stop. One of my other favorite spots in DC is the National Cathedral. Specifically -- the spot I love is the Bishop's Garden next to the cathedral. It's not a place most folks know about. Beautifully and lovingly manicured and a huge variety of plants. Liz and I went to the reflection gazebo and I caught a picture of one of the towers of the cathedral through the gazebo window.

We ended the day with a fabulous dinner in Georgetown and a long shopping trip to the two-story Sephora store. We meet one of the Spehora national make-up artists and had a wonderful time! (Sephora is a make-up super store for those of you who don't already know!)

It's been hot and humid, but with a breeze -- it's really pleasant. Liz and I both know that DC can be a whole lot hotter than it was this weekend!

Stay tuned for more from DC...

We plan to hit Washington, DC over the next two days and will try to put up a couple more posts before Betsy returns to Oregon on Sunday morning.

Mileage Summary

Portland, Oregon to Winnemucca, Nevada: 643 miles
Winnemucca, Nevada to Moab, Utah: 593 miles
Moab, Utah to Sterling, Colorado: 537 miles
Sterling, Colorado to Newton, Iowa: 720 miles
Newton, Iowa to Newark, Ohio: 699 miles
Newark, Ohio to Accokeek, Maryland: 468 miles

Total mileage: 3,660 miles

Cheapest gas: Edwards, Illinois--Premium: $2.89/gal
Most expensive gas: Burns, Oregon--Premium: $3.47/gal

Thursday

Once a tour guide always a tour guide? Rich gave a fabulous tour of his corner of Coshocton County, Ohio this morning. We could fill this entire blog with stories he and his family recounted and the things we witnessed in the few hours we were there...the dangling Amishman, the alligator in the farmhouse, the Fox Hole and the adulterous preacher, the Mennonites with the secret television, oil rigs in the middle of corn fields, Rich's tree, what happens when drivers hit 10pt bucks...we could go on an on. In the meantime, we're just going to have to leave you with a few more pictures. Here are Rich, Amy and Lexy. Also, here are a couple of pics from I-68 and I-70 taken not too far from Cumberland, Maryland.

Beaver Signs Everywhere

We've been amazed at how many people are Beaver Believers across the United States. People are just enamored with nature's engineer. Rich's cousin even lives on Beaver Street in Warsaw, Ohio. Check it out!

We have arrived. Yahoo!!!

We left Rich Lawrence this morning after a tour of the area where his family lives -- and he grew up. Waholding Valley. Fabulous part of Ohio you will not see if you don't get off of the road. We hit the road later than we thought we would and didn't get too far down the road before we ran into Longaberger. High end baskets for those of you not familiar. Manufactured by the Longaberger family in Dresden Ohio. Great stuff! One of these pictures if of their corporate office buildings... YES! It is shaped like a huge basket. Classic!

We passed through OH, WV, PA, MD and VA to get to our DC host. I sound like a broken record -- but what beautiful country! We went through the Cumberland Gap and hit fog and 62 degree weather on the summit. (Felt like home!)

We got to Accoceek where we are staying for the weekend and it was 11:30 PM. But we are here... More to come and we spend a few days exploring DC before I head back to Oregon.