We originally were going to start this trip a week or 2 earlier than we did, but this RV wasn't available until well after our planned departure date, so we just bumped our ending date accordingly. This bumps us RIGHT up against school starting tomorrow! All that to say, I think I will be feeling like a one armed paper hanger for the next couple of weeks as we make this fast transition from traveling one day to beginning school the next, which means my blogging days will most likely be few and far between. We'll see.
One thing I've been wanting to mention but never seemed to fit it in was the nationwide drought we seem to be experiencing. Over these past 9 weeks we have covered a big chunk of the United States, and one thing I noticed is that no place we visited seemed 'lush'. The only plots of land that weren't brown were the ones being watered. I really thought California would be different, but it was the same there. The ground where we stayed near Kansas City was so parched it had cracks in it everywhere. The mountains we have seen before (the Rockies, Glacier National), that previously were always snow-peaked even all summer had very little snow on them at all. We talked to a farmer who stopped to try to help us when we blew those two tires in Montana, and he said he is having to harvest a month earlier than usual (and therefore, will have less yield than normal) because the run off from the mountains that usually lasts through September had already dried up. We've seen more rain in the past 3 days than we have the whole trip, but I imagine it is still just a drop in the bucket of what is needed. I just wanted to mention this because it troubled me, and I would like to ask those of you so inclined to pray with me for God to send the rains needed to end this drought. OK, enough of my soap box on that!
Thank you all for coming with us on this journey - we've so appreciated your sweet comments and prayers and well-wishes - it's been a blessing beyond words. Here are the last pictures (at least the last ones I'm planning on uploading) for this trip. There is a snapshot of the 'welcome to Florida sign along with pictures of our 'last supper, and a couple of pictures of the kids in their beds because I don't think I've taken very many of those. Nicole and Nicholas have privacy curtains they wanted to show off, so you'll see those. :-) Thanks again, and blessings to all!