Davenport, Iowa

Mileage:  39,355

We all stayed up way too late last night drinking, laughing, and telling stories.

We  were up early to say goodbye to Mom, Debbie, and Kyle.  They were headed east.  We left at 11am to head west – opposite directions- and then it became very real.

Sandy thinks we are crazy. She might not be the only one.  She wanted to know where we were going today and we said we didn’t know.  We always have a general idea where we are headed.  Our only goal for this trip is to be in Anchorage by mid-July.  We have no reservations or concrete plans.  We usually get up in the morning and see where the road takes us.  Tim believes that a true traveler has no set destination nor time of arrival.  Sometimes that makes me anxious, travelling without an itinerary, but it usually works out just fine.

As hard as it is to leave family behind, we are eager to be on our way.

Thanks Dana and John.  We had a wonderful time; we always do when we are together!

Today we traveled across 74W from Cincinatii, Ohio to Moline, Illinois, across the Mississippi River and then onto 80W to Davenport, Iowa.

Well Sandy, we know where we are spending the night tonight!

Cracker Barrel Davenport, Iowa

Union, Kentucky

Mileage:  38,955

It was a wonderful day spent with family.  It is usually impossible to have everyone in one place, so it was nice to be with my brother John and his wife Dana, their children, my mom, my sister Debbie, Dana’a mom Sandy, our son Kyle and other friends.

We were together to celebrate Ryan’s high school graduation.  We are very proud of him and we wish him well as he prepares to attend Louisville in August where he plans to study engineering.

Reisterstown, Maryland

Mileage:  38, 404

Leaving home 6am Friday June 1st.

Through western Maryland, West Virginia Pennsylvania, and into Kentucky.

It is surreal.  This dream of ours actually now a reality.

We stopped for breakfast at Sideling Hill.

After 12 hours of travel we arrived in Union, Kentucky to visit with my brother and his family for my nephew Ryan’s graduation.  We brought a bushel of crabs from Maryland and enjoyed them for dinner.

Tomorrow is our big day!

After months of preparing, packing, planning, and dreaming – we begin our biggest adventure yet.

With lots of anticipation and excitement, we leave June 1st for Alaska.

We are eager to travel and explore, to spend time together, and to experience to the beauty of the western states, Canada, and Alaska.

We are sad to leave our family and friends behind.  That is the hardest part of our decision to make this trip.  We plan to be gone for many months.

This blog is a way for us to stay connected and for the people we care about to know where we are and what we are up to.

So join us on our journey, see our pictures, and read our story!