Geographist

Our ninth day of the trip was spent entirely in Cody, WY.  And it was almost entirely focused on the man who gave the town its name, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody.  Let's see what stood out most to the girls.  Whirly Day 9 - We rode horses and my horse's name was Buck.  We saw the museum all day.  We saw a red tail hawk and a turkey vulture so yeah that was day 9. Curly's Day 9- We went to a museum and saw some Indian stuff. We also saw a showcase for raptor birds like a turkey vulture and a red tail hawk then we went on a horse trail. My horse was named Scrappy and he was stubborn. We went back to the museum and looked at animals. The museum was about to close, but we had time to look at firearms and guns it was cool. Then we drove back to the RV park. Girly's Day 9: This was the day we went to the Buffalo Bill museum and rode some horses. After being in Yellowstone for a couple days straight, it was time to do something different for a change. So instead of...

We've passed the one-week mark of this trip and are still enjoying Yellowstone.  This was the day we explored most of the park, venturing to both the NE & NW entrances.  I have a feeling I know what the girls remembered best, but let's hear it from them.  Girly's Day 8:  This day we were in Yellowstone almost the whole day. We saw buffalo and some birds. This is when we saw the most buffalo. Like herds and herds of them. Nothing really else happened. We just stayed in Yellowstone almost the whole day, and then we had German food for dinner. We arrived late to our RV park, and went to sleep for the night. Whirly's Day 8 - We went to Yellowstone we saw some bison we saw deer and yeah that was day 8. Curly's Day 8 We went to Yellowstone again and saw a lot of animals we spent the most time in Yellowstone and saw the most buffalo. So yeah that was day eight.

Our first day in Yellowstone!  We entered the west side, then drove across to the west side and into Cody, WY.  There were plenty of amazing things to see, from scenery to animals to geologic features.  Let's see what stuck in the minds of the girls.  Curly's Day 7 We woke up and did laundry in a laundromat, fun right? We had gas station food. Then we went to Yellowstone and saw the geysers. We also got souvenirs - I got a bracelet. We went to Old Faithful, but it was going to blast in an hour so we left. We went to a town called Cody and picked up a rental car.  Girly's Day 7: This day we woke up in Idaho, and the day was already busy. We had to do laundry, so to the laundromat we went. We then went to a nearby gas station, and had some pop tarts, powdered donuts, etc. After that, we were on our way to Yellowstone. We were on the hunt for two main things: buffalo and Old Faithful. We found Old Faithful, but sadly it started raining and we weren't able to see it...

Our sixth day was another long travel day.  We started out in Utah and journeyed through part of Wyoming before stopping in Idaho for the night, near the western entrance to Yellowstone National Park.  Here are the highlights, as remembered by the girls!  Girly's Day 6: This day was a day full of driving. We started in Utah, and ended the day in Idaho. I had never been to Utah, Wyoming, or Idaho, so this was a new thing for me. For dinner, we stopped at this little restaurant in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was cute and it had delicious food. While waiting to get into the restaurant, we walked around and stumbled across a mock gun fight. After eating, we went through the Grand Tetons in the dark, and ended the night in Idaho.  Whirly Day 6 - We went to a restaurant that had a long wait.  So we went to a store and I bought  popcorn.  One of my sisters bought bracelet and then we ate so yeah that was day 6. Curly Day 6 We went to Utah and we found Jackson H...

Today we found ourselves in a state that none of us had visited before - Utah.  We started in Moab and wound up in Mount Pleasant (south of Provo).  Plenty of sites to see, and several miles to walk.  Here's the recap!  Curly's Day 5 So, we woke up really early so we could go see arches in Utah.  We walked about three miles and we found some arches with, oddly enough, Wi-Fi. We even saw someone's water bottle roll of a cliff , but it wasn't deep. Later we saw someone else getting it out.  We took a picture under an arch.  Later we found a restaurant with scones and I hadn't tried one until then. So yeah that was day five. Whirly's Day 5: We went to a nice restaurant and saw arches.  Someone's water bottle rolled off the edge. and someone did a handstand under a arch.  And the girls boyfriend got her water bottle back and we all clapped when he got back up.  We took a picture under the arch. So that was day five.

Back on the road!  Today we crossed a pair of state lines on our way from Albuquerque, NM to Moab, UT (with a pit stop in Durango, CO).  Here's the review!  Whirly's Day 4 - We went down to a river and one of my sisters flew into a tree and my other sister spilled her coffee on my sister who flew into the tree.  I only slid on my butt.  My dad and my dog where first and it was my dad's fault that we all got hurt and spilled on. Girly's Day 4: This day was when we drove to Colorado. We went through a little town, and enjoyed coffee from a small, local coffee shop. While going back to the RV, we headed to the river. But as Curly was climbing down the hill, she flew into a tree and got stuck. When I was going down, I lost balance, and started to run down the hill. I ran straight into Curly, spilling my coffee on both her and I, and almost pushed both of us into the water. It was a hectic day, to say the least.  Curly's Day 4 Well, we were in Colorado and we fo...

A day of staying put - we spent a second night in the Albuquerque area and saw the sights of northern New Mexico.  Let's see what the girls remember best!  Girly Day 3: This was the day we were in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We woke up, and saw two hot air balloons while outside. We went to the little, old town, walked around, and bought a few Christmas ornaments. While on the way back to the RV park, we ended up in an area that was highly secured. Dad got searched. The RV got searched for flammable items and weapons. We were not allowed to take any pictures or videos, as it was where atomic items were made and tested. We eventually made it back to our RV park, and watched a movie while waiting to get tired. Curly Day 3 So when we woke up we saw two hot air balloons.We also walked into a town.  There were alot of Indian based stuff. We also went into a Christmas shop and got some ornaments. Later we saw a New Mexican history museum. We also saw some Indian dwellings.  Also...

Day 2 took us from Amarillo to Albuquerque.  Here's what the girls remembered!  Whirly Day 2 - I got to spray paint a car and hiked a 3 mile trail.  It was really far and after I got free water and my dad drove us all the way to New Mexico. Curly Day 2 We drove to the edge of Texas and we hiked about one mile in the Palo Duro Canyon.  We saw lizards and butterflies while we hiked then we went to Cadillac Ranch.  While we were there we got to spray paint a car it was very cool. Girly Day 2: We woke up pretty early today, so we could go hike at Palo Duro Canyon in Amarillo, TX. After a pretty decently long hike, we packed up in the RV once again, and headed to New Mexico. Along the way, we took a pit stop at Cadillac Ranch, which is a place with Cadillacs in the ground, covered in spray paint. We placed our mark on a couple of the cars, and left for New Mexico. We got to our new RV park and settled there for the next two nights.

For our family RV trip, I thought it might be fun to let the rest of the family have their say.  All or some of them will share what they thought about each day's adventure.  So here goes - enjoy!  Our first day was from our home to Amarillo, TX. Curly's Day 1 First day in the RV we mostly drove around  to get to our RV park it was cool, but the out side not so it was very hot and we couldn't use the air conditioning all the time and that is really all so yeah that was day one. Girly's Day 1: I was woken up at about 6:30, early Saturday morning. We quickly as we could, packed up the RV and began our trip. The beginning started off with some troubles, however. Not even a full minutes into the trip, we took a sharp turn, and a glass bottle of mayhaw jelly flew out of a top cabinet and almost landed strait on my head. It was a long day, but we slowly but surely made it to Amarillo, which is where we parked our RV and stayed the night.  Whirly's Day 1 - When I was u...

On July 2, 1999, Boston's Logan Airport sustained a lightning strike that temporarily disrupted radar and communication ability.  At least that was the story that I was told in Pittsburgh, PA as my flight to Massachusetts was canceled.  My brother and I were on a trip from Houston, TX to join a three-week European concert tour consisting of approximately 150 high school musicians from across America.  After being forced to stay in Pennsylvania for an unplanned night, we made contact with five other kids and one adult who were also stranded on our way to the same location, and our so-called "Pittsburgh Seven" finally made it to Logan Airport.  That was my very first experience with the subject this week's post. In 1923, less than two decades after the Wright brothers made their historic flight at Kitty Hawk, the first airplane arrived at a new landing strip in the middle of what used to be Boston Harbor.  As we discovered very early in our study of Boston, the ci...

One of the most recognizable landmarks in Boston that does not fall along any of the city's historical trails is Fort Independence, which is known as The Castle.  The earliest fortification to stand on what is today Castle Island, just to the southeast of the city, was constructed in 1634 to provide a point of defense for the city against any attacks by sea.  The original earthworks were soon bolstered by a wooden structure, due in part to concern over a French warship which had approached the city, and that fort was enhanced or replaced multiple times during the following decades.  By the dawn of the 18th century a fifth version of the fort was constructed, which was named "Castle William" in honor of the English monarch who had taken the throne during the so-called Glorious Revolution of 1688. Castle Island was an important location in the time leading up to the American Revolution, with its garrison serving as a secure shelter for British loyalists while unrest swept t...