Vacation Begins!?

July 5th – 7:00 a.m. (due to quick turn around and spotty internet connection, please forgive any grammar or spelling mistakes :) )
The past couple days have gone by quickly, less time in the car and more time out sight seeing. On previous trips we have been able to visit some historic places. Some inspire and others are quite sobering. During previous trips we have been able to visit memorials at Columbine High School in Colorado and visit the textbook depository/grassy knoll in Dallas where JKF was shot and killed. Early during this trip has provided the same opportunities.

Oklahoma City Memorial
We spent one night OKC. I posted a little bit about that in the previous post. The next morning we drove into the city to visit the Oklahoma City Memorial. The memorial was very done. There is a chair for each of the victims from that day. Smaller chairs are in place for the 19 children who were killed in the blast, larger chairs for the adults.















Lorraine Motel
On the 4th of July we headed towards our camp site in Nashville. On the way we passed through Memphis and made sure to stop by the Lorraine Motel, the site of where MLK was shot. The motel has been closed for some time and a Civil Rights Memorial has been constructed. The Memorial was closed due to the 4th but we were able to stand out front of Rm. 306, the room which MLK was staying in. We also learned that the fateful bullet was fired from a structure across the street.



Catching Up With Friends
On previous trips we have also been able to connect with friends that we have not seen for a long time. Our first opportunity on this trip was in Little Rock, Arkansas where we were able to connect with Henry Murphy and his family. We met Henry in 1998 when we were all part of the Intermountain AmeriCorps program based in Chelan, WA. A fun fact about Henry, he was in town for another friends wedding when Tracey was in the hospital about to deliver Emily. Henry would pop by the room and check on her stats and make sure things were going according to plan. (he was not or is not a doctor) It was great to connect with him and meet his wife Lauren and son Niko.




Up Next….
  • ·      A bit of time exploring Nashville
  • ·      Destin, Florida for 2 nights and lots of beach time on the Gulf of Mexico
  • ·      Spotty, if any, internet connection – could be a couple days before another post



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Final Resting Place

Image
With all the build up and excitement that comes before our trips, this one had an element of unknown. This would be the first time I was back home since the passing of my Dad. I had gotten used to my new normal back in Washington, missing the weekly phone calls and chats we had on the phone. The first time on his birthday I could not call or the first Father's Day with him gone. I was not sure what it was going to be like or how I would feel walking into his house again with him not there. I also knew that we would be spreading Dad's ashes during our visit. Whether or not it was fate, coincidence or strategic planning by my brother, the day that was selected was 6 months to the day of his passing. Cory picked me up and then we headed to Barron to pick up our Step-Mom and his boat. Once we were all loaded we began the journey. Our first stop was at the cemetery. While there we visited the burial sites of Dad's Grandparents. He always spoke highly of them and really love
Read more

#Andersonepicadventure FAQ: How was the trip?

Image
Family selfie pulling into the driveway It has been a little over a week since we arrived back home from our trip and things have settled in for the most part. I have resumed my daily work schedule, had to start wearing pants to work last week, always a sign that things are ramping up at work. Tracey and the kids are bleeding out every ounce of time off. They spent part of last week at the Oregon Coast, another portion in Leavenworth WA camping and finishing up the week at Tracey's parents house. Before I respond to the title of this post, here are some of the stats from our trip (from one of Tracey's posts) and the route that we took: 34 days, 31 states, approximately 8120 miles traveled. Hit the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic, a barrier island, Lake Champlain, and Lake Michigan. Lots of friends and family visited, a service project completed, numerous great cities toured, no natural disasters endured.  This trip marked the milestone of Tracey and I both traveling
Read more