I'm not sure what this blog post is going to be. Stories? Pictures? Vlogs? Let's see.
We set out early on a Sunday (very unorthadox, I know - and Jane Austen condemns it in Persuasion, but my Dad has not read her). Mercer stayed behind, the second member of the family to boycott a family trip (I was the first).
Very cheerful and smiling most of us look. This picture was likely taken before the milk spilled.
Now we have made it "far far away" as one small member describes most of North America, and look! we are still smiling! I believe this was the mountain pass into Yellowstone.
Okay, now we aren't happy anymore. But hey, it was cold and we were camping. We also staged this picture.
If you have not been to Yellowstone Nat'l Park, go. But stay away during the time when anyone would like to be there. Try January?
We took quite a number of family selfies. In the foreground can be seen Gibson's very long arm, and in the background, some dead trees.
I took this one. Check out the colour of the water!
Freezing cold people, smoking hot hills.
My favourite spectacle was the spectators at this splendiferous and supereminent spurting spire. (Old Faithful, if you must know.)
It doesn't get more iconic than white-water rafting on the Yellowstone River.
This was on the Moon.
Actually it was a place in Idaho called Craters of the Moon Nat'l Monument.
Now we are in Yosemite, where Son't is sheepish over a pile of half-eaten orange peels.
Sequoias are the biggest living things on earth. Except when they die they are the biggest dead things on earth. Here one can see both kinds.
Bronte loved the shuttle rides around the park, but always found a good handhold and pinched firmly. Most of the time she refrained from pinching strangers.
At last! The Pacific Ocean! This was the underpass to the beach just below our campground.
There is nothing quite like the ocean in all the world.
We spent one day exploring Los Angeles. Here we are at Union Station.
Hollywood was an interesting experience for us conservative homeschoolers. I'm sure we were an interesting experience for some of the kind frequenting Hollywood.
This is an office building that doubles as a big film set. And some tourists that double as wonks.
While Mercer was with us he did us some Presidential Musing. This is the happy peace of the Berlin Wall.
We spent approximately 150 hours in the ole white van. Sometimes we just made the best of it.
This was a street performer on the waterfront in San Fransisco. I was trying to plug the poor baby's ears.
Now this was a really horrible experience. The ape caves at Mt. St. Helens. (Note from the Editor: I perceived that experience as nothing horrible. ~T.P.)
And this was wonderful - friends in Washington state, and the sunset view.
The river valley full of fog on the morning we left.
And look at that. It turned out to be pictures. Come talk to one of us for the stories, I guess.
Mom put some pics on the farm blog: https://www.morningsoundfarm.com/single-post/2019/10/08/Farm-Family-on-a-Holiday