Molly ... we're hoping for rain here too ... my lawn looks like I set it on fire. I resist the urge to water .. as it will come back ... but it's surely not a vision of beauty at the moment!
Northern Yankee ... Yesterday, I was reminded of comments you made regarding the sacrifices which had to be made during WWII ... saving toothpaste tubes ... gas rationing. I had to get a refill for my grill's propane tank. Went to the hardware store and was confronted with a sea of useless tanks ... now that we've had to switch to the newer ... more environmentally friendly ones.
I asked the guy what will be done with the old ones ... remember ... there were scores and scores of them ... he said they were all going to the ~~~ landfill?!
What a waste! There's enough metal there to build a battleship ... for goodness sake.
Well ... *prayers* to ALL y'alls ... and to ALL y'alls' alls ...
All of the macro level planning has been finished. I know where I am going to be each day, and appropriate reservations have already been made.
I'm working on some micro level material now - location of ATMs (done), location of McDonalds at breakfast time (done), what is available in the hotel area for dinner time (pending). (You may notice I'm not too big on not knowing where stuff is - I take full advantage of the Internet. 'Tis wonderful!)
Itinerary:
Aug 16 - Depart and drive to Black Mountain, NC
Aug 17 - Drive to West Memphis, AR
Aug 18 - Drive to Oklahoma City, OK
Aug 19 - Drive to Holbrook, AZ, with stop at Window Rock for Navaho stuff
Aug 20 - Grand Canyon
Aug 21 - Grand Canyon
Aug 22 - Drive to Death Valley, with stop at Hoover Dam
Aug 23 - Scotty's Castle [Death Valley]
Aug 24 - Drive to Fallon, NV
Aug 25 - Drive to Salt Lake City, UT [US 50, US 93]
Aug 26 - Drive to Thermopolis, WY [by way of Flaming Gorge]
Aug 27 - Thermopolis, WY
Aug 28 - Badlands NP, SD
Aug 29 - Wind Cave, Mammoth Site (if time permits), Mt. Rushmore
Aug 30 - Drive to La Crosse, WI
Aug 31 - Drive to Montpelier, OH
Sep 1 - Return home