Freedom 2 Roam: OR -> IL -> OR

I'm back! Back home in Oregon that is. After more than two weeks spent in the car, I don't think I want to ride in one ever again! Give me a bike and fresh air any day over the cramped confines of a car! When you're pressed for time and need to feed the needs of three other people and an animal, it's definitely a learning experience. Most of the time we had two or three rest stops, and then one stop at a restaurant or grocery store per day and that was it!

But good times were had by all. The classic American road trip out west should be a requirement to keep your driver's license...everyone needs to do it at least once. This country has a lot to offer, with such a huge amount of sites to see and places to discover. It's one thing reading about history and such in a classroom, but to actually get out there and see it first hand is another. And the natural beauty is INCREDIBLE. Seeing the sunset over the Rockies, riding along the massive Columbia River, and gazing out at the arid desert were just some of the highlights.

Unfortunately, we were on a time constraint on the way to Chicago, and then had to haul a trailer on the way back to Oregon. So we didn't get to see as much as I would have liked, but you really need to have a lot of time and money to travel with a family of four plus a dog, and see all the important sites along the way.

But we did manage to see a lot, despite the circumstances. Here's a glimpse of the past two weeks...