Home Again!

I've been back in Montclair for about 30 hours now...the totals are in:
4,782 miles driven;
$2298.90 spent on gas;
at least 150 bug bites on my legs;
9 different campgrounds;
50 states (21 for our kids already!);
an invigorated passion for US History and geography;
a lifetime of memories;
and, immeasurable gratitude to PAMKA and the whole MKA community.

THANK YOU!

A new favorite toy...

My family has adjusted to RV living!

It's a bit stormy today...a good day for hitting the road to Oberlin, but not before making one more stop at ND--the Grotto.  

tour.nd.edu (The Grotto)

College life...

In order to break up the trip into a more reasonable pace heading home, we decided to spend a bit of time at both Notre Dame and Oberlin.  Whenever we return to visit our colleges, I know that I am recharged by recalling the first real history scholarship that I conducted.  I think of my most inspiring professor, Geoffrey Blodgett, who has sadly passed away and a younger History professor who is still there, Gary Kornblith, who helped me conduct some fascinating statistic driven research from the colonial America.  I hope that there are students who look back at their experience in the MKA History Department research program with similar fondness.  While we ask our students to do a great deal, especially as they are balancing a host of other demands both in and outside of the classroom...the rewards pay dividends in countless and unexpected ways for decades.

As the trip is winding down, I'm thinking about how to synthesize all that I've gotten from this incredible opportunity.  That may be a bigger challenge than even the Junior Thesis!

My goal...complete!!

I'm slightly obsessed with TR....

We've been away from wireless for a stretch, and in the meantime...I've been to all 50 states!  After an 11 hour drive today (Geoff was a trooper, and so were the girls) we are settling into Mackinaw City/Macinac Island, MI.  This is the spot that connects the UP of Michigan with the mainland--a beautiful spot in the world!  Here are some thoughts and pics from the last few days...

7/23: We crossed the border to North Dakota!!!  Not quite the same way that Lewis and Clark did...but it was truly thrilling nonetheless....

50 states--weehoo!

7/24: Sitting here at Cass Lake, Minnesota….and still thinking about the Missouri River. Interestingly there was an article in The New York Times today about the fight amongst states in the Missouri River region about what to do with the river…what is it for? I hadn’t thought of that question before, yet with what I saw out of our windows of the RV, I’ve gained a much deeper appreciation of these regional issues. The down river states (Missouri, in particular) want to make the priority of the river commercial, even though the barge industry is shrinking. Upriver states such as North Dakota, see the river’s main function for reservoirs and recreation. The tension is real and the Army Corps of Engineers, who gets their orders from Congress, are caught in the middle. All sides agree that flood management is the most pressing matter….especially in 2011.

7/25: On another river related note, we are heading through northern Minnesota—there really are 10,000 lakes up here and they are spectacular—on our way to Mackinaw City, which connects the Upper Peninsula to mainland Michigan…and what did I see but the very beginning of the Mississippi River. It looked so innocent, so calm, so small and manageable. As with many things, looks can be deceiving as I thought back to the countless floods and hurricanes that have affected the people, communities, and businesses on the banks of that mighty river. It also reminded me that we really are heading back east; I have mixed emotions about that. Off to Mackinaw...looking forward...

Open Road in North Dakota....nothing like this in NJ!

Cass Lake, MN

The storm passed... Mackinaw Bridge, MI

I'm already planning our next trip to South Dakota!

Open road in South Dakota Plains

Badlands National Park--amazing.

The Faces!

Walkway with flags from the 50 states leading up to the Faces...this is new since 1982, the last time I was here.

As we moved east to west in South Dakota I was once again stunned by the mix of natural beauty,  how history is alive and well, as well as the pure fun that this part of the country has to offer.  As we were admiring the true beauty of true prairie land in the flat lands of eastern South Dakota, I couldn't help but think of the challenges of farming life.  It's a gamble every single season.  The wonder of the Badlands, the fun of Wall Drug, and the awe that one cannot help but feel when looking up at Mt. Rushmore...today had it all and I'm thinking of when our next trip here may be possible; there's always room to dig more deeply.  Onwards to my 50th state tomorrow--North Dakota, here we come!

Corn Palace...finally!

The majesty of the world's only Corn Palace!

The design changes every year

Family Fun

Anyone who knows me well, knows that the camping trips that I did with my family...the big ones and the small ones alike....had an enormously positive impact on my life in terms of a deep appreciation for the natural beauty of the US, for the complexities and importance of US History, for family connections being strengthened, and yes...for the Americana attractions that I simply eat up.  After finally making it to South Dakota, and feeling much relief that we were no longer in a flood zone, there she was...the Corn Palace!  If you don't know what it is, you should.  Check out their website, and if your road ever takes you to the Upper Plains, it's a must: http://www.cornpalace.org/  As we were planning the trip and I was so excited about this site, I even found it odd, Shea and Ciara kept asking...what is inside the Corn Palace?  I didn't actually know because, as I recall, when I was there in 1982, we didn't actually go in.  I wasn't going to let that opportunity pass me by again!  I have to say, it was just as cool as I remembered it, and now I could see what was inside. It is the community center for Mitchell (a town of about 15,000) where everything from high school graduation and prom to big name headliners come to use the space.  Onward to the FACES tomorrow!

The Mighty Missouri

This section of I-29 remained open....

Sandbags were everywhere

Plattsmouth Toll Bridge, connects Nebraska and Iowa over the Missouri

As we left Kansas this morning, my mind felt flooded with research ideas for students, and I thought little about the actual drive through Nebraska, Iowa and then onwards to Mitchell, SD.  When we entered Nebraska on State Route 75 and then made it to the major thoroughfare of Interstate 29 headed north.  Uh oh...road closings on the Iowa side of things.  Today is July 21st, and beginning on and around May 1st the Missouri River has seen devastating flooding and individuals and communities have paid the price of living so close to the power of a major river.  Today we winded through areas where I-29 was shutdown completely, following unknown detours, and seeing the aftermath of this dangerous spring and early summer storms.  We held our breath just hoping that we could reach our destination; I couldn't help but think of those people whose whole worlds had drowned with these floods.  One of the many things I truly appreciate about Montclair is that though we have tough winters and a heat wave here or there, we have the safety of being relatively far from a river with the power of these midwestern rivers.  I was reminded of that today.  *The picture of a bridge above is from one of the coolest bridges I've every been across...it crosses the Missouri River dividing Nebraska and Iowa and is called the Plattsmouth Toll Bridge...as recently as a few weeks ago it was the only bridge still functioning that crossed the Missouri in the region.