Highlights

Since we have been back, several have asked me what was my favorite part of the trip. Was it the ribs? The rodeo? The chance to reconnect with so much family and Friends? Every time I answer this question, I think of something new 20 seconds later.

Below are a few Previously Unpublished images from our three weeks abroad......

Elvis Sightings

Here are Ava and Ellie in Elvis' living room. The sofa on the right is really long. Note the abundance of mirrors. The Elvis portrait is the last exhibit in the Trophy Room.

Most striking were the floral arrangements from all over the world honoring The King's memory.

Floral

Here are Lana and Ellie at a rest-stop.

Haz-Mat Grab-Bag

1866: Hydrogen, Refrigerated Liquid
2922: Corrosive Liquid, Poisonous
2517: Chlorodifluorethanes
1987: Denatured Alcohol

Mission Accomplished

We arrived home to find the house still standing at 6pm Wednesday, after 21 days, 13 states, and 4,000+ miles. We still have a bunch of photos to post, stats to provide, and people to thank, and all those will be forthcoming.

Of us all, Indiana seemed the happiest to be home.

Radioactive

Finally!

Sky

After OKC, we amended our itinerary, deciding to skip our last day's plans to visit the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA. We pushed across Tennessee to reach east of Knoxville for the night, leaving only a direct Knoxville to Glenwood run for Wednesday. We drove through some violent rain in Virginia, and Ava captured this from her seat in shotgun.

Flashback III: the Hotel Santa Fe Pool

After Indian Market, Bram, Monica, and I took the girls back to the hotel for some pool-time, while Char continued to explore Indian Market.

Argon, Refrigerated Liquid

Explosives

Environmentally Hazardous Substances, Liquid, N.O.S.

That "9" underneath means "risk of spontaneous violent reaction."

Flammable; Organic/Peroxide; Non-Flammable Gas

Bernese (Smoky) Mountain Dog

Days elapsed without a mule-stomping: 18.

Steak and Shake, The Final Chapter

After Graceland, we found another Steak and Shake east of Memphis where we stopped for lunch. We don't have these back east, so this may well have been our last chance to eat at one of these for awhile.

Graceland

A more detailed post may be forthcoming, but here are two photos of Elvis' gravesite in the Memorial Garden at Graceland. Char and I alike were stunned by this tour: we expected a very hokey and gaudy experience, but found it to be otherwise. One morning was not enough to really see all there is to see here, and it deserves another visit.

As Seen In the ABQ Journal

Albuquerque Journal coverage of our host and guide at Indian Market.

Corky's

On Bram's recommendation, we ate at the original Corky's here in Memphis. Char had dry-rub ribs, I stuck with the pulled pork platter.

Across Arkansas, Into Tennessee

Graceland tomorrow!

Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum

We scheduled a one-night stopover in Oklahoma City, so we could visit the memorial to the victims of the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building here. A very powerful and moving tribute to the 168 victims---19 of whom were children.

Matching structures on each side of the memorial frame the reflecting pool, and the eastern piece has 9:01 carved atop it (the time before the blast); the western twin has 9:03 carved atop it (the minute after the blast), emphasizing the "before and after." an adjacent building -- still showing shockwave damage -- has been made the memorial museum.

The footprint of the building is an enclosed lawn, with chairs representing each victim, as well as their relative location in the blast. Most children were in the second floor daycare center, which explains why so many small chairs are in that row. The five victims outside the building are set apart to the west.

A "Survivors Tree," located at the time in an open parking lot has been preserved and serves as an icon on much of the memorial's printed material.

Helium, Refrigerated Liquid (Cryogenic Liquid)

Oklahoma!

The blurry spots in this image? Those were Texas-sized bugs we ran into as we drove eastward.

Groom, TX

Outside of Groom, TX on I-40 stands an enormous crucifix several stories tall and is surrounded by a circle of life size sculptures depicting the Stations of the Cross. We noticed it too late to stop and check it out. Honest, Mrs. G.

Also notable was this Leaning (Water) Tower.

Panhandling

From Santa Fe we picked up I-40 toward Amarillo and Oklahoma City, traveling across the top of the Texas Panhandle. We stopped briefly in Amarillo for more boot shopping and dinner at Sonic. The town is filled with these horse sculptures: all painted differently. This one was in front of our Suburban at Sonic.

Onward, Eastward, Homeward

Sunday morning we were taken to the Santa Fe Baking Company where -- with its mix of friendly welcome and slow, arbitrary service -- patrons are given a leisurely breakfast, "whether we wanted it or not," according to Bram. The breakfast burritos were the spiciest we have encountered so far, and more napkins were used wiping tears away than usual.

This morning also marked the point where we turned east and began the trip home. It has been hard to leave all the friends and family we have seen on every leg of this trip, and from this point we will have no familiar faces to look forward to as we press on to Oklahoma City, Memphis, and beyond.

Flashback II: Macedonian Wedding Gowns

The Folk Art Museum also featured an exhibit of traditional Macedonian Wedding Gowns. The exhibit included one gown that could be tried on to get a sense of the weight of the material. This gown allegedly weighed 21 lbs.