Road Trip, Part 1

This might take a while, folks.

It's almost easier to ask where didn't we go.  Our family has traveled through 8 different states, driving about 4,000 miles over the past 2 weeks while seeing dear friends, family, and lots of absolutely stunning natural beauty and national history.  For a while, my blog posts are going to be FULL of photos, recounts of the trip, and tips on not-to-miss restaurants, activities, and places.  It's actually a little daunting to think about narrowing down the 1200 photos and countless experiences into something digestible for a blog format.  But I'm also bursting to share the excitement and beauty of our trip.  It was truly a unique, one-of-a-kind adventure that our family will treasure for the rest of our lives.

The first day was the longest driving day.  We left at 5AM to cover the 800 miles between Dallas and Denver.  It wasn't pretty, but we pulled in for a late dinner at Beau Jo's Colorado Pizza which is the first pizza joint I've been to since my old haunt Melrose in Searcy, AR that serves delightful deep dish pizzas with plenty of honey for dipping the crusts.

We spent the night at a hotel then headed over the next morning to spend the entire day with my brother Josh and his family.  It's hard to believe this, since Josh will always be about 8 in my mind, but my brother has gone and got himself a family.  He recently married a lovely woman named Amanda and had a beautiful baby girl named Chloe.  I was so excited to finally get to meet Amanda and Chloe.

I wish we could spend lots of days with Josh, Amanda, and Chloe just like the one we spent with them on this trip.  The kids played at a park, my brother and I checked out the awesome Tattered Cover bookstore, we ate some great meals, laughed and visited, loved on baby Chloe, and had a wonderful time.

The next morning we stopped by The Market at Larimer Square for breakfast on our way out of town.  If in downtown Denver, please don't miss this deli/coffee house/store.  It's one of my favorite eateries from the entire trip.  I had a milky way latte there that was the best coffee drink I've ever had.

Next Up:  Scotts Bluff National Monument and Mount Rushmore