Home Is Wherever I'm With You

One of my favorite songs is Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's 'Home'.

After eleven days, eight states, two national parks, a wedding, hundreds of buffalo, thousands of dead bugs on my windshield, a new mug, renewed family time, and a couple of plaques, I'm home :)

One post to cover three days, because that's what happens when hotels don't give you free wifi (which is stupid by the way).

Ames Reads Crew! 

Day Nine: All America Cities, #Readingby3rd, Escape

COLORADO

1. Campaign for Grade Level Reading conference

The full day of the conference started with some interesting keynote speakers and break out sessions. I wish we had had less time listening to all 27 All America City finalists talk, and  more time for break out sessions, but I appreciated hearing very briefly what everyone is doing in their communities. I won't go into too much detail about the conference here, but it was great meeting people, catching up with our Iowa partners, and freezing (the air was ON and WORKING) during the day.

1

Honored to be a Finalist for the All America City Award!

2. Downtown Denver

We took the train into Union Station and walked around downtown. I definitely want to go back and explore more because it looks like a really fun area.

Day Ten: Where's the Fruit, Finalists, Views

COLORADO

1. Plate Full of Bacon

I know I'm a difficult person to cook for if you're not used to it, but breakfast both days was kind of lame. On Friday morning, my only option was bacon, because they didn't even have fresh fruit available. Plate full of bacon it is!

2.  Kim Hanna, Super Panelist

I was on a panel with RRSC Board Member Carolyn, Oxford, MS and Dyersville, IA to talk about community partnerships to make our programs work. It was wonderful meeting the women and hearing their opportunities and challenges.

3. Handfuls of Plaques

Part of the conference was a Communications Expo where communities could submit examples of what they use. We submitted in eight of the nine categories and were finalists in seven of the eight. We won in two categories! Best Photo (picture used in United Way's campaign of our FLCE Judy Dahlke at our StoryTime program at Eastwood) and Best Media Partnership (Dolphin Media's partnership with our The Hero Effect episode!). I was in charge of getting them home safely since I was the only one not flying, and I'm happy to report that they (and I) successfully  made it back to Ames.

Award-winning photo!

4. Happy Hour

Once I was back at my aunt and uncle's house, we headed up to the neighborhood golf course clubhouse for happy hour and great views of the Rockies!

Dad's sister Margy and Uncle Jerry Preston

5. Colorado Rockies Superfans

Friday night was a nice relaxing evening at home watching the Rockies. My aunt and uncle are big fans, and their assessment that the relief and closing pitching was terrible was showcased quite well. I'll never stop being a Twins fan, but it was fun to watch the Rockies play. And win!

Day Eleven: Driving, More Driving, Screaming, Beeping, Home

COLORADO

1. Rear View Mirror

Almost half of the drive though eastern Colorado had the Rockies in my rear view mirror, so that was awesome. That view was a lot more exciting than the view through my windshield...

NEBRASKA

1. Ugh

Blech. Nebraska is boring.

2. Ugh Again

I stopped once on the entire ten hour drive to get gas and lunch in Kearney. The restaurant that I stopped in was fairly busy, and there was a family with a toddler sitting across from me. The toddler was high-pitch screaming. Continuously. And the parents were laughing and encouraging it. And the tables around them were getting pissed. One table asked their waitress several times to say something to the parents, but she was probably 17 and had no interest in getting involved. So finally the table asked the manager, but he also looked like it was the last thing he wanted to do. Luckily for him (and us all), the parents were picking up to leave then so he avoided confrontation.

Also, eastern Nebraska, also boring.

IOWA

1. Beeping

Made it home almost exactly 10 and a half hours after I left. Thanks zero state patrol vehicles spotted the entire day! When I got home, I discovered that maintenance had not followed up with my message the day before that my smoke detector was beeping. (Sorry neighbors! Thanks Mel for letting me know when you got my mail on Friday!). I'm short, and my ceilings are tall, so BIL Extraordinaire Pat came over with a ladder (as did Mel and their roommate Dad) to switch out the battery.  A new battery made the detector scream, so it's just chilling until maintenance finally responds and fixes the problem.

2. Approximately 3,590 miles

I thought I took a picture of my odometer before I left, but I apparently didn't. I did take a picture of it this morning and guestimate that I drove about 3590 miles total on the trip. Nice work #BettyWhitetheFocusNottheHuman!

I Finally Saw a Bear!

This was my last day of vacation/first day of the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading conference so the next couple of days might not be as interesting since there is less of a chance of wildlife in the hotel.

Day Eight: Dinosaurs, Red Rocks, Sleepytime Bear, #Readingby3rd

COLORADO

1. Dinosaur Steps

I went to Dinosaur Ridge and hiked around. You can see the fossils right in the side of the rock, and there is a spot where footprints were actually uncovered. Six year old Kimberly was obsessed with dinosaurs and fossils, so she had a really good time today!

Feet!

2. Red Rocks Rock My Socks Off

Wow-this place is awesome! I totally want to come back for a concert because I can't imagine how amazing it would be. I guess the acoustics are really great. The view isn't too bad either :) Also, the weather is beautiful in Denver, and I am finally able to come out from under my layers and work on my freckle count.

3. Celestial Seasonings

So, I was trying to decide between the Coors Brewery tour and the Celestial Seasonings tour and then I remembered that I've been on many brewery tours and I can't sample at the end, but I have never been to a tea factory and I CAN sample there, so Celestial Seasonings it was! It's actually a pretty cool tour and the gift shop is quite overwhelming. You get to watch a fabulous introductory video and I have added 'star in a super cheesy 'Welcome to our Tour' video for someone at some point in my life. Celestial Seasonings was founded by damn hippies in the late 1960s and the photos were pretty great.

You get to wear a super sexy hair net and walk through the actual factory, including the greatest room on the planet (if you like the smell of mint) the Mint Room. It was intoxicating.

Two thumbs up, Celestial Seasonings!

I finally saw a bear!

I think I might start wearing this daily

4. Bus Life

Margy and Jerry live about 15 minutes from a park and ride to the airport, so instead of driving, parking at the hotel and paying $30 a day to leave my car there, I bused there and spent an enjoyable 45 minutes looking at the boring scenery and reading a book. It was nice to not be in charge of my transportation for a bit too.

5. Campaign for Grade-Level Reading Conference

For the next forty-eight hours, I'm at the Westin Hotel at the airport for a conference. There are over 300 Pacesetter communities here (as we are as well) and I'm even on a panel talking about our success with community partnership in our school readiness programs. My thesis: you cannot do our work in a vacuum. Make friends, and get them involved :)

Wyoming: The W stands for 'Windy as F'

I'm lying in the guest room at my aunt and uncle's house with a clear view to the Rockies, and it's really going to be hard to go home to my view of a tree. But since that won't happen until Saturday, I'll enjoy a view while I have it!

Today was a long driving day from Jackson Hole to Denver but I still managed to squeak in some frivolity. :)

Day Seven: Rain, Wind, Cattle, Wind, Prison, Wind, Coffee Mugs, Wind, Cattle, Wind, Family Meals

WYOMING

1. Wind

So much wind. I think I'm never going to complain about the cross-winds on I-35 ever again. When I stopped to get gas in Rawlins, it was so windy that I was a little bit airborne.

2. Orange is the New Black

I went to prison today! I toured the Wyoming Territorial and State Prison (not the current one, which is down the road from the historic one). The tour was an hour long, I was the youngest person on the tour by at least 30 years, and it was actually pretty fascinating. Like the TV show, motivation to never break the law.

Also, I've watched a couple of the new season's episodes...WTF? I don't need to see guards in their underpants.

He probably told her to smile. So she shot him.

More creepy museum mannequins!

3. Hanna, WY and the nice people at City Hall

Crossed another 'Hanna' town off the list! This one was about 20 miles off of I-80, so I got to see more of Wyoming-the super flat part. Hanna is an old mining town and there is a museum, but it's only open on the weekends, so I just stopped to take a picture. Any town worthy of being legitimate has swag at their City Hall, so I stopped to see if they had anything with 'Hanna' on it. Apparently I was the first person to ask about it in quite a while, so it took them a while to find the swag and the prices, but I am the proud owner of a Hanna t-shirt and Hanna mug. And I tried to take a picture with the sign but the wind was so ridiculous that I gave up, but Hanna is small and high up.

The frizzies were out of control. Thanks Wind!

Hanna Museum

Because you can never have too many mugs

4. I-80 is the worst

Why do some states not allow semi trucks to drive the posted speed limit. Stupid. Also, eastern and western Wyoming has pretty scenery, middle Wyoming not so much.

5. Cattle

There's a lot of money in Wyoming. Beef cattle everywhere.

COLORADO

1. Construction Junction, What's Your Function

I'm over the orange cones all the time. I can only imagine what seventh level of construction hell awaits me in Nebraska.

2. Home-cooked Meals are A+

As per usual, me as a house guest can be quite terrifying, but my Aunt Margy contacted two of my cousins who know me and my food sitch well to double check her menu :) and it was delicious! Anytime you eat pork products off of a grill, it's all good.

I Did Not Get Eaten by a Bear: Day Four

I actually am a little disappointed, because I have not seen a single bear! Maybe bears live near the Coors Brewery and I'll see one on Wednesday?

Today was awesome and sometimes cold, and sometimes raining, and sometimes sleeting, and a little bit it snowed.

Day Six: Hiking, Flower Girl (self-appointed), River Floating Life, Exhaustion, Dinner Date, Snow

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

1. Jenny Lake

This morning I started out a little later (8am as opposed to 6:30am) and headed to Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons. My plan was to hike to Inspiration Point, but the trail was under construction, so I only hiked about a mile out and then a mile back. On my back, I got to participate in what was probably one of the coolest things I did on the entire trip!

The magic selfie that inspired a wedding

2. Flower Girl (Self-Appointed)

I was a witness to a wedding ceremony! The couple were hiking around the lake with the judge who was going to perform the ceremony and I was standing in a spot taking a selfie. The judge asked if it was a photogenic spot, I said yes, the couple agreed, and then they asked me to be a witness. I legit signed their wedding license!

I don't love wedding ceremonies, I think they are way too intimate to be done in front of large groups of people, but this was super cool. The message the judge said was really great, the couple was super adorable, and I appointed myself flower girl because I never got to be one growing up. I didn't tell them.

Congratulations Tom and Jaam!

3. Moose Village

I was legit tired this morning and if it had rained, I probably would have taken in a triple feature at the Jackson Hole movie theater, but it wasn't, so hiking I went! Moose Village has a pretty nice Visitor Center, and I watched a very educational movie about the history of the Grand Tetons and also closed my eyes and napped a bit. Then I hiked some more.

Closest I got to a moose this trip

I mean...

4. I saw a Deer

I saw a deer on the hike. It looked like Iowa deer.

He/she was giving me the eye

5. Snake River

I signed for a river float down the Snake River and it was really neat. We saw eagles, a moose, Canadian geese, a lot of evidence that beavers are around, and spectacular views of the Grand Tetons. The float was an hour and a half and by the time it ended, we had dealt with cold, wind, rain, sleet, sun, and more wind.

Safety first

6. Damn....it was cold. And windy.

Damn. It was cold. And windy. I couldn't feel my hands.

7. Hot Showers are Better Than Sliced Bread

Back at JuliAnne and John's house, I took a hot shower so I could feel my limbs again. Top five showers of my life.

8. Dinner Date

Had dinner back at Moose Village with AJ tonight at one of her favorite restaurants here. It was good. We ate a lot. And we got to view a beautiful snowfall outside while eating because it SNOWED. HARD. It was sunny in Jackson when we got back. Life in the mountains :)

I Did Not Get Eaten By a Bear: Day Three

This one is going to be shorter than the others because it's late and I'm tired :)

Day Five: Geysers are cool again, more driving, S'up Grand Tetons, Family Dinners are the Best Dinners

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

1. Old Faithful

I spent this morning at Old Faithful Village. I bought a ridiculous souvenir mug, watched Old Faithful blow, hiked up to an overlook, hiked around to see other geysers, and talked to some people. Old Faithful was pretty cool, and there were a lot of people there to see it. The hiking around the area was pretty great too, and I didn't see any bears.

2. Southern Yellowstone

I drove south toward Jackson and the views were great. I didn't take any pictures. Somebody driving an RV stopped traffic both ways so that they could get a picture with a sign. RVs are stupid.

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

1. Driving

I'm spending all day tomorrow in the Tetons, and based on what I saw on the drive, I can't wait!

JACKSON, WYOMING 

1. Family

I'm spending tonight and tomorrow night with family in Jackson. A.J. is my Grandpa Hanna's cousin, and she and her family have been a part of my family forever. I'm staying with A.J.'s daughter JuliAnne and her family and we had an awesome tonight visiting. Tomorrow night A.J. and I are going out for a night on the town in Jackson, so eligible men of all ages, be prepared :) Talk about the land of Sugar Daddies....

I Did Not Get Eaten by a Bear: Day Two

Ten hours. I spent ten hours in Yellowstone today. And I saw a lot. A lot. I also decided that RVs are stupid and no one should drive them. 

Other musings during my day include:

1. How you can tell northern tourists from southern tourists: the number of layers they are wearing. Should I be wearing a coat and mittens? Probably. Am I? Nope.

2. I think I saw the butt of an elk.

3. Kid wearing a school sweatshirt: the Buffalo Bison. Way to really think outside of the box, school founding fathers. Nevada should change it's mascot to the Nevada Nevadians.

4. The guy working in the Old Faithful gift shop hates his job.

5. Cyclones find Cyclones. Also they were from Nevada and are aunt and uncle to a kid I graduated with. All roads lead back to Nevada.

Day Four: Geyser fatigue, I lost 5 pounds, Sorry you're melting but there is snow here, hot springs, mountains, RV drivers, buffalo, Grand Canyon hiking is hard, Chinese food.

IDAHO

1. My cabin is wowsers amazing

This place is beautiful. I couldn't see a whole lot when I arrived last night because it was pouring. And it was still raining this morning, but I could actually see the lake. And the mountains. Did I mention I'm in the Idaho Rockies?

YELLOWSTONE

1. Gibbon Falls

Today was definitely a 'if I see something cool, I stop' day. I had one thing that I absolutely wanted to do (see below) but other than that-I was being spontaneous! Yes, I planned to be spontaneous, but I was really good at it.

Gibbon Falls are beautiful, and I was there first thing this morning.

2. Artist's Paintpots

Ok, I think I have geyser fatigue. Are you allowed to have that at Yellowstone? Lots of stair climbing and actual trail climbing here, and one of the geysers looks like it belongs in a science fiction movie. Maybe this is where Jabba the Hut is born? Ooh...there's always room for a Star Wars reference.

View from the top

Actual birthplace of Jabba the Hut? It bubbled. And smelled. So yes.

3. Public Bathrooms

So I'm not one for the outdoor bathroom situations. Which is why camping is probably never going to be an option for me. But I used this! It's much nicer than the terrible port-a potties during tailgate season. ISU-think about investing in some. Much nicer.

4. The Gallatin Range

All I can say is: very beautiful.

5. Mammoth Hot Springs

I  lost at least two pounds here. You climb stairs until you reach about five feet south of heaven, and the views are spectacular. It was also extremely windy up there.

If you look to the very top, that's the overlook

6. Somewhere northeast of Mammoth

I didn't pull over at every scenery change, but this was so beautiful I had to stop. There are so many terrains here and all of them are more beautiful than the next.

7. Mt. Washburn Area

Sorry you're melting in Iowa but there is some major snow here still. This wasn't quite at Mt. Washburn, you have to hike to get to the top, but this is one of the overlook areas where I stopped. It reminded me a lot of the northern portions of Glacier. And reminded me not at all of Iowa.

8. Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

This was the one place I wanted to make sure I visited today and it did not disappoint. I have never been to the Grand Canyon (although now I think I might want to go next year), but this was spectacular. The views! The water. The hiking. Sweet Jesus, the hiking. You start at the top of the canyon, and if you choose (and you're crazy), you can hike down to Uncle Tom's Trail and then go down the trail to the South Rim of the waterfall. You hike really far down. And it's steep. And then you realize...oh shit. I'm hiking down and it's steep, so coming back up is going to be a bitch. And I'm not going to lie to you. It was. A bitch. But it was worth it. And I probably lost five pounds. You start at Artist's Point, in which you play cat and mouse with everyone else until you get a parking spot.

I'm smiling because I'm still on the way down the canyon :)

9. Uncle Tom's Trail

I found out about this in one of my million Pinterest pins while researching my trip. It's 328 steps down. Straight down. And they're narrow steps. And my hip and knee were not happy with me. And you hold on to the rail for dear life going down because you're clumsy and you WILL be the one to trip over your feet, somersault down, fall over the railing into the canyon, and end up on the news. That's not the way to go. I made it all the way down and the view was amazing. And then I started climbing back up. And I'm going to say a very bad word now, so underage children and Mom, shield your eyes. It. Fucking. Sucked. I'm in shape. I work out daily (I'm Sexy And I Know It song is now playing in my head). I was panting so hard. And I had to rest several times. And a guy behind me was stopped too and I said. 'This is crazy, I'm in shape!' and he goes, 'imagine how I feel-I'm not!' :) We made it. And then we got to hike back up to the parking lot. You know what a huge sense of accomplishment feels like? That. Nice work, Kim Hanna.

Nailed it.

These are the stairs. This is looking straight down.

10. More Buffalo!

I saw buffalo yesterday and today and didn't pull over, but there was one super close to the road just chillaxing and there was room to pull over so I did. These bad boys are HUGE. And you'll be driving along and just go...woah, there's a buffalo right there. And if you're a jerk, you stop your car, cause a traffic jam and piss Kim Hanna off. And if you're not, you wait until you find a good spot to pull over, because you know there will be more.

He's a lot closer than he looks

11. Yellowstone Lake

I was pretty tired by this point in the day, but I like lakes, so I stopped a couple of times to look.

12. Old Faithful, Part One

I plan to actually stick around, hike and see the old girl blow tomorrow morning, but I stopped to see if I could get a couple magnets at the gift shop, and I ran into some ISU folks from Nevada (of course they were), and a very unhappy employee who clearly does not like his job or tourists. Wrong career, man...wrong career.

MONTANA

1. Chinese Food for All

I have been eating breakfast and lunch out of my cooler and only purchasing one meal a day at a restaurant to avoid sickness potential and money depletion, and when I got back into West Yellowstone, I was hitting it at 6pm on a Saturday night. So...I went to a Chinese restaurant that had spaces in their parking lot and walked in. It was only Asian customers (which means the food is going to be good!). It's clearly where the Asian tour buses stop to eat, because three came in while I was there. I don't even care if what I ordered ends up making me sick, because it was a fun experience.

IDAHO

1. Are you kidding me with this?

My Airbnb experience has been awesome. The place is gorgeous, the views are amazing, and I have been able to come and go very easily. It's only about 20 minutes from West Yellowstone, and it's in the Idaho Rockies. No complaints here!

The view :)

2. Bonfire

Bruce and Annette, the owners of the cabin, contacted me yesterday to let me know that they would be stopping by with some college students after working at their ranch today for a bonfire, hot dogs, and s'mores if I wanted to join in. I did and it was awesome. The students go to BYU-Idaho Falls and one of the girls even did her mission in Des Moines, so was excited to talk Iowa with me :) Awesome ending to a wonderful two nights in Idaho.

In case you've never seen a bonfire