Day 30 (The Final Day)

We leave the Fairfield Inn in Smyrna, Tennessee, knowing that we are only 575 miles from home, and the end to another great RoadTrip. What a trip it has been, we have seen many things that we have only dreamed about. From Southeast Georgia to Alaska and back we have crossed some of the most beautiful vistas of anyplace in the world. We have marveled at the creation of such beautiful land, from the Atlantic shore we call home to the Great Plains of the Midwest, to the Mountains, majestic and snow covered, across British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon in Canada and finally to the great state of Alaska (The Last Frontier). We have been amazed at the wildlife we have seen, close enough to almost touch at times. We have bonded with each other in ways that only a trip like this could have done. We have shared much laughter, stories of our families, past experiences and our trips together. We have thanked God for his creations and counted our many blessings. We have been thankful for the National Park Service and their work in keeping the park lands protected and so beautiful (tax money well spent) for our children, their children and many generations to follow. We have met some wonderful people along the way and renewed our faith in our fellow man. We got home around 9:30 PM, and now the work begins with unpacking, laundry, cleaning neglected yards, catching up on all the household chores, and returning to work and our daily lives. The one thing that makes this all worthwhile has been our fantastic Alaska RoadTrip and the memories that we will have for the rest of our lives. With hugs and tears we depart from each other, but we know in our hearts there will be other trips in the future for the Four Amigos.

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Total Miles To Date: 12,788.6

Day 29

We leave Kansas City for the trip to Smyrna, Tennessee and our last night on the road. It’s a shorter drive today, and Debbie and I have decided to take Roddy and Janice out for dinner tonight to celebrate their Anniversary. We gave them a choice and they wanted some ole fashioned southern Bar-B-Que so I checked the area and found a place called Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint. It is rated as the best in the area. We arrived in Nolensville, Tennessee around 6:00 and located Martin’s Bar-B-Que, we also found out that they also do car repair, but don’t be fooled by the sign, they have great food. We had ribs, pulled pork and brisket. The brisket was some of the most flavorful and tender that I have ever tasted. The ribs ended up being a half a slab each, very meaty and fall off the bone tender. Martin’s prepares all their side dishes and they were very good, but the meat is the highlight. After filling up on Bar-B-Que and reminiscing about the RoadTrip to Alaska we headed the final 20 miles to Smyrna and the Fairfield Inn for the last unpacking of the suitcases on the road. We are coming to the realization that this journey is nearing completion and the sadness of that is starting to show. Our RoadTrip to Alaska has been worth every minute of the planning, all the miles of driving and every penny spent. We would have changed very few things about the trip, maybe that’s a starting point for the 2010 Alaska RoadTrip (that’s a hint).
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Total Miles To Date: 12,218
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Martin's Bar-B-Que Joint - A+

More Pictures

Day 28

After getting about 5 hours of rest, we departed Cheyenne, Wyoming for Kansas City, Missouri. This drive should cover about 630 miles of the drive home. We cross into Kansas from Colorado and the land becomes flat and open, full of farm land that has been recently planted. The only sites on the horizon are the silos that mark every town. Every now and then we spot a tree that looks out of place. We pass through the rock fence post area, so called because of the lack of trees, the fence posts are rock, wrapped with barbwire. We stopped in Abilene Kansas for dinner and the locals tell us that we must go to the Brookville Hotel for their fried chicken dinner. We had a pleasant surprise when we arrived; The Brookville is like walking into the past. You are served on Blue Willow China, the servers are dressed in period attire and the chicken is some of the best we have tasted. The Brookville has been serving chicken dinners since 1870 and includes ½ of a chicken, fried perfect, hot and juicy; along with all you can eat mashed potatoes, gravy, creamed corn, coleslaw, and hot biscuits. This was a great meal, and a must stop if you are in the Abilene, Kansas area. The day has been long and we head on to Kansas City and our rooms at the Residence Inn.

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Total Miles To Date: 11,668

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Brookville Hotel - A++

Teton Pictures

More Yellowstone Pictures

Yellowstone Pictures

Day 27

We awoke early for a day full of touring in Yellowstone before the 525 mile drive to Cheyenne, Wyoming. The night at the lodge was restful, we slept with the windows cracked and you could hear the wolves howling all night. We explored the thermal features of Yellowstone and enjoyed all the animal sightings throughout the day. We did have one interesting encounter with a Bison that was very close to the trail that we had taken to an area called the paint pots. We had to walk next to it, 5-10 foot away or hike back up the hill, and around from where we had come (a long way). Roddy made it by first, brave man. I followed next thinking that Debbie and Janice were following, only to get next to the Bison and hear them yell for me to come back, it is a wonder they did not scare the Bison enough for it to gore me. Roddy, I and the rest of the crowd that had gathered had a good laugh at them stuck on the other side of the Bison from us. One older lady was upset that we were trying to get them to walk that close to the Bison, so I explained that it was chained to a tree and could not reach them if they stayed on the path. The lady and her husband got brave and decided to take her picture close to the Bison. Just as she stepped on the path near it, the Bison walked towards her and she noticed that there was no chain. I have never seen anyone move that fast in my life, all I saw was a blur as she ran by yelling “You said it was tied up”, she had no sense of humor. Meanwhile back on the hill, the girls decided to make a run for it, so when Janice said let’s go, Debbie took off and ran by the beast only to find out that Janice had decided to sacrifice her to the Bison and was still at the top of the hill. By now it dawned on Janice that her plan had backfired, Debbie was still alive and she was still stuck on the hill. What a look she had on her face, it was one of those priceless scared looks. She finally got up her nerve and got down by the Bison. She tried to convince Debbie that she was the one that ran off and left her. Debbie finally figured it out and now there seems to be a trust issue between them. Yellowstone was as beautiful as Debbie and I had remembered and it brought back a lot of memories of a visit there with our sons, Luke and Matt when they were young. It seemed like we could see them as they were back then every place we went, we smiled a lot over those memories. We closed the day at Yellowstone watching Old Faithfull erupt. We left the park and drove through the Grand Tetons on our way to Cheyenne, Wyoming around 6:00 PM, we made the decision to get a bite to eat and drive on to Cheyenne, only to arrive at 2:30 AM, tired but now full of more memories of a day shared enjoying Gods work with good friends.

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Total Miles To Date: 11,038

Grey Wolf Inn - A+

Yellowstone - A++++

Day 26

We left Great Falls for Billings and the Suburban Swap after breakfast at the River Cree. We had the red Suburban washed twice in Great Falls and it still has a lot of the ALCAN dust in hidden areas. It seems to bleed ALCAN mud every time it gets wet. The look on the guy’s faces at the carwash was priceless, it was almost like; please don’t bring that in here. After arriving at the dealership in Billings, Gus our service adviser took great care of us. Not only was my Suburban ready, he changed out the repaired tire on the rental and washed it again. After Roddy and I replaced the busted taillight on the red Suburban we returned to Hertz. The reaction of the man at the return counter was hilarious. He looked at the mileage several times and the looked at me and said; you put over 7800 miles on this SUV. I explained that it was all local, and that there was a lot to see in the Billings area. We left him with a puzzled look on his face, I hope the girl we worked out the rental with explained it to him. We got on the road around 4:00 and made the 250 mile drive to Yellowstone, and the Grey Wolf Inn. Tomorrow will be a long one, so we hit the beds for some rest.
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Total Miles To Date: 10,363

Day 25

We leave the River Cree Marriott and head to the White Spot Café in Edmonton for breakfast and the start of the days ride to Great Falls, Montana. Everyone is sad as we leave Canada and cross the border into Montana. I guess the reality is setting in that we are heading home from the best RoadTrip ever. Janice is now getting snacks on her own, I guess Debbie’s little girl is growing up; she has even broken her habit of counting train cars and other things. We have now nicknamed them sleepy and chatty, for those that know them, you know which is which. When we arrive at Glacier National Park, we find out that the “Going to the Sun Highway” is closed due to a slide from excessive snow so we can only drive up the mountains for 17 miles. The views are fantastic as always and the cool crisp air feels great. After our Glacier visit we head for Great Falls. On the way through the Black foot reservation we find a local restaurant called The Running Indian. We have found another gem in the rough. The food is great and includes fresh rainbow trout and a soup called “Hangover Soup”. The cost was unbelievable; all four of us ate for less than $30, it was worth a lot more. We got to the rooms in Great Falls around 8:30 tired but ready to see what tomorrow may hold. The plan is to pick up the Suburban in Billings and head to Yellowstone National Park, where we will spend the night. We hope to get some great photo’s so check in.

Total Miles To Date: 9868

Running Indian Cafe - A++