Day 38- Home Sweet Home

I think we each had our own "there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home" experience today. We left Jon & Michele's at 9:30 this morning.  Once we got on the road the kids, particularly Duncan, kept asking,"How much longer?" Now, we have driven ten hour days and they never asked us that!  Knowing that we were less than 300 miles from home was such a tease during the entire ride.  We stopped twice, once for coffees and bagels and once for the restrooms.  We arrived home at 2:00.  My aunt had stayed at our house while we were gone.  We arrived home to a very clean house, with milk and food in the fridge! We had a laundry basket full of mail to go through and lots of unpacking to get done.

Douglas will all of our gear on the front lawn!

We unloaded the car and laid everything out on the lawn to take inventory of just what and how much we had packed into our car! We certainly had a car full to unload not to mention the three camping chairs, propane grill, and one sleeping bag that we left in the RV with my parents!  So far tonight I have done three loads of laundry, Len has washed the car, we have done a load of dishes in the dishwasher, and we watered and weeded the flower gardens.  Duncan was happy to be back with his cell phone. (He forgot it at one of the cabins we stayed in and they mailed it home for him.) He already has a friend coming over tomorrow for a sleepover!  Douglas was happy to see all of his artwork hanging around the house and to be able to watch some TV!
This afternoon and tonight we have been visited by Jeff and Kassie, Donny & Rebecca, and Barbara and Michael.  Barbara very graciously showed up with dinner for us! After sleeping on an air mattress and in guest beds and hotel beds, Len and I are very happy to be in our king size bed with the air conditioner on!  Although we have spent all summer together, and I mean together, all four of us are laying down in our bed watching the Olympics together!  Before the trip Len and I joked that we'd either come back as a totally bonded family or we'd be in divorce court!  I am happy to report we came back a very happy, cohesive family!
Here are a few stats from our trip:

• We were in 23 different states.
• We drove approximately 7,800 miles
• We went through grasslands, forests, desert,and prairies
• We camped in a tent 19 nights
• We stayed in a cabin two nights
• We stayed at family and friends 9 nights
• we stayed in hotels 8 nights
• We went through at least 5 boxes of granola bars and as many loaves of bread
• The average price of gas was approximately $3.40 a gallon and we filled up many times
• We had the oil changed twice while we were on the road
•  We went as high as 12,000 feet and as low as swimming in a river in a canyon
• We flew, drove, walked, paddled, and floated 
• We have a ton of pictures and videos and memories that are priceless