I just finished listening to Dodgers: A Novel written by Bill Beverly and narrated by J.D. Jackson. The book begins in "The Boxes" of Los Angeles where a young boy (Easton, known as "East") stands guard in the front yard of a crack house. A young girls dies for being in the wrong place at the worst time, and East finds himself with his younger brother and two other teens on a cross-country drive to Wisconsin. These boys have never been outside L.A., and the exposure to the world outside is transforming.
I love a novel that introduces me to people, places and situations that I would NEVER otherwise know. The book is full of unexpected twists and revelations that leaves the end in doubt. It is a coming-of-age story like no other, and I'm glad that I was along for the journey.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Cross Country Road Trip 2016
It was the perfect age, the perfect time for the mother-daughter, All-American, cross-country road trip. Sophia (age 12) and I headed out in my Pathfinder on a late date in July. We returned in mid-August with 3000+ miles of wear on my new tires. This is how we spent those precious days:
(1) Exploring Hanger 25 Air Museum in Big Spring where the hostess chatted away, thrilled that the museum had two visitors.
(2) Catching Pokemon in Roswell, New Mexico.
(3) Eating HOT New Mexican food and warm sopapillas outside Albuquerque at a hidden gem called "The Pinto."
(4) Walking around and bribing Sophia to take photos at Aztec Ruins National Monument.
(5) Passing through Durango for the second time this summer.
(6) Climbing up a 30 foot ladder into Balcony House, one of the many cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park.
(7) Climbing again, but this time Wilson Arch near Moab, Utah.
(8) Touring the Hole N' the Rock, a home carved out by a married couple who lived in the Rock for 20+ years, into the 1970s. Truly one of the creepiest places I have ever been due to the husband's hobby of (bad) taxidermy.
(9) Eating the best waffles of our lives at "Waffle Love" in Provo, Utah.
(10) Visiting the Leonardo in Salt Lake City where the passions of DaVinci are for exploration by children of all ages: arts, sciences, and humanities.
(11) Ate fabulous Pitmaster BBQ in Idaho Falls.
(12) Bought opals from the woman who mined and cut them herself in Spencer, Idaho.
(13) Walked the streets of a well preserved ghost town at Bannack State Park outside Dillon, Montana.
(14) Slept, read, ate, played, laughed, baked and froze in a yurt in Philisburg, Montana.
(15) Toured Grant-Kohrs Ranch in western Montana, the kind of place that Gus and Call would have founded after leaving Lonesome Dove.
(16) Mined for sapphires, and found some.
(17) Rafted the Clark Fork River and spied 6 bald eagles.
(18) Went fly fishing in Flint Creek, where I watched Sophia make the line gracefully dance.
(19) Saw three performances at the old Opera House where we enjoyed unexpected talent.
(20) Stopped to visit the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a rescue center where the bears are loved.
(21) Walked the Little Bighorn Battlefield, stood where Custer and his men took their last stand, and wondered why they were so greedy for the abundant land.
(22) Hiked under George Washington's nose at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, then felt guilty about it once we toured the Crazy Horse Memorial.
(23) Observing web like formations at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.
(24) Eating bison's rocky mountain oysters, all but the one that was "stringy."
(25) Driving through Badlands National Park stopping to take pictures every 1/2 mile.
(26) Enjoying countless horses and fields of sunflowers while driving through Nebraska.
(27) Walking through the Prairie Museum of Art and History in Colby, Kansas, including a great barn perfect for dancing on a summer's evening.
(28) Visiting Dorothy's House and Land of Oz with its collection of movie artifacts and memroabilia in Liberal, Kansas.
(29) Feeding giraffes at Abilene Zoo.
(30) Consuming a great cheeseburger and root beer float at Owl Drug Store & Fountain in Coleman, Texas.
(31) Starting and finishing five audio books: Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas, Miss Pergrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell, All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, and The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn by Joseph M Marshall, III.
(1) Exploring Hanger 25 Air Museum in Big Spring where the hostess chatted away, thrilled that the museum had two visitors.
(2) Catching Pokemon in Roswell, New Mexico.
(3) Eating HOT New Mexican food and warm sopapillas outside Albuquerque at a hidden gem called "The Pinto."
(4) Walking around and bribing Sophia to take photos at Aztec Ruins National Monument.
(5) Passing through Durango for the second time this summer.
(6) Climbing up a 30 foot ladder into Balcony House, one of the many cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park.
(7) Climbing again, but this time Wilson Arch near Moab, Utah.
(8) Touring the Hole N' the Rock, a home carved out by a married couple who lived in the Rock for 20+ years, into the 1970s. Truly one of the creepiest places I have ever been due to the husband's hobby of (bad) taxidermy.
(9) Eating the best waffles of our lives at "Waffle Love" in Provo, Utah.
(10) Visiting the Leonardo in Salt Lake City where the passions of DaVinci are for exploration by children of all ages: arts, sciences, and humanities.
(11) Ate fabulous Pitmaster BBQ in Idaho Falls.
(12) Bought opals from the woman who mined and cut them herself in Spencer, Idaho.
(13) Walked the streets of a well preserved ghost town at Bannack State Park outside Dillon, Montana.
(14) Slept, read, ate, played, laughed, baked and froze in a yurt in Philisburg, Montana.
(15) Toured Grant-Kohrs Ranch in western Montana, the kind of place that Gus and Call would have founded after leaving Lonesome Dove.
(16) Mined for sapphires, and found some.
(17) Rafted the Clark Fork River and spied 6 bald eagles.
(18) Went fly fishing in Flint Creek, where I watched Sophia make the line gracefully dance.
(19) Saw three performances at the old Opera House where we enjoyed unexpected talent.
(20) Stopped to visit the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a rescue center where the bears are loved.
(21) Walked the Little Bighorn Battlefield, stood where Custer and his men took their last stand, and wondered why they were so greedy for the abundant land.
(22) Hiked under George Washington's nose at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, then felt guilty about it once we toured the Crazy Horse Memorial.
(23) Observing web like formations at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.
(24) Eating bison's rocky mountain oysters, all but the one that was "stringy."
(25) Driving through Badlands National Park stopping to take pictures every 1/2 mile.
(26) Enjoying countless horses and fields of sunflowers while driving through Nebraska.
(27) Walking through the Prairie Museum of Art and History in Colby, Kansas, including a great barn perfect for dancing on a summer's evening.
(28) Visiting Dorothy's House and Land of Oz with its collection of movie artifacts and memroabilia in Liberal, Kansas.
(29) Feeding giraffes at Abilene Zoo.
(30) Consuming a great cheeseburger and root beer float at Owl Drug Store & Fountain in Coleman, Texas.
(31) Starting and finishing five audio books: Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas, Miss Pergrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs, What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell, All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot, and The Day the World Ended at Little Bighorn by Joseph M Marshall, III.
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