Here it is, my official summer vacation blog entry. Web Album My plans are as follows:
- Spend the 4th in Indianapolis, IN
- Hang out with Dan Harel in St. Louis, MO on Saturday the 7th.
- Leave St. Louis early Sunday
- Spend the night in South Dakota at the Bear Butte State Park
- Head to Everett, WA (Seattle area) to visit Dan and Christie Ellis on Monday
- Hang out there for a couple days
- Head back to GR starting Thursday
- Camp north of Helena, MT at Black Sandy State Park
- Plan to camp in Minnesota but get forced into a hotel by a tornado
- Get back to Grand Rapids, MI sometime Saturday evening
- Move in to Flint, MI on Sunday
- Start Classes on Monday (not officially part of my summer vacation)
First Leg – Indianapolis: I arrived in Indy 8:00pm on Sunday (7/1/2007). I stayed with my dad and sister Monday and some of Tuesday. I played disc golf with my dad on Monday. I’m spending Tuesday night with my grandparents and then the 4th with my dad’s side of the family. I went downtown for the fireworks. They were amazing. Thursday (7/5/2007), I went golfing, for the first time, with my grandparents. I had a great time and ended doing fairly well (something like 40 over par, but good for a beginner). Second Leg – St. Louis: I went to St. Louis to hang out with Dan Harel (a friend from college) for the day. I got in around noon. We went to the Confluence point of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. We then went to the Loop for dinner. Third Leg – Travel (to Seattle): I left St. Louis at 6:00am CST. I proceeded to drive through Missouri, Iowa, and most of South Dakota. South Dakota is a beautiful state! I visited the Badlands. They were amazing. I took some pictures that fail to do it any justice. After the Badlands, I went to Bear Butte to camp for the night. I left Bear Butte at 6:00am MST. I finished driving through South Dakota. Next Wyoming (gorgeous!) and then Montana. Although starting out a little plain, Montana got really beautiful. I tackled the Rockies and eventually came out in Idaho. A short while later I was in Washington State. Washington was kind of boring, until I got to the mountains. I think that mountains in general are beautiful. I finally got in to Everett (Seattle area) around 10:30pm PST. 1200 miles (17 hours) in one day! Fourth Leg – Seattle, WA: After getting some much needed rest, Dan, Christie, and myself headed to Seattle (they got out of work early to give me a tour). We went to most of the big sites of the city: the Public Market, Underground tour, Space Needle, etc. It is a very beautiful city! Seattle Web Album I spent Wednesday hanging out in Everett. I went on a 20 mile bike ride before Dan and Christie got home. Then Dan and I went on a shorter ride around the town. Fourth Leg – Travel (to Home): I left Seattle at 6:30am PST. I traveled to Black Sandy State Park in Montana. I decided to use three days to get back so that I could absorb the time change better (and to make the drive easier). I had intended to do three drives of similar length but I ran into severe weather (and saw a tornado!) right by my planned camping site in Minnesota. I decided it would be best to find a hotel. I drove to Monticello, MN (which is north of Minneapolis). The drive to Grand Rapids was fairly uneventful. It went well and I got in at around 7:00pm. I then cleaned and put away my camping gear, loaded my school stuff, hung out, slept, went to church, and finally, moved into Flint. I might go through and reword some of this, but as it is, it is my summer vacation!