I guess by definition, a holiday must end. And so our 5 week road trip finally reached its conclusion with a glorious sunset as we pulled into our driveway. What an amazing journey and if anything I have learned, it is that the USA is a stunningly beautiful and diverse country. It certainly has its quirks (and possibly more so than any other country) and we have been entertained by some pretty odd folk and things. But I really didn't want to stop and get out of the car, and could easily have turned left rather than right and kept on going!
 |
| Garden of the Gods |
 |
| Garden of the Gods |
 |
| Plains Bison |
The last run of our trip took us through southern Colorado through to Colorado Springs, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. We tried to stick to the back country roads as much as possible and that enabled us to visit some pretty special sites such as the Garden of the Gods,
Sand Creek Massacre National site, Wilson's Creek Battlefield, and
Pea Ridge Battlefield. We also visited Fort Scott, and the W
ichita Mountains Wildlife Reserve where we were able to spend some time with some Plains Bison, Prairie Dogs, Elk etc. I have managed to visit places that were home to names we grew up with such as Wild Bill Hickok, Bill Cody, The Dalton Boys, Calamity Jane, the James Brothers, Black Kettle, Geronimo, Sitting Bull, and I have also belted out all the 'tunes' where appropriate.
 |
| Steamboat Springs |
 |
| Kansas Sunset |
 |
| Pea Ridge Battlefield |
We've gone through desert to the Grand Canyon, onto coastal ranges and beaches, to vineyards and castles, the Great Salt Lake, the wonderful Rocky Mountains, across the prairies of the central plains, and along the rivers of the Missouri and Mississippi.
And we have barely even touched the surface of what there is to explore here!
Along the way, various folk we've spent some time with, usually in a bar here or there, have asked 'what has been my favourite spot' so far. I truly couldn't answer - its all been wonderful and a learning experience. I guess Colorado certainly took my heart but I was also really surprised by Missouri and its beautiful rolling hills and river systems. I have been struck though by the extremes, not only in the weather (-28 in Colorado to 25 in Houston!) but also by the economy of each place. Some towns we have been through are extremely poor with shops and houses boarded up and looking like ghost towns. Others have clearly been prosperous at some point in their history, and some are doing well today. But it made me realise how fortunate we truly are in Australia. Sure we have our issues and we could all have a go about something, but when placed beside some of the lives and places we have seen here, I don't think we have much to whine about!
Next journey.......
I guess by definition, a holiday must end. And so our 5 week road trip finally reached its conclusion with a glorious sunset as we pulled into our driveway. What an amazing journey and if anything I have learned, it is that the USA is a stunningly beautiful and diverse country. It certainly has its quirks (and possibly more so than any other country) and we have been entertained by some pretty odd folk and things. But I really didn't want to stop and get out of the car, and could easily have turned left rather than right and kept on going!
