The visibility was cloudy the day we were there because there was a fire on the northern rim blowing smoke our way. Still we could see peaks 130 miles away!

We had some great family fun. It was cool, it was hot. It was terrifying and it was awe inspiring. Check out the pictures.

So what is the continental divide? I had no idea either till I did some research. Check this site out.

So what is so special about “Cadillac Ranch”? Well, first of all, as a kid studying art, the first time i laid eyes on this installation i clearly remember saying, “Man! i’d be so cool to see that for real!”. Secondly, how often do you get to see 10 Cadillacs stuffed into the ground, in the middle of a field? Is it art? Is it great? It really doesn’t matter to me. All I know is that God, in His infinite love for me, made one of my (silly) dreams come true that day… and i enjoyed every minute of it.

Want to know more about Cadillac Ranch? Click here.

Click for map location

Here are some cool pictures.

Here are pictures we took when crossing the state lines. Mind you, to take these pictures you have to risk life and limb as most of these signs are placed very close to the interstate with speeding traffic nearly ripping the door off the car when you get out. But it was funny to hear the truckers honk their horn as they drove by and saw us clowning around near the sign.

You know, one thought that occurred to me in attempting to make this memory moment, is that states are missing a wonderful marketing opportunity. If at the entry point of every state you had some incredible, sculptural signage specifically designed for a photo opp, I bet a lot of families would love to show off that picture (thus plugging the state – that’s the marketing side). For example, check out our California picture… BORING! Such a gorgeous state and the sign is small and uninviting. Now, how about if that sign was stuck on top of a killer wave with a surfboard in it so families could stand inside and take a picture? Get the picture?

Anyway, i guess i had too much time to think along the way:) Enjoy.

A small detour postponed the arrival to our house. We had to pick up the dog from my grandmother’s house. We had lunch there at abuela’s and she was so excited to see us. My grandfather was thrilled that we actually made it all the way across the country and back, though I’m pretty sure he wanted to keep Mac (our dog) for the rest of the year. We ended up running to the van in pouring rain, which I missed terribly, and we finally made it home.

Being able to stay in my own house, my own bed, eat Mom’s homecooked food, made me realize how much I truly missed being home. But as much as I missed being at home, the trip was indeed the trip of a lifetime. I’ve been asked, “What was the highlight of the trip?” or “What did you enjoy most from this trip?” and in response to both, my answer is “Everything!”.

I mean, think about it. You’re asking me to pick and choose the best and worst of the trip? Honestly, there was no worst. Did I like all the cities I stayed in? Absolutely not. But does that mean that there wasn’t anything at all to enjoy there? Of course not. Within all those cities, there was something that made being in that city so awesome.

It was all the amazing food. As a family, we decided that we wanted to try new fast food places on the road. There were winners and losers. By the way, the ultimate winner was In-N-Out Burger. If you haven’t had one, get one sometime in your life. There were also some great restaurants we visited. And then all of the food in the car? My goodness, we were always eating. And it was almost always great.

It was the new experience of the different ambientes, or atmospheres, of all the cities we visited. There’s just something about hanging out in a new city that you just know whether you like it or not. Some cities just make you feel at home, while others give you a sense of adventure. All of the cities we visited had such different atmospheres and the majority of them were awesome.

It was being with the family. Believe it or not, we get along so well. We joke, we laugh and even if we start getting attitude-y on each other, its easy to break the tension with a quick witted remark. Being with my family and genuinely hanging out with them, because, obviously, there was no one else to be with, made the trip incredible.

There are so many things that made this trip amazing and bearable. Even when the going got tough with long car trips and finding a bathroom along the way and the GPS deciding to navigate incorrectly, we got through it. If any trip is going to stay imprinted in our memories forever, its this one. Everything about it made it extra special. Everything about it made it fun to be on. And everything about it made this trip completely unique, because its ours: The Cuevas Family Road Trip of 2008.

You know how they say, “home is where the heart is”? Well, since our hearts are set on Heaven, and that’s our real home, it makes it easier to leave on a trip like this knowing that we’re just on one big road trip anyway. I hope, we all hope, that this blog has made you see, if you ever doubted, that family vacations are possible. And they’re possible without needing a second vacation afterwards. Thanks so much for coming on this trip with us. It was truly a blessing to log on after a long day of driving and see that our hard work on this blog was not in vain. If anything added exceedingly and abundantly to this trip, it was the fact that we had all of you with us. And we thank you for that.

with much love,
aimee nicole
<3 

If you don’t know, St Augustine is the oldest city in Florida. It also happens to be the oldest city in the nation. So everything here is pretty… well, old. Historically, its a city that was a fort for the Spanish. There’s a fort with the original cannons and it used to have a moat and everything. Some of the original streets are paved with brick that came from ships. One of the many words that can be used to describe this city is “quaint”. Its just really cute and there are bed and breakfasts all around with little “vacancy” signs.

Tomorrow is the last day of our road trip. We end up in Miami. I’m so excited to get home, but at the same time, I’m sad that its almost over. But its not over until tomorrow!

with much love,
aimee nicole