Day 22 Sunday, July 17, 2011

Red Wing, Minnesota to Friendship, Wisconsin
Miles Traveled Today: 200.5
Total Miles: 6764.9

We are home again. A quick 200 miler in some very humid, hot weather, and we are safe and sound (well almost).

Corps of Discovery II (2011)

A retrospective

So... what was this all about? Well, unlike the original Corps of Discovery, we did not acomplish anything that will make the history books, nor would we ever put ourselves in such a category. What we set out to do was to take a challenging, eventful, educational, and fun trip. We had it all, both good and bad. We were able to follow most of the trail that Lewis and Clark covered, albeit on roads, not the rivers themselves. Our goal was to visit many of the sites they had reached and learn more than we already knew about the people who made up the Corps, the peoples they met, the animals and plants they saw, and the natural wonders that make up our country. Mission accomplished.

The goal of this blog was to share our experience with anyone who wanted to follow. It was meant mostly as entertainment, but it does become a nice piece for us to keep as a photographic journal. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed our trip.

We would like to thank a number of people, and probably we will forget someone, but here goes. First of all, a huge thank you to Fund for Teachers. Being a recipient of that grant was a great honor for us, and we tried very hard to inform people about it, especially the many teachers we encountered along the way. Again, for those of you who do not know, this is privately funded, and not a "vacation on the taxpayer," as we heard occasionally.

A second huge thank you goes to the staff and students of Grand Marsh Elementary. Without their dedication and hard work, we would not have been a school of recognition two years in a row, and therefore not eligible for the grant.

Next we would like to thank all those family and friends who watched over our homes, children, pets, and whatever else. This allowed us to be gone for a very long time, and we appreciate all you did in our absence.

Finally, and this is from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you to Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery, along with all the soldiers, then and now, who have always gone beyond the call of duty to insure our freedoms. Without the freedom and independence that we enjoy, there is no way we could have made this vast journey without a care in the world. That is how safe we feel every day when we hit the road. All those who have given their lives that we might be free, including Adams-Friendship's own Ryan Larson, we appreciate what you have done for us. God bless our troops! God bless America! Signing off.