Day 31:Oklahoma City to Rockwall!!!

We woke up in our last hotel room and packed up the car for the last time on this road trip!  Our first stop on the way home was the Oklahoma City Zoo.  We had been here a few years ago and Grace wanted to go back.

Caroline got to see a sloth, but it was taking a nap in a milk crate.

These statues in front of each section are my favorite.  So, here's one of my "pride" looking fierce!

Kendall finally got to pet a buffalo!

After the zoo we went downtown to see the OKC Bombing memorial.  

I gave them a little background, but again, there were excellent National Park Rangers who answered their questions and told them what everything was and what it symbolized.

My favorite part of the memorial isn't officially part of the federal memorial.  It's across the street on the property of a church...

Jesus with his back to the site, like he turned his back to the destruction of Jerusalem, and wept.  So simple, but so moving.

Just south of OKC is Moore.  You may remember that Moore was hit by an EF5 tornado on May 20 this year.  The second time in the towns history that it's been hit by an EF5 tornado.  The first was in 1999.  Odds of having two EF5's hit the same town and a similar path were 1 in 25 million.  And yet it happened.  Driving through was tough.  Probably the quietest our car was on the whole trip.  I don't even really have words to describe it or capture the magnitude of the devastation, so I'm not going to try.  I'll just let you see the pictures...

The fence around one of the 2 destroyed elementary schools. 

Pray Moore.  Love Moore.  Hope Moore. 

Seeing the incredible number of homes that were completely destroyed made us really want to get to ours.  After this none of us could get home fast enough.  

The kids were asking every 5 minutes if we were in Texas yet...

God Bless Texas!

We hit the greater Dallas area just in time for rush hour traffic. So, we decided to stop for dinner and let it ease up a bit.  Chick fil a was the universal choice!

The kids were all asking to stop at the Rockwall City limit sign.  When they got out they all put their Stingers up!

Thanks to awesome friends we were welcomed home with LOVE!!!

So glad to be home!  My own bed, my own shower, good coffee, clean bathrooms...pure JOY!

I had the kids list their three favorite things, their three least favorite things and what they learned on the trip. So here they are in age order.  Prepare yourself!

Thomas Milder (14)

Favorites:  

1.  Water park of America

2.  Nike Outlet

3.  Seattle sea plane ride

Not so Favorite:

1.  Tea in Canada

2.  Tea in Portland

3.  Rest Stop in Kansas--(It was hands down the worst one of the trip!)

Things Learned:

1.  There are sidewalks for a reason. (Saw a book in Yellowstone that was about all deaths that dumb tourists have suffered!)

2.  Don't live in Seattle.

3.  Always have a "bear rock" in case there is a bear you can throw it at it.

Caroline Braddock (13)

Wow's

1.Yellowstone National Park

2.  Tea at Anzacs

3.  Shopping at the Nike Store

Pow's

1.  Meeting Erik

2.  Kansas rest stop

3.  Northern McDonalds don't have chicken biscuits

Things I learned:

1.  Wild bears are non-existent!

2.  With 7 people in the car...there is never a dull moment!

3.  Cows do not appreciate being fed beef jerky!

4.  At&t has no interest in serving the Northwest

5.  People all over the country enjoy fart humor

6.  Don't give boys in Vail, Colorado you number!

7.  When a crazy family asks you to come on a 30 day road trip....say yes!

Grace Milder (12)

Favorites:

1.  Nike Store

2.  Mall of America

3.  Old Faithful

Grace did not submit any least favorites!

Things learned:

1.  Kansas smells bad.

2.  Tornados are more powerful than you think.

3.  You will never see a bear in Yellowstone National Park.

4.  Cow farms smell really bad.

5.  Always bring friends on a road trip

6.  Pronghorns do not like to be petted.

7.  It's fun to play volleyball in the parking lot of Mt. St. Helen's

Kendall Braddock (12)

Favorites:

1.  geysers

2.  Shopping around the towns

3.  Picking fruit

Not so favorite:

1.  12 hour car rides

2.  No sweet tea

3.  No chick fil a

Things learned:

1.  Don't let your sister talk to Florida boys

2.  Don't feed a family of 7 Mexican food or really any food, or there will be gas involved.

3.  Buffaloes don't like to be petted.

Mandy Milder (8)

 Favorites:

1.  Mount Rushmore

2.  Biggest water park in America

3.  Yellowstone

Horribles:

1.  Kansas

2.  Creepy people in Vancouver

3.  Kendall farting in the car

Things I learned:

1.  The mountains don't have wifi

2.  Don't live in Oklahoma, Nebraska, or Kansas (tornado alley)

3.  Cows are not dumb. ( if a car full of crazy people come at them they will leave)

4.  Daddy can't have any more gummy bears (he licked one and stuck it on the rearview mirror!)

5.  Kendall didn't get to pet a bear.

Our Road Trip by the Numbers:

Days traveled: 31

Miles driven: 8,238.3

Times pulled over by police: 5

Speeding tickets: 1

Warning tickets:1

Dead car battery:1

Gas station fill-ups: 21

Hotels: 17

States: 14

National Parks: 9

After we got home Scott helped the kids do their favorite after road trip activity...putting the pins in our map!

Feeling beyond blessed today.  And, home feels even sweeter after having seen so many today that were lost in Moore. 

Blessings,

Leslie