The Grand Finale!

Fifteen months ago we embarked on our Great Family Adventure and now I am thrilled to report that WE ARE FINALLY BACK HOME!! HOORAY!!!! The renters have moved, so let the dogs run free and the unpacking ensue! We're all excited and I'm more than a little curious to see what sorts of things we'll uncover that I've forgotten about along the way..... 

After returning to our first blog post, I can happily confirm that we've achieved every goal and have come a long way. A VERY long way. In fact, I think the best way to conclude this blog is with a recap of the highlights, so here goes!

 

We:  

- Drove about 45,000 miles. (That's almost double the circumference of the earth!!)

- Are on our third set of tires for a car that is less than 2 years old.

- Had one flat tire (on the loneliest highway in America of all places...)

- Visited all four corners of the American roads system.

- Drove the entire length of both the Alcan and Dalton Highways.

- Drove the full length of the Alaska Pipeline.
- Slept in the barracks of oil workers on The North Slope.

- Drove through six time zones.

- Experienced 24 hour sunlight.
- Visited 43 states and 8 Canadian provinces. 

- Spent the night in 25 states.

- Walked on arctic tundra.

- Walked on Matanuska Glacier.
- Tasted glacial ice in our drinks after it had been fished out of the water in Prince William Sound.

- Waded in the Arctic Ocean. 

- Waded in Chena Hot Springs.

- Our oldest son flew a plane over Knick Glacier.

- Our youngest son drove a boat in the Everglades and rode on a camel.

- Were pulled by an Iditarod sled dog team.

- Witnessed the Aurora Borealis in it's full glory.

- Saw people surfing the Alaska Bore Tides.

- Learned how to use an authentic Eskimo Yo-Yo.

- Saw the tallest mountains in North America.

- Met and learned from Native people all over the continent.

- Visited long-unseen family from all four branches, in both the U.S. and Canada.

- Visited Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and quilters all over North America.

- Visited as many national parks as possible, both American and Canadian, during significant anniversaries.

- Saw the following animals in the wild: Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Deer, Caribou/Reindeer, Moose, Javelina, Alligator, Eagle, Dall Sheep, Bison, Elk, Fox, Rabbit and Hare, Porcupine, Hawk, Squirrel, Coyote, Sandhill Crane, Loon, Bighorn Sheep, Raven, Crow, Seagull, Swan, Canadian Geese, Puffins, Seal, Whale, Cow, Musk Ox, Mountain Goats, Antelope, Ibis, Dolphin, Osprey, Pelican, Iguana, Chicken, Manatee (okay, this one was in a zoo of sorts, but we did see their natural habitat in person!), Peacock, Snake, and so many more!

- Learned about things like geothermal energy first-hand (Chena Hot Springs, Yellowstone...). 

- Visited as many farmers markets as possible and tried many new regional foods (Square ice cream? Honeyberries? Pinon Nuts? Conch?).

- Got library cards and checked out books in each location we stayed (except Maine). 

- Crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge and drove through a tree.
- Taught the kids about politics while watching a very controversial presidential election.

- Saw a cattle drive.

- Stood in four states at once.

- Visited cliff dwellings and petroglyphs. 

- Saw a cactus forest.
- Visited an "energy vortex".

- Participated in The Festival of Lights. 

- Experienced snow in Arizona.

- Visited vast canyons, giant rock formations, giant waterfalls, and a giant meteor crater.

- Drove Historic Route 66.

- Took a left at Albuquerque.  

- Slept by a graveyard.

- Ate beignets and drank chicory café au lait at Café du Monde.

- Witnessed a NASA Atlas 5 rocket launch in person. 

- Had a nasty encounter with fire ants.

- Had season passes for Disney World.

- Ate Key Lime Pie in the Florida Keys.

- Discovered there's no such place as Kokomo. 

- Swam in the ocean.

- Saw real-life mermaids eating and drinking under water.

- Met an author and drove by Stephen King's house.
- Met an Olympian. 

- Visited lots of cheesy tourist attractions.

- Drove UNDER a body of water.

- Were chased by a snow storm.

- Ate a Boston Cream Donut at Dunkin' Donuts in Boston, Massachusetts.
- Had lunch at the original Wahlburgers location in Hingham, Massachusetts.

- Saw frozen lakes.

- Walked through a covered bridge.

- Watched the process of making both birch and maple syrups.

- Tasted the first candy to be commercially sold in America (No, not the ACTUAL candy!). 

- Visited lighthouses.

- Visited a working Shaker Village where the last two actual Shakers live.

- Visited Prince Edward Island and Green Gables. 

- Found Oak Island.

- Visited Civil War battlefields and stayed in a haunted(?) house.

- Toured America's Capitol. 

- Visited the Canadian capital during Canada's 150th Anniversary.

- Were detained at a border crossing.

- Watched a race at Churchill Downs.

- Explored the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

- Ate a Kentucky Hot Brown at the Brown Hotel.

- Ate Kentucky Fried Chicken in Kentucky (It tasted the same).

- Found Col Sanders grave.

- Watched the making of a Louisville Slugger in person.
- Lost 1 credit card and a drivers license.

- Bought boots in Nashville. 

- Attended a show at the Grand Ole Opry (wearing said boots).

- Drove through Rocky Top, Tennessee while singing "Rocky Top Tennessee".
- Ran moonshine across state lines.

- Saw a life-size replica of Noah's Arc.

- Experienced a total solar eclipse.
- Said goodbye to a loved one and celebrated the graduation and wedding of two more. 

- Homeschooled all three of our children for a year....and survived!

- All five of us (plus two dogs) lived in a hotel room for one month...and survived!
- Reached over 30,000 hits on this blog, and saw it through to the end. <3

We'd like to thank to each and every one of you for following along on our Great Family Adventure. May life bring you many wonderful adventures of your own! Who knows? We may be reading about YOU one day!

With much gratitude, this is the Schmidt Family signing off!

Horses, and Food, and Graves, Oh My!

Sorry for the delay! Yesterday I was busy finishing a project for a friend.

This week we've been exploring the area and learning about Louisville culture and history. My sister left Monday and wanted to see everything she possibly could over the weekend. So after I posted last weeks blog entry, we packed up the kids and headed to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby!

The Derby only happens in May but you can visit the Kentucky Derby Museum any time. We just thought we'd walk around to look at the exhibits. Little did we know that our tickets included a tour AND the chance to see an actual race! It was so fun and the guide did a great job telling us about the history of the site, the races that take place there, and how everything works. Did you know there is a whole community of people who live there?!

Of course, I HAD to get a fascinator. I mean, who watches a horse race at Churchill Downs without a hat?! Not this girl! (That's my sister next to me. Don't worry, I let her borrow it for pictures. I'm nice like that. ;-))

In the movies, they draw out races for dramatic effect. In reality, they start and are over in a flash! It was exciting and a lot of fun to watch. For the Derby, only three-year-old thoroughbreds are allowed to race. You only get one shot! Talk about stressful.

I'm glad we were able to see Churchill Downs on a day that wasn't too busy. People tell me that when Derby happens, you can barely move because there are so many people. There's a special section under the original Twin Spires for VIP's and Queen Elizabeth, herself, has even attended the Kentucky Derby!

After the tour and the movie, we wandered around the museum where they have displays showing artifacts from the beginning of the Derby in 1875. Churchill Downs got it's name from John and Henry Churchill (related to Winston Churchill), who owned the land and leased it to their nephew, Colonel Meriweather Lewis Clark, Jr., grandson of explorer, William Clark. We saw things like trophies, hats, Secretariat's Colors, and much more.

That's a hat...

Haha! This hat reminded me of those sisters in the movie "Mousehunt"!

Triple Crown Trophy

On Saturday the kids stayed home (I love that they're old enough to do that!) while the adults explored the Kentucky countryside and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We saw some lovely country but since I was the designated driver I couldn't take pictures. Don't worry, I'll get some shots for you at some point. It was like every picture I'd ever seen of the country. Trees everywhere, sleepy historic towns, sprawling estates with stables. It was like something out of a painting! Even though I'm not much of a drinker, it was fascinating visiting the different distilleries and learning about their history and the process of making Bourbon. Bourbon is a very specific type of whiskey where you can only use the barrel once.

The first distillery we visited was Four Roses. We learned that it was extremely popular in the early 20th century and you can even see a billboard in the background for it in this famous WWII picture. It was one of the few distilleries who were allowed to remain open during prohibition because they acquired a permit to produce for medicinal purposes.

Some of the ingredients in bourbon include corn, barley, and rye.

Our guide was so fun!

The next distillery we went to was Wild Turkey. At this one we boarded a bus and visited the actual sites where they make and store their bourbon.

The area where they fermented the mixture smelled soooooo good, like freshly baked bread!

Do you see the clear bottles on the left? That's what the bourbon looks like before it goes into the barrels. The charred wood on the inside of the white oak barrel is what gives it that golden color and flavor as it ages.

After the fermentation process, the distilleries give the spent grains, which are still very high in nutrients, to local farmers to feel their livestock. It's nice to see that this byproduct isn't wasted.

These are the warehouses where the barrels are aged.

The lower rooms are cool because the barrels cool off during the winter and act like refrigerators. Each barrel is rotated throughout the levels for consistent aging. The barrels on the higher levels are exposed to the warmer air as the heat rises over the summer.

The barrels can only be used once for bourbon, so distilleries sell them to private individuals or other whiskey companies for reuse once they are no longer needed.

Finally we drove on that "S" shaped road you see there to get to the Woodford Reserve Distillery. The train bridge you see next to it is maintained and used by a bungee jumping company.

Woodford Reserve is a national landmark and is one of Kentucky's oldest and smallest distilleries.

This was the fanciest distillery we visited. They even had a little café inside. 

This is what the tasting looked like. I left the tasting up to everyone else. It seems each place has their own recipe for bourbon balls, which is that chocolate you see in the middle. Back in WA, Georgia's Bakery in North Bend makes a version during the holidays that is more like a soft chocolate bourbon cake with a chocolate shell. The ones here in Kentucky are more like bourbon flavored truffles. Both are good (mostly) but very different.

This is what I had fun tasting! Kentucky is famous for their Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie. Next to it is the ice cream my husband got. Both were good.

Our last adventure with my sister began with lunch at the historic Brown Hotel, home of the Kentucky Hot Brown. Visiting the hotel is like stepping back into the Roaring 20's. Our server, Casey, was great and was so hospitable! She even wrote down a bunch of recommendations of places for us to visit while we are here.

The Hot Brown has a long history and is delicious! It's also very rich, so if you're planning on coming to try one, be sure to share with a friend.....or don't. ;-)

I told you our server was sweet. She also brought my sister some Derby Pie to congratulate her on her graduation from nursing school! Derby Pie, which is exclusively made by Kern's Kitchen, is served all over Louisville and is sort of like pecan pie, but much more delicate and it has chocolate chips in it. We all shared and not a crumb was left.

After lunch we drove to Cave Hill Cemetery and explored. You may be thinking that it's weird to explore a cemetery, but Cave Hill is special. It's like a park with beautiful flowers and trees and is maintained exquisitely. Statues and art can be found everywhere and Cave Hill is also the final resting place for Muhammed Ali, Colonel Harland Sanders, Patty and Mildred Hill who wrote "Happy Birthday to You", as well as a slew of other notable persons.

The kids were not a fan of the humidity that day, but they survived....barely (according to them).

The first grave we saw was a Schmidt!

A yellow line that begins at the office will lead you to the grave of Colonel Sanders.

Here are some other beautiful monuments for the dearly departed that we saw at Cave Hill Cemetery.

Did you know that Frito Lay had their own company magician? They did! Harry Leon Collins.

I could spend all day there. It was that lovely.

I love the inscription on this one. There are photographs in those little gold ovals.

Chickens!

With Louisville being the home of the Louisville Slugger, you know there are some baseball fans here.

This one is from 1919. What a sweet little lamb.

We saw a lot of Masonic inscriptions.

Kentucky has so many interesting things to explore! The next two months promise to be fun!

- Jen