Home again, home again

All parties must come to an end.  And when this party ended, we had to climb back into the car for hours more of driving.  (I may or may not have wished several times along the way that flying could be an option.)  But there were a couple great advantages about heading home: 1) We were now facing the sunset in the evenings!  Because our house is surrounded by mountains, we rarely get to see the magnificent colors and textures that each sunset casts across the sky.  Each time I see these one-of-a-kind thrills, I am again amazed at the incredible end to another day that is a gift. 2) It's home.  That's hard to beat.  It's always good to get back.  

On the following morning, these clouds gave the sky some personality across those flat plains.

On our way home, we decided to make time for a couple special stops.  These stops were places we'd been to before on previous family road trips, but it is always just as good the second time.
Mount Rushmore was a monument I really wanted to see again, but I didn't think we'd be able to fit it in on this trip because of time constraints.  Someone told me that the faces hadn't changed since I'd seen it the first time 4 years ago, but I couldn't forget that awe I felt the first time I saw Mount Rushmore for myself.  This is one monument (of many) that a postcard just can't satisfy.  As we drove toward Mount Rushmore and saw the faces with such detail and precision still at a distance away, I was again overcome with wonder at this accomplishment.  There's just no short-cut to seeing this in person, and it doesn't get old after the first time!  (Yes, I would even go back a 3rd time.)

Can you imagine carving a rocky cliff into faces that actually look like real people?!

The rays of sun coming down through the clouds couldn't quite be captured in full radiance through a windshield, but here's a valiant effort.

Our final sunset before reaching home was not a bit disappointing.  

On our final day of travel, we made one last spontaneous stop at Snoqualmie Falls.  I had never been there before (at least not to my memory), and it was well-worth the extra time.  The continuous mass of rushing water always reminds me again of the greatness of our God.

Oh, and did I mention in the previous blog that leaving Wisconsin was not complete goodbyes?  After spending time with Johannah again over the wedding weekend, we decided to abduct her back to Washington to spend a few weeks with us.  She makes me pretty good coffee.  What can I say?  :)