The initial intention of this journey was simply to visit Ken's family in South Dakota and Nebraska. Having been unable to attend his niece Leah's wedding, we were long overdue for a family get-together in the Heartland. With the help of Ken's boss we were afforded the luxury of enough time to expand on the itinerary. We discussed the possibility of visiting Yellowstone along the way. From that point we let our imaginations take over and the result was this most glorious journey. Having heard all of the horror stories about the crowded conditions in our National Parks, we were prepared for the disappointment of being unable to see as much as we wanted. The Gods and Mother Nature were behind us all the way. We had excellent weather, experienced very few crowded locations and were able to see almost all of the various Parks' attractions in the time we had allowed. It was truly a dream come true, an adventure we will relive often over the years.

Armed with AAA maps and tour books, Ken piloted while Denise navigated. We were both intrigued by the history of the areas we visited. The exceptional beauty surrounding us along the way awed us. Many times we were certain that we had just experienced the very best, only to find something equally or more spectacular around the next bend.

We envisioned the wagon trains traversing the great expanses of this country with its mountains and deserts. The beauty of the Grand Teton Mountains captured our breath. Yellowstone provided amazing diversity with its geothermal activity, beautiful waterfalls, mountains, meadows and wildlife. We imagined the battle of Little Bighorn and the terror the soldiers must have experienced. We wondered at the beauty of Mt. Rushmore and the extreme effort of the task to create it. The ancient civilization of the Anasazi people fascinated us. The glory of Monument Valley was the perfect appetizer to the splendor of the Grand Canyon.