Final Trip Report...

Hi All,

Well, we arrived at our home around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday the 28th of August. It would be a gross understatement to say we are glad to be home; it is wonderful to be home again! Even though we had a “once in a lifetime” kind of trip, and I sure hope we can do it again someday, the many little comforts of being home are hard to beat!

I haven’t written much in awhile, so I’ll fill you in on a few things. After leaving Lana’s sister’s house “LouJean” we made our way down to Florida. Yeah, getting past Hurricane Fay was a bit of a problem, and we sure put the RV to the test. The winds were strong and the rain was relentless. There were times when people were getting pretty insistent that I turn around and get us out of there, but being a little stubborn I just couldn’t give up, and we are all glad we kept going. The winds and rains actually kept Florida pretty cool for us, and we sure appreciated that since we were outside most days. If you’ve ever spent much time in Florida you know what I’m talking about…in August you can often find 90 – 100 degree days with 100% humidity! Thanks to Fay we stayed pretty comfortable most of the time.
Swimming at Jack's House

Florida provided us with some cherished experiences. We only had a few days there so we did what we could with the time available. Using a little bit of a democratic process, we chose to go to Epcot, Universal Studios, and Sea World as far as theme parks were concerned. They all had their own special blend of fun and we enjoyed each of them thoroughly.
Epcot Culture

We were well taken care of by my good friend and partner Jack Harrison, and his daughter Lindsey and son-in-law Doug. They were very kind to fix us some meals and delightful to visit and play with. Their kids were beautiful and fun too. We all got along very well. Thanks so much folks! You are welcome in our home anytime! Maybe a big ski vacation in Utah is in order?

The big theme parks couldn’t compete with the great fun we had playing in the Atlantic Ocean! That was a blast for all of us! We didn’t even get a chance to get in the water until about 10:30 p.m. one night, but we played in the surf until almost 3:00 a.m.! The kids really loved it, and so did we, but I have to admit that I must have done a family head-count about every 20 – 30 seconds the whole time we were in the water. The waves were much bigger than normal and the undertow was powerful because of the hurricane, so I was a bit of a nervous wreck. Once we left the water and the bodies all added up, I felt a huge sense of relief! The kids wanted to go back the next day but Sea World was calling and Lana and I were counting our blessings and not wanting to risk pushing our luck any further in the deep blue.
A Little Night Swim in the Ocean!

One time during or dip Emily (our youngest daughter,) screamed bloody murder. I assumed she was getting pulled out to sea by the undertow or a shark or something, so I ran toward her as fast as I could only to discover that her scream was related to a large fish bumping up against her legs. That really freaked her out, and when we were done panicking, we all had a great laugh. She sure has her daddy’s heart! ; - )

I have to say a big thanks to my life-long friend Bobby Ryan for helping count and protect the kids in the ocean, and the fun times we spent with him at Universal Studios. He also gave Daniel the VIP tour at Kennedy Space Center and Dan really enjoyed his expert knowledge of all things NASA. He has been engaged in a very noble project for many years and with little reward. Someday the world will know of his sacrifice to promote NASA’s vision and learn how he endured flooding and misfortune that seemed insurmountable, yet he kept going toward his goal. Thanks for all mate!
SPAN Secret Ops...
NASA's Parking Lot

Our last day in Florida was spent at Sea World and we knew people had to get home soon for work and such, so we ate at a fancy seafood joint “FishBones” and started the journey home after dinner at about 10:30 p.m. Jared had his first ever cut of Prime Rib and found a new favorite food. It was fun to watch him enjoy that meal so much! We all ate until we couldn’t put in another bite and every meal was excellent. We even enjoyed a few McDonald's "Bistro" meals...and yes, this is a real plate and silverware!
"McDonald's Bistro"

Getting home proved to have a few exciting and interesting moments as well. Since I was the “designated driver” or the only person willing drive you might say…I knew I would be burning the candle at both ends to get us home in time. Well, thanks to a rotation of trusty co-pilots: Dan, Adam, Jared, Matt, Emily, Whitney, and Lana they managed to keep me awake enough to keep driving when all I could think about was a good night’s sleep.

On occasion I just had to sleep, so I would find a quite place and park the RV for an hour or two and recharge my batteries for the next couple tanks of gas. On one such occasion I pulled into a truck stop (you know where all the big rigs park for the night,) and pulled right up along side a semi for a little rest. That may have been a mistake! About half an hour after we settled in for a nap we heard something like a freight train, the whole RV was shaking, and we all woke up in a bit of a panic. A semi had miss-judged a turn and brushed up against the rear driver’s side corner of the RV. He scraped the length of his trailer along that corner of the RV and really gave us a scare! We saw him drive off while we were still very dazed and confused, and Daniel and I ran out to assess the damage. It looks a bit like someone filed-down that corner with a rasp or something. No major damage, but I sure wish the driver would have come back with insurance info. He or She just kept going. Since I was wide awake after that, we got back out on the road before anything else could happen.
Dan...my main Co-pilot!
Although I have now been to all but a few states, I’ve not been to Tennessee or Kentucky until this trip. Both were a beautiful combination of hills/small mountains (when compared to the Rockies,) and tons of trees. I found Tennessee particularly beautiful, and we all enjoyed the great views.

Much of the rest of the trip was made in the dark of night since we were trying to put the miles behind us and get everyone home a.s.a.p. With over 7000 miles traveled I did all the driving except for 91 miles in the flats of Nebraska. The plan was, Lana would drive for awhile on the flat easy driving highway so I could catch a little sleep…it sounded like a great plan. I went to the back bedroom and laid down. Well, the Bounder takes a little getting used to, and the back bedroom tends to bear the brunt of the rough road and fish-tale a bit. Although I was plenty tiered, there were several swerves that caused me to sit up in bed in a panic! I thought we were goner’s there a few times ; - ) Lana did not cherish the captains seat and happily gave it back to me, never to return. That worked best in the long run anyway.


A few closing thoughts are in order…it was great having my mother and our good friend Theresa with us in Chicago and especially in Michigan. They really added a special dimension to the trip and made visiting long-lost relatives even more meaningful. It was great to visit old friends and family members that I haven’t seen in many years, and the kids have never met before. Believe me when I tell you we come from good people. I am proud and feel very blessed about the family and friend associations we have. Thank you all for your kindness and love. We appreciate you too!

Even before we began the trip our dear neighbors played a part in making it a success. Joanne and LaVar gave us some fun travel treats and a game to play on the road, Pat also loaded us with treats and picked-up our mail every day, and all of my good neighbors kept an eye on our home. Thanks to Mark who even broke-in to our house and turned our security camera on when I had forgotten to do so. Once there was a suspicion that someone had broken in (unauthorized that is,) and my neighbors rallied in my yard and checked things out. No one had entered the house, but it was heart-warming to know they were all looking out for us. Thanks!


Many have called this “the trip of a lifetime” but I hope it is only the first in a long series of time spent with my dear family. It was great fun to travel and see so many interesting and inspiring things, but being together was the absolute best part for all of us. I thank God with all of my heart for these good people that we have been entrusted with, and consider it a great privilege and honor to be the Dad or husband, and friend to each of them.

Just a few FYI’s for you:

We traveled over 7000 miles
The RV averaged about 5.5 mpg. Ouch!
We got home on the 25th day of traveling (3 1/2 weeks)
The trip cost…well, we actually haven’t figured it out and don’t want to know ; - )
We’d do it all again in a heartbeat!

I hope you have enjoyed reading of our travels, and that you will find a way to make some memories with your family at home, or on the road, while you still have a chance. Life is so short and so precious. May you live and love every day as if it were your last.

God Bless You and Yours!

Bill & Lana and Whitney, Daniel, Adam, Jared, Matthew, Emily, Spencer, Jason