Vacation 2006
We had an amazing vacation in 2006 with the families Poje, Hazelwood and Johnson. We travelled by train and car to visit various places in the Western United States. The Vacation was named 'The Dakota Duffers' for it's principal destination - the States or South and North Dakota.
The start of this adventure was Saurday June 24, 2006. We left on the train and travelled to Omaha, Nebraska - 3days and 2000 miles away. We then drove to South Dakota and spent 8 days at Custer State Park. From there we went to North Dakota and enjoyed 4 nights there. The 2000 mile journey back to California took 54 hours on Amtrack to Portland, Oregon on the Empire Builder and then overnight on the Coast Startlight to return to San Jose. 4000 miles by train and 2000 miles in the car. Phew, that's quite a long journey - 6000 miles in total.
We visited 7 new states - Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Wyoming and North Dakota. And we saw some very famous landmarks including Mount Rushmore and Devil's Tower. Our longest single stay was 8 nights at Custer State Park, South Dakota when there were 21 or us in the party. We enjoyed 4 nights on the train, 3 nights in Watford City, ND and 3 other overnight stops in Glenwood Springs, CO; Badlands, SD; and Medora, ND.
We had 18 nights away from home - so much more than 2 weeks of vacation. We returned home on Amtrack on the Empire Builder from Williston, ND to Portland, Oregon. We arrived back in San Jose, CA on Tuesday July 12 on the Coast Starlight. What a journey!
Like all those journeys, the best part is usually the company we keep. Our travelling companions were just great and we were joined at different times during the vacation by friends and family of our companions. An awesome holday and great company.
