Gale and Judy took us on a month-long RV trip across the southern part of the United States in the summer of 2010. We went from Stanton to Dallas, to San Diego, up to L.A., over to Vegas, on across Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, through Denver and Kansas City, and ended the trip in St. Louis.

This year, the plan is to start in St. Louis, and Kansas City, then go north through Iowa and Minnesota, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Across the Badlands, through Montana and into Yellowstone National Park. Then back up through Idaho and Washington State to Seattle. Then down the coast of Oregon, through the Redwoods of Northern California, to San Fransisco. Over to Reno and Lake Tahoe, to Salt Lake City, to Cheyenne, Wyoming, across Nebraska, back to Kansas City, and we’ll end the trip once again in St. Louis.

*From a photographers point of view, I would love to spend several days shooting each spot that we visit. But in reality, I’m just a tourist on this trip. So I do the best I can with the light that is in front of me.

The family in front of Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier, 14,411 ft. above sea level

Sandal -n- Snow

Ale-8s Across America: Mount Rainier

Traveling the American West in our trusty covered wagon.

The lodge at Mount Rainier National Park

The kids loved the snow in July

Just like Top Gun!

Back in Seattle

The original Starbucks in Seattle

Seattle is home port to the fishermen of The Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch. Capt. Phil Harris’ name was one of many on the memorial at Fisherman’s Terminal.

Lexington’s Lee Kiefer gave a good performance this morning during the Olympic’s womens fencing. Kiefer made it to the quarterfinal round in London, losing to the eventual silver medalist Arianna Errigo of Italy. At 18, she was the youngest fencing competitor. Kiefer, who recently graduated Paul Lawrence Dunbar, will be going on to fence at Notre Dame in the fall.

Here are some images that I did with Kiefer back in April at the Bluegrass Fencing Club, for this month’s Kentucky Living Magazine.

Gale and Judy took us on a month-long RV trip across the southern part of the United States in the summer of 2010. We went from Stanton to Dallas, to San Diego, up to L.A., over to Vegas, on across Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, through Denver and Kansas City, and ended the trip in St. Louis.

This year, the plan is to start in St. Louis, and Kansas City, then go north through Iowa and Minnesota, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Across the Badlands, through Montana and into Yellowstone National Park. Then back up through Idaho and Washington State to Seattle. Then down the coast of Oregon, through the Redwoods of Northern California, to San Fransisco. Over to Reno and Lake Tahoe, to Salt Lake City, to Cheyenne, Wyoming, across Nebraska, back to Kansas City, and we’ll end the trip once again in St. Louis.

*From a photographers point of view, I would love to spend several days shooting each spot that we visit. But in reality, I’m just a tourist on this trip. So I do the best I can with the light that is in front of me.

Pike Place Market lived up to it’s billing. I like cities and places that have genuine and unique culture, rather than straight up commercialism. Sometimes the two coexist together, sometimes they don’t. Cheyenne, Wyoming, as you will see in later posts, was a place where unique culture and commercialism worked together. Seattle didn’t have much commercialism, but it had a lot of culture!

Throwing fish at the world famous Pike Place Fish Market

Negotiating fish orders

There was also a lot of  vegetables at The Market.

When Natalie and I first got married there was one obvious thing that we had in common. And that was our tastes in food. We truly love seafood, and are always game to try seafood that we’ve never had before. Sometimes with the kids we have to declare Marshall Law and force them to eat seafood when we are in a city that specializes in it. Here, Nat is looking at a menu at Lowell’s Seafood in Pike Place Market. Our motto is: “When in Rome…do as the Roman’s do!”

Where’s Waldo?

Ale-8s Across America: The Seattle Space Needle

Downtown Seattle and Puget Sound as seen from the Space Needle.

Self-Portrait on the Space Needle

Puget Sound

Three Space Needle soda drinks inside the Space Needle

Nolan hanging in the RV

You can take Gale away from the Boonesboro Campground, but his grill comes with him!

Judy turns the RV into a buffet of macaroni & cheese and potatoes.

Gale watches NASCAR in our campground in Kent, Washington.

When the slides are out, the RV becomes a 12×39 home on wheels.

The Webbkins game on the PS3 in the RV’s upstairs penthouse. Just joking…only rich people have two-story RVs.

Natalie maps out our next day trip to Mount Rainier.