Rochester or bust!

Hello all, one last time. We are finally home safe and sound, and are writing this last post together.

First of all, we would like to thank all of you for taking the time to follow us on our adventures across America. We started this blog mainly to console our worried families and to entertain any other friends and family that felt like checking in on us on a lazy summer afternoon. As the trip progressed, we were shocked and flattered to realize just how many people were reading the blog every single day. To date the blog has been viewed over 1,200 times throughout the last seven weeks. So again, thank you all for reading our stories that were sometimes boring, sometimes outrageous, and sometimes ramblingly long. We hope you have enjoyed reading this, because we have certainly enjoyed writing it. It has been the trip of a lifetime, and we savored every moment of it. We are, however, thrilled to be home again with our family and friends, and are excited to find jobs and start the beginning of our "adult" lives.

In closing, we have compiled a list of lessons that we have learned during our travels. We thought we would share them with you all, they may come in handy some day. So here they are:

1. Always carry cash.
2. Never trust rock squirrels. They may be cute, but they really just want your lunch.
3. Never get gas at the first place you see.
4. A long hike down is just as long of a hike back up.
5. When hiking, always bring a wallet. You never know when a good snack stand is waiting on the other side.
6. If your neighbor uses a bear bell, don't laugh - there's probably a good reason for it.
7. There is no such thing as too many beans.
8. There is such a thing as too many jelly beans.
9. Find the best enchiladas in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. For the best all-around Mexican food, go no farther than Blackfoot, Idaho.
10. Never take a good shower for granted.
11. Not much is better than a cheap place to stay. Nothing is better than a free place to stay.
12. Deodorant melts. Make sure it's standing upright.
13. If Laura says she isn't hungry, pull over at the next place to eat anyways. She'll be starving by the time you get there.
14. When you're in the desert, sand will eventually end up everywhere. Accept it and move on.
15. Just because you're on summer vacation does not mean you should leave your winter wardrobe at home.
16. If the Ragu looks bad, just shake it around a little. It'll be okay.
17. When you're far from home, everyone who sees your license plate will be sure to remind you of it.
18. If a hotel is $35 a night, don't expect that price to include towels.
19. If you're going to do something dangerous, wait until you've survived to tell your mom about it.
20. Apparently air mattresses can only be inflated or deflated between the hours of 10pm and 6am.
21. When budgeting for a vacation, always bring twice as much as you think you'll need. Those gift shops will get you.
22. As difficult as it may be to accept, there is life outside of Gilmore Girls.
23. If you are going to spend two months with the same person, make sure you really like them.
24. Never take oxygen for granted, you'll miss it at 10,000 feet of elevation.
25. If you are thinking about taking a trip, do it.

That's all folks! Good night, and good luck.
Laura & Elijah