Shannon and Mike

My cousin Shannon Kelly hosted Joe, John and I in downtown Chicago, cooking us a fabulous vegan meal and even making us breakfast smoothies.  Mike and Chelsea came over too as well as two friends from West Point to round out our group. 

Even though the Cubbies lost that day, we went out to a bar to watch the Hawks game after dinner.  The Hawks won in double overtime and there was no better place to watch them clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup finals than McFadden's Irish sports bar.  We ran into even more friends at McFadden's and hung around for a few hours after the game enjoying Chicago's nightlife.  Once again, it was the people we spent time with rather than the location or tourist attractions that made our day and night so great. 

Downers Grove

We have been fortunate to have had such a great time with friends and family. The night we arrived, we toured the Downers Grove Old Fashioned Car Show and had a bon fire at the Sterr's house. Sean got a chance to try some well known Chicago land local restaurants and meet some more of the Sterrs' extended family. 

Chicago

Yesterday we had a few hours to explore Chicago. We learned of Chicago's history on a riverboat architecture tour and how the skyscraper was born from the ashes of the Great Chicago Fire. We toured Millennium Park, visited The Art Institute, had Giordano's deep dish pizza for lunch, and saw the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Nebraska

We expected to only find corn in Nebraska, but surprisingly we received two suggestions for places to visit in this state. It helped reinforce the fact that every state in America is special in its own way.

Our first stop came with a longer drive off the highway than expected, only to find that the Archway Museum over I80 closed 45 min before our arrival. It was still a neat site to see and we are thankful for the suggestion to stop. It was also an excuse to get some food.

Our second stop came just after sunset, but we were fortunate to still have some sunlight. We stopped at the Holy Family Shrine off of I80 in Gretna, Nebraska. The beautiful church is completely constructed of glass and wood beams for natural lighting, providing a picturesque panorama with the setting sun. There was also a crucifix further out from the church that reached skyward. It was beautifully illuminated, and the immense size of it caused you to focus your sight above all earthly things. This beautiful church was a great place for a short prayer to safe journey and a symbolic reminder of how blessed we are to have this opportunity.

Toast Cafe

We woke up and ran the stairs at Red Rocks for exercise this morning.  There were some awesome views of the sun rising over Denver and we were sure to be careful with oxygen deprivation due to the altitude. 

After we showered, Patricia and Erik took us to breakfast at Toast Cafe, one of their favorite places to eat in downtown Littleton.  We enjoyed catching up with them and are thankful that they were able to host us for the night on such short notice!

Right now we are sitting at a Honda dealership waiting for an oil change before we hit the road back to Chicago.  We have received a few suggestions for places to stop along I-80 and we welcome more!

Red Rocks and Colorado Springs

We arrived this morning at Patricia and Erik's apartment in Littleton, Colorado just outside Denver.  Erik took us on a tour of Red Rocks amphitheater where he used to work.  The outdoor venue has outstanding natural acoustics and is a popular concert location for big name artists.  Sting plays tonight but unfortunately the show has been sold out for weeks.

Next Joe and I drove south to Colorado Springs to visit the United States Air Force Academy (we got saluted by the guy at the gate)!  Air Force has a beautiful campus dominated by a unique and recognizable cadet chapel and surrounded by mountains.  They do an excellent job of training and educating young men and women whose applications were denied by West Point. 

Before heading back towards Denver we drove through the “Garden of the Gods."  The Garden contains massive rock formations in various shapes and colors.  A main attraction is “Balanced Rock," a 700 ton boulder supported by a tiny pedestal.  The rock was formed thousands of years ago as the material at the bottom eroded away much faster than the stuff on top.

Fort Collins

We had the awesome opportunity to stay with Duck and KT last night. It was another great chance to catch up with family we don't see very often. We also got a tour of downtown Ft Collins by both of them after dinner. We thank them and everyone else who has housed and helped us make this greatest country tour a blast.