Ethel Goes West

Wait… This Is It?

Why yes, kittens, it is. After several weeks of keeping our faithful readers waiting, the EthelGoesWesters are back for our final post. The pinnacle of the trip, Ethel’s true manifest destiny: Mt. Rushmore. 

Look at that beauty. Aren’t they great, those presidents? Of course they are! Which is why we took our final mission to visit them very seriously. In the days leading up to our big visit, Meg, Daniella, Melinda, and I gleaned as much information about George, TJ, Teddy, and Honest Abe as we could, creating a 100 question quiz to help us know to which president we could relate. For instance, did you know that GW received 100% of the electoral votes? Well, as our undeniable Ethel leader, Daniella picked up some mad points in her relation to Washington, picking up seven of 27 questions. 

The honors of being most like Thomas Jefferson, the second tallest of the Mt. Rushmore presidents and inventor of the swivel chair, went to our dear Meg. I had the distinct pleasure of being most like our least athletic president, Teddy Roosevelt, and dear Melinda joined the ranks as Abraham Lincoln, who besides redefining the meaning of “republicanism,” also owned a very fancy watch. 

Armed with our new information, we drove bravely to the Mount, where we were greeted by an outrageous parking fee, a long outdoor corridor of state flags,

and some crazy lookin’ tourists. However, no tourists looked quite as crazy as we did. Empowered by our president quiz, we decided no trip to Mt. Rushmore was complete without a little impersonatin’. Behold. 

Why, yes, that is Melinda wearing my sleeping mask on her chin for a beard. Let’s get a closer look, shall we?

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “dang, those gals look goooood.” We know, we know. 

We were starting to get stares, (though I can’t imagine why) and so we removed our costumes for a little more normal posing with America’s finest prezs. 

And after taking all the pictures we could want, we made our decision: it was all a little underwhelming. Mount Rushmore? Meh!

It was time to go home. 

After a quick stop at America’s largest convenience store, Wall Drug, and a quick lesson in Ethel-driving for Melinda we were off!

Melinda is such a natural. 

Well, that is the story of Mount Rushmore. A little gimmicky, a little overcrowded with bikers, and a little… little. Ethel was self-satisfied and ready for home, and so were we. A perfect end to a spectacular trip. I miss it already, despite my expression in this picture:

Signing off, 

Anna Beth (AKA Teddy R.)

We’re Home!

Check out the awesome cake Brian baked for us. Yep, that’s a replica of Ethel and all the sixteen states we visited. You can tell someone read the blog; I spy a tiny green Gene in New Mexico.

Many thanks to Leonard & Julie, Lottie, Brian, Ryan, Laryssa and Julie for the warm reception in San Antonio. And also thanks to Lottie’s neighbor who helped me jump my car before I drove home last night. I’ve learned a lot about the kindness of strangers on this trip, but it never ceases to amaze me. And while I still can’t pinpoint my favorite thing about America, I have to say I’m pretty proud of everyone who made this trip happen — from the men who filled our gas tank in Oregon (who knew it was illegal to pump your own gas in that state?!), the parents who prayed over us, and of course our visionary leader Daniella. I am so grateful for the friendships that grew on this trip, and the memories that were made with all of those we met along the way. 

Stay tuned for retrospective posts (I know you can’t wait to see pictures of Mt. Rushmore!) and I’ll try to get my photos on Facebook ASAP.

Signing off,

Meg

We’re Not in Kansas Anymore…

WE’RE IN TEXAS!

But first, we drove through the panhandle of Oklahoma.

{Sorry to be “that girl,” but as a 5th generation Longhorn I couldn’t bring myself to support OU}

Then we arrived in The Great State of Texas. It feels good to be (almost) home.

We do love Texas and its big ole skies so much. 

But while in Kansas, we had ourselves a good time. We had hoped to karaoke in Kansas (because we love alliteration,) but sadly our plans were thwarted. So instead of publicly crooning Tammy Wynette’s “Your Good Girl’s Gonna Go Bad,” we hopped on over to the Garden City Fun Center and strapped on some rollerskates. According to Fun Center owner Glen, “A good friend never lets you down,”

but when Anna Beth fell on the rink, I snapped a few pictures before lending a helping hand (she wasn’t hurt, so it’s okay.)

Plus she was wearing awesome 80’s makeup, so it made for great photos:

And just in case you were wondering, there is NO SKATING WHILE HOLDING CHILDREN. No sir:

Our new friend Glen is a Los Angeles native who happened upon Kansas by chance. He must’ve known we were coming, because he pumped up the Justin Beiber and Lil Wayne jams while we tested our skating skills. (The last time I donned roller skates — as opposed to rollerblades — they were embellished with pink unicorns. These were a lot sportier.)

Sweet Glen told us his favorite thing about America are the visitors who come from other states because everyone lives a little bit better when they’re on vacation. And right as we were leaving, he told us that in L.A. he used to sell RVs. To celebrities (ex.: Julia Roberts back when she was dating Keifer Sutherland, and George Clooney, among others)

We’re sad we had to cut the conversation with Glen short — just as he referred to himself as “Carlton” and I began my interpretation of his dance — but we still had miles ahead of us, though our journey is about to reach its end.

— Meg

We’re Off To See The Wizard.

Okay, fine. We’re not in Oz. We’re in Kansas. 

Melinda Has Arrived!

We are so excited. On to Rushmore!

You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello.

We entered Wyoming through Yellowstone National Park thus didn’t get to snap a photo with its welcome sign. So we waved goodbye to Wyoming upon entering South Dakota.