Stahlke Adoption

Miles and Miles

A prior shopping trip at an Oak Park dollar store provided relief on long days of riding with six kids and a dog in a crowded van. I usually waited until the inevitable fights broke out to provide a distraction with the following "surprises." I got the idea from Kathy and Rich Fischer, who provided similar gifts for our train trip to Texas a few years ago.

(FYI, the place names are the towns in which we slept.)

Friday, July 17
small notepads for drawing or journaling
Madison, WI

Saturday, July 18
an entire pack of gum
Sioux City, SD

Sunday, July 19
postcards from Wall Drug
Custer, SD

Monday, July 20
pop bottles from Mt. Rushmore with "U.S. president" labels
Gillette, WY

Tuesday, July 21
tiny cowboy and Indian figures (16 for each child)
West Yellowstone, MT

Wednesay, July 22
fishing licenses for Yellowstone National Park
West Yellowstone, MT

Thursday, July 23
postcards from Yellowstone
West Yellowstone, MT

Friday, July 24
Junior Ranger activity books from Yellowstone
Mountain Home, ID

Saturday, July 25
reading materials from the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center
Sandy, OR (site of partial family reunion for the Stahlkes)

Tuesday, July 28
blueberry picking near Albany, OR (gift from Uncle Dave and Aunt Gale)
Waldport, OR

Saturday, August 1
postcards of Oregon
Klamath Falls, OR

Sunday, August 2
travel activity books
(One book was a children's atlas of the United States, and for each page I wrote down the name of the child who found the first car with a license plate from that state. By our return to Chicago, they found all but Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Virginia.)
Elko, NV

Monday, August 3
card games
Green River, UT

Tuesday, August 4
pack of gum (for altitude issues in the Rocky Mountains)
Fairplay, CO (site of partial family reunion for the Bensons)

Friday, August 7
candy bracelets
Gothenburg, NB

Saturday, August 8
puzzle books
Des Moines, IA

Sunday, August 9
punch balls (what was I thinking?)
Chicago, IL

posted by Stahlkes @ 8:41 AM