Vacation Report #9

It's hard to pin down the highlight of our Spring Break. There were many amazing and wondrous things on our journey during the week. Wonders wrought by man and by nature. But perhaps it was that perfect synergy of both that wins the grand prize, when man takes what nature has given him... and paints it.

We were led there by that greatest of vacation resources: Roadside America. If you've ever planned a vacation that involved any driving and you've never visited this site then you're bound to have missed out on opportunities along the way. It has become essential to our Great American Roadtrips and most of the more unusual sights you see in our vacation reports are due to the best travel website on the Information Mother Road! If there's a Giant Muffler Man or tourist trap to be seen, you'll find it here. And this is where we discovered Frog Rock located along Hwy 66 (of course) in Waynesville, MO.

The GPS system on the dash of the van would not accept a world in which Frog Rock existed. The cute little device, affectionately christened Jenny (think 'Jen-nay' from Forrest Gump... don't ask, I'm not sure there's really an answer!), had been the bane of our trip, constantly telling us to get off the highway, make u-turns and generally trying to get us lost, then suddenly getting huffy and clamming up when we would ignore her insistence that we should "Exit now!"

So like in most instances, we were on our own, armed only with the directions from RA. We turned off at Exit 159 and drove NW per our printed instructions. It seemed a hopeless cause.

But just when you think you've gone too far and you've missed it, there it is... in all it's green glory! Like some... magificent... big... frog. It's just too difficult to put into words.

I'm told Oklahoma has its own Frog Rock near Ada! Roadtrip, anyone?

Next up: Are we there yet?

Vacation Report #8

The Hubble Space Telesope is about to celebrate its 20th birthday on April 24. There's lots in the news lately in honor of the momentous occasion of its launch all those years ago: it stars in a new IMAX 3D movie; it has a new book out; and it's featured in some major research and fantastic images of what's beyond our little neck of the woods.

And in honor of all Hubble's hard work we visited a little place called Marshfield, MO where they have a scale replica on there courthouse lawn! In 1889, Marshfield was the birthplace of Edwin Hubble, a reknowned astronomer who proved the existence of galaxies other than our own and devised the system for classifying galaxies that is still used today.

Check out NASA's website for more awesome pictures from Hubble and news on its birthday!


Didn't know you'd get this much of an education reading a stupid blog, did ya!

Next up: A rock shaped like a frog!

Vacation Report #7

Chances are if you've ever been to a picnic, backyard cookout or family reunion you've used a Solo Cup! But probably not one this big! You can find this one in Springfield, MO in front of a Solo Cup factory. Though it looks like business is bust, the factory and cup still remain for photo opportunities!

Not only is Springfield the home of a giant cup, it's the home of some ginormous earthworms! And the Solo Cup parking lot seems to be their final pilgrimage as they sacrifice themselves to the great Cup! They were everywhere! Ewwwwy!

Vacation Report #6

If you're driving down the hiways and biways of this great nation and you see a state travel center on the side of the road, I highly encourage you to give it a visit. Most are manned by wonderfully friendly folks during regular hours (even in Texas), have a boatload of information for the precipitate pilgrim and some have interesting sights all on their own!

Vacation Report #5

Teenagers are fascinated by "energy drinks". You know the stuff. It's like non-alcoholic beer for teenagers. At least back in the day we drank things like Mountain Dew or at worst Jolt Cola to get that sugar/caffeine buzz, products that at least had a modicum of taste, unlike the swill that pours forth from convenience stores nowadays. They all have "adult" labeling and vaguely illicit names like "Vault", "Semtex", "Red Eye", "NOS" and "Rockstar".

Unfortunately Cassandra has discovered them, after a long stint of abstaining from fizzy beverages in general due to her growing health consciousness. It's a proud moment when my daughter orders water in restaurants. But now she's backsliding with "energy drinks". And to make things worse there's chewing gum with the same sort of stuff in it! And this is what she was chewing when this was filmed at one of the tourist information stops along the long road to St. Louis:



Try to convince her it's nasty stuff. It'll go over better coming from you!


Hannah joins in the fray!

Treat at the ballpark

Hannah-bear sampling baseball yummies at Norman High.





Her big bro' getting ready to steal second base.

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....Wait a Minute!

OK, Tim, so you got us to big tall Indians and pipe cleaner art. But then you leave us hanging with some t-shirt thingy? Where's St. Louie? Have ya forgotten this is a travel log (or whatever they call it)?

Tooth & Nail!

The latest in our t-shirt design project! Go vote!

Vacation Report #4

While traveling the long, long, long and winding road to St. Louis, we occupy ourselves like anyone else. We count the number of yellow volkswagen bugs (by the bruises on my arms and legs), sing sing-along songs (like Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline) and make pom-pom & pipe-cleaner animals!

Our menagerie included a cat, a giraffe, a panther-dog, Falkor the Luckdragon from the Neverending Story, a dismembered elephant head, and a bizarre mutant black spider-dog-thing!

Next up: 1 piece of energy gum + 14-year-old girls = disaster!

And now a message from our sponsors....

After you're done enjoying our Spring Break Vacation vicariously through the Duncan Family Blog move over and try Big Bro's Photography Blog and view a snapshot from the mind of a photographer. It's kinda scary...

You can always find a link to his site in the sidebar to the right of this blog page, too.

By the way, Mike, it's about time you updated the website!

Vacation Report #3

If you've ever driven down I-44 east of Tulsa then you've driven under the Biggest McDonald's Restaurant in the United States! Or did you? There's some contention concerning the reigning champion of Fast Food Conveyance. There's a newer restaurant that claims the title in Orlando, FL (of course) but many point out that the newer 25,000 square ft. facility would fit inside the 29,000 square ft. version in Vinita, OK!

Next up: Lions & Tigers & Mutant Spider-Dog-Things! Oh my!

Vacation Report #2

Our next stop along the Mother Road was Big Cabin, OK. Big Cabin was named after, well, a big cabin used by local Native Americans near a Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway switch. But we think it was really named after the Big Cabin this Giant Indian Chief must go home to after a long day standing along the roadside. His name is Standing Brave and he guards the truck stop nearby.

At 51 feet, he's a towering figure and a perfect photo opportunity! Alas, the road is a harsh mistress and Standing Brave's pedestal is an unyielding concrete block, as Cassie can testify. In her attempt to climb up to Standing Brave's feet she ended up scraping her finger! But this is the pain we must bear as we continue our adventure East!

Next up: That's the second biggest arch we've ever seen!

Vacation Report #1

Along Oklahoma's hiways and biways, one can find unusual treasures: Native American burial mounds; desert-like sand dunes; even dinosaur tracks embedded in stone. But along Route 66 one finds the really historically important sights! Like round barns and giant cyan cetaceans!

Yes, I'm talking about the Big Blue Whale found in Catoosa, OK just east of Tulsa. It was originally a local swimming attraction built by Hugh Davis in the early 70's as a gift for his wife (a lifelong collector of all things whale-ish, blue or otherwise), along with picnic tables and Noah's Ark full of snakes and lizards and alligators, oh my!

Davis has passed on to the great Blue Whale in the sky and the park has for the most part fallen into disrepair. But The Whale is still given a fresh coat of paint from time to time by locals.

There's still a slide into the pond from The Whale's tail, but it was a little coolish to take a dip. We did find that you can climb up into it's back and look out the portholes in its side, but Melissa was suspicious of it's structural integrity!

The Ark (or what's left of it) is still there, too, but was locked away behind a fence, seemingly neglected and rotting away. What would Noah think!

Next up: There's a reason it's gotta be a Big Cabin!

Screwy In St. Louey!

This year's installment of The Great American Road Trip took us to St. Louis, MO for 5 glorious days during Spring Break! Though we had to cut the trip slightly short due to the wonderful "Spring" weather, we still managed to pack in the tourist traps! And now, through the miracle of digital technology, join us here daily as we travel east along I-44 and see the sights, hear the sounds and smell the smells... you know the ones I'm talking about, after being trapped in a van with 4 teenagers in the back seat for 12 hours!

This year we were joined by some more friends: Hannah of Cassie & Hannah: In The Closet; Donna, Trey & Angela; and our most gracious hosts and St. Louis guides Jason & Ralph!

We start reports tomorrow in our great home state of Oklahoma for a roadside pitstop at a Route 66 classic!

Bush League!

Here's a new shirt to vote on! Head over to Threadless.com & gimme a 5!