Dallas

And the next morning we left Indiana and then headed back into Chicago (or at least the airport part of Chicago). We had a flight that took us to Dallas, and luckily the flight wasn't too long. This is the view out the window as we approached the Dallas metroplex. I think this is the northern edge of Levon Lake:



As we approached the DFW airport, we flew through a rainbow. This isn't a great picture - it was taken with my cellphone during the brief 20 second span that we were able to actually see the rainbow. But I'm including it because it was really cool to see in person. Downtown Dallas can also be seen in the distance.



And a better view of downtown Dallas as we started our descent to the airport:



Every year around the 4th of July, Caroline's family has a little reunion. A bunch of her family lives around Dallas, so we tacked on the reunion to the end of our trip. Most of the few days we were in Texas were spent visiting with various cousins and Aunts and Uncles. But we did make a quick visit to downtown Dallas to take the kids to the Dallas World Aquarium.



It is a neat place to visit (except it's a little pricey). The kids seemed to enjoy it, the highlight of the trip for them was probably watching the manatee poop in the water.



Usually when we visit Texas in the summer, it is incredibly hot and humid. But somehow the few days we were there it was cloudy and actually cool. It felt really bizarre to be outside during the day when the temperature was only in the 80s. On the 4th of July, Jonah and I went to Toyota Stadium to see a soccer game. My beloved FC Dallas was playing Minnesota, and it had rained during the day. We got to the stadium and it was cool and pleasant (a huge difference to the game we attended here last year, when it was 100 degrees outside).



The game was ok (Dallas ended up losing 2-1). But at least there was a fireworks show after the game.  And I guess you could say that our trip ended with a bang - the next morning we loaded up the car and drove back home.

Road Trip: Dallas

Luckily we didn't need to head home just yet. My wife's family has a reunion every year, where assorted aunts and uncles and cousins all gather together. This time, the cousins in Dallas were hosting. So from Glenrio, we cut across Texas and headed to the metroplex. It was a bit of an adjustment after being in the mountains of Colorado (with its cool temperatures and low humidity). In Dallas, it was about 100 degrees.

But we were able to attend a game of my beloved FC Dallas while we were there. It was a good game, despite us sitting outside in the heat. Dallas played Portland and actually won(!), and since it was the 4th of July there was a fireworks show afterwards. And during the game, there was also a pretty nifty sunset over the stadium.



We then headed home, and concluded our long road trip. Total miles driven were exactly 2,707. It was a great trip. We passed through five states, visited three National Parks, and saw some amazing scenery. And there was no car trouble or flat tires! Now it's time to start planning the next road trip. Where should we go next?