The Peterson's Lower 48 tour

 I don't know if anyone's reading this anymore, but we'll see. We've been touring the lower 48 for nearly a month, visiting family and friends that we don't get to see as often as we should. We feel kinda like a touring band, coming into a town for a few nights, spending a little bit of time, then back to the road. I thought it would be nice to give a shout out to all the friends who have made time in their schedules to see us, let us crash on their couches, and cooked us delicious feasts of brisket and brats. So, thank you. If you didn't make the list for The Peterson's Lower 48 Tour®, don't feel bad. We're very busy people and please know that our agent tried VERY hard to find a way to see you all.

                                                                  Maine

The first stop on our tour was to visit our dear friends in Maine—Shane and Jess, who managed to put up with the rather disheveled and road weary Petersons (12 hours of flying followed by 4 of driving...oof) and their endless stories. Thank you for letting us crash at your beautiful place and for showing us all around your beautiful area. We loved all of the paddle boarding, walking, delicious local food, and finally getting to see some friendly faces. Say hi to Sado for us!

                                                                New York

In Cooperstown we visited the Leinharts, who were wonderful hosts for the too-short time that we were in town. Thank you for taking time out of your very busy lives to show us around your beautiful town, and for providing us with some amazing accommodations while we were there. We loved paddle boarding out on the lake and just getting to spend time with you guys. James, thank you for dedicating days of your life to cooking the best brisket I've ever had, and may your canoe paddle rest in peace. May, thank you for putting so much effort into showing us a good time, you were truly an amazing hostess. Owen, thank you for being my favorite paddle boarding buddy. Cate Speed, best of luck at your opera, break a leg! And make sure to send us videos! You all really need to come see us in AK, we shouldn't let it be another another 8 years!

                                                                    Vermont

The trip out to Vermont was well worth it to see the Simunovic/O'Ryan clan—and the additional happy surprise of the Carters! Our time with you guys was too short, but we managed to cram in hiking, maple creamies, yet more paddle boarding (we were getting pretty good by the end), and several absolutely delicious meals compliments to Sergio. Thank you all for making time in your packed schedules. Sergio, thank you for quitting your job to see us, it means a lot. We loved getting to see all of you, and I really hope we can do it again!

After all that we flew to the Midwest. You know, as I write this it begins to seem less like a band tour and more like an acknowledgements. Well, hopefully this is an acknowledgements that people will actually read.

                                             The Midwest

This section of our trip ranged from relaxed and chill to downright hectic, trying to see all of our friends and family in the little amount of time that we had. So, thank you so much to the Cashens for letting us crash at your place, so exhausted we only managed to tell about a million stories. Good luck with the move! Thank you to Shawn Stelton for making the trip out to see us, our time together was too short and we didn't even get a picture. Thank you to Nana and Grandpa for lunch, ice cream, your car, and gifting us with your valuable time and sparkling personalities. Thank you to Grandpa D for all the fun times, and for letting us steal the RV away from you and Bob. Thank you to Summer and Damon for making time in your schedule for all our fun hours together. Thank you to Granny and Randy for all the games, frisbee, shopping, fun times, and for letting us crash in your remarkably clean basement. Thank you to Damon Chrunn for making time for a walk with some old friends and their kids. Thank you to Aunty Jen for clearing some time for some rapid fire stories. Thank you to the Zetos for the catch-up time, pizza, and axe throwing. Thank you to Mary and Jay for hosting such an amazing party, and for taking us out on the lake. Thank you to Andrew and Caitlin for all the stories and fun time together, even if it was short. And a huge thank you to the Haskins for letting us park a massive land-boat on your lawn! I really loved all the mornings chilling in the screen porch, and getting to spend so much time with you guys. Wow, okay that was a lot. If I missed somebody, it was a hectic few weeks so please forgive me, and thank you for all our fun times together.

Right now, I'm sitting in the Seattle airport lounge while I write this, coincidentally the same place that our first blog post (other than when we first left our house) was written. There's some nice symmetry for you.

                                                 California

    Our time in California was some of the most fun that we've ever managed to cram into a week. We hiked, paddle boarded, floated rivers, had barbecues, swam, biked, and laughed a whole lot. We even had some special guests for this section, our grandparents, which was tons of fun. Rachel, Whitney, and Paul—we loved all of our hikes together, and especially our amazing float trip. Congratulations Paul on a mouth-watering tri-tip, and happy birthday Whitney! Bodie, it was really great seeing you, thanks for all your help pulling us around in a giant avocado. Don't take anyone's head off with a pinecone! Ariana, it was really great spending time with you. Don't go sending any rapids without any form of flotation when we're not there.

    And to the Peterson California chapter, we know how busy your schedules are, so thank you for making time for all our amazing times together. I had such a great time, and I really hope we can do it again. Gwen, I'm sorry we didn't get to see each other as much as we wanted, but it was still really great spending some time with you. Matt, it was really awesome seeing you, thank you for the delicious food, good times, and early morning paddle-less boarding sessions. Joona, thank you for showing us all the best beaches and ice cream shops, I had a really great time seeing you. Happy early birthday! And Finley, I had a really fun time hiking, swimming, and even just hanging out with you; so thanks for a great time! Keep in touch!

    I know this trip didn't turn out exactly like we wanted it to, but maybe that just means we should try again! We always love our visits, and maybe it's even time for you guys to come and see AK! We truly had an amazing time and can't wait to see you again. Miss you all!

                                                    Montana

In Missoula we visited some old friends of ours, the Schicks. We had a wonderful time and we loved seeing their beautiful town. Between rafting, swimming, water parks, and an abundance of good food, it was a busy few days. I'm really glad we got to catch Adaline before we left, and it was really nice getting to see all of you. We should make it happen more often. Missoula was a great last stop on our trip, and you guys were amazing hosts. John, thanks for spending time with us, we know you're a busy guy. Annie, thank you for all the fun times and great food—that cheesecake may never be replicated, so I hope you know how delicious it was. Weston, thanks for showing us around and for spending so much time with Quill and I. And Adeline, thank you for spending your first day back with us, we would have hated to miss you. 

And there's the end of the United States leg of our trip. In about a half hour we will board the last flight of our sabbatical. To all of our friends in the lower 48, it was so great to see you all (and if we missed you, we really wish we could've met up). And to all our friends back in AK...we'll see you tomorrow!

-Tre