How many times are you stopping???

Well, I'm finally getting all the puzzle pieces scattered about onto the dining room table, and the trip schedule is taking shape. I started with the edges and this happens to be all the places we've got to get to see the relatives and friends on the way. Here's a quick rundown of most of the cast of characters we'll encounter on our journey: Grandpa & Grandma Ritchie, Grams Ritchie, Uncle Craig & Robin, Uncle Billy & Tiffany, Grandpa and Grandma Steele, Great Grandma Routt, Uncle Bobby & Pam Steele, Aunt Kate & Uncle Jeff, Aunt Megan & Uncle Rick, The entire Taliesin family, and lots of nice people we don't even know yet!

So here's the general idea laid out as a day by day itinerary:
Day 1:
Roll out of Taliesin West for Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is one of the longer driving days, but I'll be fresh and anxious to go. Distance driving is 474 miles at around 7hrs 43 mins.
Day 2:
Next Stop, Amarillo, Texas. Not much of interest here (that I know of anyway) and it's a rather short drive to get here, only 286 miles at 5hrs 8mins on the road.
Day 3:
Catoosa, Oklahoma will welcome us for the night, requiring only 6 hrs and 41 mins to travel the 371 miles from the Lone Star State.
Day 4:
As we head for the first big destination Warrenton, Missouri, we'll detour slightly towards Bartlesville, Oklahoma to visit the Price Towers designed by Mr. Wright.
Day 5 through 9:
A nice relaxing time to stay in one place at Grandma and Grandpa Ritchie's with the rest of the clan coming over for a weekend gathering. There's a summer ritual that has been a tradition for as long as I've been included in this family called "Tippy Canoe". It involves getting the entire family on a natural body of water in some sort of vessel. In years past it's ranged from camping, canoeing, cabins, jetskis, boating, sking, hiking, and just plain good times. There is a very complicated equation to consider when combing these elements together. This year will be my 10th participating with the tradition and I think I've finally perfected the equation:

Let's first determine the constants:
Bw = Body of Water
Wq = Water Quality (ie the muckier the better)
Ba = Area of Boat
Rb = Number of Ritchie's in Boat
CR = Collisions & Rammings
Tp = Tippings or sinkings
Wf = Water Fight
Mf = Muck Flinging
Of = Oar Fencing
Cf = Coefficient of FUN

If we’re feeling adventurous the Kraus House is located in Kirkwood, Missouri near St. Louis.
Day 10 - 13:
It’s across southern Illinois and into Evansville, IN where Grams (Rita) can’t wait to see her little sugar plum again. The trip wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Hacienda and a fight over a MUDSLIDE!!!! Uncles Craig & Billy will get to spoil Kaia like any good uncle does. Undoubtedly lots of the Eville (not evil) crowd will crowd around the little tater tot in Mom’s old stomping grounds.
Day 14 - 17:
Third time grandparents Dale and Betty Joe will welcome the first visiting grandchild into their Charlestown home. There will be lots of loving, including an energetic reunion of good buddies Heidi & JP.
Day 18:
We forge deeper into Hoosier country where the history runs very deep. Great Grandma Routt will host the travelers in her home in Cloverdale, Indiana. Some of the locals of these parts know that BOTH Jason & Leigh’s family trees are deeply rooted in this little town. Some even worry if there’s no fork in this family tree at all!!! The genealogy of either of these families would take up a whole blog by itself, so I’ll leave that story for another time.
Day 19:
A place near and dear to me, Pittsboro, Indiana. This is where my Uncle Bobby Steele and his family live. They’re like a second family to me. When I was 18 with a freshly printed high school diploma under my arm, I migrated half way across the country in hopes of attending Ball State University. They opened their arms to me, allowed me to live in their home and helped me find work in the small community. It was a great summer but residency in my home state was not to be and I returned home to the desert to attend college.
Day 20:
Go West young man . . . . just not very far, to Bloomington / Normal, Illinois. Kate and first time Uncle Jeff Mehne await the arrival of the caravanning family.
Day 21:
A stop in Peoria, Illinois brings us to the powerhouse attorney couple Megan and Rick Russo. Great friends with lots in common; we hope to make near neighbors of them when we relocate to Chicago.
Day 22 - 24:
A few days R&R in the windy city. Maybe we’ll take the dog to one of the many beautiful sandy beaches. There are plenty of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings to visit among other architectural points of interest.
Day 25 – 30:
Frank Lloyd Wright built a place to retreat the rigors of city living in Spring Green, Wisconsin where his family first migrated to America From Whales. It is a testament to his genius and a place with great spirituality. The Fellowship still exists there today and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture spends May through October there studying, working, and participating in the quiet communal life Mr. & Mrs. Wright Establish generations ago. I have yet to visit this monumental piece of the Wright biography, but am looking forward to being integrated into the living culture for a few days.

Day 31:
Now it’s time to follow the setting sun back to our warm abode in the desert. First stop Adel, Iowa. On the way Quasqueton has the Walter House “Cedar Rock”.
Day 32:
We’ll set up camp in Gothenburg, Nebraska for the night.
Day 33:
In the High Country of Colorado we’ll stay in Estes Park, Colorado taking time to explore the Rocky Mountain National Park and nearby Boulder.
Day 34:
And now retracing our steps we’ll be resting in Albuquerque, New Mexico before seting out to our final destination of…
Day 35:
Scottsdale, AZ Taliesin West