The first day I spent my time in the morning getting things ready to go for departure at 1:46, and honestly I was worried that I was forgetting a lot of items that would be essential for the trip. Due to some problems, we ended up leaving around 2:30 and we were off. Most of my time was spent sleeping or playing  video games with Trendon. The video game Trendon and I played was Black Ops 2 zombies, and we had fun even though we didn’t do as good as we used to back when we were younger, it was still fun to play. We also played Mlb the  Show 25, and the game mode we decided to choose was home run derby. Now unfortunately we didn’t know how to choose different characters, so we all had to use Babe Ruth. It was an unfortunate first round exit because we had the Spences facing off, but Alec couldn’t find the controller and a whole minute of time had gone by. I found the controller and filled in for Alec since there was already a minute missing, and I ended up hitting 17 hr in 3 minutes, but was defeated by Brennan who ended up beating me in the final seconds with 18 hrs. 

Before arriving at the campsite, we were lucky enough to catch the sunset while going over a bridge which turned out to be a beautiful picture. We arrived at the campsite and started getting our water hooked up so we could shower on the bus if the campsite showers were unavailable. After we had the water hooked up, we got the grill out and cooked up some hotdogs for the group.Trendon and I decided to take a nice walk around the campsite and check it out while the hot dogs were cooking. After eating, I went and did my nightly routine of showering and brushing my teeth,then watching Tik Tok until  I fell asleep.

Day 3

Day 3 was  a packed and eventful day. We started the day off by going to Wall Drug. It was a little town that was western themed and was mostly about the Badlands. They also had the greatest donut I’ve ever tasted in my life and  5 cent coffee during breakfast time. I took a nap before our next stop– Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore was exciting to see because it was the first time for me to see a national monument in person. As we were heading to our campsite, we passed by  Crazy Horse, but we could only view it from the bus. We finally got to our campsite which came with much disappointment at first, but we decided to explore the town Hulett that was right next to our campsite. 

Our  first stop in Hulett came with much disappointment but we then came upon a museum and decided to explore it. Llittle did we know it would be our best decision. As we walked into the museum, the owner jumped with excitement like he has never had a group of teenagers before.The owner started talking to us, asking us where we were from, and at first he thought we were cross country until we explained to him who we were and what our goals with the bus were.The owner was actually a school board member, and she loved what the Skoolies were all about, and they even asked usf if we wanted to be in their town’s newspaper, which we couldn’t believe because it was just us teenagers without Mr.Clevenger.

 Before we took our picture, we still saw the museum which was filled with a lot of items from Devils Tower which would be our next step the next day, so it was really interesting to see. As the co- owner was showing us around, he told us about his boss who actually turned out to be senator Barraso’s daughter and how nice she was. After we were finished with the tour and getting our picture, we decided to continue and explore the rest of the town before going back to the campsite. Once we got back to the campsite, we played some cornhole,football and threw a baseball around before dark. Once it was dark we got ready for bed and played Jackbox games until everyone was ready to go to bed.

Day 4

Day 4 was awesome but exhausting a little bit. We woke up at 7 and started heading to Devils Tower which was only 30 minutes away from our campsite which was nice not having to drive 3-4 hours to the site. We got to Devils Tower and it was cold in the morning so we all wore warm layers which we would regret later when hiking the trails.  Brennan and I  decided to get ahead of the group while walking the trails and we got to see some of the most beautiful views there is to see and of course we had to take some cool   pictures .  We eventually found a cave while hiking the trails which was really awesome to see because I have never  got to see the inside of the cave. As we were on our way back to the bus  we all started to burn up and remove layers and  I ended up having to wipe myself off with dude wipes because I was drenched in sweat from the hike.  

After we were done with our hike we got back on the road again and started heading towards the next campsite  and decided we were  running low on  some  food so we went to Walmart and got dinner. After Walmart we went to Home Depot to get some supplies to fix  our refrigerator because it came crashing down in the shower after a rough turn. While Mr.Clevinger and Alec were getting the items we needed to fix the refrigerator Jayson,Gavin,Brennan, and I were passing a baseball around in the parking lot. After we got the refrigerator fixed we were on the road again and weren’t stopping until we made it to the campsite. Once we made it to the campsite we got the bus hooked up so we could have our water and power and started cooking dinner. Once dinner was done we all played black ops 2 together and jackbox games until we were ready for bed.

Day 5

Day 5 was an awesome sight seeing day but a long one. We started the morning off pretty early departing at 6:30 am where Mr Clevinger and I were the only two up so we got to experience the sun rise over the mountains which was one of the prettiest things I have ever seen.  About an hour in we were passing through Wind River Canyon and it was also a beautiful sight to see. Before heading to Yellowstone we stopped at a little town called Cody looking for more supplies to help fix some of the little things we didn’t get to finish before we left. Once we were in Cody we stopped at an Ace Hardware Store and Bomgaars, while Mr Clevenger and Alec went to get the supplies.The students and I went to the McDonalds across the street for breakfast which was refreshing because it was different from what we had been eating on the bus the previous days. 

After we had everything we needed we were off to Yellowstone and it was a long three hours and thirty minutes ride but it was well worth the wait. As we pulled into the park we were greeted with bison which was cool to see because it was my first time ever seeing a bison. We made our way up to the top of the mountain and started exploring the Mammoth hot springs and those were truly a sight to see as the steam would evaporate in the air, but the smell of the sulfur was not pleasant.We made our way to the top of the hot springs and we started to worry that we might get hit with another storm as the wind picked up and the snow started to fall harder and harder. 

After seeing everything that was available to see we stopped at the gift shop in Gardner and I got a yellowstone hoodie and tried their awesome graham slam ice cream. After everyone was ready to go we started the long journey to our campsite, Bernie and Sharon’s RV park. We got  to our campsite very late so the group decided on just making our own food and after eating I was pretty tired so I did my nightly routine of showering and brushing my teeth before dozing off for bed.

Day 6

Day 6 was an exciting day and a tiring one. We had a long drive ahead of us so we got up pretty early again because Glacier National Park was 4 hours away from our campsite. We passed through some amazing mountains and some beautiful views like Flathead Indian reservations and Flathead lake. When we arrived at Glacier Park I was amazed by how beautiful the park was, and especially Lake Mcdonald. Unfortunately that’s all we could see though due to the roads being covered in snow but it was still an amazing sight to see. We ended up going to the other side of Lake McDonald which was just as beautiful, then went to a gift shop after. After everybody had gotten what they wanted from the gift shop it was time to head to our campsite which we were nervous about because it was one that we booked right after seeing Glacier so we could be closer to the Grand Tetons for tomorrow. We got to our campsite earlier than the others so we got to enjoy this one a little more than the others. Once we were there we had to figure out who was going to make dinner that night,which was breakfast for dinner.

 Jayson and I cooked the pancakes while Trendon was on bacon duty and Gavin was on eggs. While Jayson was getting the stove ready and everything we would need for pancakes, I decided to get the chairs set up by the fire which had been built by Brennan and Luke. While most of the students were working on dinner Gavin decided to tackle our water crisis which had happened the night before. After dinner was done and everybody was finished with their food it was time we busted, opened the smores and shared stories by the campfire. I had to see if my smores were good so I took them to the professional s’more tester(Jayson) and they got a 9/10. After we packed up everything we used it was time for my nightly routine of showering and brushing my teeth before dozing off.

Day 7

We started day 7 off early as we left camp around 6:30 and arrived at our destination around 10 in the morning. Our destination for the day was The Grand Tetons and Elk Antlers Arch in Jackson Wyoming.The Grand Tetons were a beautiful sight to see but unfortunately I did not get to see the Kanye mountains on his album cover “Ye” which was something I was really wanting to see. The mountains were a little hard to see due to the clouds blocking the tops of the mountains but overall they were beautiful and worth seeing. As we were getting ready to go I threw a snowball at Jace causing a short snowball fight to break out. Once the snowball fight was over I had to sneak attack Jace one last time which caused me and him to have a wrestling match in the snow before leaving. 

After we were finished with the wrestling match it was time to head to Jackson and  see Elk Antlers Arch. Once we got our pictures around the antlers we were ready to go and get lunch. We decided to eat at River Snake Brewery which had a bison burger which was extremely overrated and tasted like a burnt hamburger. I decided to just get a pretzel with queso and it was well worth it but it wasn’t filling enough so I added a side of fries. After everybody was done with their food and the bills were paid for Mr Clevinger let us explore the city and go buy souvenirs if we wanted to but we had to be back at the bus in an hour.

After exploring the town for an hour it was time to head to beaverhead Rv Park which was a 4 hour drive from Jackson. After 3 hours of sleeping we were approaching our destination and had to figure out who was making dinner and what we were going to have. We decided to have hot dogs with mac and cheese and the chefs did an awesome Job while watching South Park. After I was done eating I was ready to shower and  do my nightly routine before going to bed.

Day 8

Day 8 was an awesome and exciting day as we left camp pretty early to arrive at our destination. The destination for the day was Arches national park located in Utah and it was overall one of the best places we would visit on the trip .The weather was in the high 70s which meant shorts but with the warm weather came a lot more people which we were not used to as all the other parks had been so empty. 

We first stopped at a lookout close to the park to get some scenic pictures with the arches in the background. After everybody had their pictures we were off to the main park.Once we arrived and were off the bus Mr.Clevigner gave us a time we had to be back and where the bus was located. After a little while of the group staying together Brennan,Luke, and I set off on our own adventure to climb up into the arches where other people were also climbing. 

After following the trail for a little while we decided to go up and get in the arches where we would see Mr.Clevenger and the bus from the other side. After seeing the first arch Luke and I discovered a second one and from there we made it our mission to climb into it. After we had finished climbing the arch we headed back to the bus while we waited for the rest of the group to get back from their trial.

Once everyone was back to the bus we were ready to start heading to camp but we had to make a few pit stops before doing so.The first stop was at Carl Jr’s to get some food in us for the night and the second stop was at walmart to restock on some of the essentials that we needed like water,toilet paper, and some paper towels. After we had got everything we needed at Walmart it was time to get to our campsite for the night. When we arrived at the campsite it was pretty dark so I ended up doing my nightly routine before playing some Jackbox with the group.

Day 9

Day 9 was a fun and exciting day as we had to leave camp early because we were going to be hitting two of the bigger parks.The plan was to hit Zion National park in the morning and The Grand Canyon in the afternoon. Alec brought up the idea of getting breakest inside Zion national park and we ended up stopping at a  place called Perks but only Mr.Clevinger,Alec,and Anthony ended up getting food. While those three were getting their food, the rest of us decided to eat breakfast on the bus and I ended up having a protein bar and a banana. After everyone was finished with breakfast it was time to go explore Zion national park. Zion was a beautiful place to see but because we were going to the Grand Canyon later in the day we had to cut it  short which sucked. 

After a short drive to a small part of the canyon we were ready to see the grand canyon which was a beautiful sight to see. After everybody got their pictures and the gifts they wanted from the gift shop  we went and looked at the grand canyon from another angle. As we were getting ready to leave from the south rim I encountered a wild animal. The animal I encountered was a Squirrel and I managed to tame it by putting my hand in the air and doing a wave motion up and down. After  taming the squirrel it was time to head to our campsite where we would figure out who was cooking dinner and what we were going to have for dinner. The chefs for the night were Jayson,Jace, and Trace and they did an excellent job on cooking. Jayson and Trace were  on french toast duty while Jace made eggs and sausage patties. Once dinner was done and everybody had eaten it was  almost time for bed so I did my nightly routine before the group played Jackbox games on xbox. After a game of Jackbox everybody was ready for bed and I watched tik tok until dozing off. 

Day 10

Day 10 was a little disappointing as we saw Monument valley and the 4 corners. Monument valley was cool but after seeing Glacier, Zion, Yellowstone, and etc it just couldn’t compete with the other scenic views in my opinion. Once we had seen all the monuments we could, it was time to go to the gift shop. While we were in the giftshop  Trace and I went into the connected restaurant where they were having breakfast. Trace and I  walked around looking at all the food options they had but decided not to get anything until I went back later and tried their cinnamon roll.  It was one of my better choices as  it was super fluffy and was perfect on the bottom. After everybody had checked out the gift shop and got what they wanted it was time to  leave and start our next journey to the 4 corners. 4 Corners was a bit of a let down compared to the other sights we had been seeing because it was just a circle divided into 4 pieces representing the 4 state corners which were Colorado,Utah,New Mexico, and Arizona. After everybody had gotten their picture Mr.Clevinger gave us 30 minutes to go check out all the different native american booths. 

After seeing all the booths it was time to head to our campsite which was a 5 hour drive so once we got there it was almost dark. After getting the bus hooked up Trendon and I went to go fish with the little daylight we had remaining while we waited to play Luke and Brennan in our cornhole tournament. Fishing was very unfortunate for us as it was a flowing creek and it got dark very fast so we come up with nothing but it was still fun just talking to each other about life goals and when we thought we had a fish on but it was the hook getting stuck on rocks because the creek was pulling towards the rocks. Once we were done with our cornhole games and fishing it was time to shower and get ready for bed. 

Day 11

Day 11 was super fun because it was some sightseeing but we did a lot more activities. The park we went and visited  was The garden of gods and it was beautiful to see. We started off going to the visitor center where they were serving breakfast and they had some of the best croissants. I ended up getting the double chocolate croissant and it was one of the best things I have ever had. Once we were done looking at the gift shop and everybody who got breakfast had  eaten it was time to go explore the trails. They had multiple trails we could have taken so Trendon,Gavin, and I asked Mr.Clevinger if we could go on a different trial and he gave us permission too.The trial we took turned out to be a hiking trail where you needed special gear but we were still able to hike a little bit until I freaked out when seeing a little snake due to my fears of them. After seeing the snake I decided for the three of us that it was time to head back to the bus because the other group should be getting back but it turned out that we beat them,which was unfortunate for us  because Alec,luke, and Mr.Clevinger were the only ones with keys so we were locked out until trendon climbed through the window to let us in. 

After waiting in the bus for 5 minutes I went to go look for the other group but lucky for me they were  within viewing distance of the bus. After seeing Garden of Gods  we were going to have a lot of time left so we came up with an alternative which was food then Top Golf and it was an awesome experience because it was my first time at top golf and I was with some of my best friends. After top golf we were all pretty hungry and we were close to a In-N-Out Burger which was also the first time trying that which was really cool to experience all of this one day. Once everybody had eaten their food it was time to go to our campsite and get the bus hooked up so we could have water for the night and fill up on our water. Once we were filled up it was pretty late so I ended up just showering then going to bed.

Day 12

Day 12 was not as exciting as  the other days  because it was going to be one of our longer days just because the sight we were seeing wasn’t going to be as cool as the others and we had to drive a long distance so we would be closer to home and not get back so late sunday. After we stopped at the Center Of America we got back up and all had a vote on stopping in Kansas City to get some barbeque because they were known for their barbeque burnt ends.After getting in kansas city Mr.Clevinger told us to look out  the window and pick a place we wanted as we were going through the town. We ended up  getting Slaps Barbeque which was the best choice we could have gone with. The food was amazing as they had great pricing,portioning, and flavor but it was also cool how you ordered because it was almost like a deli. I ended up getting their chicken which I hated but then I ended up getting their burnt ends which was amazing but then I combined the mac and cheese with them it was perfect. After everybody had finished their food it was time to head to the campsite. 

Our campsite was a 4 hour drive So we spent most of the time playing Video games and time flew by before we knew it we were at the campsite. This campsite was close to a baseball diamond complex so we all went to the baseball diamonds  and I worked on my throwdowns while everyone else was wanting to pitch the ball to me. After we were done with baseball we decided to have a big 4v4 football game with Anthony and Luke as the ref. The teams were Trenodn,Jayson,Brennan, and I VS Alex,Jace,Trace, and Gavin and we ended up  beating them 5-3. After the game was over we headed back to the bus to make some smores before working out then getting ready for bed. 

Day 13

Day13  was a sad and exciting day because it was our last day on the trip which really sucked because the trip was amazing to see,be on,and got to make memories with some of my best friends and will forever have that memory. It was also exciting because 13 days of just living with 8 other teenagers is terrible because we all have flaws and the little flaws can annoy somebody pretty easily so emotions would get high and all of them would not stop farting. We woke up pretty early because we had one last stop to make and that was to the see the arch in Saint Louis Missouri and we didn’t want to get back home late at night so Mr.Clevinger had the bus running at 4:30 am to  stay on track of getting home at 2 which we had planned about the previous night before. After arriving at the Arch I was shocked to see how tall and cool it was to see in the morning as the sun had barely risen and the water was flowing under the bridge.

After seeing the Arch one last time we set off for lunch one last time before  heading back to little Old Union City. We decided to eat at canes, which was so refreshing and nice because there wasn’t a canes out west and it was mostly burger places with exotic meat.As we got closer to canes our moods were lifted because we were so happy to be close to home because it was nice to not be on the road. I went with the usual box combo: add an extra chicken tender and replace the cole slaw with extra toast. We had to eat it on the road so we could make our deadline and as we were eating we talked about the trip ending and all the memories we made that were going to have for the rest of our lives. 

 We were in Winchester just like that and we were all ready to get home to our beds and back to our daily routines but we knew we were going to miss it in the end. Im thankful for Mr.Clevinger for giving me the opportunity to work on the project with them because i never tried in school and was just lazy and he looked past that and put his trust in me and made the whole project possible and without him we don’t get the bus and without the bus we would have not been able to go on this trip and get to have and cherish those memories forever so I will forever thank him for making this trip possible for me.