We boarded our Delta flight this morning with all of our set, props and costumes packed very neatly into 6 bags and boxes and flew to the final frontier.... Alaska! 

Our amazing stay was sponsored by the SpringHill Suites in Anchorage and was incredibly comfortable. We set our things down in the hotel and drove out to Beluga Point where we climbed on rocks and were amazed by the scenery. 

Our friend Bob came with us, and we took a drive out to Seward to see the scenery on the way and to have dinner at a lovely little place called the Highliner. We even saw a sea otter splashing around in the gulf! We got coloring sheets and colored at dinner, then drove back to the hotel for a sound sleep after a long day of adventure. 

Today was a full and INCREDIBLE day!

We started out at the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, which is the largest tulip festival in the USA by acerage of tulips, number of farms and days of blooms! We were SO lucky to be in Washington during this magical time! 

We walked around, saw thousands and thousands of tulips and daffodils, had some snacks and coffee, and since drones weren't allowed, Erinn had to get on Dan's shoulders to get the perfect shot. (Be sure to check out Dan Beckmann Photography for his incredible photography and the official Washington picture of the tour)!

After the festival, we loaded in at the historic Everett Theatre which had a rich history, as it opened in 1901, and has hosted many entertainers such as John Barrymore, Buster Brown and Nat King Cole!  

We loved our Everett audience which included the Jr. ROTC group, our good friend Laura, our friend Jolene (who did so much to help us in Everett, we couldn't have made this stop happen without her!), our dear friends Suzie and Norm from the American Duchess, Myra's high school friend Andrea, some very energetic kids, and SO many veterans from all generations, especially the Vietnam era. Bob also returned to us after being with us on much of the east coast and we loved seeing him and appreciated all of his help as usual! 

The Quilt of Valor was presented to Korean War Veteran Pete Hale by their amazing volunteers. We love the Quilts of Valor and everything they do for our veterans! 

Erinn's mom gave her a scratch off journal that we've been keeping quotes in, and we scratch off the state when we arrive. So many states are now crossed off! 

We made it to the beautiful Columbia River and hiked around an overlook. WOW what an incredible river. Erinn had been several times before traveling on UnCruise adventures with Letters From Home, but Dan had never seen it. It was an incredibly beautiful day and we were all in love with the fresh air. 

We checked into our Air B&B in Washington and drove by the Nintendo Headquarters, where Dan used to write to as a kid! 

The remainder of the evening was spent in our cozy Air B&B, doing yoga and playing Jackbox!

While some might only think of potatoes when they think of Idaho, this beautiful state hosts some of the most lovely scenery we've seen in the country to date! We arrived in Coeur d'Alene just in time for sunset. 

On the day of the show, we checked into the Kroc Center theatre, and after that had the privilege of meeting Bob Brock and his lovely wife, who are the owners of a semi truck called "Tank"! We got a tour of the truck and got to take some photos with Bob which was so special. 

The show was a blast, and Idaho sure does know how to bring the energy on a Wednesday night! We laughed, we cried, and we saw some familiar faces at the show as well, including our good friend Karen from the American Duchess and some American Duchess passengers! 

The quilting presentation with the Quilts of Valor was wonderful as usual, and the Quilt for Idaho was given to Roy Reel, who happened to be a part of our show in the jeep as well! His grandson, Vinnie was also onstage and so much fun. 

After load out, the team had some hot tub time in our beautiful hotel, the Comfort Inn and Suites. If anyone is looking for a lovely time in Idaho with a comfy bed and great service, we highly recommend this hotel! The GM of the hotel, Bronwyn, also came to the show and brought some of her family who served in the military. It was a special day, and we're grateful that Idaho has treated us so well.  

When you have a show on a Monday night, you're never sure how enthusiastic the audience is going to be. To our delight, from the moment the first note was sung, Billings definitely brought the energy! 

The audience was filled with veterans, friends we met on the American Duchess, and astronaut Frank Borman who is a retired Air Force colonel and flew with NASA on Apollo 8! 

The Quilt of Valor for Montana went to Sarah Holm, and she was wrapped by her two very proud sons! The staff at the Alberta Bair was incredible, and we would go back anytime. 

After the show, we walked to an awesome poker and karaoke lounge! We made new friends, everyone sang, we had a few drinks and played poker and slots. What an amazing way to end the day. Montana rocks. 

We arrived this weekend in the beautiful "Big Sky" of Montana!

We had lunch at the Big Sky Restaurant on the way into town, and once we got to Billings we walked to Stacked for dinner and ice cream. Then we all enjoyed our evening off watching the new Mario movie! 

The next morning was Easter, and the Easter Bunny made it's way to our hotel! Easter baskets, candy and an egg hunt awaited the team. Though Myra was the most aggressive, Jack was the winner of the most easter eggs (and it was his first egg hunt)!

We had a "family" Easter breakfast at Stellas, blew easter bubbles, and headed to outdoor adventures. Erinn and Dan went on an Easter Date to the mountains, and the team had an outdoor experience on the bluffs. 

Dan and Erinn drove west, and one moment were at Pictograph State Park looking at cave drawings in 78 degree weather, and the next were knee-deep in snow getting the perfect view of the mountains. Dan talked to wild Turkey (who would only respond to him)! We saw so many cows which makes sense as there are many more cows than people in Montana!

We walked past a road closure in the mountains and found "snow flies", wingless creatures who crawl through the snow! Dan flew his drone and we got an amazing few shots of the mountains (be sure to follow Dan Beckmann Photography for the official Montana shot)! On the way back into town, a deer came right up to our car to say hello and have a little snack mix from Erinn's hand!

A magical Easter weekend in Montana. Please come out to our show at the Alberta Bair Theatre tomorrow night at. 7:30pm, it's going to be a blast! 

We loaded in today at the historic Homestake Opera House in Lead, South Dakota! 

The show was a ton of fun! More of Jack's family was at the show. And SO many awesome Vietnam Veterans!  The Quilt of Valor for South Dakota was presented to Thomas Golden, who was a veteran of the US Navy and also the Executive Director of the Homestake Opera House! 

Also, in the audience was a 4-legged friend, who took to Dan at the step and repeat. He was a working doggie, and looked very handsome on the job. 

Overall, South Dakota exceeded our expectations! The opera house was amazing and the audience warm and supportive, the people were fun and friendly, and the scenery was more epic than any of us imagined. We can't wait to go back! 

After a morning of sleeping in and catching up on work, we headed into town to experience Deadwood!

In 1876, the Wild West town of Deadwood was born when prospectors came across a gulch full of dead trees and a creek full of gold. Historic Deadwood, SD is just as wild today as it was when legends like Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock roamed the streets. We even saw the historic site where Wild Bill was shot! Dan's parents joined us for a delicious lunch at Mustang Sally's. And, Myra got a new headband! 

We took a BEAUTIFUL drive out to Devil's Tower, passing tons of wildlife, including many mule deer, and an entire field of adorable screaming Prairie Dogs! Devil's Tower was the first national monument in the United States, founded by President Theodore Rosevelt in 1906. 

After sunset, we went to an awesome restaurant called Buffalo Jump steakhouse, where we all tried..... ROCKY MOUNTAIN OYSTERS! They were.... fine. But we're glad we tried them! Dinner was wonderful, and we even had some fancy drinks, including a Cadbury cream egg martini.

After dinner, we headed back to Deadwood for a poker and casino adventure. ​Tomorrow, we're at the Homestake Opera House at 7pm and hope that everyone comes out for a great show! 

This morning started out with road closures due to weather, but we found an alternate route, and headed towards South Dakota! The drive through Nebraska was GORGEOUS! We even drove through the world's largest hand planted forest, The Nebraska National Forest with over 90,000 acres of beautiful greenery. It was pretty epic. 

After the monument, we got some huckleberry gummy bears and ghost pepper cheese curds at the gift shop, then we went to an awesome little saloon (the only one open due to the season!) called the Silver Dollar Saloon for some great food served by an awesome new friend named John. It was the perfect end to a long but awesome day. We're happy to be in South Dakota! 

Because we had back-to-back shows, we drove after the show in Colorado to get to the Red Lion Hotel in Wyoming. There was a winter advisory warning and snow coming down inches at a time! But we made it to the Historic Atlas Theatre and met up with their wonderful staff. 

There were so many cancellations due to the snow, that we were concerned for a while we wouldn't have much of an audience! But we did have a small but mighty crowd show up and represent Wyoming, including a young family of musicians who were SO enthusiastic, and new friends who drove several hours to see the show, Vonda and Bob. 

The quilting presentation by the Quilts of Valor tonight was even more special as it was given to Edward Carlson- and presented by his amazing daughter, Cindi who also made the quilt!

The staff at the Atlas Theatre was awesome, and load out went quickly. Our team had A+ attitudes all day, especially after a long couple of weeks with back to back shows. It was an early night at the Red Lion hotel while more snow fell on the ground.