About Us





My name is Jill Fales and I'm a mom on a mission. A mission to ignite a spark in each of our four kids. A spark that will grow into a wildfire fueled by a passion for learning, fanned by a love of books, and inextinguishable for as long as their minds remain open. I will be honest though, some days my lofty mission is reduced to getting people to interact peacefully and brush their teeth. My husband Matt, will begin the journey with us but will be returning home after 12 days. He has to go home and do this little thing called earning a living. He will meet up again with us on the East Coast.

Meet our kids:


Hi, my name is Payton. I am in 8th grade and will be turning 14 in Idaho on September 6th. At home I play goalie in lacrosse which is my favorite sport. I am looking forward to seeing Mt. Rushmore.


Hi everyone! My name is Janey and I am eleven years old and going into fifth grade. I took fencing for about a year and a half and then started dance recently. I am enjoying dancing my soul out. I also love to do musical theater. I am looking forward to going river rafting in Oregon. I will enjoy meeting new people along this journey and growing closer to my siblings.


Hi Wassup? My name is Sally Fales. I have a dog named Scrubby. I’m going into 4th grade and I am nine years old. I love to do musical theater. I am looking forward to going to the library in Spencer, Iowa where Dewey the cat from the book “Dewey: The Library Cat” lived and really see where everything took place. I hope to meet the author Vicki Myron.



My name is Wyatt I am 6 years old I was born in 2005. I like to cook, read, and swim. I like animals. I have a guinea pig named Guinea. I am looking forward to the science parts of this trip. Like finding rocks and taking pictures of animal footprints and stuff. And I am afraid of heights.