Day Three: Mountains, Vegas and Tired Puppy

Good morning from downtown Las Vegas, NV!

We decided to break our last travel day up into a couple days, so instead of driving straight through from Arizona to LA we stopped in Las Vegas. Part of this decision was because of Carter - he has been pretty stressed out the last two days in the car. He goes through spurts where he is panting and wanting to climb upfront to laying down and sleeping.

The trip from Sedona to Las Vegas was great, at least for me. H didn’t like the mountains all that much but I thought it was amazing, again. Spectacular views all-around and the chance to drive across the Hoover Dam. I would love to go back and spend the day there exploring and taking in all the exhibits.

We checked in to our hotel last night and hung out for a bit before heading downstairs for one of the worst meals on our journey. We thought about heading out on to the strip for dinner but decided against it because Carter was in the room and we were not sure how he was going to behave. After our meal, H dropped a quick $10 on video poker before we took off to get some drinks and snacks. We did swing back into the casino later last night. H went through here $20 quickly while I was up $20 at one point. I am so disappointed in myself though because I gave it all back within a matter of minutes.

To say Carter is a little skittish is an understatement. I don’t know if it is because he grew up on a farm or what but everything seems to freak him out. So you can imagine how messed up he was as we walked downtown Las Vegas with all the people and lights. Of course our hotel required us to walk under the monorail and he wasn’t a big fan of that. His feet were filthy when we got back in so we gave him a quick paw wipe down before he crashed. He does seem to enjoy the Heavnely Bed though as I am quite sure he has slept on every single part of it last night and this morning.

We are supposed to meet the gentleman we are renting from around five o’clock today. I’d love to get into downtown LA before the afternoon rush but I am not sure how that is going to work. We have a four hour trip ahead of us without traffic and right now only need to make one stop and that is to get an air-mattress to sleep on until our bed arrives.

Thanks again for all the comments, we certainly enjoy them!

Next stop - L.A.!

Day Three: We Have Questions

Good morning from beautiful Seonda, Arizona!

Our travels yesterday took us through the remainder of Texas, across New Mexico and into Arizona.

We originally were going to stay in Flagstaff but the $100 fee for Carter to sleep at the hotel was enough to drive us away. So we decided to stay in Sedona, which we didn’t know was smack dab in the middle of huge mountains. It amazing here and we are glad we stayed. Our night was spent at the nicest Best Western I have ever seen. Anyhow, every time you look around there are mountains, all cut out in different formations and very unique.

So our trip through the states I mentioned above has left us with some questions.

• Who owns the wild cows that seem to be roaming in the middle of nowhere along the side of the road?
• Why are all the houses, cars and stores abandoned along Interstate 40?
• What do people do that live in the middle of nowhere like that? Do they live off the land?
• How do they get their cows and horses back from all those acres?
• Why is there always one cow by himself?
• The wild animals we saw at the side of the road that resembled deer. Were they deer or some kind of wild hybrid animal?

There were probably more questions than that but we have time to ask later.

We are extending our trip somewhat, heading to Las Vegas today. If we went straight through to Los Angeles we are looking at a 9 hour ride and we have been through a couple of long days already. So we are staying just off the strip tonight and will take our time getting there today - a little more than four hours.

See you soon!

Day Two: Ummm, Pretty Boring Honestly

Good morning from Amarillo, TX!

We are just getting ready to head out for the day after spending another night at a Residence Inn. This location was not nearly as nice as the one in Joplin, MO but it still wasn’t bad.

Carter was much better yesterday in the car. He is required to wear a seatbelt in most states and you can imagine how he likes that. The first day of our trip we had to give him some Benadryl to calm him down - and yes we checked with the vet and apparently people do it all the time. Yesterday however, medication was not needed and he was a pretty good boy throughout the day.

We learned that my dad will be coming to visit in a few weeks and we are very excited about that.

Just a short word on rest stops in Oklahoma. They aren’t really rest stops. When I think of a rest stop I picture a place where you pull off to the road, perhaps surrounded by trees. There would be a building and some picnic tables, maybe even a vending machine. Not in Oklahoma. Apparently in Oklahoma a rest stop means the following: create a small path just to the side of the highway, literally a few feet; take some garbage cans and put them on an angle, supported by wood so people can put their garbage in there from the car; take a table and put a rusted out metal ‘roof’ on it. That is an Oklahoma rest stop.

Now Texas, they know how to do it up right. We didn’t stop in one since we haven’t been in the state long but they have buildings, big buildings for their rest areas. They looked amazing and provided some great views of the surrounding areas. Perhaps today we will take one in.

There really wasn’t too much of anything to see along the route yesterday. Today we will be making our way to Flagstaff, AZ. We toyed with the idea of making our way to the Grand Canyon but it just doesn’t fit in to our schedule well. I am going to try and make a quick stop in Winslow, AZ today though. You know …. “Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona …” from the Eagles song Take It Easy.

Thanks again for reading everyone!

Day 1: Tornado Sirens and Carter Costs a Lot

Good morning from beautiful Joplin, Missouri!

Well, day one of our trip to California is in the books. Yesterday we logged aprroximately 577 miles to begin our journey and had a pretty good day all-around.

We are staying at a nice hotel, the Residence Inn by Marriott. The only kicker is that Carter costs an extra $75 a night! He was a pretty good boy throughout the day, not fighting his new seatbelt that much so we figured he was worth it.

We got off to a slow start as some time was spent with H’s parents before they headed out for the day. We took our time packing up the car and deciding what we could in fact fit and what we couldn’t. In the end we left behind some water and lots of our towels which is probably going to be a pain once we get there but what can you do.

The trip through Illinois was rather uneventful to be honest. Interstate 55 is not going to take you through rolling hills and lush fields of trees. As a matter of fact it is flat, boring and there isn’t much going on. The GPS system paid dividends early when it took us around downtown St. Louis where there always seems to be a ton of traffic. I say always like I am a regular there but the 3-4 times I have been it was busy. Across the Mississippi and across the state of Missouri.

Our dinner stop was in and around Rolla. We ate Subway in the car and tried to convince Carter to eat but all he wanted to do was drink. We sat around and watched people run in and out of the Smokers Express - a little hut that sold cigarettes. All the locals rolled up in their junkers and literally ran into the store to get their fix.

Once back on the road H was at the wheel and I managed to fall asleep for 20 minutes or so. When I woke up the clouds were a little dark which was not a big deal since it rained almost the entire day. But H said the radio had reports of thunderstorms heading into the area so we were a little cautious. It was around this time that the NCAA tournament games were starting so I scanned the dial looking for some action. However, all we got was national weather service warnings - you know the loud annoying ‘test signal’ they have on tv and the radio that you never actually hear in an emergency? Yeah, well this was no test. The clouds got darker and lower but there were pockets of sunshine in certain directions. Then we listened a little closer to the reports. Apparently there were reports of tornados in Pulaski county. Where the hell is that? They kept announcing the counties that were effected and how to take shelter if you are in the path (all I can remember is cover your head). This went on for a solid ten miuntes or so until we passed a sign that said “Welcome to Pulaski county”. Uh oh. Then the reports said the tornados are headed straight down highway 44. I don’t have to tell you which highway we were on. Finally they announced that the area to be hardest hit was going to be between mile markers 140 and 167. This came on the radio when we passed marker 164 and the numbers were getting lower. Not knowing what to do (other than cover my head) we got off the interstate and stopped at the Road Ranger. Everyone and their uncle was getting off the road. Then the rain started. As we are being hearded into the store they announce that all the pumps are off. That can’t be a good sign right? We listened to weather reports and talked to a local couple that acted like this happened every day. They knew all about the tell-tale signs of a tornado and what to look for outside. After 40 miuntes of rain, hail and wind, reports came in that the twisters had passed just a few miles to the east of us.

Back on the road for another 3 hours and we finally arrived at the hotel. A little Ruby Tuesday before heading to bed and that was that.

Today we are taking our time since we are not going too far: Amarillo, TX.

Lessons learned on day one: Shelf clouds are a bad sign; the southern route that everyone suggested isn’t all that great; people love to smoke in Missouri.

We’re Going to California …. Tomorrow

Well I first want to apologize for the lack of news/posts but things have just been so crazy the last two days. Secondly, I am sorry for the long post you are about to read but I think it covers everything from the last two days or so.

• Monday: Much of the day was spent organizing what ’stuff’ I thought should stay in the car with us. Early in the evening both H and I went to Ditka’s with my former colleague. We had a great time and it is a real shame that I was not more aware of this great resteraunt earlier. We arrived home around 8 or so, after a stop at Dairy Queen, and did a little more organizing. H was in bed by ten but I was around until 2:30 a.m. or so taking apart the computer and things like that. (that is one of the reasons we have not posted - no computer at home, and H’s work computer was being swapped out).
• Tuesday: Movers arrive at 8 a.m. … Mover gone by 10:30 a.m. … It was quite strange to be honest. They came. They packed. They left. I can say that they did a great job putting our stuff together and packed anything in sight, including the rags I had made to clean the condo with. With the movers out the door it was time to prepare the condo as best I could. After two general cleanings which involved a vacuum and Swiffers I got to the baseboards, windows and window sills, the caulk in the bathroom and what seemed like a million other things. H was home by 6:00 or so and we packed up three-quarters of our stuff and headed to her parents. Spent most of the night talking with her family before heading to bed.
• Today: Back into the city by 9:30 a.m. and the touch-ups began. We did a little painting, something got spilled behind the washer/dryer and the unit had to be pulled out (solid hour there). We emptied the fridge, loaded the car with the rest of our stuff and said good-bye to our place. Stopped at a pet store to get Carter a seat-belt (more on that another day) and then into H’s work. Picked up her new laptop and saw a few people. Took our cable box back to Comcast and paid the remainder of our bill. Then we were on a hunt for a GPS unit and we got a great deal on the Navigon 7100 (more on this another day too!). Back out to the burbs, dinner and more conversation and now here we are.

Now that we have a laptop we will post from the road. Stay tuned for our journey to California.

Here we go!

Change in our Route?

So last week I am talking to our attorney (Mitch, what a great guy) about handling our condo sale when it happens. After a few minutes of him assuring me it is a piece of cake and nothing to worry about he begins to talk about driving out to California. Apparently Mitch went to school in New Mexico and made the trip from the Mid-West a number of times. He suggested taking the ’southern route’ this time of the year because of the unpredictable weather we could encounter through Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado and Utah.

At the family get-together yesterday a number of people also suggested this route. Needless to say it is now something I have to look into.

Stay tuned.