My Cross Country Experience

We left St. George on Friday, March 19th by 9:00. (This is excellent for both of us! Neither is known for getting on the road on time!)

After stopping to visit a couple of friends in Page and Flagstaff AZ we were finally really on the road. Our plan was to make it to Amarillo the first night. However, it was snowing and dark when we got to Albuquerque, so we decided to stay the night there. The next morning we got up early to get a good start. When we looked out the window we could see highway patrol cars blocking the on ramp to the freeway! The news reports all said that I-70 was closed because of a winter storm and would not be opened till noon at the earliest. We went to breakfast and had almost decided to stay there for another day, when the freeway opened. So we headed out planning on making it to Oklahoma City that night.

Just a couple of miles outside of Albuquerque the traffic was at a standstill. I've been in rush hour traffic before, but this was literally stopped on the freeway for what seemed like hours at a time. The fastest we were able to travel was 10 mph! So by the second night, we were just barely past Amarillo, which was where we wanted to be the fist night! We ended up staying in Clinton that night.

This was the view from Albuquerque to Amarillo Texas!



These are in Oklahoma. They have these huge crosses all over. And there are billboards telling you to repent and be saved everywhere. And notice, no mountians anywhere!

After consulting with EVERYONE Debbie knows, we headed North at Oklahoma City and drove through Kansas to avoid more storms and heavy traffic. However, we again were stuck in construction and moving about 10 mph! Every time I drove those first couple of days, we were at a standstill. I decided that maybe I was too prone to speeding so we were being forced to slow down!

Kansas has toll roads. We only had to pay one toll. You get a ticket when you get on a freeway and then pay the toll when you exit.

With fewer trucks on the road, we made it to St. Louis the next night, and finally made it to Weston's house on Monday night. What a long trip! We drove all the time - only stopping for gas and food which we even ate in the car. I was able to get either a magnet or a postcard everytime we stopped though.

I got this shot of the St. Louis arch because I took the wrong freeway and had to exit and turn around. It turned out ok. A little blurry because it's raining on my windshield, but not bad considering it was in the middle of the night.

We decided one of the reasons it took so long to get there was because we went to Brazil and London on the way!

It was so much fun staying there and getting to know Weston and Sariah's kids again. The younger ones didn't remember me, of course, but they did know their Grandma! And the new baby is so sweet. He already has everyone convinced that he can't be alone. He loves company, which is a good thing because I think he'll have plenty of that.

The baby

What a good big brother!

My Roommate

Don't believe that innocent face!

The Screamer! My sidekick

I fell in love with those kids all over again. Weston and Sariah have done a great job and have some special little ones.

Weston took us to a park that overlooks the Ohio River.

It was so green everywhere.

After spending a few days there, it was too soon time to head home. Again because of storm worries, we decided on a different route. We came home via I-80. This is a much faster road, for sure. Even if there isn't much to see, just miles and miles of flat nothing. We made it home in two days. Much better than the 4 it took to get there.

Leaving Ohio

The Mississippi (from the car window)

The view on the way home was pretty much the same as on the way there!

Nebraska? Ohio? They look about the same!

Wyoming and winter again

It was a trip that I will never forget. I'm so glad that Debbie needed someone to travel with. It was a great opportunity to reconnect with my big sister. We talked non stop for the whole 6 days of travel. Neither of us really slept when we weren't driving. There was too much to talk about!

I was very glad to finally get home and see my own family again. It felt like a year since I'd seen anyone! But on Sunday morning, after Debbie left for home, I felt lonely for my sister!

My pictures were all taken from the car window, so they are blurry. I wanted to get a sign welcoming me to each state, but there aren't very many of those, and we drove past them quickly!

Because of some concerns I have recently developed regarding the Internet, I'm not posting any names with these pictures. If you want to know who anyone is, email me.