Contemplating a long drive? My family and I have driven all the way across America. Twice. For travel tips, click here.
Sorry about the delay in writing this post, the last couple of days have been quite busy.
We made it! We drove all the way across the United States in nine days. (We didn’t actually leave until day two.)
Our little side trips added about five-hundred extra miles, adding up to a total of 3,547 miles. We spent about 58 hours driving. And we still like each other!
Our last day of traveling was on Easter Sunday. We attended church in Boise, Idaho. The people were so friendly! I shook so many hands entering the chapel that I felt like I was in a receiving line at a wedding reception. I asked who the bride was, and the Bishop kindly volunteered. (All Bishops are male in the LDS church.)
It is not an uncommon occurrence in my church to see older men discreetly sleeping through the Sacrament service. My own father calls in alternately “resting his eyes” or “thinking”. However, in this particular ward I saw something new. An older gentlemen had brought a little pillow to add to his napping comfort. He placed it on the back of the pew in front of him and leaned forward, resting his head on it. What genius! Perhaps I could market little Sunday Pillows and sell them at Deseret Book.
When we returned to the car, I gave Abby a couple of Easter treats.
Aren’t I a thoughtful mother?
Not really. In my travel fatigue, I forgot that Abby’s OCD prohibits her from eating anything cute. So, she had an adorable cookie and white chocolate chick that looked delicious but she could not eat them. So she cried. I gave her a Twinkie from the cooler and told her she could keep them as Easter decorations. Next week, I’ll go shopping for a new therapist here in Oregon.
For our boredom buster today, I taught Abby how to pump her fist at truckers and get them to honk at us. In our exhaustion excitement for the last day of driving, we felt it to be way funnier than it really was. My stomach actually hurt from laughing and a (week of junk food.)
Which reminds me: One of my goals for this trip was to drive all the way across the US and not eat at McDonalds. We succeeded! We did have DQ, Carl’s Jr., Sonic, and once we got to Oregon, Burgerville, but not a single McDs! Quite an accomplishment, I think.
Oregon welcomed us back with rain, but I wasn’t surprised. Since then the weather has been dry and mild.
We arrived and went directly to our new house. The next day we woke and got ready, ate breakfast, and went directly to Target and Home Depot.
Yesterday we painted Abby’s room.
Today, the moving truck will come.
Tonight, we sleep under our new roof.
Tomorrow: unpacking.
Stay tuned.
I really enjoyed reading about your adventures across the country. It was great to see all of the pictures that you included of the sites! Good luck getting settled in your new home–enjoy the painting!
Awesome! Take pictures of your new place to keep us in the know.
Love the narrative of your whole trip…I am glad you’re all still on speaking terms.
My husband would like to purchase your “thinking” pillow.
Yay for arriving there safely! I loved reading your journey. Didn’t you have a bunch of naysayers? I’ve always talked of driving from Florida to California, and it seems that everyone I say that to thinks it is the strangest idea ever. But I’d do it like you did….visiting landmarks along the way.
Thanks for visiting my new blog and letting me know you found me. Moving is scary, even if only online.