Cross Country Day 8

Start: Sidney, Nebraska
End: Rock Springs, Wyoming
Miles: 356

O...M...Gosh... Last night I was up at 2 am listening to the wind threaten to tear the building apart. This morning, we drove in that same wind. That same wind was also blowing freshly fallen snow across the roads, making it nearly impossible to see in spots. Thank goodness I wasn't driving! There were spots on the roads where the sand had mixed with the ice to the point you could not see the lines of demarcation on the road. Pure insanity. And it was COLD!!! It dropped to about 4 degrees, and was only 11 when we stopped to eat in Laramie, Wyoming. Laramie was the valley in between mountains. We passed through part of the Rockies on the way there, then through a few more patches of mountain (just small ones) afterwards. In Laramie, the sun was beautiful and shining. On either side through the mountains, it was like a blizzard. The blowing snow did stop long enough for me to get a few pics of the mountains (below). The weather started clearing nicely after the second set of mountains we passed through, and by the time we dropped from elevation 9000 to elevation 6000, the sky was a brilliant blue again. Wyoming is an absolutely beautiful and wild state. I saw a type of deer I have never seen before (called a prong deer) and a few wild horses. We arrived in Rock Springs and found a hotel for the night, then ordered pizza (which John bought while I gave the puppy a bath) and watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1. Tomorrow we advance to Salt Lake City. It's supposed to be a clear and beautiful day, so hopefully snow won't slow us down!

Driving in the mountains

Hey look! More mountains!

Caution: Blowing Snow

Our trip at one point (John was going so slow...)

Could any cross country trip be complete without windmills??

Cross Country Day 2

Day of Rest

This morning started earlier than I would have liked, but it worked out to our benefit. After getting ready to head out for our day exploring Gatlinburg, we discovered that our hotel room door didn't lock. That made us feel spectacular (not). We left before the maintenance guys arrived, but the door is working properly now (hooray!). We headed up the mountain into the Smoky Mountain National Park, where we drove around for an hour or two, stopping every once in a while for me to take pictures (some of which will hopefully be up tomorrow!). Afterwards, we went out to Sevierville (Dolly Parton's birthplace in case you ever wondered) and at a delicious meal at Zaxby's. Balian fell in love with the onion rings. He ate two of them! Then it was off to the Ripley's Aquarium! It was stunning and beautiful! There were penguins, underwater tunnels, and some fun things for kids to do! Balian hated the shark room, mainly because of the giant mechanical shark's head taking up most of it. The aquarium has been one of the highlights of our trip so far. We drove back to the hotel for a quick rest, then walked back out into the town, down one side of Gatlinburg to the Hard Rock Cafe (good food, good music, good time) then back up and into a sword store. If you know John, you know there's no going to a sword store without buying a sword, or in this case, two! I am now the proud owner of my very first sword (Hadhafang, Arwen's sword from Lord of the Rings) and John now owns Anduril. We're dorks, and I love it!

Tomorrow we're stopping in Jackson, Tennessee for a night before heading onto Springfield. We were thinking of heading out early, but somehow I doubt that will happen. :)

See you all in Jackson!!!

   

Cross Country Day 1

Starting point: Forest, VA
End point: Gatlinburg, TN
Total Miles: 305 miles


This morning started out with a bad stomachache for me and lots of cleaning. The movers didn't get done until late, so we left the cleaning for today. BIG mistake. SO MANY DUST BUNNIES!!! We cleaned and cleaned, and still wasn't able to get it perfect (thanks to Balian's "art" on the walls...). And then came the packing. We bought a 10 cubic foot car top carrier to help with the bulk. Even so, we barely have room in the car. Hooray for partial-dity moves... That and the backseat crammed with food from some of the most loving people in the world (you are all AWESOME!). We left Lynchburg around 5 after dropping off the keys to my townhouse (the people moving in were there waiting on the keys) and getting some gas. We stopped for some Taco Bell about halfway, which was awesome. I haven't had Taco Bell in ages. Balian did well on the trip. He slept some, then after dinner we put his new DVD player to use and let him watch Despicable Me. He started crying a little, so we turned it off thinking he would sleep. Nope. Just screamed louder. Needless to say, Despicable Me stayed on for the rest of the trip.

Now we are in our hotel in Gatlinburg, ready for some sleep and some relaxation.