In the Summer of 2007, one of my "always wanted to do" came true, and Matt and I drove across the country. I've always wanted to be able to go across the county, in a car, with the miles of road stretching in front and behind of me like a ribbon. Below is a small portion of our trip, with more portions hopefully coming.
A fully loaded back seat, all the essentials for a 3 week trip :)
Our first mountain pass, over the Cascades. I took the slightly longer route, the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway as Matt had never been over it before. Winding between mountain lakes, bending around mountains, then falling into the city of Bend, it is a great drive on a sunny summer day. In Bend we had lunch with my Uncle Bob, Aunt Momi, Cousin Gerad, and Momi's mother Fumiko. It was great to touch base with them before heading out on adventures untold. The day before, we had seen my father's side of the family at the coast at family reunion, so seeing a bit of my mother's family as well was a great way to head off.
A stop for those little things you don't really think much about before heading out at Target in Nampa, ID, where the history of my family in the area is deep, with most of my father's side of the family working the land there in generations previous. I think we ended up buying batteries, extra sunscreen, a new CD player (as mine was terrible) and even a gift for Matt's brother while we were there.
We got back on the road, the sun setting at our backs, as we continued our journey eastward. Around 10pm that night, I was done driving, as I had been at the wheel since we left Eugene, and we were now approaching the Idaho/Utah border. Matt and I switched places, and I climbed into the passenger seat, curling up under my favorite blanket, and catching a night of sleep. We were in a hurry, as we needed to be in South Carolina by Friday, as Matt's cousin was getting married that Saturday. We made the decision to only stop for food and walking around on the way out to Kentucky, where we would spend the night at my sister's place. I took the day side driving, Matt tackled the nighttime. Sunday turned into Monday as we crossed the Rocky Mountains. At the Wyoming/Nebraska border, after we ate breakfast, it was time to trade off again. I drove across Nebraska, stopping at Cabela's to pick up my my father a few items from one of his favorite vendors.
Granted I didn't expect to see an elephant inside!
I like how they appreciate the fact that, well, places are a little spread out in Nebraska...
And signs directing us to well, ourselves, Fairfax, and in case we wanted Oregon, Missouri... there we go!
More to share later!
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