To Drive Across the Country with 4 kids in 4 days.

 I seriously thought it would be the end of us.  As glorious as putting a few(as much as we could smash) belongings and our 4 kids in 2 cars and then setting out on a 2800 mile road trip sounded I had my concerns it would lead to disaster.  But it started out on a good note.  We got to spend a few precious days in Mt. Shasta, Redding, and Palo Alto.  It was not enough time but we enjoyed seeing our friends and family.  Then off we went.  We left Mt. Shasta at some crazy hour...like 5 I think but we got up so early I forgot.  Fortunately we were still very jet lagged and that for once was on our side.

My view the whole trip

 We left heading for Provo Utah where Todd's brother Chad and his family live.  The kids were excited to see their cousins and we were happy to visit them as well.  I went to College in Utah and thus was regrettably familiar with the drive across Nevada...there is a reason they store our nuclear waste there.
It was rather uneventful.  Todd had the boys in his car and I have no idea what went on in that car.  The girls and I followed Todd.  Mainly because he drives SUPER slow.  Ever sense he did Trauma rotations in Residency he drives like a grandma.  Which normally I am grateful for but I kept doing math in my head that went something like this, 10mph x 10hr of driving is 100 MILES PER DAY.  I then started sending text messages with my arithmetic which were not well received.  So I finally just resigned that following and not looking at the speedometer would be a much better way to spend the 10hrs of driving each day.  At one point we stopped in some Nevada town got lunch and gas.  Then as we loaded the cars I looked up and saw that Todd was gone.  I could not see his car anywhere.  I then assumed he had just gotten on the freeway.  So on the freeway I got.  But then I didn't see his car anywhere.  So I try to call but my cell phone has no signal.  I would continue to have no signal for 2 hours.  I just assumed he was somewhere and kept driving.  Eventually I got to Winnemucca.  If you know where this is I am sorry.  It's a large enough town that I absolutely should have a cell signal.  But it takes me restarting my phone to get one.  Finally I learn Todd and the boys are right near where I am.  I was relieved as it was unnerving not knowing what happened to them.  It turned out that he had gone to get a drink at a gas station when I assumed he got on the freeway.  It also turned out that I had turned off the 3G on my phone when we were in Europe and failed to realize that until after a month of being home and hating my phone and AT&T.

 We made it to Provo and found the much anticipated cousins.  Thomas and Elizabeth.  We were so excited to see them.  The kids had a blast playing with all their toys, wearing Elizabeth's clothes, and scootering in the front yard.  Allison made super amazing enchiladas for dinner and we as always crashed.  The next day we ventured out to Provo Canyon for a hike to Bridalveil Falls.  We used to run up there a lot so it was kind of fun to go back a whole decade later.  It was hot but the kids splashed in the water and we had a little picnic.  We went out to dinner at a very fun Brazilian restaurant.  We had actually been there years before and I learned that it was actually Allison and Chads first date.  I didn't realize that was their first date so it was kind of cool to go back again years later now that they are married with 2 kids.  After dinner we went to some kid play place.  The kids had a great time and we enjoyed making fun of people doing Karaoke.

Someone is always making a strange face

I have no idea what this is but it's huge and in Nebraska. 

Onward.  So we got up, early again, and headed East.  We drove through the rest of Utah and into Wyoming.  It looks much like you'd think Wyoming looks.  We stopped at a Taco bell in Laramie Wyoming for lunch.  We then made it to Nebraska.  NPR was having a story about the drought and the lack of corn in the Midwest.  Which was funny because as we drove through Nebraska we were completely surrounded by corn and thunderstorms...just seemed ironic.  Finally we made it to Kearney Nebraska, our designated stop.  Relief does not begin to describe the feeling when we got off the freeway.  Then came the sad reality.  There was not a single hotel room in Kearney(Carnie).  The county fair was going on.  So we had to drive about 30 miles up the road to a hotel that had rooms.  We were beat but the hotel had a pool so the kids got a nice break.

 The car eats tires.  The Audi is an awesome car.  We really cannot complain as it had been a great car, but it eats tires, expensive tires at that.  So in the morning when we went out to the car Todd noticed that one tire was completely bare...great.  So there are no tire store wherever we are plus it was like 5am.  So we decided to go to Lincoln which was not too far up the road.  We found a tire store and had our only real issue of the trip resolved in about an hour which other than having to fork over someones college tuition for a tire it was rather painless.

Playing ball waiting for tire to get fixed

Just seemed funny in the middle of Missouri, there was also a California but I could not get the camera in time. 

 Then we went through Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky....I could comment on these but I cannot remember which was which.  But I do remember Missouri.  It was stormy and it just felt like the air was charged.  We were going to some small town off the highway where we had reserved a room.  I was driving along thinking it totally looked like I should see a tornado on the horizon and so I googled the town we were staying in.  And guess what?  A tornado had hit the town 3 months before.  Great.  We got an amazing sun set, some food, a semi decent hotel room(actually it was horrible but why complain) and there was no tornado.
We got up the next day and decided no matter what we were going to make it the whole way to Virginia that day.

Kentucky was beautiful.  It looks just like you think.  Green rolling hills, white fences, and horses.   The kids and I enjoyed singing, coloring, taking about stuff, and calling everyone in my cell phone contacts list.

 West Virginia...aka the other side of the mountain.

Ok so if the previous picture also had a large dirty man in coveralls standing outside a Wendy's you could get a pretty good idea of what West Virginia was like for me.  We were only brave enough to stop for gas...once.  I was just minding my business getting gas when the aforementioned dude in coveralls said to me "Wow, that's a big one."  Slightly confused I guess I gave him an odd look and he pointed to this (not exaggerating) 4-5" long bug on a post I was leaning on.  After a moment of shock and then horror when it moved it's head and it's pincher's when I leaped away.  I vowed never to return to West Virginia.

Please stop crying we are almost there.

I kept saying that to myself.  Finally, finally we made it to Virginia.  I was so glad to be there.  It took a few more hours of driving but we finally made it to our home.  I was especially relieved we had bought furniture from the people moving out because at least Todd and I had a real bed.  The kids were happy to form a large pile on the floor.  It was a fun and memorable trip.  One we don't need to make again.