The Adventure Begins, uh, Began?

This is Anji. We were a little slow in getting our first post because we had a hard time figuring out Best Western's wireless access. So, here I am in a cheap Laramie, WY hotel with great access and attempting to catch up.

We left Saturday morning a little after eight. Emery said that it was "soccer weather" since it was cold and foggy. I just thought it was a typical northwest fall day... and yes, soccer is a part of that season in this family, huh?

We made it to a really smelly place called Jerome in Utah around 10pm that night. I'm serious, it stunk! When we were driving out in the morning we discovered a MASS amount of dairy cows up the road. The wind must have been just right because we couldn't open up the stuffy hotel room because the odor would fill the room! It was kinda funny (and reminiscent of Dee Creek Farm...for those in the know...).

So today, we made it mostly across WY and I am a little embarrassed to admit that we plugged in 10 hours of Tom & Jerry cartoons to "numb" the boys into silence since neither Kurt or myself got any rest to speak of Saturday night. Asa was up half a dozen times and Sam wound up sleeping on my chest and eventually between Kurt and I. And, yes, the DVD Drug did it's job. However, we were able to interact with them at scenic moments since the controls were at our fingertips. They would give us an enthusiastic, "That's cool!!", which I think was just a way to get back to the movie quicker.

We stopped and visited Fort Bridger today. It was interesting. Kurt says that boys love forts so we have to try to see the ones that we come across. All they really wanted was the candy sticks in the gift shop. They got to run FREEEEEEE  for a little while too which Kurt would calculate to determine how soon they would konk... he was wrong. Tom & Jerry proved our heros after that brief romp. They did enjoy the candy sticks though.

That's all from me. I'll let Kurt chime in and comment on my comments now...

Okay, Anji is dead-on except the part about the Best Western wireless - it stunk just like the cows down the road! I've traveled a bit and never, except in Jerome, UT, come across cruddy wireless service like that in a hotel claiming high-speed Internet. The Travelodge, while 100 years old or so, has decent and secure wireless, not to mention that it's located directly between a donut shop and a coffee shop. Huge score for breakfast on Monday!

We're exhausted and a little (okay, a lot) strung out emotionally, given the massive changes underway. We love everyone we just left. We're excited to move into a new house. We wish we didn't have a house payment! But then, who doesn't? Yes, it's all fun picking out houses and countertops and landscaping until that first payment is due, eh? And there's this whole other thing going on in the background about my job change. Oh, you hadn't heard? Yeah, we're not moving just for the fun of it.

So, back to the trip. The Honda Odyssey is most excellent, with a few very minor exceptions which are primarily centered around lack of iPod integration. Shame on Honda, shame, shame! Bad Honda, etc. Why should any 2007 vehicle not have an iPod dock or at least an auxiliary input?! C'mon...somebody out there ought to be coming alongside me in my geeky outrage! Other than that, eh, not too shabby of a car. Drives like it's on rails, even towing our little U-Haul trailer, has (almost) every amenity known to man, minus a bathroom (but more on that later). It's gooooood.

The drive has been beautiful and at some points almost shocking. There are places across Wyoming and Utah where the vista is so expansive your eyes cannot take it all in. As you crest hill after hill you see farther than you ever thought you could while earthbound. It is amazing. And here's the more amazing part: that's the world after the fall. I am simply spellbound by the idea that what we've seen in that past days is only a smidgen of the real thing. Wow. God's got something waiting for the redeemed that's going to blow our socks off!

We are planning a slower pace tomorrow, but will apply the following lessons to our journey and the journeys yet unplanned: 1. Never eat from the buffet at a truckstop (or, if you prefer, never eat at a truckstop), especially with four rather rummy children. 2. Never underestimate the cunning nature of a Dachshund left to her own devices in a car containing a food source, no matter how well hidden. 3. Always check out the hotel room prior to signing the agreement. Perhaps tomorrow I will tell the tales behind these and other lessons gathered in our short time on the road.

Goodnight friends,

Kurt