The Drive: Day 2
So compared to yesterday, today was a bust. Kind of. Well, not technically. We covered 9 hours today, which was good. Yesterday we covered 11 hours, so averaged we covered 10 hours a day, which is technically what we were aiming for. We still have 5 hours to Denver, but after today and yesterday, that will feel like nothing, I’m sure.
Part of the reason that today felt like nothing, is that we’ve been in Missouri and Kansas all day long. Just 2 states compared with yesterday’s 6. Kansas is not my favorite state. It’s not completely flat, but there’s not a whole lot going on. At least Missouri has St. Louis and Kansas City. Kansas has Topeka. And a lot of billboards about not having abortions. Seriously. We did pass a windmill farm. (Side note: is that what they’re called?) It was quite stunning actually, to see these giant windmills, dozens of them as far as you could see. But that’s the only cool thing I’ve seen in the past 6 hours.
Jess and I have been listening to a book on tape (well, iPod, really) and that has really made this drive tolerable for me. Usually I’m a music kind of girl, but 10+ hours in a car would take it’s toll on anyone, even with a Lady Gaga CD. We’re listening to “Plain Truth” by Jodi Picoult. It’s about an Amish girl on trial for murder. It’s very good, and it has gotten me though the last 48 hours relatively unscathed. I’m actually looking forward to finishing it tomorrow. We stopped in WaKeeny, Kansas for the night. I’m praying that a tornado doesn’t come ripping through the Best Western as we sleep. (I’m terribly afraid of tornadoes.) Being here has made me thankful that I’m from South Carolina. At least we have the beach and Columbia, and all that kind of stuff. There’s seriously nothing in Kansas (no offense to the locals.) So we’re watching the True Blood finale, and hitting the hay. I can’t wait to get to Denver tomorrow, and get into my apartment! Even if my stuff isn’t going to arrive until the end of the week… -Addison
The Drive: Day 1
On day 1 of our drive to Denver, Jess and I covered lots of ground. We started off in Easley, SC, stopped by Asheville, NC for a cup of coffee with Mom, and then continued on until we got to St. Louis, MO for the night. Our journey took us through upstate South Carolina, western North Carolina, the length of Tennessee, a little corner of Kentucky and then a corner of Illinois before crossing the river and stopping in St. Louis.
We woke up early in Easely, and were treated to Bob’s famous eggs and toast. After finishing up some car business (I’m selling the Volvo) and saying goodbye to Bob (Ellie was in New York,) we packed up Izzie and hit the road. It’s a short 2 hours from Easley to Asheville, where we stopped at Starbucks and had some coffee with Mom. I had an iced caramel macchiato. Yum! When we left Asheville, we got on I-40, which was pretty much hellacious the entire time we were on it. The weather was bad, and in a couple of spots the right lane was closed, so traffic was a pain, too. Amazingly / luckily that was the worst traffic we’ve hit so far. (Knocking on wood.)
Jess and I had to fight off some serious temptation when we got to Nashville. We really wanted to stop early and play, but full of resolve, we headed on. Not much happened after Nashville. Kentucky was gorgeous, Illinois was brief, and by the time we got to St. Louis it was dark. We did get to see the arch, but we have no photographic proof of such evidence. All in all, yesterday was good. Traffic wasn’t bad at all, and it was smooth sailing.
We stayed at a dog-friendly Hampton Inn last night, which Izzie thoroughly enjoyed. Jess and I did, too. We managed to get though 6 states yesterday, which was amazing. We drove for a total of 11 hours, but were in and out of the car for over 13 hours. It was a long, long day, and we were glad to stop and get some sleep. We were hauling ass, and made pretty good time. All in all, day 1 was a success!
-Addison
