To quote Depeche Mode, I just can't get enough, of I-70. Having already once traveled this road from Utah to Washington D.C. (See roadtriptochange.blogspot.com/) I was not exactly thrilled to do it again. However, this time we were going to take our time and stay in hotels along the way. Moreover, we were going to drive it in the summer, which having seen it in summer and winter, I can say the scenery and weather are immeasureably more attractive in the summer than in the winter.
So here's a breakdown of the trip in a day-by-day report.
Sunday: My parents arrived Saturday night into Provo with my sister Nicole and all of her stuff. They stayed the night at my brother and sister in law's house (Ymount) and we left early on Sunday morning. We stopped briefly in Vernal to visit the family and then left for real. We drove through Colorado and into Kansas stopping to eat in Denver. Denver, by the way, had the worst traffic of any of the cities we drove though. This was also true during the Road Trip to Change. We stayed the night in Hays, Kansas.
Monday: We were up early and on the road headed for Indianapolis. Along the way we were planning on stopping in Independence, Misourri. We arrived in Independence in the afternoon to a visitor center that was totally empty. I can't imagine how boring life as a visitor center missionary must get during the off season. We also saw Liberty Jail, which was only a few miles north of Independence. Previous to our leaving, I had to talk the family out of a full day's detour to Nauvoo, Illinois. We prompty left Liberty and headed for Indiana. We didn't quite make it to Indianapolis and decided to stop instead 2 hours short in Terre Haute (pronounced Tera Hote despite what my father may say). There we stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast right off the freeway...Actually we stayed in a Day's Inn that wasn't on the best side of the tracks. We inferred this from the glass pane that stood between the customer and the hotel front desk. Nevertheless, it was the cheapest option.
Tuesday: We drove into Indianapolis and made a few stops to see the first apartment I lived in as a missionary. I also drove my parents to see the office building where the ward attended church and the new church that they built after I left the area. The Crossroads area is not the nicest part of Indy by any means, but driving through this time it was even worse than I remember it. I can't believe that I walked down some of these streets on several occasions at night as an elder. It was either the dumb ignorance of missionaries or the Holy Ghost protecting us (probably a combination of both). We kept driving and eventually made it to Washington D.C. It was great to know that the major driving was over and we would have a day to stretch our legs in D.C.
Overall, I can say that the trip was long, but nevertheless entertaining. There were many moments where I didn't think I could take another minute in the car with my dad or my mom, and I'm sure there were similar moments for each of my parents with similar feelings directed at me. Nevertheless, it was great to have so much time to spend with them since our relationship over the last several years has been one of short visits during Christmas and summer breaks. I can also say that the only way to drive across the country and not lose your sanity somewhere between Salina, Kasas and Effingham, Illinois is to have a good book on tape. We listened to Greg Mortenson's "Three Cups of Tea" the entire way there. It was a great book and probably saved us from suicide in a corn field on several occasions.
I'll post pictures of the trip as they are sent to me by my mother.
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