What do you do when you own a car in one state, and one of your kids wants to buy your other car you are currently driving in another state? We decided we could combine a visit from our youngest with the car switcheroo. Bridge was planning to visit us in Chicagoland during July, and he jumped at the chance to drive one car to us, and return home with the other.
When it was looking like Bridger was going to have to make the trip solo, Chuck suggested I fly back to Utah to travel with him to Illinois. It has been more than three decades since my college days of driving 2,300 miles from Virginia to Utah, and this would only be 1,400 miles. I could do it! At least, I hoped I could.
Wednesday morning, Chuck and I had to be at O'Hare by five to make my 6:45 flight. I was so excited that I woke up at 1:50. My body can find all sorts of reasons not to sleep too long. I flew to SLC, and Bridger met me at the airport at 10:00. I was surprised to see his roadtrippasaurus on the dashboard of my Hyundai Sonata.
"You brought him!" I said. Bridger flashed me his big grin.
A couple summers ago, the two of us took an 18 hour road trip to Mendocino, California to visit some writer friends of mine, Tonia and Ros. During a stop in Ely on the loneliest highway in America, Highway 50, Bridger found this plastic dinosaur on the ground, and proclaimed him to be a ROADTRIPPASAURUS. I hadn't seen the little guy for awhile, and had all but forgotten about him.
Arriving early that day allowed us some time to get ready for our road trip; buying snacks, loading up Bridger's camping gear for his return trip, and also provided one more opportunity to spend some time with my girl. Sisi took off work early to be with us. We enjoyed the afternoon with Jared's girls, and while the little ladies were at gymnastics, the four adults enjoyed some Indian cuisine at Saffron Valley.
Thursday, I got up at 4 to have a cup of coffee, and a last-minute visit with Sierra. The noise I made in the kitchen when I dumped the ice into our little cooler woke one of the little girls, and she came downstairs with her blanky for cuddles before I left.
Just after five we were on the road. Bridger slept soundly until around 10:00, sometime after we crossed the Utah border into Colorado.
I only had R.T. for company, and sheepishly admit to taking photos of Bridger and him while driving through the eastern desert of Utah, where I could see sagebrush for miles and miles, but very few cars. Yes, I'm justifying.
Bridger and I have done a few road trips to Colorado to visit Sisi when she used to live there, and we were looking forward to our drive through the Rockies. The vineyards east of Grand Junction, Vail, Breckinridge...gorgeous vistas around every bend.
And then we continued beyond Denver, and the beauty lessened considerably. Where were the mountains?
Have you ever driven through Nebraska or Iowa? Well, if you have ever seen a cornfield, then you know what they look like, for miles and miles and miles. We knew we wouldn't miss much scenery if we drove all night, so we decided to keep going.
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| My copilot. |
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| RT and I were getting hungry for breakfast, and hoped B would wake soon. |
Bridger and I have done a few road trips to Colorado to visit Sisi when she used to live there, and we were looking forward to our drive through the Rockies. The vineyards east of Grand Junction, Vail, Breckinridge...gorgeous vistas around every bend.
And then we continued beyond Denver, and the beauty lessened considerably. Where were the mountains?
Have you ever driven through Nebraska or Iowa? Well, if you have ever seen a cornfield, then you know what they look like, for miles and miles and miles. We knew we wouldn't miss much scenery if we drove all night, so we decided to keep going.
Long story short, we decided to drive straight through. Yes, we started from SLC at 5:00 a.m., Thursday morning to Saint Charles, Illinois at 7:00 a.m., Friday morning.
Bridger is better at sleeping in the car than I am. (See picture above.) I only managed a 20 minute nap during our 25 hour road trip. To say we were tired when we pulled into the driveway would be a gross understatement. Even though I was hungry, sleep overtook me before I took the time to have breakfast, and slept for a good two hours.
Bridger is better at sleeping in the car than I am. (See picture above.) I only managed a 20 minute nap during our 25 hour road trip. To say we were tired when we pulled into the driveway would be a gross understatement. Even though I was hungry, sleep overtook me before I took the time to have breakfast, and slept for a good two hours.
R.T. will be heading home with Bridger in the Toyota Camry tomorrow. I look forward to updates about their adventures to Wyoming and finally to Utah. I love my roadtrippin' boy!
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| Bridger and his trusty traveling companion, RT |
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