Well, things move quickly. I leave Friday night to make the 2,800 mile journey to deliver my daughter and grandson to their new home. We planned on traveling through the northern part of Texas, but I am considering alternate routes now that the Governor has decided masks aren't necessary. Don't want yokels giving me crap if I stop for gas wearing a mask. Even better, I plan to hit a couple breweries while out there and will bring some stuff back for friends. My plane ticket home includes two free checked bags up to 70lbs each. That's like 120 16oz beers. My youngest wants to go for the ride with her 3yo nephew and 7-month pregnant sister in an economy car. When asked why, she says she doesn't want to be stuck home having to entertain her mother for a week. My wife has never been left alone more than a few hours her entire life. Between growing up in a large family, surrounding herself with friends in her twenties, then me and kids, she has always been in company. And she prefers it that way. It has been an adjustment for me. I only had one sibling, everyone in our house stayed away and did their own thing. I went out and did things alone a lot in my twenties. When I got married it was a shock to find that I could never really get time alone. Luckily I have had the kids as a buffer when I needed time to myself, but in a year that won't be an option any more. With Spring hurtling towards us the projects around the house are looking a bit more appealing. If we don't get any surprise snow storms this month I plan to start building a new fence around the whole property. It's not large, just under an acre, but expect it will take a couple months to complete. Years ago I put a fence around a small section of the yard one weekend, but used shortcuts. The fence lasted five years before it started to rot and lean. This time I want to do it right so that it lasts. Part of it where it runs along the neighbors driveway and entertainment space will be a privacy fence. The rest will be rails with hog-wire backing to keep the dogs contained. I've been dreaming of this fence ever since we first got dogs, so it will be nice to finally be able to let them loose in the yard. As a bonus it will help keep the deer from our bushes and gardens. And our large dog loves to hunt rabbits so that will help the gardens as well. Work is still talking of a June return, so my days at home are numbered. I am going to miss the extra time around the house in the summer, but it will also be good to see my coworkers again. And have time to listen to my audio books. And soon, mountain biking and kayaking. Glorious! What can I say? Life is good.
I don't know what part of the country you're traveling from or too... but if your "more northern route" takes you through Denver, I have a spare room in the basement that could host you and your family - and we could even keep things COVID safe (It has a separate entrance, etc). Let me know if you need a pit stop off I-70
Thanks for the offer. Our northern route would take us through Denver, but I picked the southern route to potentially avoid winter weather. We're traveling from New England to SoCal coast. I haven't been west in many years. When I was about 10 we moved from Seattle to New England. My mother, grandmother, my sister and I with our cat. My mother took us on a tour of the country, hitting as far south as Arizona and as far north as South Dakota, taking a lazy zig zag route across. Somewhere in Utah my grandmother was driving while my mother slept and started keeping time with the music tapping her foot on the accelerator. My mother woke up and flipped a gasket. Then in, I think, Iowa my grandmother demanded my mother pull over at a "rest area" so she could use the facilities. But it wasn't a rest area, it was a weigh station. My mother dutifully exited the highway and pulled up the the booth, smiled, then drove along after the staff waved at her in confusion. We still laugh about that. My daughter has only been west of the I-95 corridor once when we went to my grandmother's funeral in Ohio; she was about the age I was when we moved from Seattle. I am excited for her to see how vast the landscape is in the south west.
if you change your mind - the room's not going anywhere. And hey - we're almost out of the woods weather-wise. We'll get a few more storms for sure, but most won't last terribly long... and that I-70 drive between Denver and Vegas is unlike anything in the world.
My wife and I were discussing my planned route last night. She has a cousin in the Denver area that has been inviting us to visit for years. We're both torn on whether risking a snow storm is worth it. Being in such a small car we are limited on how much we can pack. I would rather not risk getting stuck in the middle of no where without proper winter weather gear. And selfishly, I would rather save suitcase space for beer on the return trip :) . Of course the conversation veered into a discussion about finally taking our honeymoon when our youngest graduates next year. Although she not a fan of sitting idle in car (and detests driving) for extended periods of time, we talked about taking a cross-country drive. We could stop to visit family in Ohio, Colorado, Arizona, Washington, and of course our daughter in California. I want to go to Glacier Nat'l Park, Yellow Stone, and Moab. She wants to stay in cabin with a view like the one in the Longmire tv show. We even talked about flying to Chicago and then getting a bedroom on the Empire Builder train to Seattle, but $3K+ is a bit rich. Renting an RV would be a bit more expensive but give us the freedom and flexibility to stop and do things along the way. I really should talk to a travel agent... But then that starts the conversation about using the money to go some place like Iceland or New Zealand. Rabbit holes everywhere!
You could maybe do 70 or 80 to Denver and then if the weather looks sketchy go south on 25 to Albuquerque or Las Cruces depending on whether 40 or 10 better meet your needs. I've driven I-80 to Denver, and it's stunning because eastern Colorado is flat, and then as you approach Denver the Rockies increasingly loom over everything. I've also driven I-70 to Denver, and driving the length of Kansas is just what you'd expect. I prefer Nebraska, though these drives were 10-12 years ago so who knows what's changed. Probably a lot more wind turbines in Iowa and Nebraska than the last time I passed through.