Gone, Way Long Gone: Homeward Bound

Thursday, December 10

We left Noah and Susanna's house in Lafayette, CO at 1:10pm MT... the most dreary day we've seen in weeks. A cold front was approaching, and indeed, snow fell that evening! At 3:15pm, we stopped in eastern Colorado for gas, bathroom, snack break. It was 34 degrees. A bitterly cold wind was blowing. The car door nearly blew off its hinges as I exited the vehicle. We continued on under gray skies and into rain, cheered on by Sirius XM's Holiday Traditions channel.

At 4:05pmMT we crossed the Kansas state line. We wondered if we would make it across the state of Kansas before bedtime tonight. At 7:00pmCST we saw a road sign that informed us that Kansas City (located on the line between Kansas and Missouri) was 296 miles... i.e. 4 hours... away.

At 11:30pm, 30 minutes past KC, we stopped at Blue Springs, MO. We had made it across Kansas! Alas, not a very photogenic day.

Friday, December 11

At 9:30am we were on the road again. At 11:30am, we were 100 miles from St Louis. At 1:35pm the sun broke through the clouds... briefly. The landscape changed. We began to see more cedars and sycamores.

At 4:00pm we stopped at a rest area. The sun was setting. The smell was decidedly "agricultural."

30 minutes later it was 5:30pm EST. Still, such gray skies, but no rain since St Louis. Temps gradually increased as we progressed across the country. We caught up on all the news and political gossip, and entertained ourselves with random interviews and commentary found on Sirius XM radio.

At 11:00pm we stopped in Princeton, West Virginia, not far from the Virginia border.

Saturday, December 12

We hit the road at 9:50am. 15 minutes later we crossed the Virginia state line. Only 2 hours 45 minutes, 184 miles to home! We continued on under partly cloudy blue skies. Sunglasses required.

We arrived safely home at 12:45pm. 3,875 miles recorded on this trip

I already miss high speed internet service.

Photo Gallery

Good bye, front range

cattle feed lot, eastern Colorado

southern Illinois

sunset at (stinky) Indiana rest stop
... so much "fresh country air"

Charleston - West Virginia's capital city
gold-domed capital building under renovation
at confluence of Elk and Kanawha rivers
I almost missed this picture... beautiful lights over the river