Epic Adv-enture
Blog- West Bound
Day 1
Friday July 10, 2015
Well, we got a late start. Nothing new on "Donahue Time" for this family.
Ran into hideous traffic and only did 513.7 miles in 9 hours and 53 minutes (with a 2 hour stop at a rest area overlooking gridlock).
When traffic finally cleared we made tracks and landed in Martinsburg WV for the night.
What we learned:
-Traffic in Connecticut sucks
-Playing "catch the bottle cap" can be an entertaining game
-The guts of Firefly's continue to glow for approximately 8 seconds after impacting the windshield
-Connor needs to be careful of dog poop at rest areas
Day 2
Friday July 11, 2015
Much better start today. A little rain in Virgina, but a beautiful ride overall. Got through Tennessee and 1/2 of Arkansas. Pretty uneventful day.
What we learned:
-Playing "catch the bottle cap" is still fun at rest stops
-Listening to the comedy channel can make the miles fiy by
-Tennessee has the best Bass Pro shops
-Sunsets are beautiful anywhere.
Day 3
Sunday July 12, 2015
We had a great day today and saw a lot of cool things. A short bus convoy in Arkansas (no kidding, really!). We caught up with them again in Texas outside a liquor store (again, I'm not kidding). They are delivering them from North Carolina to California. Shane got some drive time today in Oklahoma after some of the best coffee at the rest area. I still love the plains. New Mexico is stunning and for the second year in a row we chased amazing lightening storms across the plains. Overnight in Albequerque and tomorrow we head out to the Grand Canyon!
What we learned:
-You see the strangest things in Arkansas
-Shane drove for 150 miles today in Oklahoma and is a pretty good driver
-Texas has the best rest areas, with amazing buildings and views
-Watching storms across the plains of New Mexico never gets old
Day 4
Monday July 13, 2015
Left New Mexico and drove a nice short distance to the Grand Canyon!! We took today as a relaxing lazy day. There was a nice rest area in Arizona where we got to play on some rocks. And dispite the signs warning us, we did not see any poisonous snakes and insects that lived there (Thankfully!) Got to the GC and the boys went swimming in the pool, Shawn and I wandered around the town of Tusayan while the boys checked out the arcade. Then we all went to the South Rim to say "hello" to the canyon and do some grocery shopping at the Village Marketplace. Then we had a great Mexican dinner and I checked out the laundry room. Tomorrow is a full day hiking the South Rim.
What we learned:
-New Mexico is still a beautiful state
-Rest areas can be fun and picturesque
-Sometimes clouds look fake (sirrus and cumulous at the same time?! weird)
-The Canyon is still Grand
-Waiting for hotel dryers SUCKS!
Day 5 & 6
Tuesday July 14 and Wednesday July 15, 2015
Click Here to go to the Grand Canyon Page
Day 7
Thursday July 16, 2015
Another Travel day. We left the Grand Canyon and made the 9 hour trek over to Santa Barbara California to Stay with Shawn's Uncle Joe and Aunt Debbie. It was a beautiful drive through the desert in Arizona and Western California. Saw the Colorado River in all its green glory (not the muddy brown "post dam" silt that you see in the Canyon). Lots of yucca trees and cacti. Then we went to Galita Beach for a nice sunset walk.
Welcome to our travel blog page. Our big stops will have their own page but you can link to them from here. These are just the highlights of our big adventure circumnavigating this awesome country of ours!
Evening of Day 7 and Day 8
Thursday July 16 and Friday July 17th, 2015
Click Here to go to the Santa Barbara page
