Probably out of denial about the reality of summer ending, we enjoyed the last days in Driggs and struggled to actually plan our trip east. Corb and I both had the strong sense that we'd like to take a route other than I-80, and we were tempted by both I-90 through South Dakota and I-94 through North Dakota. We planned on a 6-day journey which gave some flexibility and the chance to make the trip fun. We looked at a number of possibilities - baseball games, visits to friends, waterpark hotels, etc.
We always love the opportunity to stay in Lander and sent a message to the Campbells to see if that was a possibility. We knew they might be away, and decided that the alternate plan would be to head north on Hwy 32 and go through Montana. Miraculously, we were able to plan a fairly early morning departure on Tuesday 8/23 and were ready to head out the door at about 9am. At the last minute we got a call from Carol Campbell, who had just arrived home. Unable to pass up a chance to visit the Campbells in Lander, we agreed that was our best first stop and abandoned the Montana plan.
We took our time, stopping in Jackson to shop (for the first time this whole summer!). We found some great end-of-season deals and then enjoyed a drive through GT park. We had a wonderful evening at 700 Buena Vista in Lander. Carol had a steak dinner ready to welcome Bruce home from a fishing trip, and Maggie enjoyed helping them harvest veggies and dig potatoes from their garden. During dinner we spotted a great horned owl fly overhead and then perch nearby. This prompted Carol to get an "owl pellet" from the garage for an after-dinner science experiment. The kids loved digging through the (regurgitated) pellet and finding fascinating skeletal remains. Seriously, we never regret stopping in Lander!
Wednesday morning, after I snuck in a quick run and we enjoyed a wonderful pancake breakfast, we headed to Lusk, WY and then headed north with aspirations of getting to Mitchell, SD. That ended up being a very long day - 675 miles - but at the hotel that night the kids made great use of the indoor pool, open until midnight! Our morning stop at Cabelas in Mitchell was less than satisfying. Thursday we headed southeast with the plan to stop at Field of Dreams in Dyersville, IA and then to stay overnight in Dubuque, IA. We were able to do that, but we thought the field closed at 8pm, and when we arrived at 5:20pm and found out it closed at 6pm, we had to maximize our time there! All 3 kids got to bat, hit, and catch. Then we explored the corn fields! Overall, a success, but different from what we expected.
Thursday evening it was time to start to track and pay attention to Hurricane Irene. It started to become clear that we should either get to Andover by Saturday night or put off our arrival until Monday or Tuesday. Hesitant to give into the hype, we were skeptical ... but watching the news and listening to family and friends, we thought we best pay attention!
We had some ideas of go karts and waterparks with the planned remaining 3 days to reach our destination. But when we realized we could make a big push and get to Andover in 2 days, we changed our mindset.
Friday (today) we made it to just east of Cleveland, with plans of being in Andover by Saturday evening. This has made for a long day today and another tomorrow (600-ish miles). The kids are doing well with grocery store stops and hotels with pools. The real key to our success has been audiobooks on iTunes - Connor's listening to the Percy Jackson series; Brady listened to Huck Finn and is now on to the Percy Jackson series (not out of interest, but only because the first book is the required reading for incoming 6th graders - he read it in June and is welcoming the chance for a refresher!!); Maggie is listening to a combination of music and books on her CD player.
Honestly, I wish I could put off our return to Andover ... but weather must be respected. Barring anything unexpected, we will be there tomorrow evening. Corb and I have learned a lot from this trip and know that we wouldn't change any decisions with the information we had. Ironically, we are not as "road weary" as we've been in the past. The kids are old enough to be helpful and to be somewhat flexible about changing plans. We have enjoyed discussing ideas for future trips!!
We are all looking forward to the Trepanier family reunion at Purity Springs over Labor Day weekend. The chance to have all 12 grandchildren together at one time is one to be cherished! We cannot wait to see everyone!
I'll post now, with the promise of pictures to be added later (knowing full well that the delay could be a long one!).
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