Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Road Trip!

The following is a slight departure from art posting, which I hope to resume by the end of December!

The adventure has begun!  Having moved about 90% of the things I will ultimately be taking to Idaho already, I am now in the car with my two trusty companions, Rascal (dog) and Gertrude (cat).  And the car is packed to its limits - what can I say?  I have a lot of stuff, lol!

The map shows each of my seven overnight stays.... I have limited myself to about 6 hour driving stints, although of course the car time is a bit longer due to pit stops for all of us and filling the car.  Prior to leaving, I made reservations at each destination with pet-friendly motels directly off the Interstate to minimize lost time.  The pets are extremely well-behaved (even Gertrude, which surprised me! No howls at all - I hope I did not just jinx that!)  But even so, eight days in a car with all of us - well, you get it!  The total trip is about 3100 miles (or just shy of 4900 kilometers).  We hit 1200 miles today.


Here is the itinerary - I am writing this while in Columbia, Missouri.  Tomorrow is a very long day (7 hours driving, plus pit stops), but after that it gets to less than six hours daily, weather permitting.
And the weather is a big deal this time of year here, especially with all of these storms blowing in from the Pacific Northwest.  Much of the country really needs the water, so I don't mind.  Just hope to avoid icy conditions.

We did run into snow today, though luckily the storm was traveling east while we were moving west....


Due to a very bad accident involving two semi-tractor trailers, we came to a complete stop for two hours about 20 minutes after leaving Plainfield this morning.  Luckily we were warm and cosy, with a full tank of fuel, and good cell coverage so I could message my family and catch up on email, play a few games of solitaire, enjoy the really lovely snowfall (no kidding), and try to quell my anxiety about the delay.  We cleared out of the storm about an hour after finally getting back to actual travel....


Here is what the setup for the pets looks like:

Gertrude (cat) is 14, but still very lively, and only 7 pounds.... so she has a little mesh "house" on the passenger front seat, equipped with a special pet heating pad (never gets very warm) plugged into the light via an octopus lighter thing I got in Minnesota while driving back last summer.  My phone, the makeshift satellite radio, and her heating pad are all plugged into this device.  I have had her "house" with heating pad set up on my couch for a few months, so she is very used to it.
Her litter box is in the foot well, within a large garbage bag to contain the invariable litter spray.

You can just make her out through the mesh.... she does very well, although it is hard on her eating habits as she usually grazes throughout the day.  So I feed her first thing once we are ensconced in the motel, and leave the food out until we leave in the morning.

Rascal has the back seat, which is his usual domain, though a lot more crowded than generally is the case!  By the way, that is a piece of dried chicken jerky that he has yet to discover in the lower left :-)

The backity-back is full with a real dog bed for Rascal once we are in Idaho, clothes for the trip, some craft stuff that happened to fit (of course!), my wonderful Bernina sewing machine, food for them and me (I have a lot of "add hot water and enjoy" stuff just in case I am too tired or the weather is too crappy to go out for real food.  The top carrier on the car is various small Ikea things for the house, and backpacks, or other outdoor things I wanted to take that are lightweight.

So off we go tomorrow - day four of eight, but who is counting!  Looking forward to getting home, and will post more pictures over the coming weeks.... and I hope to catch up with all the wonderful blog posts from all of you, after I finish grading my online courses tomorrow!  Such fabulous makes I spy out there!!  Can't wait to see them in more detail!

Thanks so much for stopping by - and if you've time, please do leave a comment as I love hearing from you all!
xxx Lynn

9 comments:

  1. What an amazing journey Lynn and you have planned it all out so carefully. Your companions look complete home but I bet you will all be happier once you have arrived at your new home. Glad the snow wasn't too much of a problem and good luck with the rest of the journey. Take care.
    Hugs Brenda xxx

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  2. Wow, you are literally moving to other side of the country! Look like your travel companions are keeping you company for your long haul. Sending wishes for safe travels. Take lots of pics Lynne and have fun! hugs :)

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  3. Bless your weary heart! Lynn, I don't envy you at all but admire you so! You are so brave to travel with your furry friends in tow, amidst the snow nonetheless! Have mercy! So smart to map out your stopping points ahead and squeeze in so many useful things. I know you will be ever so thankful to reach the ID border! Just curious, are the animals good at playing road games?! Ha! I CANNOT wait to see pics when you get settled and especially to see the flurry of crafting that will come from your setup in your new home! Yippee! How fun it will be and with family to share your grand ideas! I wish you safe travels and renewed excitement daily! Big warm hugs, Autumn

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  4. What an extraordinary adventure, Lynn... I hope your stopping points en route have wifi so that you can pick up my belated wishes for a very bon voyage. I love the idea that your Gertrude's house has its own underfloor heating, and I'm sure Rascal was delighted when he finally spotted the chicken jerky. I hope you'll be safe from the storms and bad weather, and wish you a smooth rest-of-journey.
    Alison x

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  5. What an adventure you have been having Lynn - you sound extremely well organised! I hope the journey went well and you are settling in to your new home now. Enjoy the holiday season and thank you so much for your kind supportive comments - all the more appreciated knowing just how busy and how much you have going on in your life!
    Diana xx

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  6. Lynn, I hope that by now you are well and truly settled at your new location and that your marathon trip went well! I just wanted to thank you for your visit and wish you all the very best for the New Year, hope it is a happy and healthy one for you and yours! Hugs, Anne xx

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  7. Great to hear from you today - like Anne, I hope the journey is safely over and that you are warm and happy in your new place. Wishing you a wonderful 2017!
    Alison x

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  8. Lynn, I've been meaning to write for some time and hope your New Year is off to a good start. Wow, that was quite a road trip, I can't even imagine, especially with the fur babies! I look forward to reading about more of your adventures, or seeing new creations, when you're settled. Until then, hugs!!

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  9. Lynn, thank you so much for your kind comments regarding Brody...appreciate it so much. Safe travels to Nicaragua and enjoy! Looking forward to seeing your awesome creations - hugs!

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