Go West!

Monday, July 9, three people from the moving co. came to box everything up.  They were there most of the day, but got it all done.  It's amazing how fast professional movers can pack!
Tuesday, the driver showed up with the big semi to get all our things loaded.  He had a few guys with him, and they had the truck filled by 4:30 pm.  We vacuumed the house and made sure everything was neat and then took off immediately, with our goal being to get to Chicago area that night.

This was the scene in the car for the next several days-

We were prepared with some Benedryl for the cat if she got too anxious, but she actually did pretty well, and we never needed it!  Way to go, Gertie!

We spent the first night in Joliet, IL.  We left at 9:30 the next morning and crossed the Iowa border at noon.  We got to visit the Antique Archeology shop in Le Clair, IA.  If you've seen the show "American Pickers" you'll recognize it.

Wednesday night we stopped in Lincoln, NE around 6 pm.  We ate at a Mexican restaurant and swam in the hotel pool.  Gertie ate a little bit and had some milk.  She wouldn't eat or drink anything in the car.  

Here she is taking a little break from her carrier at a pit stop.  She's watching Jake and the boys go into the gas station.

Thursday we had breakfast at the hotel and checked out by 9:30 am.  We stopped at the Archway Monument in Nebraska and looked around a little.  The boys got to go through a maze.

We had Wendy's drive thru for lunch and later we stopped at this gas station. The sign is true! Gas was $3.79/gallon.

We made it to Rawlins, WY and spent the night at a Days Inn.  We had dinner at a Pizza Hut across the road.

There were some antelope (?) milling around the yard at the hotel.

Friday (the 13th!)  we left at 9 am.  Here are some pics of Wyoming...

There are loooooong stretches of space between towns in Wyoming!  We did stop at 11:00 at a place called Little America.  They have a gas station (guys clean your windshield while you fill up), a shop with 50 cent ice cream, and a playground.  We stopped and had leftovers and PBJ for lunch, along with some ice cream for the kids.  Gertie and I took a break in the car and she got a few smiles from people walking by.  People aren't so used to seeing cats traveling!  

Kids in the car

Friday we made it to Sandy!!!  Stopped by the school, the bank, got the keys to our townhouse, and then went to the Pastor's house for burgers.  The boys got to play x-box!  They loved it.  

Then, we had to check into a hotel for 3 more days because our moving truck wasn't arriving until Monday and we had no beds to sleep on!

  The Hyatt House is a really cool place.  Here are the boys in the pool....

Here's a picture of the mountain views