T minus 2 days:
Our plans for moving our mattress didn’t work out, and we had more stuff to move than we thought, so we ended up returning the U-Haul trailer and doing a last minute ReloCube with ABF. Though it was more expensive than the trailer, it had enough room for our things and makes the ride smoother (not having a heavy trailer in tow).
T minus 1 day:
Spent most of the day packing the ReloCube, and met up with some of our friends at Rock Bottom Brewery for a final drink before heading east. With our friends help, we got the last item (our mattress) into the cube before the 11:00 PM cutoff.
Day 1: Sunnyvale, CA to Barstow, CA
In a mad dash we finished cleaning the apartment and left town around noon. Peter and I took 101 to 46 and stopped in Bakersfield, where we met up with Graham and Jason for lunch/dinner at Moo Creamery. This place had the best burgers ever! Peter called into Free Talk Live (audio) to give an update on the caravan. Other than my purse strap literally breaking (I hope this is not foreshadowing!), day one was pretty low key and fun.
Day 2: Barstow, CA to Las Vegas, NV
We arrived in Las Vegas around noon, got the cat situated in the room, and did some sight seeing. In that one day we managed to go to Planet Hollywood’s Spice Market Buffet, drinks at SEVERAL of the places on the strip (including the Hard Rock Cafe and a strawberry daiquiri in a large container shaped like the Eiffel Tower at a dueling piano bar… yes, there are pictures), and massages at Aria. We managed to get a few hours of sleep before heading out… but even on Sunday night, Vegas is definitely a city that never sleeps.
Day 3: Las Vegas, NV to Albuquerque, NM
It was like 10+ hours of driving. Breakfast was at the Peppermill (primarily because Peter wanted me to see the loungy cheeziness). We got stopped at the Hoover Dam so they (the government’s employees) could make sure the coffee table strapped to the top of our car was not some sort of explosive. Lunch was just west of Flagstaff, AZ at Cruiser’s Café, a diner along Route 66, in Williams. It was really cool to see some of the towns along ‘Historic Route 66’. We were tired by the time we landed, however, the kitty is hanging in there like a trooper.
Day 4 (today): Albuquerque, NM to Oklahoma City, OK
A new fellow traveler, Brian, met up with us at the hotel and is now on the road with us. The Verizon MiFi seems to be consistently providing wireless internet service, so we are mostly connected again. We’re going to stop and see Tucumcari, NM (one of the route 66 towns that the Pixar movie “Cars” was loosely based on), and we’ll stop in Amarillo, TX at The Big Texan to watch people attempt to eat the free 72 oz. steak (it is free if you can eat it all in an hour… it’s like $75 if you can’t!).
Speaking of Texas, we just crossed the NM/TX border so I’ll wrap it up for now. Pictures and links will follow later this evening.