I am sitting here in our hotel room at the Rodeway Inn looking out over their little lake. I always request a 'room with a view' even though it is further to trek with all our stuff. Rick complains every time. You didn't get another room with a view of the lake did you? Tough luck, Rick, the walk will do you good after sitting in the car for 11 1/2 hours. Right? Anyway, it's peaceful and once in while the Canadian geese will parade their new goslings around. We haven't ordered our Domino's pizza yet, but are just chilling out since we arrived ahead of schedule with lots of down time tonight. I just hope Rick is alert enough not to place the order with Domino's in Kearney, NE instead of Grand Island. That happened once and the guy called us and told us he was outside our room, only he wasn't. He was at the Rodeway Inn in Kearney. Needless to say he did not come the 35 miles to Grand Island to deliver our pizza. I hope he enjoyed it, poor guy. (And if you remember that story, I apologize for repeating myself.) Tomorrow we make the final push to the cabin which will only be half of what we drove today. Can't wait.

Our drive so far has been pretty uneventful. I thought it was cool today as we approached the Illinois border and the fringes of Chicago and saw a pair of geese with their new babies right by the roadside (hopefully they stay off the road) and then a coyote crossing the overpass. The most traffic we've encountered was right over the border into Pennyslvania from New Jersey and good old Iowa. We've decided that our least favorite state to drive through is Iowa. It's just so congested with trucks and cars. Lex is a joy to be on the road with! More on that topic later I'm sure from Rick. 

It's interesting to watch the landscape change as we drive across this vast and varied country of ours. We've gone from densely wooded mountains in Pennsylvania to rolling farmlands in Ohio and Indiana, and on to the even flatter farmlands of Illinois with its beautiful old derelict barns. Iowa is hilly, and Nebraska is the greenest I believe I've ever seen it to be! So far the wind isn't even blowing us sideways! 

Lex holds less gas than Big Red so I am going to be sure I make Rick fill up in Sydney and not Pine Bluffs, WY. Running out of gas in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night was once too many times. Plus, we also had an accident and wrecked our brand new Tahoe and our 27-foot travel trailer there once upon a time. I am not a practicing Catholic anymore, but I always make the sign of cross as we pass through. I am not kidding! And, we had to pay for part of the guard rail on that stretch of I-80. The same guard rail that saved our lives. Go figure.

Anyway ... our pizza is ordered and I just finished my second glass of wine while writing this drivel that probably none of you will read.

Until you hear from me next ...

Sounds like a good trip so far! Thanks goodness you aren’t into too much traffic.  Been thinking of you guys the whole trip.

Did the dogs order their own pizza, or do they just prefer pizza bones?

Bigsis, it was a normal trip. After the first day it goes by fast. We get thin and crispy pizzas so there really are no bones for the dogs, but they do get the last two bites of each piece. We’re here at the cabin now!

You got billed for the guardrail?! That seems a little crazy!

Steve, yes, they made us pay for the guard rail and it was not cheap!