From Kansas, through Missouri, Tennesee to Georgia

After one of the longest days of my life across Kansas we had a short day driving to Springfield, MO.  Bit of a rough morning being really tired from the prior 12 hour driving day.  We were going along smoothly until I talked to my Dad (who lives in Springfield) telling me we were taking the long route and we should cut across to a different road to save an hour.  Well we programmed Nancy (my GPS) and ended up on back roads with lots of dead critters, one lane bridges and endless fields of who knows what.  I'm sure it still took us that hour we were trying to save.  We finally got to Springfield, visited with my parents, had a great dinner at Ocean Zen, and managed to get my mom in bed after half of a martini.

My dad is dying and he knows it.  We said goodbye on Sunday morning probably for the last time.  Needless to say, it was a long emotional day.  Scariest thing ever - we're on a road in Tennessee and it was kind of back road, windey and rural.  I come around a curve to a huge levy bridge.  I am terrified of bridges.  And this one was really high and really narrow and there were semis coming straight toward me.  It was all I could do to keep a little composure and get over those bridges.  We crossed the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.  Erin learned something about Mom she never knew.  I HATE BRIDGES. 

After that incident I enjoyed the scenery.  There a rolling hills, beautiful southern homes and lots of beautiful fields. Erin & I took turns and drove to Murfreesboro, TN and couldn't wait to get out of the car.  Nancy, our GPS, got us safely around Nashville and we needed the help! We were both pretty hammered emotionally, tired and hungry.  We went to a local Italian place run by Sicilians - Sal's Pizza.  It was fantastic! At the end of a crappy, crappy day that place made our day.  The building wasn't special but the food was amazing.

So we get up for another crazy day of driving, this time to Valdosta, GA. I got us through Atlanta which was crazy.  A 20 lane freeway and going 75 is like standing still.  We managed not to get hit, or to hit anyone, and only got honked at once. The architecture in that city is beautiful.  I've only spent time in the lovely airport for layovers, but I would like to investigate that city some day.

Erin had her first experience with fire ants while walking the dogs at a rest stop. There was also a chopped up school bus being worked on that said, No Work, No Tacos, on  the mud flaps....okay....

Lucky for me that Erin was with me.  We changed over and I was out like a light.  I slept for 2.5 hours and we pulled into our luxurious Best Western for the night. Amazing how wonderful any hotel is when you want to stop driving.  The whole way through Kansas I thought "look, there's a perfectly good hotel" and we would drive by. We finally hit the South and some serious heat and humidity.  Our room would only go down to 75 degrees but we were too tired to change rooms. 

We decided to go out to eat and ended up at a Japanese restaurant.  I could have eaten BBQ every night but it's not Erin's favorite.  So the food was decent there, and we drove through a local ice cream place for a sundae.  The next stop was the gas station to fill the generator.  Have I mentioned that we are hauling UHaul with a freezer full of fish from Alaska?  Every night and every morning we start up the generator and run that sucker to keep the fish frozen. Move over Beverly Hillbillies.  Anyway, I'm filling it up and the nozzle slips and I gas down Erin's feet; ant bites and all.  I'm such a great Mom.

We get back to the room and Erin MUST shower after being doused with gasoline. We start watching the Cowboys game and the cable just turns off.  Emory must come and reset our TV so we hide the dogs in the bathroom as pets are allowed but there must be two under 40 pounds or one 50 pound dog.  Sophie's head weighs 50 pounds.  We got past that and finished the game and passed out.

Did I also mention that Sophie started "woofing" during the night at every little noise?????????

Maybe I'm Just Naive

So maybe I'm just naive, but I always think "this is okay, this isn't so bad"!   However...

Bill & I got up and took care of business taking care of the dogs and then getting the truck to Ford.  As we drove past the Ford dealership across the street from the hotel headed 9 miles away to another Ford dealership I learned something.  Call your hotel instead of using your GPS or IPhone for the local...whatever you're looking for.  They always know the area best and are always happy to help. There is your travel tip for the day!

The Fam had a fantastic breakfast at the Golden Skillet in Golden, CO.  I'm allergic to eggs and I was really intrieged by a tofu omelet. Most of you are probably ready to barf thinking about that.  But I haven't had an omelet in years.  It was fantastic!  It's not eggs but it was very tasty so I'll have to try to recreate it at home (of course with the tips I got from the chef)!  If you're a cinnamon roll lover this is the place for you. They have a 7ouncer hot and ready every morning!

We got the bad $3,000 new transmission news and made the decision that Bill must wait for the vehicle until tuesday and Erin & I would continue on the journey alone.  Well not really alone.  We have Sophie, Zeke, and the trailer with our 300 pounds of delicious Alaska fish inside.  So after emptying the Audi for the dogs (which those of you who REALLY know me realize this is sinister as they've never seen the inside of this vehicle until now) and reducing our clothing to one suitcase, we took off.  It was a 12 hour trip.  A 12 hour trip across the flat side of Colorado and Kansas, which didn't seem like it would ever end.

We discovered in all of the confusion we left the dog bowls in the hotel room.  Above you'll see Zeke drinking out of a Crown Royal box bottom.  (Thank you Barrie)  Erin improvised as the dogs were dying of thirst.  So then there was the hour long stop in Salina, KS for the Petco and food and fuel.  Erin, the dogs, and I thought Petco was the most accomodating and interesting thing we have seen in days.  Can you tell we had been in the car WAY TOO LONG???  So we left and then there were horrible rainstorms, rainbows, rainstorms, wind, rainstorms and then rainstorms.  We finally landed at the Comfort Inn. Thank goodness it wasn't raining.

After I checked in of course it started raining in sheets.  Our room smelled horrible and I'm sure my allergies will kick in and I'll be inhuman by 4 AM.  This place is a dump. But after two drinks (thanks again Barrie) I'm already feeling better about life. 

So tomorrow we're driving down to Springfield, MO to see my parents.  It's only a 3.5 hour drive which we can now do in a blink.  Hopefully I'll be able to see in order to do that!

We're Packed and On The Road

Well yesterday two guys showed up with a big truck at 9AM. They worked their fannies off until 8:30PM, we couldn't believe it.  The truck was stuffed full and we were all exhausted.  We had visits from friends wishing us well and bringing us Road Trip Booze (which I'm partaking in right now, Barrie).   Bill kept the piano from taking a dive off of the ramp which was a good thing.  So the truck is pulling out onto our road and of course it isn't a normal road!  They cut it too tight (probably so they wouldn't fall into the ditch) and hit the side of the truck on the telephone pole and actually get the truck stuck!  At that time Bill & I were standing, watching the angle of the truck thinking "it's not going to make it".  We were standing with car doors open ready to go to Joe & Robyn's who had patiently been waiting to have dinner with us.  I had visions of other HUGE tow trucks, cranes, all kinds of stuff to "unstick" the moving truck.  Somehow, the got it backed up - scraped it a couple more times and got on down the road.  I could have cried I was so happy. 

We had a great meal with great friends, drank all of their wine, and had Erin drive us home.  Unfortunately it was 1AM and we had to get up at 6, yikes. 

We managed to get up and with some serious pushing from Bill, all of our crap ended up in our two vehicles, dogs and all, and we were on the road.  I thought I would have a gut wrenching horrible departure from my home.  I guess I have processed all of those feelings because I left with a very happy heart, thanked the house for the good times, and locked the door.

I haven't traveled with dogs since our youth when our parents showed Bullmastiffs and we, of course, came along and thought all families did this.  Sophie our Rottie and Zeke our Border Collie mix are having a grand time.  Rest stops are the bomb and they couldn't be happier.  They are spending their first night in a hotel room and are being very polite.  I was worried that they would bark all night but they seem to be happy as long as no one knocks on doors.

We drove through Wyoming today, yawn, and it was the norm.  Windy, boring, flat.  Of course there are beautiful clouds in Wyoming all of the time.  Erin & I enjoyed that view.  We almost died when a semi didn't see us and pulled into us - luckily that youngin' has quick reflexes!

Of course this wouldn't be a road trip of any magnitude if we didn't have some kind of car trouble, right?  Erin is driving the Sports Trac and when she was accelerating the engine would start racing and we couldn't accelerate at all.  So we switched vehicles with Bill.  We managed to make it to Golden, CO and have an early appointment with Ford.  Holy crap, let's hope it's fast and cheap but what are the odds of that?

So we got to go to dinner with Alex & Erin at Bono's Italian Restaurant which is always fantastic.  Bill & are are convinced that the best Italian restaurants are in strip centers.  Very friendly people with great food and the owner is from Sicily and was a second cousin of Sonny.

Erin is spending the night at the dorm with Alex (Colorado School of Mines) and Bill is already snoozing.

On to Kansas City tomorrow.  If you think Wyoming is bad you've never driven across Kansas.  Our stop to Alex's school saved us from Nebraska! So wish us luck tomorrow with the truck and I'll let you know what happens next~

2 Days Until We Launch

In two days the Montgomery family is leaving Utah after 16 years.  It has been 16 years of snow, beautiful sunsets, skiing, great friends, Saturday's Voyeur, and raising my twin girls.  We moved into a home that needed LOTS of work and remodeled it twice.  We all became good skiers and Erin became a great skier.  I became a professional party giver. Alex went through countless obessions with making balloon animals, extravagant cakes, making videos...just to name a few and left a trail behind her all the way. Bill just hung on and survived it all.

While I can't (and wouldn't do that to you) we have a million memories here. I know I'm going to cry my eyes out Thursday morning as I say goodbye to the orchard where the girls had their little picnics, the barn the horses would never enter, the fireplace that was cozy every winter day and night, my family room that Robyn pirouetted with a tray of cheesecake (that didn't make it), my beautiful kitchen where I spent 90% of my time, and my fabulous front porch with the best view of Snowbasin in the valley. 

I also can't imagine how I'm going to survive without Robyn and Joe, our best friends.  While we've been blessed with many great friends and acquantances, they're family is part of ours.  We've done everything together and I know my life would never have been as fun, full of laughs, and interesting without them. 

While I know I make this sound very sad, I'm also very excited for our new adventure.  I decided to publish our trip from Utah to Florida for a couple of reasons.  First so that our friends can we what happens to us.  We're a lot of things, but we're not boring.  Things happen to us that no one would believe.  I call Robyn and tell her things...she's just happy she's not me most of the time because I live in Bazaro Land.    The second reason is because I am traveling across the United States.  Time to see some new places and meet new people!

The 50 Most Inspirational Travel Quotes

Why do these quotes matter? Because they capture the essence of what makes travel exciting, why it is worthwhile, and how we are changed when we journey beyond the usual paths of our lives.

Are they really the most inspirational quotes? Give us yours to add to the list!

Found at Brave New Traveler

1. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” - Mark Twain

2. “The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” - St. Augustine

3. “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

4. “The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are.” - Samuel Johnson

5. “All the pathos and irony of leaving one’s youth behind is thus implicit in every joyous moment of travel: one knows that the first joy can never be recovered, and the wise traveler learns not to repeat successes but tries new places all the time.” - Paul Fussell

6. “Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.” - Jack Kerouac

7. “He who does not travel does not know the value of men.” - Moorish proverb

8. “People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.” - Dagobert D. Runes

9. “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.” - John Steinbeck

10. “No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” - Lin Yutang

11. “Your true traveler finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty-his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure.” - Aldous Huxley

12. “All travel has its advantages. If the passenger visits better countries, he may learn to improve his own. And if fortune carries him to worse, he may learn to enjoy it.” - Samuel Johnson

13. “For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

14. “Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” - Cesare Pavese

15. “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” - Henry Miller

16. ″A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” - Moslih Eddin Saadi

17. “When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego and when we escape like the squirrels in the cage of our personality and get into the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don’t know ourselves. Cool, unlying life will rush in.” - D. H. Lawrence

18. “To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.” - Freya Stark

19. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

20. “Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” - Miriam Beard

Na Pali Coast21. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.” - Martin Buber

22. “We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.” - Jawaharial Nehru

23. “Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.” - Paul Theroux

24. “To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted.” - Bill Bryson

25. “Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

26. “Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by.” - Robert Frost

27. “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” - Lao Tzu

28. “There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.” - Charles Dudley Warner

29. “A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.” - Lao Tzu

30. “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay at home.” - James Michener

31. “The journey not the arrival matters.” - T. S. Eliot

32. “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” - Tim Cahill

33. “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” - Mark Twain

34. “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quiestest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” - Pat Conroy

35. “Not all those who wander are lost.” - J. R. R. Tolkien

36. “Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.” - Benjamin Disraeli

37. “Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.” - Maya Angelou

38. “Too often travel, instead of broadening the mind, merely lengthens the conversation.” - Elizabeth Drew

39. “Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe” - Anatole France

40. “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” - Seneca

41. “What you’ve done becomes the judge of what you’re going to do - especially in other people’s minds. When you’re traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don’t have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.” - William Least Heat Moon

42. “I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” - Lillian Smith

43. “To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” - Aldous Huxley

44. “Travel does what good novelists also do to the life of everyday, placing it like a picture in a frame or a gem in its setting, so that the intrinsic qualities are made more clear. Travel does this with the very stuff that everyday life is made of, giving to it the sharp contour and meaning of art.” - Freya Stark

45. “The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.” - Rudyard Kipling

46. “Travel is glamorous only in retrospect.” - Paul Theroux

47. “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” - G. K. Chesterton

48. “When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.” - Clifton Fadiman

49. “A wise traveler never despises his own country.” - Carlo Goldoni

50. “Adventure is a path. Real adventure - self-determined, self-motivated, often risky - forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind - and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” - Mark Jenkins