As was briefly reported last night, we did in fact finally make it all the way to the west coast. Apart from the blurbs we posted on the main Team Soell page, we have been admittedly scant with the details from the trip, so let me fill in the details.
Day 1: Columbus, OH to Springfield MO
We got a bit of a late start right out of the gate, but we were on the road by around 5:30 eastern time. Since the sun had already set, this ten-hour leg was fairly unexciting. It also didn't help that the first three hours was the same trip to Indianapolis that January and I were both extremely familiar with. It felt very strange to continue on I-70 through Indy rather than jump on I-65 north toward Chicago, but we pressed on toward Springfield Missouri, our destination for this first leg.
I know it doesn't make sense logically, but I did not plan for the cold weather at all. I think, somehow, my brain had been convinced that I would step into the car and not come back out until we were in the mid-sixties weather. I was in for a painful shock when we stopped for gas in Illinois.
I snapped this one quickly as we rushed back into the car to escape the freezing winds. January thinks I may have a good career ahead of me in the field of surprise portraiture. Next up was St. Louis. I know it's a crappy picture, but it was such a cool skyline I wanted to get something to remember it, even if it was just taken with my iPhone.
Day 2: Springfield, MO to Albuquerque, NM
After five hours of sleep at a Motel 6 (nothing but the best for us) we piled back into the car to meet up with January's friend Katie Lee in Albuquerque. Although we had more daylight to see the terrain, there really wasn't a lot worth looking at. Oklahoma and Texas -- at least the stretch along I-44 -- both look about as desolate as you can imagine. Mile after mile of dirt, brown grass, and the occasional herd of cattle. Gus was intrigued by the tumbleweed and the strong winds, but for the most part he was content to spend his stretch breaks wandering around, sniffing trees, and squinting into the wind.
We got sidetracked for a few minutes in McLean Texas, which is the definition of ghost town. In our ten minutes in McLean, we didn't see a single person.
The drive wasn't a complete loss; The Texas sunset, as we were heading toward darkness and the New Mexico border, was beautiful.
We made it into Albuquerque later that evening and enjoyed the hospitality of January's friend Katie Lee. Homemade pizza, apple crisp, and a warm bed: Exactly what we needed.
Day 3: Albuquerque, NM to Venice, CA
We were extremely ready for this trip to be over, but I think none of us were more ready than Gus. He far surpassed our expectations for the ride out, but we could see the routine starting to wear on him. Most of yesterday for Gus was spent rolled up in a ball in the back seat, occasionally whimpering as we passed snow-covered mountains.
Since the sun had actually set before we crossed into New Mexico the night before, we hadn't had the chance to see the scenery. As we headed out of Albuquerque, we could see the road ahead for miles and miles.
January wasn't exagerating when she said that the desert seemed like an entirely different planet. Having spent most of my life in the midwest, it was strange to see land so vast and empty, but with such giant mountains rising out of it without warning.
What was almost as strange was the sudden change in weather as we crossed into Arizona. New Mexico was bright and sunny, with a few non-threating white clouds in the sky. Almost immediately as we entered Arizona we were hit with a minor snow storm. I say minor because I wasn't driving at the time; January may have another opinion on the situation. Things cleared up again as we got into a lower-altitude part of Arizona
and we were able to enjoy the mountains without dealing with the road
conditions.
While the scenery was amazing, I think it started to wear on us after a few hours. Three days is a lot of time to spend in a car, and we were ready to be at our final destination. We rolled into LA around 8:00pm and after an hour long drive through the city we were able to unload the car and settle down for a while.
So we're here and ready for our big LA adventure. So far it has been all about catching up on work and getting more than five hours of sleep, but we'll have some more updates as the month continues. First up: grocery shopping. I just don't think I can eat another fast food hamburger.