Road Trip Day 2 (5/21/09)

As Tom worked to reload the car and I packed up our belongings in the hotel room, I decided to step outside. The above picture is my first sight of the mountains. It was quite an “ah-ha” moment, realizing that the trip was really happening and many more first-sightings were to come. Once we were loaded up and had snuck out of the hotel with a couple of chocolate muffins, we discovered that responding “yes” to every question at a gas pump is a bad idea (and may result in paying for a unwanted car-wash). After Jeep was nice and clean we were headed up to Pike’s Peak only to get “him” muddy. The day had begun at 8:40am (MT).

Unfortunately there were snowy conditions, which Tom was sure Jeep could overcome, and we could only go up to the 16th of 19 miles on Pike’s Peak. At the end of our climb, it was starting to snow heavily and we realized just before getting out of Jeep that the temperature had gone from 67 degrees at the base to a chilly 33 degrees just shy of the peak.

Someday, we’ll get back there to complete the journey. As we made our way back down, we took some time to appreciate Crystal Lake Reservoir by making our first commitment as tourists to fuel the cash flow of the gift shop.

On the way to Independence Pass, where the Continental Divide is, we got out to stretch on the side of the road and took the opportunity to make our own Jeep advertisement. Just before the pass we found Twin Lakes and were impressed with the view. Since we didn’t have any pressing time constraints we took the opportunity to get out and stretch; after about 1000 miles in Jeep our legs needed to be used.

Then we headed to Independence Pass. Ignoring “Road Closed” signs along the way, just as we approached the beginning to the pass and were about to turn around, a nice fellow Missourian informed us that they were going to open the pass for the season at 2pm. Luckily, we arrived at 1:55pm, so we didn’t have to wait long. The roads through the pass were ever winding, increasingly narrow and, at times, were crumbling at the edges. As our ears continued to “pop” from the changes in the elevation, we became more daring in sticking the camera out the window of our moving vehicle to take in the view. On the way up we were following the Colorado River and hugging it’s every curve. Going through the pass, we encountered snow banks that were slowly melting away.

“Phew.” Finally, at 7pm (MT) we crossed the Utah state line. We were sad to see Colorado go, but knew that Utah would still provide much better scenery than could be said for Kansas. Driving for about half an hour, we stopped at the first rest area for a much needed pit stop and stretching of the legs. Fortunately for me (Tom) there were plenty of rocks to climb, much like a natural “big boy’s” play ground. The entire day, we had been driving in and out of rain, but it was well worth it when we looked to the south and saw not one but two rainbows. Unfortunately only one of them showed up in the pictures we took, and if you look close enough in the picture of Tom, you’ll see a rainbow close to the left edge of the picture.

We stretched for another half an hour and then began the trek to Kanab, UT, hoping to get there before the wee hours of the morning. As we drove off into the sunset, we began to feel the effects of being in a small confined space for long periods of time. Enjoying some classic snacks, Tom began to contemplate the amount of pain a Teddy Graham may or may not feel as eaten limb by limb. Furthermore, a pen sitting in the storage area in front of the passenger side was determined to be a lethal combination, when encountering a person in an abruptly stopping vehicle. Yes, we’re serious. Even though the chances of the pen piercing a vital organ, let alone human skin, Tom firmly insisted on moving it to a safer location.

As the day came to a close, we were able to enjoy the sunset over the red cliffs of Utah; a pleasant (and awakening) sight for tired eyes. Finally, at 1am (MT) we pulled off at a gas station with a trucker parking lot in Kanab, UT, and proceeded to convert Jeep from a luggage carrier to a somewhat uncomfortable bed. This ended Day 2. Day 3’s agenda was to include the Grand Canyon and Death Valley by sunset.

Road Trip Day 1 (5/20/09)

Yes, I know that this isn't being posted directly as the trip happens. It's more work than we realized and usually the last thing we want to do after a long day is update the blog. Also, the fact that we didn't have internet for the most part of the first half doesn't help. At any rate, here's the first post, others will follow. Eventually, the whole trip will be documented.


The twelve hour journey to Colorado Springs from Monett started at 10 am. The only thing we had to look forward to was crossing the end of Kansas. About an hour later, we crossed the Missouri-Kansas line, and decided to stop and take a picture…of the beginning.

By 2 pm we had reached Wichita where we only stopped long enough to eat lunch; we’ll be spending plenty of time here this summer. Unfortunately there’s not much to write about Kansas, unless you would find watching the wind farms & oil wells as you drive by the least bit entertaining. Luckily about halfway between Wichita & Hays, we found a slight bit of humor in the form of a simple street sign. Crawford Street was exit 92 and gave us a good chuckle. Derek Crawford, one of the TJ senior staff members is apparently important enough to have a street named after him in Kansas. If you don’t know Derek, well, he is almost always looking for some form of recognition. Well, Derek, we found it…in the middle of nowhere.

After we had laughed way too much about Crawford street, our next stop was in Hays. Entering Hays, we’re almost certain that we passed one of the tallest structures in Kansas; the water tower. Much like Wichita, we only stopped long enough to get gas and scrape a wide variety of six-legged creatures off of the windshield and grill of Jeep (note: “Jeep” is capitalized, because Tom refers to it or “him” as a pet).

Sometime after departing Hays, we encountered a suicidal Hawk who abruptly decided to stop munching on his fine road kill and fly into our path. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, we know. At 75 mph, however, this could have caused major damaged and resulted in Janelle having a heart attack. Luckily, at the last minute the hawk decided that death is a terminal choice and veered up and over Jeep. Yes, folks, that was the highlight of Kansas – a true once in a lifetime experience.

Finally, and to our greatest relief, at 7:21 Central, 6:21 Mountain time we crossed the Colorado State Line. As you can see in the picture below, we’re pretty darn excited to be out of Kansas. Plus, the Colorado sign looks pretty cool and the legal speed limit was 75 mph.

We stopped in Burlington, CO, briefly to grab a bite to eat, fill Jeep’s belly, and scrape off even more unwanted friends that we had picked up along the way. Tom might pick up window washing as a side job since he’s gotten so good at getting the windows squeaky clean.

As we continued into Colorado, the sun was setting and we were approaching a storm front. Thanks to the storms, Tom was not blinded by the sun and we were able to safely arrive in Colorado Springs at 11 pm (CT). We were both worn out by the drive and very thankful to be able to spend the night in a hotel, fully aware that we would not be so fortunate the next night…yes, night 2 would be spent sleeping in Jeep.