Washington or Burst (Day 2)

See Day 1 here. 

Day 2 took us from Cheyenne, WY to Bozeman, MT.  This is the longest leg of our trip, but it's also very scenic.

Also, because I'm a nerd, it's time to review fuel mileage. 

We're averaging about 17 mpg, which isn't great, but it's not bad for a vehicle carrying nine people, a dog and all their luggage for a month at a steady 75 - 80 mph.  Still, Diesel's expensive, so that hurts. 

As usual, the day started with a hotel breakfast.  Schneegans travel tip #1: stay at a hotel that serves a complementary breakfast.  Meals for a family of nine are expensive.  

Heidi, our chow chow/golden retriever mutt, had a rough week.  She's very skittish and afraid of loud noises, like fireworks.  People started lighting fireworks in our neighborhood back in KS a week ago, so I think she actually enjoyed the car ride for a change.  Since yesterday was 4 July, she hid in the bathroom all night while fireworks went off outside the hotel.  Aimee and I didn't sleep well either, but that was because Jer-Bear kept us up as usual. 

Fortunately, we had good weather again for the beginning of the drive. 

It's hard to do justice to Wyoming's natural beauty with a cell phone. 

People who think the world is "overpopulated" or that "we've destroyed our environment" apparently haven't been to Wyoming or Montana.  They tend to be the kind of people who stick to big cities on the coast and don't get out much. 

Schneegans travel tip #2: when in Wyoming, don't pass up a chance to fuel up.  Our first time making this drive, we left Cheyenne with 3/4 of a tank.  A few hours later, after not seeing any signs of human habitation, I was getting worried.  Finally, I saw a gas station up ahead.  Not a tiny town.  Just a gas station.  All by itself, in the middle of nowhere.  The price they charged me per gallon was outrageous, but, what was I supposed to do?  If I kept going, I'd end up walking back to buy gas and a gas can.  Ever since then, I always top up in Cheyenne. 

The beautiful weather held until we got past Casper, WY.  Then it started raining intermittently.  Once we got past Billings, MT, it started to pour.  It's about 58 F out there right now.  We made pretty good time.  Schneegans travel tip #3: pack a cooler full of food for the road so you don't have to stop for lunch.  It saves money and time. 

Stay tuned for Day 3, which will cover the rest of Montana, northern Idaho and Eastern Washington.

Washington or Burst* (Day 1)

It's vacation time again, and that means traveling to see Gamma**, Gampa**, Abuelita and Abuelito in Washington.

This, ladies and gents, is why we bought a Sprinter van.  That's a month's worth of luggage for a family of nine and a dog.  What you can't see is that each kid has an overnight bag under his/her seat.  There's still room to spare!  

For comparison, let's look at a pic from our first family road trip five years ago from Germany to Croatia.  This is our beloved old Honda Odyssey loaded to the gills for a week-long trip. 

These are our seven kids sitting comfortably in the Sprinter with three seats to spare.

 And these are our five kids, five years younger and therefore much smaller, in the Odyssey.  

But why stop the comparisons there?  Here's your humble correspondent today...

... and five years ago. 

 Your lovely navigator, Aimee, today...

... and five years ago.

Day 1 of this misadventure took us from our home to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

We made pretty good time, considering that I forgot to sign out at my battalion until we were already on the road, which cost us an hour.  Oops.  At least the weather was beautiful.  

It was warm and sunny, but not too hot.  I think the highest temperature we saw was 93 F.  By the way, that isn't Kansas, it's eastern Colorado, or as I like to call it, Kasarado. 

Jer-Bear mostly had a good time, especially when we had music on (the kids mostly watch movies).  One of these days I'll catch him dancing!

 Sheba helps keep him happy.

That, ladies and gents, is a supermax prison.  Ironically, Aimee and I just finished watching Season 3 of "The Walking Dead".  Let's not pick up any hitch hikers here. 

Jer-Bear and Sheba get some much needed rest.

Why can't he sleep like this at home? 

 

 Both Kansas and Colorado produce lots of petroleum and natural gas, but they also make good use of the high velocity winds these flat landscapes facilitate.

Heading north towards Fort Collins, Eli couldn't hold it anymore. 

The poor kid hasn't learned how to aim yet. 

We finally arrived in Cheyenne, checked into the hotel and unloaded some of the luggage.  Aimee made lots of snacks and finger foods for the car - including one of my favorites, paleo muffins - so we didn't stop at all for lunch or dinner.  

After sitting in the car all day, the kids were anxious to swim.

No matter what else we do, this is always their favorite part of our travels. 

It's a great way to relax for us adults as well, especially when followed up with a good soak in the hot tub. 

Stay tuned for Day 2!

* Lest you think that was a typo, dear reader, watch this!

**That was also not a typo.  It's what our Ethiopian kids called their grandparents when they first started learning to speak English.