Day 4

Day 4 – Thursday – July 21, 2011

0550 Darby wakes me up. I decide to go ahead and take him out so there are no accidents. Unfortunately the alarm was on and I set it off when I open the door. Oops!
I work on updating my blog while I wait for others to get up. I know they were awake but hopefully they went back to sleep.

0645 Shower time.

Fritz is up and makes coffee and pancakes.

0730 Ryan surprises me by being the first one up.

0800 Ryan wakes up Bella and Felisa.

0849 Car is loaded and we are back on the road. Sadly another short visit but I didn’t want to plan to stay too long with anyone along the way since I wasn’t sure how the dog would behave. Next year we can stay longer.

0931 The car thermometer says it is 91 degrees! Already?!

0932 Detour around an accident on I-55N.

0943 Mississippi River and Arkansas

1010 Darby is stretched out on his side and actually Sleeping! Finally!

1045 Sonic. They have fried pickles on the menu but no one is interested in trying them. Then off to the gas station to fill up. $3.52/gallon. I check the map again to decide which way we should go.

1117 Missouri

12:20 p.m. Stop at a park in Sikestown. It is ridiculously hot (car says 102) and the kids just sit on a bench in the shade. Ron calls to tell me that he broke down in the Mojave Desert, about 35 miles from Barstow. Not good!

12:41 p.m. Stop at Burger King to get lunch for the kids.

12:53 p.m. Finally back to the highway. That park detour was way too long. Bad Jo!

2:52 p.m. St. Louis Arch drive-by. Did not intend to pass this way but I missed my exit so we ended up driving right by. Hope the picture Ryan took turns out!

2:56 p.m. Mississippi River – Illinois

3:15 p.m. Sandy called with our official moving weight. 19,820 pounds. Which means we are over weight and will have to pay the excess.

3:26 p.m. Tractor in the road. We are already on a detour from construction on the highway and now we have to pass a big tractor. I’m getting tired of driving!!!

3:50 p.m. See a sign for the local police station. Tell the kids I’m going to drop them off. When we get off the exit, there is a police cruiser on the side of the road. “Oh look!” I said. “He got my message and is here to pick you up!” So convenient – just open the door, push the kids out, and peel out! Haha. Just kidding. Sure was funny though.

3:52 p.m. Jack in the Box for a snack. Gas, $3.69/gallon. Darby gets a potty break. And it is still crazy hot outside!

4:50 p.m. Ron calls again. He has been towed to a local repair shop. They can get a new axle from the junkyard and fix it in the morning for just $1000. Which is a lot. But cheaper than it would be at the dealer. I am not looking forward to the next few months’ credit card bills. Even though the move is mostly reimbursed, it is still expensive.

4:54 p.m. Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Maybe we should go to one sometime.

5:14 p.m. Culvers sign. Oh yeah – I forgot about Culvers!

5:29 p.m. Grain elevator museum. The sign is faded. I wonder if it still exists.

5:30 p.m. Smiley Face water tower

5:53 p.m. Hotel. Finally!

Mom comes over and we all go to dinner at Steak-n-Shake. The kids go to swim at Mom’s hotel since she has a bigger pool. The girls spend the night there but Ryan comes back to our room where he can have his own bed. I need to update my blog but I’m just too tired. Maybe I can get caught up at Grandma’s house and then upload at my next internet stop after that. And now it is time to go to bed since we have to wake up early for breakfast tomorrow.