Road Trip

Rich and I recently returned from our whirlwind 9 day road trip. We made various stops in 3 different time zones, and although I can't speak for the both of us, I myself had a great time.

We left WA on the 6th, right after work, and drove straight through to MN. We stopped there and had supper with Rich's sister and brother-in-law, then stayed at his folks house overnight. His sister and BIL are such great people; I really enjoying meeting and visiting with them.

The next morning we left MN and headed to MI, stopping to see one of Rich's friends on the way in WI. Once in MI, we stayed through the 11th in a nice Marriott there (thank you April for the voucher!). We were able to visit with a friend of mine while relaxing, and had the pleasure of meeting her two sweet daughters and very kind hubby.

The morning of the 11th we left for IA. We stopped to see Aunt Kathy and Uncle Mark and Jerod for supper. We had a great visit with them! Kathy always seems to know how to make me laugh. We then continued to Grandma's that same evening and ended up staying with her until the 13th. During that time we were able to visit with Grandma, Aunt Jo, and Corriene (and get my oil changed, thanks Corriene!). During that time we had pleasant conversation and excellent food.

We began the drive home on Friday the 13th, so I guess that should have been the writing on the wall. We ended up hitting what I would label 'quite the snow storm' on the way home. We were going to make the trip home a two day trip (or more), but given the road conditions, my summer slicks for tires, and Rich's he-man driving capabilities we decided to drive straight through on the way back. Thankfully we made it home safely without a hitch... especially in light of the driving conditions and the fact that we saw 33 accidents in about a 25 mile stretch (yes we counted accidents... and have pictures, hehe).

Once out of the snow, we stopped for a coffee in ID at one of Rich's old friend's coffee shops. It sure was nice to get a jolt for those remaining 4 or 5 hours left of driving, and he was an absolute crack up. A fun, even if short, visit.

All in all it was a great trip. I really enjoyed all the time with family and friends. Not to mention, Rich is the perfect road trip companion; I even enjoyed the car rides (well, while I was awake anyhow). :)

If you want to see pictures, they are here: http://s111.photobucket.com/albums/n136/atrodeoch/MI%20pics/