A Day On The Road

Hello friends! We're home--arrived at about 11:30 last night after a 16-hour drive from Milk River, Alberta, Canada. It was a lovely trip and I should be posting pictures at some point. For now, I'll let you in on what a long driving day with us is like. I journaled our first day for your benefit; here you go!


May 15, 2008

4:30ish AM: I wake up, realize that Sarah's up.

4:50? I get up.

5:29 Departure

5:30 We're driving up the street. It's already fairly light out. Discussion of license plates.

5:49 Reaching the highway. Sunrise in progress. Just finished breakfast.

6:15 Northbound. Really done with breakfast now. The van is settling down to quiet. Going to read my Bible--starting the chronological plan today.

6:49 driving through new territory, so I'm doing a lot of window-looking. [Realized later that we'd actually driven that stretch on the way back from Reno last year, but it was late at night.] Really on the prairie now--stark, hilly, wide-wide open, big sky. I love it.
The license plate search goes on. The van is quiet for the most part, till you hear (from the back as a car passes us) "Michigan"--"Michigan" (two at once)--"Michigan"--

6:55 Wyoming!

7:45 State treats, finally! [an old tradition of ours--when we reach another state we get treats] Good selection this time--pity we don't have more states to go through.

Almost 9 First set of stops. Starting to work on the fruit and veggies that can't come over the border with us.

11:31 Crossing creeks labeled

South Fork
Crazy Woman

Middle Fork
Crazy Woman

Recently stopped for a driver switch. We're somewhere in the middle of Wyoming. Currently reading E. Elliot, p. 47.

3:05 PM In Montana, getting towards Billings. I keep forgetting to write at the exact minutes. We stopped for a while at the Little Bighorn (or whatever it's called--Custer's Last Stand) battlefield. Interesting. Still accumulating license plates--Alaska, Saskatchewan, New Jersey, New York among others.
According to the mirror I look like I only got 4-5 hours of sleep last night. Wonder why... Maybe I'll try to get some rest after I finish Ellanor's Exchange.

7:19 I-15 North--just through Great Falls. About 2 1/2 hours to go--running behind schedule. Won't be in Foremost till sometime around 10, I'm guessing. Hope customs doesn't take long.

8:42 34 miles to Sweetgrass (Canadian border). The sun isn't down yet but it's casting long shadows. We're on a sort of high prairie with slight hills and a few ravines. Rocky Mountains fain the shades of blue-gray on the western horizon. The land and sky-scape (the sky seems almost bigger than the land out here) is predominantly in shades of brown, gold, and that gray-blue.

9:12 Canada!! Still light out, though the sun is down.

9:35 Pulling out flashlights. Glad mine works--forgot to check on it before we left. P. 285 in John Adams.

10:30 In Foremost preparing to set up camp. Still twilight--barely. P. 311 in John Adams.

11:40 GoodNIGHT!! It is most definitely time for bed.