Friday, May 16, 2008

We made it!!!

So, for our trip we left Wednesday morning around 6:10am and we drove through Utah, Wyoming and pretty much all of Nebraska... impressive, eh? We did about 12 hours or so. We stopped in Lincoln, NE for the night at a hotel and walked over to get something to eat at a McDonalds that was right next door. I have to say- that McDonalds was the NICEST one I've ever seen. They had flat screen tv's and nice cushy seats. They had stuffed arm chairs and a couch for heaven sakes!! We got a good laugh and we were just looking around the place because it was just very abnormal.
Wyoming... I've said enough.

The drive was good that day. It was cloudy so we didn't have to worry about the sun hitting our faces as we drove east. But, as for anything exciting that we saw... just some tumbleweeds, cow pastures, and fields where corn should have been (not late enough in the summer yet). However, we did see a ton of trains and they were carrying tanks (army tanks)- that at least answered our questions as to what a train that long could be carrying. Nebraska- they couldn't think of what to put on
the sign!

All of our stops were really quick and we made turkey sandwiches in the car. We have a pop up cooler that we got from my sister, Shannon (when I drove across the country to get to Utah) and I can't even tell you how nice it has been to have!!
They weren't kidding when they said
"fields of opportunities"

Anyways... We left Nebraska around 6:30am and we drove through the rest of Nebraska, about an inch (on the map) of Iowa, and down through Missouri. Eastern Nebraska was beautiful!! Rolling hills and really green.


It was like that through Missouri- but parts of it weren't so pretty. At the very end of Missouri- we did see some places where it looked like a tornado had hit. We saw a nicer house blown over- along w/ most of the trees around it. It looks like the only place around it that was hit. Just hope everyone is okay!

Then as we got into Arkansas- It was so cool. It felt like we were driving through the canyons in Utah, but much greener.

After about 6 hours of driving we got into Arkansas and our town is about 20 miles.. or less from the Missouri Line. That was so exciting. However, we got our first real experience of a different state's driving first hand. We were on a road that was 40mph and to keep up with the flow- we were going 70mph and we were still the SLOW ones!!! So, we stopped at a welcome center to make sure we were still going the right way. The main highway didn't have exit numbers... It just appeared w/ a street name.. or a letter. The one that made us laugh (and we didn't get a picture of it) was "MO-Oo" That's all the exit said. It stands for Missouri route Oo.. there were others that were just "H" or "J"... but weird.. anyways... the gentleman at the info center was really nice. He gave us all sorts of good information about Arkansas and even an "adventure" guide as to what they have to do outdoors nearby.

After deciphering a map w/ street lines and every other street labeled- we found our apartment complex. Holy crud- it's NICE! So, it wasn't a hole in the wall like I was fearing. They have two pools, an indoor basketball court, and a fitness center. We and a few other interns for Wal-Mart had a small orientation for signing our lease for the summer. They warned us of the possibility of tornados and where to go in case there is a threat- scary, huh? Other than that- it's a great place. We will be posting pictures of the apartment soon! I just figured you'd get really bored after reading this.

4 comments:

amber {and co.} said...

Hooray for Arkansas! Woot! Glad you made it safe and sound and without hitting any cows... we definitely want to see pictures when you get them up :)

JoSue said...

oh man, this does not make me look forward to our road trip to Texas. I'm glad you guys are there and safe!! We're pretty sure Lyle came and loaded up your couch yesterday. We're not sure if he was taking it for himself or what. Anyway, good luck with getting settled!

bethany said...

Glad that you got there safely-your apartment looks so nice!! You're going to LOVE having a washer and dryer in your house-that's such a rarity in Provo...You're going to get spoiled :)

Clyde J Criddle said...

We are so glad that you made it safely and that you have such a nice apartment. I agree with Bethany, you will get spoiled with the good life.