Welcome Back!
I would like to start off today by saying that Joey and I have DRASTICALLY underestimated the amount of cows we would encounter on this trip. As a reminder, we had a competition going where Joey believed we would see less than 200 cows and I thought we would see more than 200. By these standards, I have won, but this original contest is truly an embarrassment for both of us. Especially when you consider that a farm/ranch won’t own just 1 cow (however we did pass a ranch today that had a herd of cows and one (1) llama, in the middle of Nebraska, like what). Anyway, check out today’s stats to get a real glimpse into the seriousness of the cow count.
ANYWAY, we have completed our last super long drive of the trip! We made it all the way through Nebraska, Wyoming, and are now all settled into Utah! Despite what the sign says, we are in Utah.
Some of you might be wondering, “why are they rushing through and driving such long stretches?? They are missing so much of the country!” You are totally right, we are missing a lot. BUT it is a race against time! We are heading to California for a wedding, and the rehearsal dinner is Friday night!! Will we make it?? Of course we will, we’ve planned every aspect of this trip.
You’re probably also wondering, “how are they keeping track of everything that’s going on?? How much is the costing them??” Well, I’d like to introduce you to the binder of wisdom.
The binder of wisdom is filled with all of our hotel/activity confirmations, printed out maps that tell us how to get from one destination to another, and a ton of spreadsheets which break down estimated costs, time changes, and hotel contact info. (this also seems like a good time to mention that we have moved through two time zones and are now 2 hours behind EST). The binder is, literally, the paper copy of our entire trip. She has served us well so far, thank you for your service.
Even though we have the binder of wisdom, there are a lot of aspects of the trip that we weren’t expecting. For example, the speed limit out here is INSANE. I thought it was wild when Ohio had a limit of 70, but Wyoming brought us to new heights with a 80 mph speed limit. The fastest I’ve ever gone, I was feeling unbelievably powerful while also fearing for my life. It’s crazy though, because now 80 mph feels so normal. It will be SO TOUGH to go back down once we get home. There are also NO street lights on I-80?? Like at all?? And it is impossible to see once the sun goes down?? Who designed this??
AND ANOTHER THING YA NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT- do you know how many bugs fly into our windshield while we’re driving?? Every time we stop for gas we need to squeegee the windows. So many bug guts. Such limited view. Here’s James being a good road trip buddy and taking care of this important issue:
But anyway, I’m just ranting now. Let’s talk about our trip today. It started off with Joey being annoyed with me and James because we slept maybe a little later than planned ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Here he is shamefully looking upon us:
But, as well all know, Joey is too nice to stay annoyed at anyone. So once we got to the car we were READY to take on the day! Like I said, we went through all of Nebraska and got to Wyoming! Wyoming, hands down, is my favorite state we’ve driven through. First of all, it was finally NOT FLAT. AFTER HOURS OF THIS:
WE STARTED SEEING THIS IMMEDIATELY ONCE WE WENT OVER THE BORDER:
AMAZING. We also drove through a national park, and I SAW MY FIRST MOUNTAIN RANGE IN REAL LIFE!! They were right outside our window, snow caps at all. THIS IS THE AMERICA I WANTED TO SEE. The only downside is that there were literally 40+ mph winds while we were driving. This was Not Fun. We also passed the continental divide, so we are officially on the opposite side of the country! Check out some of our view:
We stopped in Rock Springs, Wyoming to get dinner at Bitter Creek Brewing. Rock Springs LITERALLY felt like the town from Cars (aka Radiator Springs). I hope Winnifred felt like she was visiting her natural homeland. We had a great time at dinner!
Before my mom yells at me for not posting enough pictures of “us,” I would like to remind you that there were 40+ mph wind gusts and a BLARING sun. We attempted to take a picture and my eyes are literally closed in all of them or I’m a mess from the wind. I’m annoyed that Joey looks good in every photo. Here ya go:
And now we are all gearing up for a SUPER FUN ADVENTURE ACTIVITY THAT IS OCCURRING TOMORROW MORNING! Be sure to come back tomorrow to read all about it!
DAILY STATS UPDATE:
- Number of States We’ve Been In: 9
- Miles Driven Today: 860 Miles
- Miles Driven Total: 2,159 Miles
- Cows Spotted: 4,154 (L O L)
- Hours in the Car Today: 12.5 hours
- Total Hours in the Car: 33 hours
- Chicken Nuggets Consumed: 50
- Windmills Spotted: 553
- State License Plates: 45/50 States
- Number of Musicals Listened to: 2!!!
Joey and Emily's Summer Road Trip! 