Driving East

After Laramie, my trip around the US really sped up. I spent two days in Boulder visiting Erin again, then took the interstate across Kansas and Missouri. I stayed one night in the Annie Oakley Motel in Oakley KS:


For the next two nights, I was in St. Louis visiting family. Then another long day in the car took me all the way to my brother's house in Virginia. All that time on interstate highways made me realize just how nice it was to be able to drive the small roads earlier in the fall. It took me about ten days to get from Boston to Boulder in September, but less than four days to go back, Boulder to Salem, VA. I have many more pictures, memories, and stories from the leisurely trip west. But the nights were getting long and cold, and it was time wrap up this round of adventures.

I ended up only spending a day in Virginia before heading down to my parents' house in NC. After a short side-trip up to Boston to visit friends I settled down to help get ready for a big holiday family reunion. My mom's entire extended family arrived from all over the country, and we hosted 22 people. There were people sleeping in every corner, including the attic! We had the usual family adventures: cutting firewood, driving tractors, lighting bonfires, sledding, long walks through the woods, and huge meals. It was a good way to conclude my trip.