The drive - final stats

Tajci and I drove straight through from Redding CA to Cincinnati OH stopping only for gas and food (three food stops).

The boys (and Lauren) were troopers!!

The total drive was 2,380 miles and took from 9:30pm Saturday to 1pm Monday (both PST to make it simple).

Here is what the drive looked like:

9:30pm - 5am (Matt = 7.5)
5am - 10:15am (Tajci = 5.25)
10:15am - 11:30am Breakfast & gas
11:30am - 2:45pm (Matt = 3.25)
2:45pm - 5pm (Tajci = 2.25)
5pm - 5:45pm Dinner at Dairy Queen

Change the clocks:
(5:45 pst = 8:45 est)

8:45pm - 12am (Matt = 3.25)
12am - 3am (Tajci = 3)
3am - 4:45am (Matt = 1.75)
4:45am- 9:30am (Tajci = 5.25)
9:30am -12:30pm (Matt = 3)
12:30pm - 2pm Cracker Barrel
2pm - 4pm (Tajci = 2)

Total hours driven =
Tajci 17.25
Matt 18.75

Stages 5-8

It is very hard to drive at night. ESP if you just drove 1,300 miles and are ready to be "done". Both Tajci and I have tricks and tips (I eat ice and spicy sunflower seeds - cuts back on bathroom breaks and keeps me busy).

We both listen to audio books. Last night I finished C.S. Forrester's book "The Commodore (the Hornblower series)" and started the last book of the series "Lord Hornblower". I find it nearly impossible to feel sorry for myself while listening to stories of men enduring incredible hardship and deprivation!

However, having only this view (above) for hours and hours on end and sitting (unable to move the blood) requires quite a lot of mental concentration.

Stage 4 (1,000 down - 1,300 to go)

Tajci took over at 2:45pm and, of course, she gets a GIANT rainbow!

How very ...

:)

Maybe we can move to Wyoming!! That would be awesome (for me). Tajci rolls her eyes at me and ignores that comment.

3rd leg - storm over Wyoming

I'm driving again: 11:45am - 2:45pm.

Amazing skies ... I took a bunch o pictures and felt this was the best. The storm was coming from the south (left) towards the north (right side naturally).

Gorgeous - just gorgeous!

2nd leg - Golden Sunrise between here and there

(Tajci drove from around 5am - 10am.)

Heading home ...  seven weeks, 19 amazing concerts, 100's of friends and 1,000 beautiful sites and memories - lots and lots of memories.

California certainly is the Golden State.

It even gifted us with a Golden Sunrise after we drove through the night :)

"Roads go ever ever on

Under cloud and under star,

Yet feet that wandering have gone

Turn at last to home afar." 

Bilbo Baggins

1st leg - Heading home

We left Redding around 9:30pm (PST).

I drove 453 miles to Carlin NV. It was a hard drive: lots and lots of rain, snow, sleet, poor visibility, NO coffee and a two lane road for hundreds of miles.

It is now 5am and Tajci is taking over.

Matthew

Just south of Carmel CA

Blais - on top of the world

Matthew Cameron

Yosemite - 2nd stop

El Capitan, Half Dome, Sentiel Rocks
(and more)

Yosemite - first view