Sky and Jia's Cross Country Road Trip 2024

  Wednesday, July 31, 2024 As we left Salt Lake City, Sky shared reflections and memories of the 2 years she spent at residential school in Layton, just 20 minutes from SLC. IFYKYK It only took three hours to go from Salt Lake City to Twin Falls in Idaho. It was a really pretty drive. I did read that it can be treacherous in the winter and dust winds can make things hairy too. We were so lucky that we had clear skies and smooth roads. I can't recommend Twin Falls enough. It's beautiful. We headed straight for the Visitor Center because the website indicated that it had one of the best views in the entire state. It was really something.  It was really windy! It was a great time for Suki and Salem to get some air and grass under their feet. At first, Suki did not want to get out of her carrier. Sky called her a diva and we put her on the grass. If I didn't know any better, she started posing for the camera...  Living that hotel life.

Tuesday, July 30, 2024 First, Suki needed to sit under this chandelier in the hotel room in Des Moines. She now calls dibs on beds in the room.  Salem was happy to work on enjoying his treat! We just didn't have time to spend in Denver and there was too much rush hour traffic to get around, so we headed out early for Salt Lake City. We were in the car for 9.5 hours! We planned breaks every 3 hours but the weather in this area is hot and dry. With two dogs, we just wanted to keep it moving.  Going through tunnels like this was so cool, and it brought back memories of other places, events and friends.  You can't tell here, but there were many steep twists and turns on the I- 70 between Denver and Salt Lake City. The reception was not great and we didn't have music for a while, so we had to sing. OK, I sang and Sky begged me to stop. I sang like no one was listening to many songs...  There were many many miles of road winding through canyons and mountains with no rest a...

Monday, July 29, 2024 We arrived in Des Moines on Sunday and realized quickly that most businesses are closed except for a few restaurants and grocery stores. Not going to lie, it felt a little eerie... hardly anyone was outside and it felt like a ghost town.  We did see a really cool sculpture garden before we left super early in the morning for Denver, Colorado. It was about a 9 hour drive (took a break every 3 hours), so we didn't get to see or do much in Denver.  Des Moines "Inhale Exhale"  Des Moines Sculpture Garden  See... No one around... scary... We found a place to eat! It was lunch and dinner- LINNER! Chicken and Waffles, Cajun Pasta, Chocolate Bread Pudding and Hummingbird Cake + A bread basket! This lasted 2 days!  On the Road to Denver, Colorado!

  Sunday, July 28, 2024 Day 3 in Chicago and then on to Des Moines, Iowa Waking up in CHICAGO I wish we had enough time to see friends in Chicago, but since we breezed through, we took a much needed walk through parts of the city I hadn't seen before.  Jeni's Ice Cream was amazing- I forgot to take a picture so I stole this off the internet 😬 I'm pretty sure this is the building from  "Adventures in Babysitting" This is the best shot we could get. We got kicked out for having Suki and Salem.  Millenium Park Back on the road and headed to Des Moines, Iowa Most of the drive so far has been farmland, with fluffy clouds.  On this stretch, we hit a few spots of rain and hardly any other cars.  Here we are...  Dinner at Bubba's and rest.