It has been raining today. Other than a couple of thundershowers, I don’t think we’ve had any noticeable rain for four months until today. It has been raining since about 9:30 a.m. this morning — sometimes hard and sometimes soft — and it’s going on 1 p.m. in the afternoon. Hurrah! Along with the rain has come some significantly cooler temperatures. The forecast was for partly cloudy and occasional showers, but the radar loop shows a significant amount of rain still to come.
The only problem is that the new grass I seeded alongside the driveway has pretty much been washed away, along with the dirt I put there. I need something to protect it. The rain coming down the driveway has done quite a job of washing out everything I’ve put in place and deposited it all on the sidewalk. Time for plan B before we leave on Sunday.
The Big Road Trip schedule is almost complete. The only day still not confirmed is the day we plan to spend with Nina’s brother in Ohio. Hopefully today that’ll come together. Here’s the plan so far:
Sunday, August 5: Leave Pocatello in the afternoon after Church and drive to Green River, Wyoming where we’ll spend the night at my favorite brother’s place.
Monday, August 6: Spend the morning with my brother and sister-in-law, then drive in the afternoon to Cheyenne, Wyoming and spend the night in a campground there.
Tuesday, August 7: Up early and drive most of the day to Gretna, Nebraska (just west of Omaha) and spend the night in a KOA campground.
Wednesday, August 8: Another day of driving eastward to Tinley Park, Illinois (west of Chicago) and spend the night.
Thursday, August 9: Continue eastward to New Wilmington, Pennsylvania. We’ll spend three nights in a KOA campground in Grove City, Pennsylvania.
Friday, August 10 through Sunday, August 12: Have fun with Dawnmarie, Kirk, and the kids. We’ll leave after church on Sunday to drive to West Chester, Pennsylvania.
Monday, August 13 through Tuesday, August 13: Sightsee in the Philadelphia area with Daryl who is taking two days off from work to spend time with us! We’ll be camping in a West Chester, Pennsylvania KOA campground. Nina has been downloading all kinds of information on Philadelphia and already there isn’t enough time….
Wednesday, August 15: Drive in the morning to Clinton, Connecticut where we’ll camp in a campground just two miles from the beach. We’ll be staying through Sunday, August 19th. Nina’s sisters will be joining us and I’ll be seriously outnumbered. The plan is to spend all day every day at the beach, I think. I’m bringing plenty of reading material!
Monday, August 20: Drive back to Grove City, Pennsylvania and spend the night in a KOA campground there and visit a bit more with Dawnmarie’s family.
Tuesday, August 21: Drive into Ohio and somewhere meet up with Nina’s brother, probably in Marion, Ohio. We’ll spend the night in a campground somewhere in that area.
Wednesday, August 22: A full day of driving to Carthage, Illinois. There we’ll meet up with #1 son James and his family. We’ll stay through Sunday, August 26th and sightsee around Nauvoo, Illinois. We’ll do a temple session in the Nauvoo Temple while we’re there.
Monday, August 27: Start for home. We’ll drive as far as Lincoln, Nebraska and spend the night in a KOA campground.
Tuesday, August 28: Continue the trek westward to Laramie, Wyoming and spend the night in a KOA campground.
Wednesday, August 29: Drive the rest of the way back to Pocatello and home. We’ll stop in Green River for a short visit with my favorite brother … to get some popcorn … on the way.
So, twenty-four nights on the road. That definitely qualifies as a Big Road Trip! Most of the places we are staying have wireless internet access available so staying in touch should not be a problem. I’m looking forward to the trip, because when we get back, I’ll have to get serious about finding future employment….