Interstate Insanity

One Week

2010-02-05T02:46:00.002-06:00

It's been one week since I drove into Lincoln, NE at sunset while listening to David Broza. Someone asked if it was the same song. No, but it was the same album, "Big Secrets," my most favorite of his albums and likely one of those three or five things I'd take with me to a deserted island if I had to make that life decision. It's that good. An illustrator I'm working with said I should write to him and let him know he is now inextricably linked to Lincoln, Nebraska. I did email him years ago. And he did write back to me. (I'll never wash my email again.) But the sunset-in-Lincoln thing might be pushing it, even for me.

One of his songs, from that same album, plays a part in my second book. Maybe I'll send him a complimentary copy and add a handwritten note about Lincoln. Or maybe that would elevate me to psycho fan status and some sort of Wall of Shame that would never get me past his spam filters again.

At any rate, I've been resting and talking and reading and trying to work through the fallout that inevitably happens when you try to go home again. In one sense, what I did was so easy. I flew on a plane to my mom's house, cleaned it up, packed much, donated more, and drove home.

In another sense, it couldn't have been harder. I flew to the house where my mom suffered and died, slept in the same room where nurses and aids and family and friends cared for her in her last weeks, sat in the same chair I'd sat in months earlier while stroking her still-warm body, only seconds after she'd left it behind on her journey. I relived every moment of our trip in December '08 and again in April/May '09, discovering priceless information about this very complex and very convoluted family that would throw me into a deep and sudden awe and compassion upon finding one treasure, anger and betrayal at the next discovery.

But that's what family is for, is it not? To leave future generations with enough burning questions and obsessions that neither genealogy researchers nor therapists will ever have to worry about job security.

In my family, in that house, with those memories, I'm still confused. Information I discovered that had never been shared with me before, information that made me see my parents with part-awe and part betrayal, not knowing in that moment if I loved them or hated them, but only knowing I couldn't walk away.

My brother and I, who could barely be trusted to be left alone when we were kids, lest one of us injure the other seriously enough to require medical attention, went through 65 years of collected possessions, including possessions my mom had inherited from her mom and dad and from her mother-in-law. We opened every box, unwrapped every piece cushioned by well-worn newspaper or paper towel. It was a life autopsy of possessions and we, the examiners, separated and examined and weighed and tested every piece.

Numerous times, most notably when I was eyeing the growing stack of boxes for me to take back home and then visualizing the interior of a minivan and trying to figure out how it would all fit, I would wonder why I had come to do this in the first place.

Why?

It seems instantly an easy enough answer. I wanted some remnants of my childhood, as did my brother. I wanted some mementos of my parents, ones that focused on the happy times. I didn't want my brother to have to do this all by himself. And I wanted to get the place cleaned out so it could be rented. Another family, new life, new dreams. I think Mom would have liked that.

But was that really it? Digging through boxes and papers and clothing and endless amounts of plastic utensils and wet wipes and matches, the detritus of a life lived and loved and suffered and lost, what did I really find?

I found that family is a need, not a noun. Family could have been brutal and unforgiving, it could have meant growing up battered in mind, body, and spirit, and it also could have been children's laughter on the swingset, a surprise trip to the zoo to put the blue elephant key in the box and hear the narrator tell you about what animal you're viewing. Family is the need to always display some photographs and never others, never quite explaining if the hidden ones are being sequestered away to be forgotten or in need of more precious protection than hanging openly on a wall.

Family is a beginning and often, an end. Family is where we came from, that lifeline to who we were and how we came to be this way. Family is our excuse, our answered prayer, our legacy, our mark on the world. We love it and hate it, run to it and rebel from it.

Spending one week immersed in this family, in these memories, in this house, I was nearly ready to walk away. But I didn't, and now I'm home in the midst of these memory-filled items, not sure whether to mourn or rejoice, whether to use these objects as jumping-off points for discussions about the great-great-grands and how their lives were similar or different, or whether to pack them away until I can look at them without feeling such a hollow sense of loss.

I sorted and cleaned my way through a person's life, learning as I went, and found a woman I hadn't completely gotten to know, and now never will. Then I spent a week trying to return to my family, my mind ever on the challenges of the road I was taking. And then when I got home, I buried myself in a collection of political thrillers, looking, as the characters are, for order within chaos, duty within impossible moral choices, fleeing a past that may never be gone, and in fact parts of which are sitting in my living room.

I went for family, I stayed for family. And yet I feel like I'm leaving with a different sense of family. Gone is the omnipotence; what remains behind is the shattered life that found comfort in collections. And after picking up the pieces, I moved toward a family that I want simply to be honest and decent and caring.

You can't go home again, but you can define home and family for yourself and build it, out of the tools you inherited from your family, or the creative adaptations you learned because the only tools left to you were so morally broken they weren't worth using.

I did it for family. Which one--then or now? Neither, actually. I did it for what family means to my heart and soul, where family means the most.

2010-01-30T20:05:00.001-06:00

So happy to be home and resting. Photos and reflections on these trips over the past 14 months coming shortly.

2010-01-29T16:40:00.001-06:00

HOME!!!

Inexplicably happy to be back in the Midwest

2010-01-28T19:25:00.000-06:00

Once again, one year and about two months later, I rolled into Lincoln, Nebraska, at sunset, while listening to David Broza. Honestly, I do have more than David Broza on my iPod. Can I say again (one year and two months later) that there is just something right about arriving in Lincoln at sunset listening to David Broza? I know... I have some truly weird associations.

So here I am, not far from the Nebraska State Penitentiary, feeling oh so safe. Had a small dinner in a little hole-in-the-wall diner with a tiny menu and excellent service. And free wi-fi, which I never would have figured.

I am so ready to be home. I miss my kids, my husband, my bed. Not necessarily in that order.

The drive tomorrow should be pretty good. All the storms are south in Oklahoma. It'll just be cold, but not that much colder than it is here. Most of the day today, temps have been about 14-18°F. Locals have complained about the cold but expressed gratitude that there wasn't a 40mph wind to accompany the temps. I concur. A 40mph wind would make driving ickier.

Home is 435 miles away, about the same drive as today. Here's hoping the roads are clear of ice and snow! If I get on the road tomorrow as early as I did today, I'll make it home before Shabbat begins.

Nothing much to report in terms of photos today. I am inexplicably happy to be back in the Midwest. Some would call the scenery boring compared to the mountains I've been through, but in the winter, I'll take my "boring" farm fields and Midwest towns any day over windy and icy mountain passes.

Looking forward to being home!

2010-01-28T09:14:00.001-06:00

24 hours of sleep makes a big difference. Back on the road for Lincoln NE.

2010-01-27T13:18:00.001-06:00

Hit a snag. Very sick (GI) so sleeping over another day in Cheyenne WY. Hoping tomorrow I can travel.

The suite life

2010-01-26T21:07:00.000-06:00

Wyoming was windy today! Here are today's pics.

This is the motorized monstrosity I'm driving. I'm actually used to it now. I kinda like it!

Utah was snowy and, going through the Wasatch Mountains, the windshield washer sprayer thingies got clogged with slush and road grime. Check out the gunk on the windshield:

I hung out behind a few trucks, letting them kick up moisture onto my windshield so I could wipe occasionally, until I was able to find a gas station. And lucky me, there was a car wash there, too, and the warm water cleaned out the wiper sprayers. My gloves got wet, but the Suburban, like my van, comes with a built-in glove dryer:

In western Wyoming, I saw that same rock formation that the boys and I took photos of in December '08:

And I saw some really scary weather. Fortunately, I didn't drive into this snowstorm:

And Wyoming has some pretty scenery. Sunset, coming into Laramie.

Finally, I'm here in Cheyenne. In a suite, no less! I use hotels.com to book my hotels and this hotel was having a winter special, meaning that it cost less to get a suite than it would have to stay anywhere else, even a Super 8 motel!

Tomorrow, it's across Nebraska to Lincoln, a distance of 442 miles. The weather should be good, and yay, no mountains! Only two more driving days left before I'm home!

2010-01-26T20:07:00.001-06:00

In my sweet suite in Cheyenne WY. Details to be posted on the blog in a bit. http://ping.fm/HfXFO

2010-01-26T16:24:00.001-06:00

Hello from windy Rawlins WY!

2010-01-26T13:34:00.001-06:00

Having a lunch break in Little America, Wyoming. :-)

2010-01-26T10:04:00.001-06:00

Leaving Salt Lake City for Wyoming!

On a road to nowhere...

2010-01-25T23:40:00.000-06:00

I'm totally ready for bed here in Salt Lake City. Tomorrow, I'm off to Cheyenne, Wyoming, a driving distance of 442 miles (72 miles fewer than today's trip). I did leave Reno at about 8:30am today, but once you figure in breaks to stretch and eat and take care of more personal matters, it wound up being nearly a 10-hour drive.

Northern Utah is expecting a rain/snow mix during the morning commute, and likely snow in the mountains between Salt Lake City and Wyoming. Yay.

The snow in Nevada was pretty, but the monochromatic view was also hypnotic (hence the need for more frequent breaks).

Also, it seemed at times that the road went on forever.

Okay, I'm gonna get to bed so I can get up early, have a quick breakfast at the hotel restaurant, and get on the road before the snow gets too bad. Once I get past Evanston WY, I'll at least be out of the mountains and then I can deal with wind. :-) But with the Suburban packed tighter than a can of sardines on steroids, I shouldn't blow away. I really miss MN, cold and snow and all!

2010-01-25T18:18:00.001-06:00

Taking a brief break in Wendover. Nearly into UT!

2010-01-25T11:15:00.001-06:00

On the road again, off to SLC.

Here she co-o-o-o-o-omes... (with apologies to the Everly Brothers)

2010-01-24T22:12:00.000-06:00

Any guesses as to the song alluded to in the title? Five points if you're over 50; ten bonus points if you're under 30. (Is there anyone under 30 reading this blog?)

And there's a new poll up, just for fun!

I'm safe and sound in Reno at the Circus Circus, a hotel I fondly remember visiting with my parents when I was 12 and played games for stuffed animals on the midway. That was nearly 30 years ago, and I was tempted to go check out the midway tonight for old time's sake. But I resisted and went shopping instead. Sometimes it's fun to be an adult.

The drive over the Sierras was not nearly as traumatic as the drive out to CA in December 2008. It helped that it was daytime. And I was in a 4-wheel drive.

And special thanks go to the friendly Chain Installer (that's what his bright yellow coat said) at the last chain installation area before Donner Summit. He informed me that you need both 4-wheel drive and snow tires to be exempt from chains when chains are required. Then he looked at my tires, said, "Yep, they say M + S. You're legal." Got it now... M + S = mud & snow. Next time I change tires on the van, I know what to look for.

It was kind of snowy at the summit.

It was also very cool (and a little awe-inspiring) to drive over Donner Summit after Yoni did his (first ever) research report on the Donner Party and what they endured when trying to make it from Independence, MO to Sutter's Fort, CA.

Many thanks again to my mother-in-law for some extraordinary stew (I wish I could have brought some home) and her hospitality. Next time we visit, it will be 1) sooner, and 2) for pleasure. Enough of this death business.

And although I was not able to visit everyone I wanted to visit (horrible traffic from Santa Cruz all the way to Sacramento), and I feel badly about that (I'm sorry, Julie!), I did get to enjoy a brief homemade espresso from Lyn:

who was, in turn, enjoying her new espresso machine.

Tomorrow, it's across Nevada and the Salt Lake Desert with an overnight (G-d willing) in Salt Lake City, UT. And this time, I know that I have both 4-wheel drive and snow tires! The forecast is for rain and snow, and currently snow tires or chains are required for about 60 miles west of Imlay (sounds like Pig Latin, oesn'tday itlay?).

The trip to SLC is 514 miles, or a little over 8 hours of driving, according to Tom, the trusty GPS. If I leave Reno by 9am, I can be in SLC before dark. Let's see if I can do it!

2010-01-24T19:33:00.001-06:00

In Reno and about to check in to the hotel! Whew!

2010-01-24T18:21:00.001-06:00

@ Donner Summit. All okay so far. :-)

Heading Home

2010-01-24T14:20:00.000-06:00

Today is the day to head over the Sierras. I would rather stay here with my mother-in-law and her delicious stew (YUM!) but I miss my husband and kids something fierce. I just checked the weather and road conditions and both indicate a rainy, possibily lightly snowy ride over the mountains. Still far better than driving with chains through a blizzard at night!

Planning to stay in Reno/Sparks tonight. Maybe a long hot soak in a tub. Ahhh...

Props to Lyn in Fremont who makes a steaming good cup of espresso with her new machine! Thanks for the coffee and the visit! I promise to only post the embarrassing photos. ;-)

More to come (including photos) when I am on my own computer, hopefully tonight in Reno after a pleasant drive and a nice hot bath.

Until then, onward and upward!

2010-01-24T03:10:00.001-06:00

Safe and sound in Yuba City CA w/my awesome MIL. Exhausted and the drive is only begining. Will write a short blog post in the a.m.

From sorting to packing

2010-01-19T01:44:00.000-06:00

Thanks to my brother, I have good dial-up Internet access! Yay, Brother!

I am so tired. My brother and I have been working 12-15 hours a day for the past three days, sorting through 65 years of accumulated personal belongings, deciding who is going home with what, and packing it up. As we move into the wee hours of Tuesday morning, we've gone through all but five boxes from a closet. Brother is going back to work tomorrow (today?) and I'm packing and cleaning so we can empty the house and get it ready to rent.

May I be so bold as to suggest to all of you that you not try to sort through 65 years of accumulated personal possessions from a close and recently deceased relative in three days? Clearly there are times when it's necessary, but it is not remotely easy.

On the other hand, I am so proud of my brother (and me too). There have been no arguments, no squabbles over "stuff." We both want to honor Mom's and Dad's memories and we have very different tastes (which helps) and we both want to make this as easy as possible. I know families where it has come to physical violence over who gets what. I am so grateful that I don't have to live that!

The plan for returning to MN remains the same: I'll pick up a rented minivan on Friday, pack it with my brother's help on Friday evening, and leave sometime Saturday morning. Saturday night will be spent with Purple Grandma (my mother-in-law) and then Sunday, weather permitting, it's over the Sierras and into Nevada.

Until the next time I'm able to get online... be safe and warm.

2010-01-17T02:34:00.003-06:00

in long days so I may actually not be able to post much until I head back or find a good wireless cafe. Will TRY to check in tomorrow.

2010-01-17T02:34:00.001-06:00

So here's the sitch: I can't connect to my blog through dialup on my laptop so all I have until I'm on the road is texting. My brother and I are putting

Safely in CA

2010-01-16T13:46:00.000-06:00

I made it safely to CA late last night. Flights were great and I had a nice dinner with my brother. I'll have to write more when I have a better connection. All's good so far.

2010-01-15T16:03:00.001-06:00

Arrived safely in Denver with Larry the Lynx (Frontier Airlines).

2010-01-14T21:25:00.001-06:00

Hard to believe that 24 hours from now, I'll be 2000 miles away from home and 40+ degrees warmer! I'm now able to update via SMS. More tomorrow.

Back to CA...

2010-01-09T22:43:00.003-06:00

So, I'm doing it. Again.

It's been just over a year since I made the insane decision to take the boys (then 7 and 5) and drive from MN to CA, spend a little over a week with my mom (aleha hashalom) while she still had strength, and drive back home. In December. In the snow. Uphill. Both ways. Really.

The trip went well (you can read about it below if you haven't yet, or if you don't remember what happened), and we made it back home safely. It was, as it turns out, the right decision, as my Mom's strength declined shortly after our trip. She had been diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer just before Thanksgiving and she passed away on Mother's Day 2009. She was 65.

Now it's finally time for my brother and me to go through the house and all of Mom & Dad's possessions (Dad passed away in 2004). The paper cup full of twist ties should be easy to deal with, but as with any death of someone you're close to, it's the personal items that are the hardest. Despite every effort to think of it all as "stuff" -- things we can't take with us when we go -- just imagining going through the items I know are there is stressful. I imagine my brother and I will be going through a lot of tissues.

I'm flying out in six days, on January 15, 2010. Husby and the boys will stay home. Husby will look for work (he lost his job last week; anyone looking for an awesome computer network/security guy in the Twin Cities?) and the boys will go to school, and they'll all entertain the pets.

Coming back, however, I'm going to drive. Yep. Rent a minivan, pack it up with whatever of Mom & Dad's stuff I'm bringing home (not the cup of twist ties), and drive roughly 2073 miles from CA to MN, uphill, through the snow. Alone.

I'm seriously questioning my sanity. Again.

Photo Op

2009-01-08T22:42:00.007-06:00

We (the boys and I) went through and picked the best of all our photos to print (what a novel idea) and put into an album that we can share and enjoy without tying up my (the mom's) computer. We narrowed them down considerably from the original pool. All the way down to about 400 photos. (Yikes!)

The boys took some awesome photos themselves. For instance, they documented the fact that they watched videos:

They played with toys:

And they goofed off:

And they captured frustration, when all was not well...

Rockin' out with the guinea pig

2009-01-04T21:54:00.004-06:00

This had to be one of the funniest parts of the trip, courtesy of Purple Grandma:

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-02T21:33:00.005-06:00

We made it home! I don't have much to say tonight because I'm really, really tired (and the boys are really, really, really tired and already in bed), but I'll update photos, stories, and thoughts from the trip later this weekend.

A few stats for now:

Total miles driven on this trip: 5,025

Total gallons of gas used: 202

Average miles per gallon over the entire trip (highway & city): 25

Total number of hotels in which we stayed: 8

Total number of days away from home: 23

Total number of states driven through: 7

Total number of state capitols driven through: 6

Total number of relatives and friends visited: 11

Highest temperature during our trip: 57 F

Lowest temperature during our trip: 11 F

Highest known elevation traveled: 7,000 feet above sea level

Lowest known elevation traveled: 6 feet above sea level

Number of fire emergencies witnessed: 2

Number of exploding hair conditioner bottles: 1

Total value of trip: priceless

Full Circle

2009-01-01T21:23:00.004-06:00

We're back in Lincoln, Nebraska. Not the same hotel (tonight we're staying in a castle!), but it feels like we're very different people than we were just a few weeks ago. Here's our hotel:

We stopped along I-80 in North Platte, Nebraska, for lunch. The sign above the door read, "You are nowhere." (Sorry, I forgot to take a photo.)

I think I could sleep for a week or more. I'm ready to be home, ready to not have to look forward to eight hours of driving each day. I'd never make it as a trucker. :-)

The weather for tomorrow looks promising, but I'm a little worried about road conditions for tomorrow, going across the western half of Iowa and up into Minnesota, toward home.

I'll get pics up, hopefully on Sunday.

Onward and upward, to the last leg of this insane interstate trip. :-)

And please answer our last (?) poll!

Blown Away

2008-12-31T22:46:00.003-06:00

We made it to Cheyenne, WY! It was a bit hairy in parts, with howling winds in excess of 50 mph across Wyoming. This is when I'm glad I packed extra -- weigh down the van so we don't blow away!

It is weird to think tonight is New Year's Eve. It is like any other night of late: apart from Husby, in a hotel room, living out of a suitcase, watching The Weather Channel for tomorrow's forecast, and planning tomorrow's itinerary based on when the hotel's continental breakfast ends.

It is 9:50pm (Mountain Time) and we're all in bed. The kids are hopefully going to sleep soon, and I plan to be asleep soon after. We have yet more cool photographs that I'm too tired to upload. Sorry! We'll get them up here as soon as possible.

Until then, Happy (secular) New Year!

The hotel room without a Bible

2008-12-31T00:18:00.004-06:00

Know how nearly every hotel/motel room known to humankind has a Gideon Bible in one of the drawers? I found one that doesn't: in Salt Lake City. Odd, that. But there isn't a Book of Mormon in here either. I checked.

Today again, we had just spectacular weather. Other than a few high wispy clouds, we had sun and blue sky. Temps in the 30's/40's, so we never had to put our jackets on. Folks thought we were insane. Watched the sunset over the Salt Flats (got photos) and walked out onto the flats, too (at a rest stop).

We have some really awesome pics to share, but not tonight. Looooong drive today, and I (the mom) am bushed, and we need an early start tomorrow, so please consider this notification that we're here and we're doing fine and so far we're on track (doing better than the airlines, it seems) and if we get into Cheyenne WY when we hope to, we'll be able to post more photos of today and tomorrow.

Quick note from the boys.

Daniel: Our beds are close to the door and our door shows outside, so that when you open the door, POOF!, we're outside.

Yoni: Yesterday, at the hotel (Reno NV), Daniel and I won four different prizes on the Midway at Circus Circus. One of mine is a tan bear. One of Daniel's is a colorful bear.

The biggest little trip in the world

2008-12-29T23:50:00.010-06:00

Guess where we are tonight?

One hint:

We made it over Donner Summit with only a little snow:

We had a wonderful time with Purple Grandma up in Yuba City:

We Skyped with Abba (Dad):

And we had fun! Tomorrow's goal: Salt Lake City. See you soon!

Today is brought to you by the color purple

2008-12-27T01:18:00.005-06:00

Daniel: We are going to sleep at Purple Grandma's house for three days. She gave us presents. Mine was a movie that is called Horton Hears a Who. And Yoni's was a book that is called The Tales of Beedle the Bard. Purple Grandma has a silver computer mouse. She also has a cool computer, which we are using to write this blog instead of Eema's computer. And she has a light with three lights on one pole.

Yoni: Today we left Blue Grandma and Steve. I really wish we could stay with them longer, but I also really want to see Purple Grandma and get home. [Daniel: I feel sad.] Purple Grandma has a bear collection with lots and lots of bears. [Daniel: And there's a gigantic bear.] I really miss Abba. [Daniel: I really want to go home.] And that's it for right now.

Mom: It turned into a longer drive than I thought, but we're here in Yuba City, safe and sound, until Monday, when we head over the mountains into Nevada. I'm hoping for good weather. And maybe no chains required over the summit? (One can always hope.)

We'll try to get a few photos posted while we're here. It'll require a bit of finagling on this end, but I'll do my best.

Until next time...

Nearing the end

2008-12-25T12:55:00.003-06:00

Today's the last full day we'll spend with Mom/Blue Grandma and Steve. It's hard to say goodbye, but thankfully we have cell phones and the Internet and all manner of technologically fun ways to communicate.

We're headed to Mom's brother's house where we'll spend the rest of the day with him and his wife, Mom, Steve, and possibly a few people we haven't yet met. I'm debating about bringing our menorahs and candles for Fifth Night of Chanukah tonight, but where we're going apparently isn't really Jewish-friendly, so maybe we'll light candles after we get back to our hotel.

The boys are really tired of being asked if they're excited about Santa coming. Newsflash: he didn't come last night or this morning and I have special anti-Santa locks on the doors. But we had a quiet evening last night watching the Chanukah candles burn down and making (non-monetary) bets about which candle was going to burn out first. And next. And next...

Don't Let the Light Go Out

2008-12-24T02:04:00.015-06:00

Sorry for the wait, folks. Here's what we've been up to:

The boys and I visit the house I grew up in (ages 9-17)

I take a photograph in the same spot of the same subject that I took 25 years ago:

We find big leaves in a nearby park where I used to play:

We play in the park itself:

We discover a tree that looks like it has camouflage bark:

We discover that the housekeeping staff at our hotel likes the boys' stuffed animals:

We celebrate the first night of Chanukah:

We celebrate the second night of Chanukah (note that the boys have had haircuts):

Mom/Blue Grandma feels well enough to take a walk around the duck pond, where the boys see a tree unlike anything they've ever seen before:

We celebrate the third night of Chanukah:

And now we wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Stay tuned...

2008-12-21T13:28:00.000-06:00

Awesome cool photos coming up tonight (I hope). You don't want to miss it!

Fun with Family

2008-12-18T01:02:00.012-06:00

Pictures are supposed to be worth a thousand words, so let's hope this works because I'm short on words tonight.

Here's Mom/Blue Grandma on the phone, talking to the doctor.

Yoni and Daniel perform...

While Steve makes a movie of them...

The boys amuse themselves while the grownups talk.

Pizza Night, where we banned sickness and pain for the duration of the meal.

Finally, at the end of the day...

How do you spell home? H-O-T-E-L

2008-12-17T01:05:00.003-06:00

It's been one week since we left and feelings are mixed. On the one hand, it's so good to see Blue Grandma and Steve and Uncle James and everyone else here we missed. But especially Blue Grandma because she's the reason we came out here in the first place.

On the other hand, we miss home and especially Abba (Dad). Talking to him on the phone just isn't enough.

Tonight I caught myself telling the boys that they play with a particular toy when we got home. Daniel suddenly exclaims, "We're driving all the way back to Minnesota tonight?"

Me: "No, we're just going back to the hotel tonight."

Daniel: "But you said we were going home."

I have more photos that I'll have to upload in the morning. Until then, blessed sleep!

What a Day it Was

2008-12-14T11:59:00.023-06:00

We didn't arrive in Fremont, California, until nearly 10:30 p.m. Pacific time. For those of us still on Central time, it was a late night. The boys fell asleep somewhere around Sacramento and woke up about two miles from our hotel.

And speaking of hotel, we are now officially spoiled. After three nights in rooms that had only the basics (if that) -- which was all we needed since we were just passing through -- we now have a room with a wall of windows and a thermostat and real-glass glasses and room service. Wow.

So for the trip: we could tell it was going to get rough even before we got to Reno.

And in fact we passed through a weird isolated snow storm:

We bought chains because the weather report was indicating some stretches of road required chains or snow tires. What we got were these cable "chains," which the helpful clerk at Checker Auto Parts in Elko said were easier to put on than the older version. No sooner had we left Elko than we reached one of those stretches. So here I am outside a gas station in the middle of nowhere, trying to read horrible directions to put on chains for the first time ever. After about twenty minutes, I was near tears and praying for help. The boys were watching a video in the van. Suddenly a gentleman appeared from the gas station and said he'd been watching me for the past few minutes and figured maybe I needed some help. He helped me get them on (not as easy as the clerk made it seem) and we headed back onto I-80.

Less than a mile later, the signs warning that chains or snow tires were required had been turned off and the road looked clear. We pulled off at the next exit and I spent the next twenty minutes taking the darn things off. It was a learning experience. By the time I was done, my arms were covered in dirty slush and my gloves were sopping. I dried them using the van's fancy built-in dashboard heater:

When we got to Reno, we stopped for gas and a bathroom break, and lucky us -- we got to drive under the "Biggest Little City in the World" arch! Yoni: "That was great!" Daniel: "Super good!" Both boys were entranced by two spheres the size of buildings. We're still not sure what they were.

We headed out of Reno and into the Sierra Nevadas, hoping for an easy ride. Ha. ha Ha HaHA Ha Ha HA!

As we approached Donner Summit, we were informed that chains were required over the summit. There were places to pull over and put chains on, so I picked one and spent another thirty minutes getting sopping wet and dirty. At least I knew what I was doing this time. A mile later, we passed a pull-out location where there were assistants to help with putting chains on. Apparently I have to do things the hard way. They checked my chains and gave them a thumbs-up. I may not know what I'm doing, but I do it good.

By the time we reached the summit, it was dark. Really dark. And starting to snow. I remembered stopping at the summit's rest area as a kid. But I never saw it like this. And those glowing dots? Snow.

And so, in the dark, in the snow, with chains on, we headed down the mountain.

Remember in Star Wars how it looked when the Millenium Falcon entered hyperspace?

That's exactly what it looked like driving down the mountain while it snowed. Heavily. I don't have any actual photos because, well, I was doing everything humanly possible to stay on the road and not get run over by all of the speed-happy Californians who were zipping past at over 50 m.p.h.

Halfway down the mountains, chains were no longer required, so we pulled off to remove them. But the area wasn't lit so I had my flashlight in my mouth as I got intimately reacquainted with all four tires. Again slush and sopping cold fingers. A van full of young adults pulled in front of me to take off their chains and about six people got out. Within minutes, they had their chains off and two of them came over and asked if I needed help. I gratefully (very gratefully) accepted and they got two tires done in the time it took me to finish one. Whoever they are, thank you!

By Sacramento, the boys fell asleep after watching Beauty and the Beast about four times in a row. This was the first movie they watched all trip in English. Mostly they were watching:

דמבו הפל המעופץ
פו הדוב
אלאדין
הדוב רופרט
מלך האריות

10 points for each movie you can identify (leave your answer in the comments)!

Oh, and then there was the pickup truck that lost its camper shell in the middle of the freeway. In my lane. That woke me up! If there was any concern about my getting drowsy, that took care of it.

Now a bit from the yeladim.

Yoni: There was a big ginormous snowstorm in themountains. All the days on the way to California, there were a lot of interesting sights. And now we are in California and there are still a lot of interesting sights to see. We watched a lot of movies on the way. You will see them listed in Hebrew up above.

Daniel: The snowstorm was called a blizzard. We're going to stay in a hotel for a while in California. Maverick gave me a new shirt. My shirt is called Yu-Gi-Oh! It's orange. We got very very cool beds which has got very very pretty covers. And our beds are the same. And Yoni's wearing his Hawaii shirt.

The boys took a bunch of photos along the way (until they filled up the card) and later (today maybe?) we'll upload them to a Flickr account and post the URL so you can see what they captured.

More from cloudy California later!

Here

2008-12-14T02:12:00.004-06:00

We made it! As the GPS likes to announce, we "have reached [our] destination."

And I am too tired to post anything else. I have photos. I have stories (oh boy do I have stories from the drive today!). I have questions on our Don't Know Yet list. But right now I want sleep. So I will post all that fun stuff in the morning.

Oh, and that subtitle for the blog -- "uphill, both ways, in the snow?" Compared to today's drive, that ain't nothin'. It's the downhill, 6% grades, in the snow, with chains, during heavy snow, at night, surrounded by a bunch of speed-happy California drivers, that is really the true measure of interstate insanity.

I got it in spades.

G'night. I'll explain and illustrate in the morning.

Blazing and Saddles

2008-12-12T22:15:00.012-06:00

Originally, we'd planned to be in California for the start of Shabbat, but best-laid plans and all that. As we watched the sun set behind the mountains in Western Utah, we were singing Shabbat songs and talking about what it meant to each of us to be "close to G-d."

We're almost to California! Tonight we're in Elko, Nevada, which is true to Nevada form in that there is no shortage of blazing, blinking lights to advertise places to eat and gamble.

Yoni asks: What is "gamble?"

I likened it to vending machines that offer toys, but you only get a toy some of the time. And you have to put your money in all of the time.

Yoni: In the Wyoming desert, we saw some cows, which was really weird, because usually cows don't go in the desert unless the farmer lets them.

We drove over the Continental Divide today. On our list of Questions To Which We Don't Yet Know The Answer, we put "What is the Continental Divide?" The answer, according to Yoni (after Googling it tonight): it's a bunch of mountains that, when it rains, it separates where the water goes. One way it goes to the Pacific, the other way it goes to the Atlantic.

Now for a few photos:

As we drove into Salt Lake City, we saw... is that SMOG? Eww...

It did make for interesting sunbeams, though...

At a McDonald's in Wyoming, they had an interesting choice for seating:

Cool rock formations:

And a special photo for Jeanice. Note the name of this gas station in Utah (you may have to click on the photo to see it larger). Also note the price of gas. :-)

Halfway there!

2008-12-11T22:44:00.009-06:00

We're smack dab in the middle of Wyoming in the town of Rawlins. It was a long drive today, but pleasant. The weather was scattered clouds and temps in the 40's. It was like a heat wave compared to what we left two days ago (when we had six inches of snow on the ground and the high was 4 above zero).

Mom: I am tired. My butt is tired. But I am thankful for the beautiful weather and clear roads and the full moon that lit our way from Laramie to Rawlins tonight.

Yoni: You know that song that says "I feel so broke up / I want to go home" (Mom supplies: Sloop John B ). I kind of feel that way because I miss Abba (Dad). But I want to see Blue Grandma too.

Daniel: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

And now for some photos along our way today.

You can't see the sign Daniel is holding, but it says "Ogallala." This is where we had originally hoped to stay last night, but we (okay, I ) was a little optimistic about how far we could travel in one day. It took us five hours to drive to Ogallala from our hotel in Lincoln.

Nebraska is SOOOO interesting...

Although this was unexpected...

This is what apparently passes for snow today in Nebraska...

Compared to what we left in St. Paul...

Hello from Lincoln, Nebraska!

2008-12-10T20:15:00.000-06:00

And the long-awaited answer to our poll is: 8:02 a.m.

We made it to Lincoln, Nebraska. It was my hope to make it to Ogallala, NE, but sleeping 2 hours last night combined with a late-ish start made it a better choice to stop in Lincoln.

Also, I noticed something. Once we hit I-80, we are driving mostly west. The sun sets in the west. This makes for quite bright driving come sunset. Painfully bright driving. Blindingly bright, even. So we are here in Lincoln. And let me tell you, I can't explain it, but there was something very right about pulling into Lincoln at sunset while listening to David Broza. Maybe it's just me.

Okay, enough from the mom.

It's Yoni's turn: I noticed something really weird. Once we hit Council Bluffs there was absolutely no snow! And it was 2 degrees below freezing!

Now it's Daniel's turn: Today we went to a hotel. Our room is nice. And pretty. Eema let us try a digital camera. And she let us use hers. I was in one of the pictures. I took a picture on the very new digital camera and Eema's. There's two lamps next to each other up on the wall and there's a button in between that you push and then they turn off and then if you push it again it turns on. I got a camoflauge suitcase that comes with a water bottle. And in our hotell we got a TV with a cool remote.

Back to Yoni: You may have noticed that Daniel said more. And for dinner we went to Village Inn and I had grilled cheese dunkers with salad on the side and Daniel had macaroni and cheese with graham crackers on the side. And now he's asking me to read Kat Kong to him. We are on our way to California to see Blue Grandma because this may be the last time we may be able to see her again. On our trip, we saw a lot of interesting things, like wind farms and horses.

Here are some pictures we took.

Are we there yet?

2008-12-09T22:18:00.004-06:00

The boys are so excited to go, they wanted to "practice" rolling their suitcases around the living room. Just to see how it felt. And then much to my surprise, they went to bed at their normal time and went immediately to sleep.

Maybe we should pack and prepare to leave more often.

With a few last-minute exceptions, we are packed and ready to go. The only remaining item on the To Do List is refueling the van, and I was delighted to see gas at $1.55/gal today.

Just think: our next blog post will be on the road. And we can answer the much-awaited question of what time we got going.

California here we come!

Abuzz

2008-12-08T22:16:00.003-06:00

Well, dear readers, you don't seem to have much confidence in us being on the road before 8:00 a.m. That's okay. Honestly, I (the mom) don't either. But we can have our ambitions.

Yoni and Daniel are experiencing normal mood swings under the circumstances. They are sooo excited about going ("Are we leaving tomorrow? The day after that? When are we leaving?") but they are sad about the things they will miss at school, too. Or at least they are sad about missing a field trip and their friends.

We could be gone as long as three weeks all told, including travel time, and that seems like forever to kids whose ages are still in the single digits. (It also seems like forever to spouses who haven't been apart from each other for more than a week during their 22 years together, but that's another story.) Thank goodness for technology!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is the Big Packing Day after school and with it, saying goodbye (albeit temporarily) to friends and classmates. And Abba (Dad). It will be an emotional day and I suspect none of us will sleep well tomorrow night.

Which could mean a very late start. Or, with the benefit of secondary insomnia, it could mean a very early start. We shall see.

Shopping, shoveling, packing, and where's my other sock?

2008-12-07T19:05:00.002-06:00

Hi all and welcome to our new blog. Here's our story in a nutshell:

I (the mom) and my two boys (Yoni age 7, Daniel age 5) are embarking on a road trip from Minnesota to California to visit my mom (the boys' grandmother), whom the boys affectionately call Blue Grandma.

Why are we driving? Because airfare is way too expensive to fit our budget. And because I (the mom) am insane.

Why are we going now, in December? Because my mom (Blue Grandma) has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we want to see her again before she hopefully goes in for surgery and gets rid of all the nasty cancer.

Why are we blogging our trip? Because Yoni and Daniel will be missing a week and a half of school to go on this adventure. (Hi Talmud Torah!) And because we want to show their teachers that yes, they really are learning more than how to work the van's video player. And because lots of people here in cold, snowy Minnesota worry about us and we can relieve and entertain them at the same time.

And because I don't have enough to do or enough to worry about. In short, because I am insane.

So now we are doing our last-minute shopping for the trip and setting aside clean clothes to pack and doing massive amounts of laundry so that we have clean clothes to pack, and shoveling the walkway outside because despite our busy pre-trip plans, it insists on snowing outside.

It was 4 degrees out earlier today. How weird to think that in a few short (or maybe not so short) days, we will be driving with the windows down in sunny California. We might even get a tan. In December!

We're getting ready. The only thing we're not doing is sleeping.