Our First "Day" (24 hours)

So Renee picked me up in West Virginia at noon yesterday and we headed west. Our original goal for day #1 was 12 hours straight to St. Louis. Well, I felt a lil' more ambitious than that (Renee said that she knew that I would be), so here we are in Colorado Springs, Colorado 24 hours after we started! I've slept 30 minutes...twice...so I'm good to go. Books on tape help kill those late night hours. Renee took a nice 6 hour "nap" in the back seat all the way through Missouri and the first part of Kansas. She made me wake her up when we passed the arch in St. Louis. It looked really awesome at night with the lights on it.

So let's review a few things that we've learned thus far on our cross country trip:
1. Pennsylvania has bad roads and tolls (but we already knew that).
2. Ohio isn't that bad....but it isn't that good either.
3. Illinois has tons of night insects...huge ones that love windshields. It also has the smelliest river I've ever smelled. Hold your breath when you pass the Wabash River.
4. Missouri has the nicest rest stops so far.
5. Kansas has lots of nothing... except cows but no cowboys. It also has some of the scariest gas stations ever. Check out the "hamburger helper" guy with a nose job in the picture below. Try coming face-to-face with him early in the a.m.
6. Colorado is flatter than advertised....at least to start, but then Phil pointed out the Rockies (we couldn't get his picture to show up below).

So stay tuned for more updates from the road as we venture 'round Colorado Springs today and head to northern Colorado tomorrow to visit Dinosaur (yes, that's a city) and get our hands grubby. (There will be cowboy hats!)

(Due to the lack of a shower, Renee's picture will not be posted today...but I did manage to catch her on video tape!)

Adios! Off to see the Rockies!












A beautiful site of Indianapolis











A lot of nothin' happenin' in Kansas











Scary Hamburger Helper Guy at "Handy's" Gas Station