Road Trip 2015: Driving to Utah

Thank goodness we got all of the mishaps out of the way on Day 1! Days 2-5 were much more pleasant. We drove through parts of: Tennessee (again!), Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, and Utah. I was so sad we missed out on Nauvoo this year, but that's what I get for leaving my suitcase at home. Lesson learned. I hope to never forget it again!

Fun Stop:  Adventure Science Center in Nashville

Fun Stop: Downtown St. Louis to see the arch

It was getting late and our hotel was on a suburb 

on the far side of St. Louis, so we didn't actually go down to the arch.

But the picture proves that we were close by. :)

Fun Stop:  University of Kansas in Lawrence

Lawrence is a charming town!

We had fun exploring a little bit of KU campus

on our way to their science museum.

 Go Jayhawks!

WHEN IN KANSAS:
Watch out for hail storms!!
Holy cow.
We drove through the craziest hail storm that I've ever been in.
It was POUNDING the van.
I felt like the windshield was going to crack.
The roads were covered with hail so thick that it looked like snow.
Scary, scary stuff.
And we were in a place with no exits.
So we just drove slowly and waited it out.
And prayed.
And we made it through.
Safe and sound.
Not a dent on the van.
Phew.

After the storm passed, we were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow.

FAVORITE DAY OF DRIVING
Over the Rockies on I-70 West of Denver

Fun Stop: Georgetown Lake, CO

Oh, how I love this picturesque lake in the Rockies!

We've been stopping there since the kids looked like this:

Patchy-eyed  two-year-old Whit and

almost-ready-for-kindergarten B, age 5

It's right off the freeway and surrounded by gorgeous mountains.

We don't stay long, but love to throw rocks in

and breathe that cool mountain air.

Fun Stop: Rainbow Park, Silverthorne, CO

Another favorite stop.

There is beauty all around in Colorado in July.

Drink in the gorgeousness!

B brought his pogo stick along this year. 

And made interesting use of the playground equipment.

We stayed a night in Roosevelt with my parents.
So good to see them.

(But I failed to take any pics.)

The next day we headed to Salt Lake.

Fun Stop: Museum of Curiosity at Thanksgiving Point, UT

This place is awesome!

So much to see and do. 

Playing DJ with real drums that you can program with the touch screens.

We need to go back when we can spend more time.

Fun Stop:  Airborne Trampoline Park

B has been itching to try out his ninja skills.

He rocked the ninja course to pieces!

Finished it several times.

Whitney and I had fun trying....
but didn't come close to finishing.

Whit could never beat the slack line.

I could do the monkey bars...

and that's it. The rockwall did me in.

And sweet Care Bear would have LOVED

to try the ninja course, but wasn't tall enough.

Instead, she had fun on the trampolines.

Weeeee!

It felt good to make it to Utah and spend a couple of nights there

with grandparents. But we had yet to reach our furthest destination.

Still heading west....