‘Sup GBD!  So, the bad news is that Dez is sick and on bed rest.  Obviously, we all want her to get better as quickly as possible so that she’s strong and healthy for her next adventure.  Get better soon Dez!

The good news is that y’all have flooded me with stuff to post and my life has finally calmed down enough to post them.  I will be posting more frequently in the upcoming weeks to catch up, but not too often as some of you have expressed being overwhelmed by too many posts.  See GBD…we listen.

I apologize for taking so long to post your stuff, but keep ‘em coming!  I love hearing from you guys and seeing how excited you are to contribute.

So to start off, here is MarilyneL continuing her road trip story from last time.  Whoohoo!

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Road Trip, Summer ‘08

Day 1: Thursday, June 19.  Nicolet, Quebec (Canada) – Davenport, Iowa (USA)

Anticipated arrival time: 8:50 PM (according to the fabulous GPS)

Good morning everyone, it’s 4 AM – it’s time to wake up!  We have to pack the car with all our suitcases, portable fridge, food!, maps, food!, install the GPS, food!, CDs, a lot of them!  Hehe!  Put the Quebec flag in the back of the car and say warm goodbyes to the family.  ^^

So I thought I could write it as it was in our “journal de bord” – so here it is, with less details of course.

4:35 AM, Nicolet:  Here we go!!!  First stop: Tim Hortons –> Caffeine…hehe.

If you ever have a chance to do something like this…DO IT.  I just can’t describe how you feel when the car starts and you know you are going on the road, mind at peace, with a huge sense of liberty!  WOW!

7:22 AM:  Ontariooo!  There is a huge sign saying: “Welcome in Ontario/Bienvenue en Ontario.”  The next one, meters away: “Here, we respect speed limits” and you can admire the cost of the tickets.  Hehe.

At 10:35 AM, after 535 km, we stop at Trenton for gas: $55 CAN ($1.31/ L, it is now $1.04/L)

12 PM sharp:  Hello Torontooooo!  We barely see the CN tower from the highway (hehe), but eh…we’re going in the right direction!

1 PM:  Lunch time in Mississauga.  (We are already 1 hour and a half behind schedule…)

3:45 PM:  Successfully passed through the US customs: MICHIGAN!  I was the designated driver because my sister Véro barely speaks English, or at least, that’s what she said.

Come on, I had to take a picture!  I looked up in the sky, but did not see the red-blue blur.

Between Sarnia and Flint, Michigan, there was a board saying: “Prison Area, don’t pick up hitchers.”  Haha…useless to say we did not.

6:40 PM:  Gas Stop + Dinner

By 9:45 my sister just wants to get to Davenport to sleeeeeep, so I drive.

12:10 AM:  We finally arrive at the Days Inn, Davenport!  (3h and 20m  late….hehe)

Local time: 11:10 PM (Central Time) since New Buffalo

Grand total: 1780 km for $150 CAN

Day 2: Friday, June 20.  Davenport, Iowa – Denver, Colorado (Frisco….brrrrrrr)

Anticipated arrival time: 10:20 PM

We leave at 8:47 AM after a gas stop.

12:00 PM:  Lunch in Adair.  Back on the road 25 minutes later (my sister’s driving).

3:00 PM:  Gas stop.  My turn to drive…hehe.

We are now in Nebraska.  Speed limit: 75 mph !! –> 125 km/h (in Quebec it’s 60 mph=100km/h!)

Nothing better than this combination: Amazing sun + cruise control + good music + sing out loud = YAY!

5:15 PM:  A huge cloud is coming towards us.  The sky is literally black: the temperature dropped from 28°C to 18°C while it was heavily raining!

6 to 7 pm: Time to eat at Pizza Hut.  There is a family from Texas!  We are not the only tourists…hehe .

Gas stop +  Véro drives

7:25 PM (local time: 6h25 pm, Mountain Standard Time):  In Sutherland

8 PM:  The landscape is finally changing!  Now, hills can be seen.

Fun fact:  I live on a farm.  So I know a little about cows.   My sister and I noticed that at 7:30 PM, cows were simultaneously eating in the fields, even when we went through time zones…still 7:30…diner’s ready!  Hehe.

9:57 PM:  The Rockies ahead….still, quite far ahead.  And the Rockies mean abrupt slopes…a lot…on a wet surface…but the locals don’t seem too bothered.  Hehe…but I DO!  It’s dark, the road is so sinuous and abrupt….so I did not really enjoy that part, as a driver.

11:55 PM:  We finally find a Wal-Mart in Frisco so we can park and sleep.  The store was closing at midnight…so no, we could not go to the washroom inside.  Hello the trench.  Anyway, it’s dark outside.

Local Time: 10:55 PM

Grand total: 1547 km / $117 CAN

Next, we’re on our way to LAS VEGAS!  Hehe!

Marilyne