Two Cars, Three People, and a Crazy Cat Make the Trip from Vegas to New York in 3.5 Days!

Wow!

The road trip from Vegas to New York went by really fast!

Wednesday: In the morning, we packed the cars, and hit the highway by early afternoon. The traveling party was made up of three capable drivers and a slightly neurotic (but oh so lovable) cat, all piled into two very full cars. Driving through Utah provided gorgeous scenery (I expected nothing less!). I definitely want to get back to the eastern part of Utah to see Arches National Park, Escalante, and other sights in that area. We made it to Grand Junction, Colorado the first night and collapsed with exhaustion from the packing and driving. However, Mr. Crazy Cat decided that the room was much too quiet at about 3 A.M., and provided us with full-volume crooning for the rest of the night.

Thursday: The drive through Colorado was really cool! We drove past Vail and through the high mountain peaks... our loaded down cars didn't like it so much, but we made it! Going down-hill on the other side was a lot of fun!  Then, Kansas. It was pretty flat. But, they do have lots of really pretty sunflowers! We stopped somewhere random for dinner at an IHOP.  That night we stayed somewhere unmemorable outside of Topeka, Kansas, another night full of cat howling.

Friday: I think we were all pretty sick of driving and tired of cat howling by Friday.  Only with plenty of too many Starbucks Doubleshots were we able to make it to Dayton, Ohio for the night. Oh! But we stopped in Indianapolis for dinner. We were craving real (good) food for a change, so Driver #3 used his magic phone to find us a Turkish restaurant named Bosphorous. It was AMAZING! I think I ate the best baba ganoush I've ever had. It was an incredibly satisfying and refreshing dinner after several days of sitting in the car.

Saturday: We left Dayton in the rain and made the trip across Ohio, through a smidgen of West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania. We dropped off Driver #3 at the train station so he could get back home, and continued north towards New York. The plan was to stop in Scranton. We did stop there, but quickly found out that we were going to have a long night.  Unfortunately for us, it was time to Shake and Bake! NASCAR was in town, so no motel rooms for miles around. We'd already driven twelve hours, but pushed on, stopping at each new exit with a motel. Three hours later, we found a room! Exhausted beyond belief, we slept despite the late-night serenades of our feline friend. We'd made it to New York!

Sunday: Having driven three hours extra the day before, it was only another hour and a half or so to our new home. Driving into the Hudson Valley was surreal. After living in the desert where you can see for miles, driving through the flats and rolling hills of the midwest, and through sheets of rain, winding down country roads walled with trees was a bit unnerving.  But we'd made it! We arrived at our new abode and started the process of settling in. Home at last!

I didn't do much but unpack a bit and sleep for the next few days, and almost a week later am just now feeling fully recovered!  I'm excited to explore the Hudson Valley. There are lots of events and festivals, and the fall foliage is supposed to be amazing! New adventures here I come!