Mom Road Trip

Friends are blogging about our road trip!

Summer Road Trip '09 (Canada Moms Blog Road trip)

Our friends throughout the blogosphere are already posting about our road trip across Canada!

If you have put up a post on your personal site or blog and linked to this site, leave a comment below.  We will make sure to give some link love back your way!

• Hormone Colored Days:  My First Cluttercast: A Canadian Puzzle
• Them's My Sentiments:  About SVMG Road Trip
• Where There's A Willer:  Road Trip Dreaming 

Summer Road Trip '08

Friends throughout the blogosphere posted about the Summer Road Trip '08! 

• Valleywag:  NBC'S iVillage mommying BlogHer with $5 million
• Guy Kawasaki - How To Change The World: Smart Marketing: Cannonball Run For Chicks
• GM Blogs:  Chevy Road Tippin' To Blogher
• The EVERYTHING Typepad Blog: TypePad Mommy Bloggers Embark on Their Summer Road Trip ’08
• Deal Architect:  Cannonball Run 2.0?
• MomsMinivan.com:  Blogger Mom Road Trip!
• Manafu Blog:  Blogs: Campanie pe bloguri la americani
• Mommyvents: Type A Mom
• Paper Bridges:  Blogher Road Trip: A Fantasy Conversation With My Husband
• Sarah And The Goon Squad:  The Big News
• Parentopia: We're baaaack and then we'll be on the road, but we're taking you with us!
• Seasons For All: Silicon Valley Moms Group - Summer Road Trip '08
• MomViews.net - Mom Bloggers On A Road Trip
• Working Moms Against Guilt:  Queens Of The Road
• Phat Mommy:  Road Trip To Blogher
• Seriously Mama:  Life Is A Highway.......
• A Bushel And A Peck:  DC Metro Moms Must-Know Info.
• Loser Moms:  Psssst.
• Adventures In Juggling:  Road Trip
• Chefdruck Musings: A Few Shout Outs
• BusyBodyBook Blog:  The Silicon Valley MOMS Group Road Trip To Blogher - Off and running.
• Tech Savvy Mama: Heading To BlogHer
• BagMomma:  Coast to Coast: BlogHer or Bust
• Hormone-colored Days:  Mom Road Trip: Astronaut Diapers And Mountain Dew
• Meagan Francis:  if you need me next week, you can try me on my car phone......
• Y&R: Receita de sucesso?
• Bring The Family:  Elsewhere: Mom Road Trip
• Deep Much Big Rake:  Mom Road Trip, aka Devra and Sarah's (and Meagan's and Aviva's and Jill's) Excellent Adventure
• Queen Of Spain: Kicking Off BlogHer: my friends, and Katie Couric
• BlogHer: Katie Couric kicks off BlogHer: Video
• A Parent In Silver Spring:  BlogHer, Katie Couric, Road Trips & APISS
• MOMformation: Mom Road Trip to BlogHer
• Ageless Body/Timeless Mom:  Mommy Blogger Road Trip Shameless Promotion
• Jodifur: It Must Be Said
• Want Sugar: On SV Moms + Katie Couric Video video message
• DVM Moms (District Virginia Maryland): Road Trip: Power of Mommybloggers!
• My Life As It Is:  Road Trip!
• This Full House:  Gone Fishing - Will Be Back Soon, Or Not
• Meagan Francis:  what I'll miss/what I won't
• My Funny, Funny Family: Mommy Playdate
• Kristabella: Full of Snark SInce 1977:  It's A Blogstravaganza!
• Lauren the Cartoon Goddess:  See what other moms do....
• Mother's With Cancer:  Flashes of Hope
• Beneath The Brand:  A Road Trip Worth Taking
• Marketing Mommy:  I won't blubber about BlogHer
• Sellsius:  Blogging Moms Go Cross Country
• Coruja (Parenting)"  Maes blogueiras ganham a estrada
• Ask Patty:  Moms On The Road: From D.C. to Cali
• The EcoChic Organizer:  Mom Road Trip Pit Stop in Chicago
• parentdish (AOL living): Mommy Bloggers Cross-Country Roadtrip to BlogHer

California Continues to Amaze Me

As if the beautiful drive through the Sierras and the 2 days in Napa weren't enough, I saw Big Sur today! What an amazing sight it was. 

Here, let me catch you up on the last few days of my California dreamin'. After a lovely evening at John Muir we enjoyed a great day of wine tasting at the wineries suggested by my friend Enoch. The most beautiful by far was Chateau Montelena. It is an 1880's castle set in a lush, gorgeous landscape off the main winery strips in Calistoga. Aside from being an incredible sight, the wine was fabulous. Our next fun and unique experience was at Sterling Vineyards where we took an air tram up the hillside to tour the winery. We ended our day at the incredible deli at V. Sattui winery - a must stop for lunch or dinner when you are there!

The next night was spent at a B&B my husband discovered on line, Napa Old World Inn.  It was the perfect romantic getaway, although I wouldn't put it past being a fun escape with a bunch of girlfriends either! Upon our arrival, there was a private wine tasting at the house complete with crackers, fruit, and cheese. Following that, a delicious spread of desserts to bring back to your room. In our room, a jetted tub built for 2 and a complete in room theater with a huge selection of movies available in a main room. But wait, there's more... In the morning, room service - no better than room service. A delicious fresh made breakfast of a souffle, hot apple crisp and fresh peaches with home made whipped cream! All this was perfectly prepared and set just outside our door on a warming tray and in our private fridge for us to get when we were up and ready. We also enjoyed the pleasure of making new friends at the wine tasting and sharing a bottle of wine with them before dinner. Next time you are looking to get away from it all in Napa, I would HIGHLY recommend a call to this charming place.

When breakfast was over, we were off again. A drive down to visit an old high school friend in Oakland and then down the coast line to see my cousin. For my kids, a video of beach and mountains from the same roadside spot. For me, a chance to catch up with friends and family along with seeing places I have never seen before. The next time I see a Big Sur Waterbed commercial, I'll be able to say, "I've been there."  Fortunately, my cousin is getting married in May so I have the perfect excuse to return. And next time, the kids are coming too. This is a place they are sure to enjoy and remember for years to come.

Mom Road Trip Video, Created By Chevy

Unwinding in Napa

  It feels good to sit down and relax. BlogHer '08 was a whirlwind of information, socializing, fun and work all combined in the very best way. I learned a few more tricks of the trade and, most importantly, got to actually meet so many wonderful people who I only knew by url or on line names.

Each time I attend events like these, it reminds me how much of an impact bloggers make on the world. It is truly magnificent to see people able to change or simply speak about things they are passionate about. So, while I let all the new discoveries sink in, I will enjoy some well deserved time with my husband in Napa. My husband just pointed out the fleet of hybrid vehicles being used for the new California Wine Tours Green Fleet - I hope they included the Tahoe in there!

At the recommendation of Jill, we are currently at The John Muir Inn. It's a lovely little place in a simple Napa neighborhood and shares a parking lot with Marie Callender's. Now, we all know how I feel about sneeking fruit into my dessert, that just makes it breakfast! I was thrilled to hear that guests of John Muir get special breakfast discounts at Marie Callender's. We also recieved coupons for complimentary wine tastings in the area. An old favorite of ours, V Sattui, was one of those included.

OK, enough of this. Time to hit the tasting trail! 

One last thing... I promise we didn't forget about our contests and contest winners. As soon as the five road warriors return home, we will post information to wrap things up and get the prizes out!

Aviva will resume posting at Parentopia as soon as she returns home to her parenting...

FAQS ABOUT THE SV MOMS GROUP SUMMER ROAD TRIP '08

• About The Road Trip
• SV Mom Group Contributors Participating on the Road Trip
• Just so we are clear: Information About our Sponsors and what was expected of SV Moms Group.
• Yes, Katie Couric DID create a video welcoming everyone to our SV Moms Group Road Trip
• We did receive press  along the way. 
• MANY bloggers and sites sent "link love" our way.
• There was "technology" to help us share experiences from the road.
• Yes, more posts and videos are on the way....
• .... and you can bet, we would do this again.  In a heart beat!

We're here!

I can't believe that I just left home six days ago. It feels like I've been on the road for a month.

But we finally made it to BlogHer, and I get to stay in the same hotel room for three nights in a row! Yeah, I can leave my suitcase in the same place for a few days and actually hang up my clothes!

Yesterday started bright and early with a taping for KTVN, the CBS affiliate in Reno. After that we hit the road on our way to pick up Jill in Silicon Valley. I took the wheel, ready to try out some mountain driving. And I was glad I did. The route between Reno and Sacramento was hands-down the most gorgeous drive I have ever made, and driving meant I didn't have to miss a second of it looking at my laptop!

We decided we absolutely had to have a picture of the Tahoe in Lake Tahoe, so we got off at an exit and started looking. While we never actually located Lake Tahoe, we did find ourselves some beautiful scenery:

Hey, if we couldn't actually take a photo of the Tahoe at Lake Tahoe, at least we could say we had a picture of the Tahoe somewhere in the vicinity of Lake Tahoe...

After that, we got back in the car and decided to find a monument or museum dedicated to the grim tale of the Donner Party, a story I've been fascinated with ever since I read The Shining at far too young an age. We quickly located Donner Memorial State Park, where we located a monument dedicated to the pioneers who made the dangerous journey over the Donner Pass.

And since we are insatiable smart-alecks, we of course had to do our own re-enactment.

We tromped through the gift shop, selecting postcards and gifts for our kids (I got my ten-year-old a PBS special on the Donner Party. Grim? Yes, but something tells me his sick little mind will find it interesting) and finally, reluctantly--it was so beautiful there that I really could have stayed for days--we got back on the road. Finally, after a few navigational issues, we arrived at Jill's house and met up with the other SV moms. I'll post more about that later--have to get to a BlogHer session in just a few minutes!

--Meagan is relishing the fact that she actually got more than 5 hours of sleep last night.

 

Mom Road Trip Bloggers on KPIX CBS 5

Check it out!  SV Moms Group Road Trippers and founders of Silicon Valley Moms Group were on CBS News today!  Here is a clip of the video..... 

night-night

I probably should be sleeping right now. Instead, I am blogging.  Isn't that the story of a "blogger"?  We want to put down our words (regardless of the  late hour), and have them read.  Have them shared.  Receive feedback that just someone can relate to us... but alas, my mind wanders as I reflect back on this past week.  Sharing the journey of our SV Moms Group Summer Road Trip '08. 

The "Road Trip Bloggers" are now in San Francisco, drinking way too much, mingling, partying and connecting with "virtual" friends.  Tomorrow, we will attend the BlogHer Conference and remember that our words ARE important. What we say as women, mothers, community activists and leaders matter! 

We promise to share a LOT of pictures and video from the past few days.  Right now... all we want to do is sleep....Good night my friends.

Have a blast at BlogHer.  You deserve it!

Fondly,
Jill Asher (who shared the last thirty miles of the road trip with Devra, Aviva, Sarah and Meagan).

Pictures with our new BFF, Guy Kawasaki

We promise, will load more video shortly.  In the mean time, we wanted to share some pictures from our meetup with Guy Kawasaki (our new BFF).  Pictures were taken on Thursday, July 17, 2008.  Following these pictures, the Mom Road Trip Bloggers headed North to San Francisco for BlogHer.

The Biggest Little City In The World

I'll admit that so far, my only exposure to Reno has been via one of my favorite shows, Reno 911, which showcases the city's, er, seedier side. So when we pulled into Reno last night I really didn't know what to expect. As it turns out, there's also a really charming downtown area, which is one of my favorite things about small cities. And there are a lot of casinos, which are one of my favorite things about any city that happens to have one. I'm not a big gambler (I swear I can stop ANY TIME...it's not like I have a PROBLEM or anything!) but once a year or so I like to hit the slot machines and and let Lady Luck have her way with me. So while I was interested in checking out the city of Reno, I was mostly excited about checking out the gaming floor in the hotel. 

We pulled into Harrah's after a seven or eight-hour drive through the mountains and lots of frustration over internet signals getting dropped juuuust as we were loading a picture or hitting "publish". Combine that with many long days in the car, and we were in need of some serious R&R. Luckily for us, we got totally hooked up, with totally fantastic hour-and-a-half full-body massages in the hotel's spa. I don't think any of us fully realized how badly we needed a massage until after we'd had them. When we met back up in the locker room, none of us were even able to speak. We just looked around in a daze, saying things like "Ahhhh," and "Mmmmm" and "Blargle darf shmeng." In fact, as we were waiting to be seated for dinner in Harrah's steakhouse, we could barely keep our heads off the bar.

After stuffing ourselves on steak, prime rib, and lamb (one meat each--not all three for each of us) and bantering with our very knowledgeable and attentive waiter, Ozzie, there came a point where all conversation ceased and the four of us just stared at each other and/or off into space. It became clear that we had Hit The Wall. Still, it was only 10:00 PM in Reno. How could we head to bed before gambling? Sarah, Devra and I headed to the casino, while Aviva, the more responsible of us, stayed in her room to compose a post. But Lady Luck was not with us, and we were also too exhausted to enjoy ourselves, even Sarah the high roller.  Within an hour of leaving dinner, we were back in our rooms. About five minutes after we laid down, Sarah said "I am going to sleep. Right now." And she did. After that, we were both unconscious until our 6 AM wake-up call...time to get up, check out, and head down for yet another appearance on the local news. We realized we had been so burned the night before that we hadn't even taken a picture in the casino--so we hit the slots again for a photo-op and one more chance to play the odds.

After all, if you don't play, you can't win, right? And in our case, even if you do play,  you still can't win. Oh well. Reno was good to us, and even if we didn't walk away with fatter bank accounts, we wound up with relaxed muscles, some great food, and a fun memory. What we can actually remember of it, that is.

Bye-bye, Reno! After a gorgeous drive through the Sierra Nevadas, past the Lake Tahoe area, and right by Donner's Pass on our way to California, we're now almost to Silicon Valley, on our way to meet up with Jill Asher and some other SV Moms. It's hard to believe that our journey is almost over--and the conference hasn't even begun yet!

--Meagan can't wait to actually stay in the same hotel for more than 12 hours. 

That's Why I'm Here

When I began telling family, friends and professional colleagues that I would be taking a road trip across the country the response ranged from "I've always wanted to drive across the country, it's the ultimate road trip!" to "Devra, I say this to you with only love in my heart, you are completely batshit crazy!"  Both of these responses, and any in between, were and are equally accepted and respected by me. 

As a kid living in New York our family didn't continuously own a car.  My mother at one time had a "share" car with a neighbor and my dad owned a 1967 Old's Cutlass until the day it got stolen, stripped and (Devra; circa 1980-something)     left for dead alongside the FDR.  Not having our own car meant we usually would rent a car to use. I remember the rush of anticipation when my parents rented a car. The color and brand revealed only when we went to pick it up.  Renting a car symbolized embarking on brand new experiences, even if the catalyst wound up being a two door unairconditioned Chevy Chevette with red, white and blue plaid interior.

The Renting Of The Car indicated my mom might be taking me up to Vermont to see the leaves change over an October weekend or it could mean driving up Highway 101 with my dad during a trip out West. My parents taught me there is sociological value in hopping into a car instead of onto an airplane.  More people to meet along the way, more experiences to share with your travel companions. For our family being in a car meant the only rear seat entertainment system was a book and reading at the wrong time resulted in adults demanding, "LOOK AT THE SCENERY!"

No denyin' I wouldnt have met Whodini and Kool & The Gang had we chosen to board an airplane bound for Newark.

My parents instilled in me driving isn't just about the driver, it's about the community in which you are driving. Being  safe, being a considerate driver yet still understanding how to be a defensive driver. I remember my dad trying to teach me how to drive  his manual transmission diesel Volkswagen Rabbit and the perspiration  running down the side of my head and dripping off the ends of my feathered hair. My dad sternly warning me me, "You are driving a ton of metal at a high rate of speed. You could kill someone with this thing. Pay attention, follow the rules. Drive safely." and after that he made me change all four tires just so I would know how to do it.

I still remember the first song  playing on the radio as I drove away from my mother for the first time as a newly licensed driver. The switch from passenger to driver made me downright giddy.  I loved to drive, loved to check out the scenery, just loved to have my window down and listening to my own music *on cassette.*

When I found out I was  selected the timing couldn't have worked out more perfectly. Both of our kids are away at summer camp, my husband is working long hours finishing a project and I was already planning on attending BlogHer.  It also gave me one more opportunity to "walk the talk" about my strongly held belief that being a parent is one facet among many of a woman or man's life. Having children need not result in abandoning interests outside of being with our children. 

I meet too many parents who feel guilty about pursuing their interests for fear that it will somehow make them a neglectful parent putting undue pressure upon themselves to put these things off "until the kids are grown."  I'm not saying this is unreasonable, just to consider for a moment that your children actually might want to see your "non-parent side."  My older son is  impressed I went to grad school with this guy's aunt. When he tours in our city, we go to his concert and I always bring  him a cherry pie and cookies for his band. Upon observing a stressed mom with a toddler in a  store my younger son has shared, "I think that mom needs your book." My kids know I am very proud of them and their accomplishments and seeing grownups accomplish stuff too is good for them to know about, since, guess what? They will eventually be grownups too.  My kids are looking forward to hearing about the road trip and seeing some of the pictures and video. Not all, because some just aren't appropriate for them to see at their current age. But some day when they are older they will be able to learn even more about what their mom has done in addition to driving them both all over hell being thier mom.

This particular road trip adventure may be just what you dream of doing or maybe you would never want to nagivate that trip. What may be one person's life dream, may be another's week in hell.  Whether this road trip is something you would do or not isn't the  point. 

The point is this is something  I wanted to do and I did it. And that's why I'm here.

Devra also does what she wants to do at Parentopia and DC Metro Moms

Reno: I'm a Loser

It has already been established that  I am a loser but I feel like I've truly lowered the bar this time.

No kidding. Let me tell you what I did last night in Reno. (Is there an emoticon for blushing and rolling eyes at the same time?)

We were staying at Harrah's.

We were pretty tired, but it seemed crazy to stay at a casino and not gamble at all.

I needed to get some money so I went to the ATM. I figured I would give myself a $40 budget. We were only planning on being down in the casino for about an hour so it seemed reasonable. My reasoning was that I would get $60 out of the bank machine so I would have some cash the next day.

I was getting the money out of the machine and at the same time I was having a conversation with Devra and Meagan about where we wanted to go lose our money.

I looked down and there were several bills coming out of the machines. Several one hundred dollar bills.

Name That Tune to Win a Zune

It's contest time again and the prize... an 80GB Zune, just like the one we have been using on our trip!

Here are the rules

1. Go to The One With the Singing and listen carefully.
2. Identify the title and artist or composer of each song.
3. You must identify all seven (7) songs in the clip in order.
4. Respond in the comment section of THIS post.
5. The first person to respond with all 7 correct... WINS!

From Reno to Palo Alto to San Francisco!!!!!

DAY SIX: FROM RENO TO PALO ALTO TO SAN FRANCISCO!

The count down has begun.  The journey cross country will soon end.  Devra, Sarah, Aviva and Meagan are in the Tahoe heading west on I-80.

This morning, they were interviewed by CBS (Reno) and that segment should air shortly. Yesterday, they were interviewed by CBS/Salt Lake City.  We are still waiting to receive a link to that video clip.

The first stop from Reno:  PALO ALTO, to pick me up! We will then pop in and meet with one of our favorite technology bloggers and entrepreneur, Guy Kawasaki.  We will then head up to San Francisco and begin the Pre-BlogHer festivities!

Phew.....

Stay tuned... more posts coming soon, from the Tahoe in Lake Tahoe!  (They are passing through Donner Pass right now!)

Jill Asher will be joining Aviva, Devra, Meagan and Sarah for the last thirty miles of the journey!

SV Moms Blog Video Montage

.... just in time, as we welcome over one hundred SV Moms Group contributors to San Franciso for the BlogHer Convention. Please join us for our first (ever) SV Moms Group Video Montage..... 

Produced by New York City Moms Blog Contributor and COO of YouHere Productions , Ursula von Rydingsvard.  YouHere Productions produces high end, quality video for the internet, that won't cost you and "arm and a leg".  To receive a 10% discount on video production, mention SV Moms Group and email Ursula at: ursula AT youhere DOT com.

May we add... a HUGE thank you to Ursula and YouHere Productions for helping us put this video together in such a short amount of time.

I Just Don't Get It

"What's the point, Aviva?" my mother asked me after going to the Mom Road Trip site. "Why are you doing this?"

I had no immediate answer for her other than, "Because I can." After several hours of contemplating the question in the car, though, here is what I have come up with... so far.

1. A Good Time

There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting out and having some fun with friends. Devra and I are often asked if we really do the things we talk about in our book and at our presentations. YES! Part of being a parent means doing things you love to do - even if some of those things mean your family is not physically with you.

Belated Salt Lake City post...

I've been trying to post about Salt Lake City since last night, but okay, I basically passed out from exhaustion last night. And today, we were driving in and out of foothills all day, which is hard on the wireless broadband connection. And come to think of it, yesterday was pretty spotty too. On our drive from Omaha to Denver, we saw a lot of this:

 

aaand...we were welcomed to Wyoming by this friendly buffalo:

Wyoming was shrubby, rocky, and more sparsely populated than anyplace I've ever been. At one point we had to make a stop for gas, and found ourselves in the town center of Buford, WY, population 1:

I must say that for a town with one resident, it had an amazingly well-stocked gas station.

When we finally got into Salt Lake City, we checked into the Hotel Monaco and headed up to our rooms. I was amazed at how nice and attentive everybody was at the hotel. I always think people in the Midwest are friendly, but this took friendly to a new level. After we got settled into our rooms, we walked the two blocks to Squatter's Pub, where I had my first experience with beer pairings and also sampled the best artichoke dip I've ever had (and believe me, I'm an artichoke dip connossueir). I have to say that I really loved Salt Lake City. It was gorgeous, with the mountain views, the weather was perfect and the downtown area was big enough to have lots of restaurants and other things to do, but small enough not to seem too overwhelming. Getting in and out of the city was a snap.

This morning we headed to the local CBS station, KUTV for a live interview in the parking lot. Then we got back on the road--destination, Reno, NV! I'll update later about the drive to Reno--but right now, it's time for a much-needed nap.

--Meagan is looking forward to playing the slot machines.   

The One With the Singing

There is something about road trips - I suppose it is the fact that you just sit in the car for hours and hours on end but everybody knows that road trips involve singing along to the radio (or Zune in our case).

I thought you might enjoy a little glimpse into our car and what sort of singing we've been doing.

I should warn you: this isn't going to be pretty.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sarah also tends to be loud and obnoxious at Sarah and the Goon Squad.

Some more pictures from the road!

Devra being interviewed by CBS News (Omaha)

Devra, Sarah and Meagan in front of Squatters (Salt Lake City)

Meagan, roadside in Utah

Don't even ask where this picture was taken!

GROUP PHOTO!!  Aviva, Devra, Sarah and Meagan.....

Pictures from "Little America"..... exit 68 off of I-80 in Wyoming

Wanted to share! Pictures taken from Little America (exit 68) in Wyoming on I-80. On the site Roadside America, we learned that the staff at Little America (the world's largest gas station) don't like people being jovial around the penguin. In reality the staff didn't understand why we wouldn't smile.

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But.....

Per Sarah, "why would a penguin live at the largest truck stop in the world (??)"An emperor penguin in Wyoming? Sure, why not?"

Per Meagan, "not as big as I expected".

Per Devra, "I am disappointed it was in a glass box.  I thought it would be more accessible".

Per Aviva, "What were they going to do with a penguin in Wyoming anyway?"

Meagan gave the penguin a little lovin' and a smile!

Rocky Mountain High

Everybody sing along now, "And the Colorado Rocky Mountain High - igh."  It's not easy being a flat lander up here. Last night, Meagan got winded riding up in the elevator (yes riding, not climbing the stairs), and all three of my travel companions were cheap dates - feeling the effects of the alcohol after just one drink at 5000+ feet. We all slept great and woke up feeling refreshed and ready to journey on, though.

Today we drove from Denver to Salt Lake City. Actually, Devra drove from Denver to Rawlins and I drove from Rawlins to Salt Lake. Sarah and Meagan were a little concerned about "mountain driving." As we drove the fairly straight shot across Wyoming on I-80, I found myself feeling a little guilty about not taking them the I-70 route. Not that the Wyoming scenery wasn't new and beautiful to them, I just knew damn well the drive leading to the Eisenhower tunnel would have impressed the shit out of them! Maybe next time ladies. While I would never tried really hard not to laugh out loud at them, I did have to chuckle at comments like, "Wow, look at that. What is that?" To which I replied, "A rock formation." "How did it get there?" "I suppose that's just where it formed." And when I told them about how my kids like to drive up to Breckenridge with a bag of chips in the car so they can see if it explodes, they seemed a bit upset I hadn't brought a bag along for them to experiment with.

On the way, they anxiously looked for herds of any kind. We saw cows, lots of cows,  camels, lamas, sheep, horse, and a lone buffalo. We even saw an Emperor penguin! Unfortunately, the deer and the antelope were not playing at the lower elevations in this heat. Although, we all found the weather to be gorgeous - warm and dry!  It's travels like these that remind me how lucky I am to live in such an incredibly beautiful part of the country.

Our arrival in Salt Lake brought us to a charming place called Hotel Monaco. We learned it was an old bank building and we all found it to be a warm welcome for our tired bodies. We did not, however, find our bug encrusted SUV grill and windshield to be either charming or welcoming.

Tomorrow, we are off to Reno! Lower elevation, a new time zone and... well, we'll just have to wait and see what another day on the road brings us.

Good night Sarah. Good night Meagan. Good night Devra. Good night John Boy. Good night Mary. Good night ma. Good night pa...

total Inanity- probably more than you want to know or care about.

DAY FOUR:  FROM DENVER TO SALT LAKE CITY

One thing becoming clear on this trip is we are all inane. Aviva's inane too, but she just got in the car today and has been driving so the other three can curse and get frustrated for hours upon end because we keep losing our Internet connection. get some posts up on the road trip site.

At the beginning of our road trip, Sarah became really angry at the entire state of Maryland because it lasted far longer than she had anticipated, "This is bullshit. There is no way Maryland should last this long. I'm raging against Maryland. That's right. You heard me."

Meagan became unbelievably animated-even stopping herself mid-sentence-when she discovered her salad included a small slice of grilled buttered bread.

I referred to us as "traveling the course of the country." I don't even know what the hell that means and said it during  an interview on Sunday Inquisition.

Inane behavior? Why not share a couple of our more inane conversations.

1.  For several miles we discussed the pronunciation of "Zagat."

2.  Devra: "This is the first time I've been to Des Moines."

Sarah: '"You mean I've been some place you haven't?"

Devra: "Yeah, you can't lord that over me anymore."

Then there was the inane video (parental advisory in effect):

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Contest - Yo G, Where You At?

We've got another contest for you guys.

Can you guess where we are in this picture and WHO took the picture?

The first person to correctly guess wins a BusyBodyBook Family Organizer. Good luck!

-Sarah

Rules of the road...

DAY FOUR:  FROM DENVER TO SALT LAKE CITY

It’s day 3 that I’ve been on the trip, and the first time I’ve tuned out. Rather than plugging my Zune into the car’s sound system and sharing my eclectic downloads with the group (a strange mix of such artists as Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, Blink-182, John Mayer and the Foo Fighters) right now, I’ve got my earbuds in.

It’s not that I’m tired of talking with everyone. It’s that I’ve spent so much time talking and laughing since Saturday night that by last night I was losing my voice and my throat was killing me. Since I’d still like to have the use of my vocal chords by the time we get to California, I decided to remove the temptation to join in the conversation and tuned out instead.

Now I’m staring at the rolling, open Wyoming landscape out the window and bracing myself for the curves in the road. (Devra takes ‘em faster than I probably would. Not judging, just noticing, as my old yoga instructor would say).

So it occurs to me that all road trips have certain rules, some spoken, some unspoken but implied. This trip’s no different. It seems to be an unspoken rule, for instance, that one does not hog the electrical outlet all day. One does not use more than one cup holder apiece. One does not scoot back one’s seat so that the person directly behind one has no leg room. When we stop for gas, it’s understood that the person pumping gas shouldn’t have to do everything else too. (Like yesterday, my job was scrubbing 129 dead insects from the windshield while Sarah filled the tank.) A driver does not deny a request for a bathroom stop.

update from the vehicle... well, sort of!

DAY FOUR:  FROM DENVER TO SALT LAKE CITY

Hello Everyone and Good Morning.

I just got off of the phone with Devra, Sarah, Aviva and Meagan.  They are in the vehicle, but wanted to share that they do NOT have internet access.  They are driving on I-80 from Denver to Salt Lake City.  Hopefully, they will have coverage soon.

In the mean time, they are looking for suggestions on where to stop on I-80 for lunch.  Thoughts?

Jill Asher will be joining Devra, Sarah, Aviva and Meagan.... as soon as they arrive in Silicon Valley!