Sat, August 30

Hey, everyone!  Get out your USA map and follow us on our cross-country adventure!  Try to find on your map each one of the places we mention.  Some of them will be obvious while others will be more remote.  Also, try to guess where we'll be going the next day before we post.

After waiting all day, the kids were finally in the car ready to leave.

  

Amazingly, David was able to get everything to fit!

As we drove away, our neighbors the Montoyas waved good-bye.  They seemed as excited as we were!

Evidently, In-N-Out Burgers are only located in the western states, so we wanted to be sure to catch at least one meal at one of our favorite hamburger joints.  Dinner in Roseville, CA, was yummy!

One of Liz's favorite things to do on a road trip is to take pictures of state line signs.  Our first sign traveling into Nevada was snapped in the dark of night under an incredible sky bursting with stars and the Milky Way.  As city-dwellers, we are not used to actually seeing so many stars!  "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands."  Psalm 19:1  Imagine!  God has named each one of those stars.

Reno, NV, is a very bright place standing out in the midst of the desert.  The shining lights, the bustling nightlife, and the lure of instant riches reminded us of Vanity Fair from Pilgrim's Progress.  The children preferred to stay in the car as they viewed unsavory characters and blurry-eyed gamblers milling about the streets.   "Far better to watch from a distance than to walk into the "spider web," announced Joshua.   Of course, we had to get a picture of the Fitzgerald's casino.

In an effort to catch up on time lost, we drove well into the night, ending up in Elko, NV, at 3:00 a.m.  We just had to stop and sleep in a real bed!

Here's a map showing our progress for the day.