Road Trip Day 2, Salt Lake to Omaha

The kids pulled out a quick breakfast of muffins and yogurt, then we were on the road by 7:15 AM. Most of the kids slept as we climbed the treeless, mounded Rocky Mountain range. Snow, rain and dense fog combined with long boring stretches of road made for a rather grueling day of driving. For the next 20 hours, I was either driving or sleeping in a vehicle. We pulled over at a truck brake check area and the kids pulled out their food and camp stoves. In the 36 degree misty, windy weather, the groups fixed grilled cheese and tomato soup, boca burgers and ramen noodles in their pajama pants and flip-flops. Again, I was amazed at how quickly and efficiently they worked together - we pulled back onto the freeway in less than an hour.

This was a brutal traveling day - but with trading off drivers, we got through safely and arrived in Omaha Nebraska at 3:30 AM (local time - almost every day we lost an hour due to time zone changes - it got very confusing after awhile). When I would start to get sleepy, I'd ask the kids to talk and sing to me until we could find a rest area to stop and switch drivers. Because of the long hours on the road, Kevin (the school director) decided to buy Taco Bell for everyone for dinner to save time. Shelle (Kevin's wife) has kept us staff and our younger kids well supplied with coffee, Snapples and snacks like nuts, fruit, cheese and crackers.

J.J. is having a great time. Kevin and Shelle's son Caeden is just a year older and they are buddies at all the rest stops (all the kids must always be with a buddy at all times, and the younger kids must stay with an adult or older kid at rest stops, in restrooms, etc.). Shelle has her little van set up for the kids with a TV that they can watch movies and play PS2 games on. It's fun to listen to the boys work together to battle the evil forces on the Star Wars game. On some of my driving breaks, I sit with J.J. in the bus or van and help him do schoolwork. He's doing a great job journalling every day and is listening to "The Jungle Book" on his mP3 player, As we travel through each state, he reads facts in his Wacky Atlas, and he also has math pages to work on. Today he said, "Mom, this is so great - I'm having such a good time." The kids and staff love his generous, sweet spirit and include him enthusiastically in all their activities.