Saturday, March 10, 2012

From South Dakota to West Virginia

Well, I'm not going to lie, it was a long drive.  24.5 hours to be exact.  Jason and I have always driven it together - him driving 6 or more hours and  me driving 3 at most.  So my anxiety of making this drive alone was getting the best of me while I packed the vehicles.  And to pull the Bug behind... - well lets just say that made Jason nervous.  So as we packed, we left plenty of room with pillows and blankets in my vehicle so that I could rest a few times when I was tired.  I also mapped out directions to to stopping points with numbers for hotels so I could stop and get a room along the way. 
First let me tell you the excitement to get there was overwhelming.  My singing and dancing skills behind the wheel are amazing and have entertained many a driver along the route to WV.  But what I think bothered me most is that while driving out of South Dakota I'm realizing we may never have a reason to return.  So out came the camera - I know dangerous while driving  - so don't judge.  These pictures were all taken with in a moving vehicle and at a moments notice when something caught my eye at 70 mph.  HARD TO DO.  But this ended up being part of my strategy of keeping my awake.  Thanks to XM talk Radio,  Prince of Bel Aire, Paula Abdul, Tiffanie, and some Bobby Brown to name a few, I made it safely to Wheeling. 
These first few shots were just a moment when I realized i had no pictures of SD farms - you know the winter fields, red barns, and silos.
COWS COWS COWS!



















Iowa windmills - oh the wind!!  Very futuristic looking  in the middle of farmland!




Ok - have you ever been pulling a vehicle and then scared the crap out of yourself when you forgot you were pulling the vehicle?????  This happened multiple times!  Mom's '71 bug was so light, that in my peripheral vision I would see it and scare the crap out of myself.  And then start laughing out loud....



The next few shots were taken for Jason.  These pictures I started taking at the bottom of the hill that he grew up on.  The drive up only takes about 10 mins, but while driving up we all get butterflies knowing we are almost there after such a long haul. 
 He should enjoy these shots - they are home for him. 
Oh ya - I could have straightened them with photo editing, but I didn't on purpose.  In fact this road makes me very car sick.  I left them crooked for the most part because that is exactly what it feels like driving up.  

















Jason's home he grew up in.



Jason's Dad and Nephew Ryan unloading firewood




Their backyard....and this is in winter - you should see it in the summer, Gorgeous!





This is one of my nieces Ella - she is 4


Josh is 8 months




Sarah is 3