Best Fieldtrip Ever

Earlier this summer, I headed back to Utah to pick up my car and the rest of my belongings and embark on a cross country roadtrip to Washington, DC. Bringing my car over to the east coast is kind of a big deal. To help me make the journey, my good friend Tim joined me for the 2000+ mile drive. I'm not sure if Tim volunteered or if I was super persuasive, but for whatever reason he agreed to come along and I am SO grateful. We had some good times driving across Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, DC, and Virginia!

Day 1: Leaving Herriman at 4 PM

Leaving Utah (and my sense of direction...if there aren't mountains to the east how am I going to know which direction I'm going?

Day 1: Driving across Wyoming and Nebraska. I heard Nebraska was super flat and full of corn fields, but we drove through Nebraska in the night and I didn't get to see all the corn. I was a little disappointed.

Day 2: We got as far as Grand Island, NE the first day, rolling in around 3:30 AM, slept for a few hours and started day 2 at 11 AM.

Day 2: IOWA!!! My Favorite state! (well on this drive). Iowa is beautiful in July. We drove through rolling hills and saw cute houses on the tops of the hills. It really was charming, and I'm pretty sure I quoted 'Field of Dreams' the entire time we drove the state.

IOWA

Day 2: Welcome to Indiana. It was hazy, dark, and we got pulled over. I hate Indiana. Well, let me explain. There was quite a bit of construction so the speed limit was lowered. We had been behind a cop for a few miles and then he pulled off. He got back on and followed us and then pulled us over (Tim was driving). The cop asked for Tim's license, but not the car registration, which I had out and ready. First funny point, we were driving 45 mph when getting pulled over. Secondly, Tim didn't have his license, but a temporary paper copy because he was waiting for his motorcycle endorsement.  Thirdly, the cop asked us if our brights were on, which they weren't. He didn't believe us and asked us to turn the brights on and off as he waved his flashlight in front of the lights. He complained that he couldn't see and had to swerve all over the road when he was in front of us. He finally let it go and reminded us to keep our brights off. The best part of this story, well beside getting pulled over for having too bright of lights (I thought that was a good thing), was the cop himself. He had a ranger type hat on and a toothpick in his teeth and spoke with a complete hick accent--exactly what I would imagine from a 1980's cop show in the Midwest. Lesson learned: cops in Indiana are dumb.

Day 3: Cleveland, OH! My old roommate Meghan lives in Cleveland with her cute family. We rolled into Cleveland around 2 AM, but Meghan had left the door open and set up the downstairs for us to sleep. The next morning we played with her two adorable daughters, Mckinlay and Eliza, then headed off to Kirtland for the afternoon.

Day 3: Kirtland Temple

Inside the Newel K. Whitney Store

 We arrived safely in DC at midnight on day 3 of the journey. We spent the next two days exploring DC (monuments, temple, Arlington Cemetery). The trip was a success. Everyone and everything made it safely. The drive was much better than I expected and actually quite enjoyable...but I don't think I'll be making that drive anytime soon again.