Day 4

Check out all of our photos thus far...driving to Iowa tomorrow...

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Leaving The Gas Lite Motel, Laramie, WY

Today we woke up to sun light pouring through the windows. I rolled over to see the numbers 9:00 flashing on the clock. This didn't leave much time to get ready. So as fast as we could we packed up the car, grabbed a few muffins, and hit the road.

We first stopped at Salvation Army. There was signs every two steps. "Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times", "no shoplifting, god and the cameras are watching you" or even "no fishing in the garbage."

We all got headaches with so many "don't signs around so we decided to go to a different trift store called "Nu 2 U". At this one there were actually some good clothes (and not a lot of signs.) Then we went to a gas station to get a movie called "The Tooth Fairy" at a red box.




We drove for a couple of hours until we finally stopped at a store called "Cabelas. We got hats and a bunch of beef jerky sticks. Then we drove until we got to our cute little hotel.

We first went to The Lodge, a restaurant right next door. It was a nice restaurant, with little hard animals all over the entire place. So of course, we had to play "I Spy."

Then we all went swimming. It was a perfect day for swimming, because it was so hot outside. We then went back to the hotel room and watched so you think you can dance on T.V until we all fell asleep.

Day 3

I don't know what time I woke up this morning, but it was defiantly early. Since mom and I were the only ones up, we decided to get breakfast-just the two of us. Breakfast at the sandman hotel was very... nutritional. The thing is nutritional does not always mean "good." But it was food, so although I didn't leave the sandman hotel satisfied I did leave with food in my stomach.

Then my sister, mom and I packed up the car and headed out into the world. We first stopped at a gas station right by hotel and got the movie "The Blind Side" at a red box.After that, My sister and I got on the D.S. and tried to solve the mystery of Professor Latin and the curious village.

As we were driving we passed (drum roll, please) Salt Lake! All I can say is it is one big lake!( I don't know why they even call it a lake! It looks more like an ocean).

About a half an hour later we went to the Treetop Children's Museum. It was (can you guess?) tree themed! But there wasn't only trees there. It had a dress up room, a pretend school house, a castle room...well, I think you get the point. My brother loved it, and I kind of enjoyed it myself.

We then went to fat cats, a bowling alley/arcade/pizza restaurant. But, unfortunately we only had time for the pizza, because we were still planning to get to Wyoming.

As we were driving we passed by a really pretty town. Can you guess what it was called? Morgan City! can you believe it I was driving through Morgan city. Of course we had to stop and about a million pictures and we even bought a pen with the words "Morgan, Utah" On it.

An hour or so later we stopped to go to the restroom . The bathroom was made out of these brightly colored red bricks. It made me feel like I was in the story the three little pigs ." Little pigs let me in!" A few more hours later we stopped AGAIN to get ice cream snicker bars in a gas station in...WYOMING. Wyoming supposed to be all beautiful and stuff but really it's just a bunch of hills dirt and dead grass. Not a lot of people. So there wasn't much looking outside, and more of playing Nancy drew on the computer. After a long day of driving, we finally stopped in Laramie, WY. It was a small town, but it had a lot of hotels, so it wasn't very hard to find the perfect hotel. This hotel was called the gas lite. We immediately went swimming and then came back to our quaint little hotel room, and watched T.V until we dozed off.

Day 2

Today, at 7:35, after a lot stretching and yawning, we finally crawled out of bed. We had breakfast at the Super 8, which was basically a bagel, some poppy seed muffins and some sticky orange juice. How should I know it was sticky? Well for one thing, my brother spilled it all over the floor and I was the one stuck cleaning it up. ( and Mom too- but that is beside the point.)

Then we headed to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center. I had no clue how dangerous the trail was. You either drowned, starved, froze, got attacked by Indians or animals, or came down with a very dangerous disease called Cholera, which killed thousands. In fact every twenty yards, someone on the trail was buried.

Afterwards we started our drive. My sister and I played a very intense game of animal vet on the D.S. while my brother played on his Leap Pad. We stopped at a little town outside of Boise, Idaho to go to the restroom and drink some water plus squirt some in my eye. My sister and I then played a game of crazy eights on a suit case. It moved around a lot so it was very hard to play. We never finished the game, but I think I won, although I did have about half the deck in my hand. Four hours later we were in Utah! Two states in one day! A new record! ( for the Mankin family.) We have traveled, so far, about 780 miles! I can't believe I'm still alive, and not dead from boredom!

We stopped in the town of Trementen, a cute, little town in the Saw Tooth Mountains. We checked in at the Sandman Hotel and then relaxed until our stomachs drove us to " George's Crossroads' Restaurant." I had the best burgers ever ( besides my dad's of course) and free pie. Lots and lots of pie. My stomach felt as if it was about to explode! But man, was it good.

All I wanted to do was lie down at the hotel, but instead we went to the park. I can't believe i'm saying this, but it was actually really fun.

Then we headed back to the hotel and finally collapsed on the bed and watched t.v until we all passed out.

Day 1

Today, after a long morning of packing the car, we were finally on our way to Iowa. We drove for a long time, seeing nothing but desert and lots of wind turbines.

Finally we made it to Baker City- a small town that seems to be obsessed with trains. We went to a train themed restaurant, the first one I've ever been to. There were train shaped menus, a train that journeyed the entire restaurant, and even had "Jr. engineer burgers."

Then we went and got ice cream- I really hope this becomes a tradition- and walked around down town Baker's City. It was an empty town with a few houses, a super eight, and a spooky high school, that my mom was convinced was an old jail. That was until we saw the sign: Baker High School 1916. All I can say is that I would really hate to be there at night. Then we headed to our super eight hotel and went swimming, after lugging every thing into our room that is. Then, after drying off from the pool, we decided to turn on the T.V and relax after a long day.

Getting Ready to go...

Here we are in the state of Oregon, getting ready to start a crazy journey to Iowa...driving. We will be passing through eight entire states, stopping only at night to rest at a super eight hotel ( I know, pretty fancy.) Right now, were doing my least favorite part of any trip-getting ready. This means, packing, getting maps, and going to goodwill and stocking up on books, reading is the only thing I can do if I don't want to die of boredom on the car ride there, and back. If you know me, you know getting books doesn't mean getting one or two skinny chapter books. Oh no, I fill a suit case to the top with books, heavy books. Last time ( ask my mom if you don't believe me) I went to California and brought along a suit case full of books, and read them all by the time are trip was over, and that was only two weeks! How am I going to survive an entire month?!?!. I'll update as soon as anything exciting happens ( meaning when we're in the car ready to go Iowa.)