Sunday, September 11, 2011

Moving Success! My journey from Minnesota to California

Greetings! I am writing this from my house in sunny Sacramento. I made it here Saturday afternoon after 3.5 days in the car.

Forgive me for a gratuitous non-book post.

In case you're curious, here are a few things I learned on my trip:


1. Wyoming is quite possibly the most boring state in the country. Flat except for the occasionally rock formation and small mountains. Yellow and tree-less. And entirely too wide.

2. Mt. Rushmore is much smaller than you'd expect. And you can't get close to it. But the Corn Palace is pretty cool.

3. If the dog throws up in the car, you may not realize it until hours later. Ick.

4. Audiobooks are a fabulous way to pass the time on a long drive. But Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything which expounds upon the creation of the universe, quarks, molecular biology, etc requires more thought than I want to devote while in the car.

5. After you've driven for five hours, every muscle in your body will be crying in agony. Hell, you'll be groaning in pain after two hours. But if you're sitting in the passenger seat watching someone else drive, it's pretty nice.

6. Paying professionals to load your moving trailer is worth every penny. It wasn't even that many pennies. Next time, I'll get them to pack for me too. I'm all about delegation.

7. Internet connections on mobile phones is basically non-existent for large swaths of rural America. I was even roaming in Elko, Nevada. Yay for free hotel Wi-Fi.

8. There's nothing to do at night in the hotel other than read or watch TV. You'll make big plans to get through tons of books since you haven't done anything other than sit in the car all day. But you'll lie down on the bed with a book, read a page, and crash into a dreamless sleep. With the dog at your side (on the white comforter), of course.

9. The Sierra Nevadas near Lake Tahoe, CA is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Followed closely behind the mountains near Salt Lake City. The Black Hills of South Dakota are pretty nice too.

10. "Best" part about the move: I get to do it again in 11 months! To a location as yet undetermined. Especially sad because I've only been here 24 hours, and I already love Sacramento.

23 comments:

  1. Glad you arrived safely. Ew about the dog vomit though. And maybe you'll love the next place even more.

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  2. Yay. Welcome to California!! I'm from SF but have been to Sacramento a few times! It's nice there :)

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  3. Yay! So glad you made it across the country safely! I hear you on the dog vomit, that happens with my ridiculous dogs all the time. It's equally disgusting in the home as it I can imagine it would be in the car. Awesome. Love pets:)

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  4. I think you know where I want you to move! :) Glad to hear you arrived safely and enjoyed most of the trip. J says you thought Wyoming was bad because you haven't driven through Iowa. :)

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  5. Wow, 3,5 days? My longest car ride was 27 hours and I was sick for a week afterwards! Glad to everything went smoothly. Sorry for the dog, though :)

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  6. Glad to hear your move went well! I hope you're settling into your new home alright!

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  7. I agree with above poster, I would drive Wyoming a thousand times before Iowa... (I spent five years driving a truck)

    Glad you made it and love Sacramento!

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  8. I'm glad you made it there. :)

    1. Yes, Wyoming is the worst, followed closely behind Nebraska. So boring! I hate driving through both of those states.

    6. I need to get in on that action. My husband and I've moved so many times that you'd think we would've paid someone by now to do it for us. Not so. Next time, though. ;)

    7. Yeah, it really kind of sucks, doesn' it? I'm glad you had free wi-fi in your hotel, though.

    9. I love the mountains. No matter where I move, I'll always have to be by the mountains. I don't feel like I'm home unless I'm in a mountainous area.

    10. Sad! I hope you enjoy your time in Sacramento while you're there. Moving is the worst, so moving right after moving sucks. I hope it doesn't cause too much strain or problems.

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  9. Glad you made it safely! Don't think about your next move...just enjoy Scramento while you are there!!

    ♥ Melissa @ Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

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  10. I love your number 5. I totally totally agree. I'm usually the passenger of course and I LOVE road trips. Who would have thunk?!

    Hopefully California is one of those places you love but don't mind leaving? Oh the adventure.

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  11. Glad to hear that you made it there safely! I've never been to California but I hear that it is incredibly beautiful.

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  12. Glad you made it there safely! I agree with Melissa, just enjoy it while you're there!

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  13. I loved reading these! Glad you made it safely there!

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  14. glad you and scott made it safely!!!!

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  15. Congratz on your move to CA! Welcome to the Golden State!

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  16. aww I hope you enjoy your short time in Sacramento!! Glad you got moved ok

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  17. What? Moving again so soon? Because your job requires it?

    As much as it can be a hassle, I have to admit, I'm envious of you. Getting to see all parts of the country is something I've always dreamed about, even those boring states. :)

    Thanks for the tips. I try not to be surprised if I ever get a chance to check out Mt. Rushmore.

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  18. Aw, I know some book bloggers like to voice their dislike of non-book related posts but I love them! Sorry to hear you have to go through the moving process all over again soon!

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  19. So happy you made it there safely! Sounds like your trip had some good and some not-so-good points. But I gotta say, I loved this post. Enjoy your time in Sacramento!

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  20. Snapshot? :D Hehe. Great you had a successful move too and everyone and everything accounted for. I didn't know Mt.Rushmore is much smaller but then I think I don't have a relative living thereabouts. :D

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  21. I-80 is a pretty boring section of Wyoming. I hate that it's all of my state many people ever see.

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