NEBRASKA and IOWA

So when we couldn't find a hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming we just kept driving and driving and driving. Anson wasn't tired and the kids just kept watching movies. Finally we pulled into a rest stop late at night/early morning somewhere in Nebraska. Anson took a cot out of the trailer and tried to sleep next to the car. It was so humid we had to roll the windows down, but it was too loud to sleep because we were right off the freeway and the very last vehicle before getting back onto the freeway, and whenever somebody drove by us (usually semi-trucks) it shook our car and was crazy loud and bright with their headlights! Nobody slept and Ashton complained and complained. I waited it out because I knew Anson was really tired, but he couldn't sleep either and got wet from being outside...so after that fiasco, we started the engine and kept driving.

I tried to stay awake, but dozed off a few times. We drove through most of Nebraska at night but it got really foggy and started messing with Anson's eyes, so once again, we pulled over off the freeway this time and drove down a gravel road a little way and pulled over next to some cornfields and tried to sleep there. I fell asleep a few times but kept getting woken up by cars zooming past us! I'm not sure how long we were there, but after a handful of cars zoomed by us, he decided to leave because he was afraid we were going to get hit. The sun was starting to come up and it was still a little foggy, but we continued to drive. This is the only picture I have of Nebraska. (Lovely, I know).

 

We drove for who knows how long and Anson got tired again, so we pulled off at another rest stop somewhere in Iowa. As soon as we stopped Anson hopped out of the car and started dry heaving. His body was exhausted. At this point it was really hot and the boys and I got out of the car so Anson could hop in the back seat to lay down and get some rest. We went under a gazebo with a picnic bench and people watched, went to the bathroom, walked around, and looked at a map. I tried to keep the boys occupied, but it was miserable outside and I was really tired. Finally Anson got out of the car because he couldn't sleep and we went to the nearest Marriott (friends and family discount) which was in Des Moines and checked in early around noon. Finally! I was a upset that Anson didn't book a hotel earlier, he was exhausted, I was exhausted and the boys were exhausted. His reasoning was - why pay for a hotel for only a few hours? It seemed like a waste of money if we got into one around midnight just to checkout at 11am. Whatever. Pay the hotel. So it was nice to check in early and relax the entire day. As soon as we got there, I took the kids swimming at the pool there so Anson would sleep. We got back to the room a couple of hours later and the bed looked so inviting that...I don't remember anything after that. I fell asleep.

The next morning we headed to Illinois!