Two Days to Beatty

Everything we own is in this truck. About a third of what you see here belongs to other family members and will be delivered along the way. We really pared it down this time.

Two long days of driving have gotten us to Beatty, NV. Long days because the U-haul doesn't like to go much over 60, and because we need to stop often to walk the dogs. They're doing really great, considering we've turned their world upside down and they have no idea what's going on. As long as they have us though, they seem to be content to just ride along and crunch down the extra treats.

Day one was rough. Leaving Taos was, of course, quite emotional, but once we got to the other side of the canyon, and even more so to the other side of Albuquerque, I was thinking less about what we'd left behind, and more about what we were heading towards. Honestly though, I don't think about that a lot because I have no idea where we're really heading, and that scares me when I give it room. Instead I focus on where I am on the road, what the scenery is like, how it changes from moment to moment. I leap only as far ahead as where we'll be spending the night. All I can take right now is baby steps.

Somewhere there's a picture of us arriving here 13 years ago. We wanted one of us leaving too.

Just outside of Albuquerque.

On our second morning, leaving Flagstaff, AZ, we got into some messy snow. It was un-fun.

Fortunately, the snow didn't last all day.

We stopped for a dog walk and lunch overlooking Lake Mead, just before hitting Las Vegas. No time for casinos, friends, or great vegan restaurants this trip. Dang!

I think it's become a hobby this trip, to take pictures of the scenery with the U-haul in the image. It's the one constant in my days now, while everything around it continually changes.

Somber selfie at the end of day two. I am not normally a 9 hour driver, or a driver at all for that matter. Usually Rick drives and I knit, but because of the dogs we had to drive both vehicles this trip. I don't really mind, but I do wish we could go shorter distances and do more stopping to see the sights. It is what it is, and the sights roll by as we plod along. U-haul gave us 7 days to get to Portland, so we have to stay on schedule. After that... well I really have no idea.

This morning we'll head for Reno, where we'll spend two night with my sister and her husband, and visit some other family. Getting closer to our home zone. Almost there.