7/2/11: Albany, NY to Cape Cod, MA

I was sooooo sad knowing this was the last day of our trip.  We left Albany fairly early, because it was the Saturday of July 4th weekend and we knew traffic going on the Cape was going to be insane.

I shed some tears seeing this.  I always said hell would freeze over if I ever moved back.  It was, however, a very hot and humid day.  lol

Stuck in traffic for quite some time.

Got off in BBay to grab the key for our house.

I was so happy with this place when we pulled in the driveway.  It is the perfect little home for us!

While my sweet Bear was off moving the bed out of storage to the house and setting up the a/c units, I drove over the Sagamore Bridge to stay with my mom that first night back.  It was more than a surreal experience, having my personal car with Washington license plates in her yard for the first time ever.  My car was a bit of a novelty around here till I got it registered.  Not too many PNW area vehicles make it to Massachusetts.

Day 7:  approximately 214 miles.  An amazing honeymoon-like journey that I will never forget, and a great way to kick off our lives together.

Most memorable moments:  Crying when we entered MA, getting stuck in massive traffic edging towards the Cape, stopping in BBay to see the house and being unable to find the key that got washed under the deck, unloading the car, trying to jump start his pick up truck at the Park N Ride Lot in Sagamore to no avail and having to arrange for a tow and temporary vehicle, pulling into mom's yard and bringing Pepper into her house.

Epilogue:  July 7, 2011, when the POD with all my earthly belongings is delivered.  I had officially arrived.

I could never have done this without Russell's unwavering love and support, or without the support of my friends & family.  He made it real easy to break away from my life on the west coast, and though I miss the PNW, it's great to be back.  I want to thank the realtor who assisted us with the rental home from long distance, and a thank you is in order to our landlords who are awesome. Finally, thank you to everyone for believing in me and pulling me through so that I could become the person I am today.  I couldn't have done it without all of you!!!! 

7/1/11: Westlake OH to Albany, NY

Went down to the beach on Lake Erie, near our hotel in Westlake.  My squeeze had never seen a Great Lake before.  

Looking east toward Cleveland.

Cleveland.

Not much to take pics of this part of the country.  It's all farmland.  Went through a sliver of Pennsylvania.

And this is when I really started to get sad that our trip was nearly over.  The bulk of the country was behind me.  I was on east coast time now.  

First sign for Massachusetts.

Day 6:  approximately 511 miles

Most memorable moments:  Checking out Lake Erie, 'Oh crap we have to walk back up all those stairs?', going through Cleveland, really running out of things to take pictures of except the grape vines in Northern NY, staying our last night at an Extended Stay hotel just like when we started in Washington, delicious pizza delivery to the hotel, no ice machine in the hotel.

6/30/11: Edgerton, WI to Westlake, OH

We left a little late in the morning of June 30th, because we were very close to Chicago and wanted the morning commute to die down.

Edgerton, WI

Illinois

Entering Chicago.

Chicago

Indiana's a fairly short state, so we pushed into Ohio.

Stayed the night in Westlake, just outside of Cleveland

Day 5:  Approximately 450 miles

Most memorable moments:  Leaving late to avoid traffic in Chicago only to get stuck in traffic in Chicago, accidentally going through a toll without paying (till I got to the east coast, then I paid it late), the guy in front of us who had his license plate covered so he didn't have to pay the toll, Russell repeatedly stating that this part of the country is 'boring', me running out of things to shoot pictures of.

6/29/11: Brandon, SD to Edgerton, WI

We were now in America's heartland, where it's all farms.  There wasn't much to take photos of at all.

Brandon, SD

Entering Minnesota

MN

MN

Crossing the Mississippi River into Wisconsin.

WI

Welcome to Dairyland, USA

Shopped here.  It was sooooo hot outside.

My car at the hotel in Edgerton.

Day 4: approximately 444 miles

Most memorable moments:   Russell very sweetly pulling off in some podunk town in MN so that I could get postcards, adding a 4th state to my total states visited, buying cheese, sausage and souvenirs at The Mousehouse, our first Dunkin Donuts spotted in WI, weather got very hot in the midwest, so many windmills, farms, farms and more farms.

6/28/11: Gillette, WY to Brandon, SD

Eastern Wyoming, early on Tuesday, 6/28/11.

No time to veer off the highway to take in the many sites, like Devils Tower, WY.

Snow fence along I-90, WY

In the Black Hills.

Had to stop here!

Prairies of SD

Had a great time and lunch at Wall Drug!!! This place was fun!  Wish we could've stayed longer.

The Badlands

Crossing the Missouri River at Lake Francis Case.

Day 3: approximately 487 miles

Most memorable moments:  "I don't want to see the back side of Mt. Rushmore unless they are wearing pants!", Pepsi for him, Crystal Lite ice tea for me, Russell bumming hard at the guy sampling from the buffet at Wall Drug with his bare hands, sluicing for 'treasure' at the Wall Drug 'mine', Black Hills, Badlands, him craving prime rib because we keep passing cattle ranches, tons of road construction on I-90 in SD for repaving, I found a pheasant feather at one of our pit stops where we also saw a van load of Amish people, adding another state to my total states visited.