arrival in Iowa

We made it to Iowa, and what will be our longest stay in one place (4 weeks) until we head back to Bend in March. We got here Monday evening, about 8:30 - after a solid 850 mile drive from Boulder. The trip went quite smoothly, given the almost 13 hours we were in the car together. We'd like to share here some guidance on how to survive such a journey:

Andy:

9/18/07 How to Survive an 850 Mile Car Trip:
1. Try to leave very early. That way you will sleep for the first 2-3 hours.
2. Bring a long, good book.

3. Try and occupy yourself not using any games, books, music, etc.

4. Bring video games. The really do help you pass the super long time in the car.

5. Good music. You will have to listen to it quite a bit.

6. Talk about a lot of stuff - the time will just waste away while you are talking.

7. Bring good car toys. They have to be small enough to fit in a backpack. They also have to be really fun to play with. If they aren't, you will get very bored.

8. Take naps. If it is only 30 minutes, that is 30 minutes of time closer to the destination.

9. Bring some sort of work. If you say, "I will write for 20 minutes," and you write for 20 minutes, you are 20 minutes closer.

10. Bring snacks. Sunflower seeds work very well. You start concentrating on eating, and the time flies by.
11. Take rest stops. They really help. You can stretch, eat, etc.

If you follow these guidelines, your trip will go by very quickly.

Matt's contributions to surviving were:
1. Sleep for 4 hours.
2. Bring 7 books.
3. Bring a Game Boy.
4. Sleep more.
5. Eat.

6. Radio.

Mom added...
-listened to NPR whenever we could
-listened to 3 hours of This American Life podcasts (on Andy's ipod) - thanks Steffen!
-ate our pb&j lunch at 9am

-stared out the window

We had a wonderful time in Boulder - enjoying Will and Beth's house and dog, while missing them, getting to spend lots of time with our friend Bill (seen here with us all playing Texas Hold'em using office supplies for loot),

cruising out to Erie to see Chrissie's college roomate, Sherri, and her family (Tim and TJ),

AND taking a Sunday morning drive down to Colorado Springs to see a statue dedicated to the grandfather of Mom Wilson, William Seymour, the first African American to serve on a jury in the El Paso County court house.

We found a CCDA church in Denver, Agape Christian Church, and made it back from Colorado Springs for the 11:00am service.

Here in Iowa we already started into the bean (soybean) harvest, but are on hold today on account of rain. We'll give you the skinny on the harvest soonly.

Be well!