We made it! 33 total hours driven over three days through just about every type of weather, from clear, sunny skies to snowy and foggy mountains. We hit gas stations, rest stops, fast food, and crashed a couple of hotels to end up in balmy Portland....which is soon to turn rainy we hear. :o) Here's the rundown:
Day 1: South Bend to Chicago to Omaha
Sunday morning I led worship at Clay Church in South Bend, Indiana. My friend Lindsey spent the morning on airplanes to Chicago where I picked her up after her bag was flown on a different flight and finally made its way to her. We drove to the western side of Omaha, crossing the Nebraska border before stopping for the night.
Day 2: Omaha to Wyoming to Layton, Utah
The long driving day! It rained most of the day and when I took the wheel in Wyoming, the rain turned to snow and the temperature dropped to the low 30s. The fog added to the awesomeness and I drove white knuckled until dinnertime when the fog lifted, the rain stopped, and we had a beautiful view of the Wyoming mountains with fields of antelope along the way. Then it started raining again as we passed into Utah. We drove 84 West until I couldn't see the lines in the road anymore...and then we stayed in a beautiful Comfort Inn with friendly staff and a hot tub....amazing!
Day 3: Layton to Portland
We woke up to sunshine in Layton...still thankful. We pushed the last 11 hours of the trip as the landscape changed from Utah rocks to the rivers and mountains of Oregon. We pulled into Portland antsy, hangry, and ready to settle. Dinner at Chipotle led us to running into our first familiar face at General Conference, Steven.
Our evening was spent catching up with my longtime friends Sheri and Rob. Baby Seneca was already asleep so we swapped our road stories for their latest news and talked about the old camp days. I am grateful for friends like these, that welcome us in and love on us.
What's Next
We are spending the next couple of days at General Conference here in Portland, the international gathering of the United Methodist Church which happens every 4 years. We are here to see, to hear, to pray and to bear witness. Lord, in your mercy.