In Bruges

A couple of months ago I was perusing several discount airlines websites, looking for cheap flights from Sofia to anywhere during our Thanksgiving break. After several searches, I located tickets at a decent price (about $50 roundtrip per person) to Brussels. Hmm......Brussels? Boring? Bureaucratic? (It is the capital of the European Union) Bland? Well-- that's OK, we could always drive to Bruges or Ghent-- towns that retain some semblance of a Medieval atmosphere. I purchased the tickets are largely forgot about it until the past week or so. During that time I located hotels, arranged for a rental car and "planned" our trip-- basically I figured out what cities to visit. For us that would be Ghent, Bruges and finally Brussels on our whirlwind trip (which would be about 48 hours long to take maximum advantage for cheapairline tickets).

On Thursday morning, shortly after 4am we set off for the airport, where we parked our car and checked in for our flight-- noticing several other students and staff from our school who were off for holidays of their own. Three hours later we were in Charleroi-- a hub of discount airlines not far from Brussels. We picked up our rental car and sped off-- stopping only for refreshments-- and pan au chocolat, of course.

We drove along the Belgian freeway system-- amazed by the beautiful, pot hole-free roads and lack of roadside garbage. Have we been in Bulgaria too long? Before log, reality hit as we encountered morning rush-hour traffic as we neared Brussels. I decided, with map in hand, to take to the side roads. No problem. We drove along through the

beautiful Belgian countryside, complete with well-maintained brick homes, narrow roads passing through quaint villages and manicured field--

and even a dusting of new snow. Soon we picked up the freeway, having bypassed the traffic of the Brussels morning commute and were again speeding toward Ghent, where we planned on spending a couple of hours before arriving in Bruges mid-day.

After pulling off the highway we surprising quickly found a parking spot in Ghent along one of its main canals-- the former lifeblood of the trading city. From there we began our stroll past medieval guildhalls and a couple of soaring towers.

After a light lunch-- which included that Belgian invention often attributed to the French-- french fries, we wandered around some more before heading off for Bruges-- which we

were eager to see. Less

than an hour later we

were there. (After all, Belgium is small-- about the size of Maryland, or about 2.5 times the size of Lane County for those of you back in Oregon)

We checked into our modest hostel in Bruges and the

promptly began our explorations, which were dampened (pun intended) by the freezing temperatures and rain/snow mix. Even prepared with our winter jackets, gloves, hats and scarves it was definitely blustery.

In between our wandering we did drop into a small pub for a Thanksgiving afternoon round of hot drinks for the wife and kids (hot chocolate) and a Belgian brew for pops. Delicious! After our opportunity to warm up we headed back out into the cold to wander s'more. By then the weather had partially clear and it was a little easier to enjoy beautiful Bruges. Although, as night began to fall we were disappointed that we didn't have a chance to spend more time in the town. We all wondered, despite the appeal of Ghent-- why didn't we drive right to Bruges? Another lesson learned.

That night we searched out an expensive location to eat-- after all the euro is still a fortune compared to the dollar-- or worse yet the Bulgarian lev. We found a little Middl Eastern restaurant where we enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal of falafels and french (Belgian) fries. After dinner it was off to bed to rest up for the next day's journey to Brussels-- the exciting capital of the European Union!

Now I gotta admit, I did not expect much from Brussels. I did plan on visiting the Belgian Comic Strip Museum-- which Brady, who is a big fan of Belgian comic-strip character Tin-Tin, was anxious to see. Other than that, I figured we would just wander around a bit and maybe find an interesting church of two. Well, I will gladly go on record now and say that Brussels is under-rated. While it is no Paris, Rome or Barcelona it is no slouch.

We drove into the city and managed to find a parking spot along a small park that could have easily been in a Parisian neighborhood. From there we set off before coming across an empty 17th century Baroque church, where Brady promptly pulled out his sketchbook and went to town.

Soon, we wondered across town, stopping for our favorite snack in the francophone world: pan au chocolat. Before too long our walk brought us to our first destination: the Belgian Comic Strip Museum. Housed in a fantastic Art Nouveau building, the kids were thrilled to explore the world of Tin-Tin and other Belgian favorites. While mom and the kids explored the museum I set off on foot to explore some of downtown so that we had a good idea of where to go after the museum.

After returning to the musuem (which the kids loved) we dropped by a small sandwich shop for lunch before walking a few blocks to the center of Brussels, the Grand Place. It was a surprisingly beautiful square, surrounded by Baroque facades and a Gothic Hotel de Ville (town hall). Radiating off the Grand Place were a network of medieval lanes-- where we sat to enjoy a hot chocolate(for me), a waffle(for Cameron & Mom) and ice cream(for Brayden), despite the temperatures which hovered around the freezing mark. But hey, at least he didn't have to worry about his cone melting!

While our time in Belgium was short (only two days) he definitely left us with the desire to return to this picturesque and underrated country again soon.

Working For The Weekend

Weekends are great. But, what should one do with this freedom?

Relax at home? Take a hike? Catch a movie?

Nope.

We decided to take a Sunday drive to Edirne, Turkey-- the city once known as Hadrianapolis and Adrianople-- named after Roman Emperor Hadrian. We didn't manage to hit the road until 9am. It took us a little under 4 hours to reach the Turkish border.

After passing a 10km line of lorries (semitrucks to we Americans) and a 40 mi

nute wait we cleared the multiple steps necessary to cross the border and were off to Edirne-- which is just a few kilometers into Turkey. The approach to the city was fairly mundane until we crossed the river and made our way toward the center, where it quickly became obvious that we hadn't just crossed a border into a another country, but we had entered an entirely different culture. Up ahead, through the haze

, we saw half a dozen minarets-- heralding our arrival in Muslim Turkey.

We started our visit in Edirne with some chai in an outdoor cafe just outside a beautiful Mosque.

Given that it was November, the weather was amazing-- sunny and around 70 degrees. You couldn't ask for a better sight-seeing temperature. Once we finished our chai we visited another Mosque-- which was completely free of tourists, much unlike Istanbul. This made it significantly easier to enjoy.

After the Mosque we took some time to explore Roman ruins and a Byzantine tower from the old city defenses that were just around the block. We made our way to a couple of other mosques, including one designed by the same architect that built the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul. The kids enjoyed visiting the mosques and working on their drawing skills and after several drawings and some more wandering it was off to find some dinner before our drive home.

After a brief search we found on outdoor cafe on a pedestrian street in the center of Edirne where we enjoyed our dinner in the last hour or so of the autumn sun. After that it was off to the car and back to Bulgaria. Although it was a long day, it was well worth the effort.

Let It Snow

Well, we have received our first official Bulgarian snowfall. Before Halloween!

Just over a week ago, I awoke and started off for school in the pre-dawn hours. As I walked our the front door, I noticed that it appeared to be snowing! Sure enough, the snow was gently falling and beginning to stick.

As I headed downhill toward the Ring Road on my way to school, the snow stopped and changed to a light drizzle. However, as the day worn on, an occasional flurry could be spotted outside at school-- and by the time I arrived home that evening, we had about 2-3 inches at our house. This, despite the fact that a couple blocks below our house there was no sight on the fluffy white stuff.

This whole snow thing I going to take some getting used to.

Istanbul (Not Constantinople)

Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks...

We had a four day weekend on our school schedule, so several weeks ago we started tossing around ideas of where to go...Greece? Spain? Italy? Hmmm......they all sound good...but how 'bout Turkey? Yup, that'll work.

Added bonus is that we could go by either car (6 hour drive) or train (12 hour ride*). We decided that it might be a little more convenient to take the train. Instead of driving in the evening , finding a hotel and then driving more the next day, why not take the train in the evening and arrive refreshed and ready to see the sights?

So, on Wednesday evening it was off to the train station. We arrived at 7:15...plenty of time ahead of the 7:50 departure. We looked over the departure board and struggled to find the information for the train to Istanbul. Then I spotted it, track 6 at 7:16. Oh s*%$!

We raced for the platform, hoping that the Bulgarian-run train would not depart on time. We fended off a man who offered to help us...obviously seek to make some leva off of us. We arrived at the platform to find two well-worn trains, neither of which looked like it was departing anytime soon. Did we miss it?

A couple of men in the blue jackets and pants asked us if we were heading for Istanbul. We said yes and they smiled and said no problem as they asked for our tickets. They then escorted us to our train (the shorter, decrepit-looking one) and on to our cabins. Within a couple of moments they two "gentlemen" how assisted us to our cabins were requesting their tip. Hmmmm....this is a little direct I thought, but the last thing I need is to be on the bad-side of the employees that will be accompanying us to Istanbul. I reluctantly handed over some leva & euros and then they were off. Uhhhh....did I just get scammed for the first time? Yes sir, you are indeed correct. But things we surely get better.

We checked in with the Martins, who were traveling with us to Istanbul, and had also successfully made it to their cabin. Ok... we were ready to go. But the train wasn't. After nearly two hours, the cars from Belgrade arrived and shortly after that we were underway, slowly.

Getting to sleep (at least for me) wasn't to much of a problem, but we did need to wake up at 3 or 4am and leave the train to pass through passport control at the Turkish border.

That went fairly quickly for us (the Turkish border guards escorted us to the front of line because we were traveling with 4 small kids), but we still lingered on the tracks in Edirne for a couple of hours before we were underway again.

That morning our train lumbered across the Turkish countryside as it dawned on us (no pun intended) that this was not going to be a 12 hour train ride (hence my earlier *). Finally, shortly after midday we pulled into Istanbul's Sirkeci Station, the final stop of the old Orient Express.

We were ready for our adventure.

After we checked into our hostel we began walking around the old city (Sultanahmet) in search for a bite to eat. Before long we found a small outdoor cafe we were ate pide (Turkish pizza) and drank some tea. After that we did some more sightseeing and enjoyed the beautiful weather-- which was ideal-- in the low 70s. Our visits included the Blue Mosque,

where Cameron was a little apprehensive about putting on her headscarf (but she did look really cute in it), and a

walk across the Golden Horn on the Galata Bridge. That night we returned to the same place we dined earlier in the day for a repeat of salad and pide. Our efforts in searching out a vegetarian-friendly restaurant weren't exactly successful. Although that wasn't for a lack of trying from restaurant hosts-- who may be the most persistent in the world.

Over the next couple of days we visited many of the sights that make Istanbul such an impressive city: the Aya Sofia, Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, and the Tokapi Palace. While we didn't enter every single one of those sights (hey, you gotta save some for next time!) we certainly enjoyed the city. In fact, I'm putting it up there with Paris & Rome. On our last full day, we took the ferry across the Bosporus to the Asian side of the city, where we found a great tourist-free pedestrian area full of restaurants, markets and small shops selling just about anything you can imagine.

That evening, it was dinner and then on to the train station for the long train journey back to Bulgaria. The 10pm departure (on time!) lead us to christen the train as the Midnight Express. Ironically, the real name is the Balkan Express-- this, on a train that takes 15 hours to cover 360 miles-- yes-- that's right, an average of 24 MPH. Ouch.

Life Is A Highway

We make great victory! We now make driving of car that to us belongs!

After a month and a half of taxis and rental cars, we've finally become automobile owners. What a relief-- we can now have exciting adventures like going to the grocery store whenever we want. Seriouslythough-- that is a big deal. No sooner than we received our keys to our not-exactly-new Volkswagen Golf station wagon we set off for a small adventure.

Jaime and I perused the guidebook and our map of Bulgaria and decided to set off on the highway (and I use that term very loosely) to Koprivshtitsa. The town is about 100km (60 miles) from Sofia. On Bulgarian roads, that is nearly a two hour drive. Now, if you are a math aficionado, you may say "Excuse me sir, but does that mean you would be driving approximately 3o mph?". I would reply "You are correct good man!"

The road to Koprivshtitsa started off very promising-- smooth and fast. Before long though, the potholes or dupkas appeared. The road (not a

highway by this point) began to climb into the Stara Planina, or Balkan Range (which looks a lot like Southern Oregon). The higher and deeper the road climbed into the mountains the quicker the quality of the road deteriorated. For much of the ride through the mountains the road looked a lot like a deserted and poorly paved Forest Service road (that's a reference that might relate to my fellow Oregonians). Just as I began to wonder if I was on the right route, we began to descend through a series of small villages.

There we came across several overload horse-drawn carts

carrying everything from hay to potatoes and large families. Before too long though we arrived in Koprivshtitsa.

The town itself is basically a musuem town that is highly typical of 19th century Bulgarian National Revival architecture. It is also famed as the place where the first shots of the Bulgarian resistance to the Ottoman Turks was fired. It's kind of like the Concord and Lexington of Bulgaria. Once in town we dined at a very delicious and colorful Bulgarian restaurant and then set out to explore.

The town was beautiful and rich in National Revival architecture-- which was rich in color and detail. After exploring several house museum and some craft shops we ate dinner and then took the trek back to Sofia (making sure to leave in enough time to complete the drive before nightfall).

It was a day well spent.

August and Everything After

It's been a long while since I last updated the blog. Let's just say that it has been a busy month or so.

Shortly afterarriving, before we had even settled into our new country, home or school we have the travel bug bite again. After some debate over what our destination would be-- the Greek Coast or the Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast we decided to make the journey east

to the Black Sea. While the lure of Greece was strong, it would mean extra paper work (to take a rental car out of the country) and extra expenses. So the Black Sea Coast it would be.

In the days beforeour mid-August departure I telephoned numerous hotels in several towns on the coast looking for available hotel rooms. I had very little luck. Nevertheless, with another family that it embarking on the same international journey as us, we rented a large Renault van and set out. While the journey does not appear too daunting on the map, we quickly learned that Bulgarian road-trips are a different animal from their American counterparts. Our freeway to the coast eventually turned

into a poorly marked series of twisting, pot-h

oled, two-laned roads. (Well, their are supposed to be two lanes, but you have to use your imagination-- for their are no painted lines)

Six short hours later we were at the sea. Our first stop, in Sozopol revealed a cute little town, but a crowded beach. Coming from Oregon, it is a little hard to make the adjustment to wall-to-wall-people-beach. We wanted our own mile-long stretch-- Oregon style. After a short swim we headed off to the south past stretches of semi-deserted beaches that appeared along the craggy coastline.

We eventually stumbled into Tsarevo, a small town fairly free of the international tourists that are so common in

the other towns of the Black Sea Coast. We stopped at several hotels before we found a small one. The cost? About $24 per night. I love Bulgaria!

We ended up using the Tsarevo as a base to explore other beaches in the area. We discovered a couple of great beaches several kilometers to the south, where we spent most of our time. It was a quite a find-- the inexpensive hotel, great beaches, and terrific cheap food ($20 dinners and .50 pastries for breakfast). I can get use to this lifestyle.

After a couple of days it was back to Sofia to prepare for my orientation and first day of work.

After returning it was time to check out the new school. I knew that the building itself was new, but I wasn't

quite prepared for how amazing the facilities were. The kids, who were able to tag along, were

totally blown away--they couldn't wipethe smiles off their faces. I knew immediately that any concerns the kids had about moving or attending a new school were quickly evaporating.

The start of school itself went very smoothly, both for me and the kids-- who adjusted surprisingly quick. (They've already had several playdates and sleepovers) My schedule is fantastic, although a challenge sometimes with four different classes. The students are an amazing and diverse bunch-- which has been an incredible asset in the classroom.

Within the first week or two, the rest of the upper school teachers and myself traveled with our students on a team-building camping and hiking trip in Rila National Park. It was great to get to know the kids a bit better outside of the classroom (how great would it be if they could pull this off in American public schools?). We had the opportunity to hike in relatively open country (up to elevations of 7500 ft.), which made for sublime vistas in nearly all directions. Our hike, which took us up to the peak of one of Bulgaria's tallest mountains, also brought us pass a shepherd tending his flock (you may be able to make out the sheep in one of the photos). The sheep were complete with the large, clanging bells that one associates with the 19th century. The shepherd? Complete with wool hat and wooden staff.

After reaching the peak, we descended to a lake-side mountain refuge where we enjoyed our lunches before making the slog back to set up our campsite. The fantastically clear conditions of the day ended up making for a very chilly evening, as the thermometer plunged toward zero (that's celsius-- sounds a lot colder that 32 fahrenheit). We were treated with one of the most impressive night skies that I have ever seen. I could clearly make out the band of the milky way and saw several shooting stars-- including one that I would describe as a fireball. So cool! After a night on the mountain (and waking up to an ice-encrusted tent) it was back to Sofia.

The Venice Incident, AKA The Italian Job

Our second to last night in the City of Light I discovered that I had made a small error. First-- some background. During several early morning departures from European airports over the years I longed for the opportunity to sleep in, instead of having to wake up at 3:00AM to take several public transportation links to the airport. So this time I spent the dough on a hotel out near the Charles deGaulle Airport. This was going to save us time and allow us to be well rested for a day in Venice before our late night flight to Sofia.

"Brilliant!" you say. One small problem, our flight was departing from Orly Airport on the complete other side of the Paris Metro area. With our hotel already paid for and nonrefundable, we decided to stay out at CDG and awake E-A-R-L-Y for the ride(s) to Orly.

We woke up at 3:30AM after about 4 hours of sleep, took the shuttle bus to the CDG airport, where we caught the RER train to Denfert Rochereau station in Paris, where we caught the OrlyBus to Orly airport-- all on time! (I had been concerned that we might not make it in time to check in for our 7:45AM flight.)

My relief in making it to the airport on-time quickly changed to grief.

The folks at the easyJet counter informed us that our flight to Venice was cancelled---they then sent us upstairs to try to re-schedule our flight. After a long wait, we were informed that easyJet could get us on the flight "on five" as the Frenchman told us.

"OK, that isn't too bad-- we'll miss our day in Venice, but at least we'll make our 8:00PM flight to Sofia", I muttered.

The Frenchman behind the counter looked at us and said, "No, zee flight leaves on August 5."

How would we get to Sofia? Would we have to buy 4 new tickets on short notice? I'm sure that wouldn't be expensive. We talked with the worker at the counter and he told us that easyJet would put us up in a hotel in Paris until the 5th or we could pay for our own tickets on another airline and hopefully be reimbursed by easyJet within 30 days. Good choices.

We were contemplating our options, when we heard another passenger saying to a friend that easyJet could get him on a flight elsewhere in Italy latter in the day. We approached him for details.

"Meelanew", he said.

I was puzzled. Where the heck was Meelanew? I asked him a few more questions before I discovered that he was referring to Milan.

OK, this might work. I racked the mental map of Europe in my mind. Hmmmm.......Milan is in Northern Italy, not all that far from Venice. Maybe a two hour train ride from Venice? The flight leaves at 1:30PM and lands before 3:30PM-- we could do it.

We went back the counter and spoke to the same gentlemen who had given us the bad news a half-hour before. He poked at his computer keyboard for several minutes before telling us that A) the flight to Milan left from Charles de Gaulle airport, not Orly. B) The flight was full.

After a some pleading, he agreed to overbook the flight to Milan and told us to be among the first to check-in so that we were assured of making the flight. We turned and ran for the AirFrance bus to CDG airport and forked out another 60Euro to go right back to where we came from. Nice.

After arriving at CDG (and leaving my laptop on the AirFrance bus-- an entirely different story) we waited to check-in for a couple of hours before receiving our boarding passes-- which guaranteed we would make it to Milan. While waiting at the gate, I decided to use my newly recovered laptop to check train schedules in Italy (yep, we got it back!).

It wasn't long until our thoughts about making it to the Venice airport changed yet again.

First, "Ladies and gentlemen the flight to Milan will be delayed". Uh-oh. Second, a little research indicated that there was a one hour ride to Milan's central train station from the airport, and then, based on our new arrival time to Milan, a 3 hour plus train ride to Venice, where we would need to catch another shuttle bus to the airport. Because our new arrival time would have us in Milan shortly before 4:00PM, we were kind of sc*e*w*d. Trying to keep it G rated people. Talk about frustrating. Yes, we'll make it! No, we're not gonna make it. Well....maybe we will. No, definitely not.

What could we do? We thought of several different options. Was there another easyJet flight to Venice directly? Nope. Could we take another airline to Venice that afternoon? $900.00 each. Yeah, no thanks. Was there a easyJet flighty to Sofia? Negatory.

Our options were running out. We decided to rent a car in Meelanew and drive to the Venice-Treviso airport. Chances are we wouldn't make it in time-- but maybe, just maybe we could do it if we drove quickly enough or if there was some sort of delay on Wizzair (a storm in Venice would be nice).

After finally getting into the air we began to accept our fate-- we would likely not make it to Sofia that night. In fact, it may be a couple of days before we could get there. Oh well, who wouldn't want to spend a couple of nights in Venice?? Not such a bad option after all.

We landed in Meelanew and thought that we might have a chance-- until we took the 20 minute hike through the airport to the baggage claim. Attitude change once again. We're not gonna make it now. We picked up our single checked bag (in addition to our 4 carry-ons) and scurried to the Avis counter to inquire about a rental car. Remarkably, considering Italian bureaucracy they quickly gave us a car and we set off-- knowing that the odds were against us....as you can see by our expressions below. Notice, we never lost our sense of humour. That's just how we roll ;)

We sped across Northern Italy, averaging between 130 and 150 km/h (80 to 93 MPH) in a tiny Fiat. The lanes were labeled by Jaime as follows: Fast, Super Fast, and Crazy Fast. We hung out in Super Fast (we didn't want to go too crazy).

As we got closer to Treviso we realized we might actually have a chance to make the flight. We pulled off the highway and pulled up to the airport, where the kids and Jaime jumped/fell out of the car (while tripping over our 5 bags) and tried to check all of us in while I attempted to find the rental car return area (another good story). After some pleading (and refusing to be denied) Jaime talked the closed Wizzair counter worker into allowing us onto the flight, well, us, minus me....but thankfully, we worked that out with the security guards after they attempted my arrest. Just kidding, they let me through...no problem!

We made it. We were winging our way to Sofia, Bulgaria. After the day we had, none of us believed that we were actually on our way. Kids- sodas on us! (yeah, yeah...they drank soda - daddy said they could).

A little more than an hour later we landed and were greeted by Elena, one of the teachers at our new school. She graciously accompanied us to our new home in the southern suburb of Boyana, set on the slopes of Mount Vitosha. We knew that our new home was large, but it wasn't until we arrived that we realized how large it was. Palatial would be the best word to describe it. Despite the fact that we were exhausted, we all spent over an hour exploring the nooks and crannies of the place that we will call home for the next two years. It was amazing! Cameron even weaseled her way into having the room on the top floor with the bathroom and little Rapunzel balcony (the one in the photo below)! It wasn't long until the kids were asking if it might be possible to stay "just a bit longer" than our contract.

By the way, this posting was tag team written by both Thomas and I, so you may notice a change in voice throughout. Sorry to confuse you. Thomas wrote most of it, and I 'edited' here and there. Heheheh. Wonder if you guys can tell the difference?

Go Cubs Go

The morning of the the 29th we began our drive East from Salt Lake City. After a few glimpses of red rocks as we crossed the Wasatch Range we began our long drive across Wyoming-- with the opportunity to view every shade of grey and brown imaginable! What a treat.

From Wyoming, it was into Nebraska as the landscape turned from parched scrubland to the low undulating hills of grassland. After a couple of stops for fuel, food, caffeine and internet access we continued on through the night. I was determined to put one more state in the rearview mirror before we called it a day (night?).

Shortly before 3:00AM CDT we crossed the border into Iowa from Nebraska before pulling over at a rest stop near Council Bluffs for a short nap. I intended to rest for a couple of hours before driving on, but we all sleep soundly until 8:00 AM before resuming our trip.

After another full day's drive across America's heartland we arrived in Chicago just after rush-hour before settling into our hotel near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. We grabbed a bite to eat and began planning for the next day's trip into the city and to Wrigley Field.

Although I had once been to Wrigley (9 years ago) I was still excited to see the Friendly Confines again-- and the kids seemed especially excited to see the Cubbies (for

the first time). After walking around downtown Chicago for a bit, we took the "L" up to Wrigley so we could arrive a bit early.

The ushers at the ballpark with extremely fan-friendly, allowing us to take the kids down to the wall that separated the stands from the field during batting practice-- with made for a great experience for the kiddos. The game itself was a little frustrating (what Cubs game isn't?), with the Cubs trailing 2-0 as it entered the 8th. The Cubbies added to the excitement when the rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the eighth. Although, in true Cubbie style, the blew an opportunity to take the lead before finally losing in extra innings. Nevertheless, it was an awesome experience.

On the Road (Again)

Ok...so I've actually taken the time to blog. That word sounds weird.

We left Oregon on Monday (28 June) at 3:30AM and drove all day toward our destination: Salt Lake City. The first several hours were in silence, as everyone (except for me of course) was sleeping. When everyone finally awoke, we turned on the CD player and listened to our first song:

With everything ahead of us

We left everything behind
But nothing that we needed
At least not at this time
And now the feeling that I'm feeling
Well it's feeling like my life is finally mine
With nothing to go back to we just continue to drive...

Jack Johnson, Broken

Totally unplanned. I had heard the song before, but had never taken the time to actually listen to the lyrics...and they seemed oddly apropos given the circumstances.

After several fuel, food and bathroom stops, we arrived at the hotel in Salt Lake around 6:30 PM MDT. Day One was in the books. 800 miles down. 2500 to go.