Last day in Utah - fun but very long

After a nice morning of sleeping in on this last day in Utah, I volunteered to take Alyssa, Jantzen, Aubrey, Mitchel and Payson to the Arcade in Syracuse. We ended up playing bowling, mini-golf and the arcade games for over 4 hours. We had a great time and I really just enjoy being with the little kids. Its really fun for me. Here are a few photos to capture the memories:

 

After bowling, we loaded up the van, made a quick stop to Seagull book, then headed out for the long drive back to Colorado. Without a doubt, this drive was one of the hardest we've had in a long time. We left at around 4pm and didn't get home until 2am - 10 hours of driving! It was very long. Quick play-by-play:

• On the way to Evanston it was snowing, but the roads were in pretty good shape. However, the snow started to accumulate and I decided it was time to slow down a bit. As I let off the accelerator, we started to fish-tail. We were heading off the road, but I was able to adjust and get us back on the road, still fish-tailing. Finally, we turned sideways and came to a stop facing backwards in the right lane. Luckily, there were no vehicles around us so we were safe. It all happened in a matter of seconds, but felt like an eternity. It was VERY scary for everyone. But, we got back on the road and everything looked good.
• In Evanston, we learned that I-80 had been shut down since 2pm. We joined the other cars on the side of the road and waited for the interstate to re-open. We were there, just waiting, for 2.5 hours, but the road finally opened at 7:30pm. We did have fun just waiting though. The kids watched holiday movies and Amy and I read books. It was pretty entertaining. Here's a nice shot of Jarrett just hanging out in the dirver's seat with me while we waited:

• The first 30 miles from Evanston were pretty long and slow. The roads were very slick and we were following 3 snow plows. Once we cleared the town of Limon, everything got much better. There were slick spots, but we were able to cruise along pretty good, sometimes at 85 mph.
• About 50 miles east of Laramie, things started to get pretty rough. There was blowing snow and very poor visibility. It was very hard to see the road and there were still slick spots. But, we made it to Laramie then headed south since I-80 was closed from Laramie to Cheyenne.
• Tuesday was also a long day. I went into work, got there about 9am, and was exhausted from the drive. I stayed until 1pm, then met Adam for lunch. After greek food, we went to his house where I spent the next 3 hours putting together presents for Christmas. We did a little shopping as well. It was a VERY long day. But, I finished all of the shopping and got things ready for Christmas. In the end, it was a great day!

 

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