Moving Success! My journey from Minnesota to California

Greetings! I am writing this from my house in sunny Sacramento. I made it here Saturday afternoon after 3.5 days in the car.

Forgive me for a gratuitous non-book post.

In case you're curious, here are a few things I learned on my trip:

1. Wyoming is quite possibly the most boring state in the country. Flat except for the occasionally rock formation and small mountains. Yellow and tree-less. And entirely too wide.

2. Mt. Rushmore is much smaller than you'd expect. And you can't get close to it. But the Corn Palace is pretty cool.

3. If the dog throws up in the car, you may not realize it until hours later. Ick.

4. Audiobooks are a fabulous way to pass the time on a long drive. But Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything which expounds upon the creation of the universe, quarks, molecular biology, etc requires more thought than I want to devote while in the car.

5. After you've driven for five hours, every muscle in your body will be crying in agony. Hell, you'll be groaning in pain after two hours. But if you're sitting in the passenger seat watching someone else drive, it's pretty nice.

6. Paying professionals to load your moving trailer is worth every penny. It wasn't even that many pennies. Next time, I'll get them to pack for me too. I'm all about delegation.

7. Internet connections on mobile phones is basically non-existent for large swaths of rural America. I was even roaming in Elko, Nevada. Yay for free hotel Wi-Fi.

8. There's nothing to do at night in the hotel other than read or watch TV. You'll make big plans to get through tons of books since you haven't done anything other than sit in the car all day. But you'll lie down on the bed with a book, read a page, and crash into a dreamless sleep. With the dog at your side (on the white comforter), of course.

9. The Sierra Nevadas near Lake Tahoe, CA is one of the most beautiful parts of the country. Followed closely behind the mountains near Salt Lake City. The Black Hills of South Dakota are pretty nice too.

10. "Best" part about the move: I get to do it again in 11 months! To a location as yet undetermined. Especially sad because I've only been here 24 hours, and I already love Sacramento.