After a few months of baking in 110-degree temps, our pure desperation to get out of the Arizona heat led us to do the unthinkable: make the 30-hour drive back home to relish what was left of the Chicago summer. (Flying was not an option with James – there’s no way our pest can pass as a service dog.)
All in all, the drive was completely doable (and kind of fun when you play passenger the whole time) and the trip itself was just what we needed. Gorgeous weather, beautiful scenery, amazing food (à la mom), wonderful times with our family and friends, a weekend trip to Charleston, a few days in the office and the city, and an overall escape from chores, lists, grocery stores, and the gym did us good.
Just a few scenes from our stop-offs in Santa Fe, Colorado, and Nebraska:
Not included is Iowa, which I had never driven through before but found to be so picturesque. The perfect rolling hills of crops and barns had me wanting to dig out my camera from the packing rubble but alas, Culver’s was calling our names and there wasn’t time to spare. Next time 🙂
I always love going in to the office in Chicago and this time was extra special, having the boy and the beast along to enjoy the glorious city nights.
He legit thought this was the ocean. (Look how high that water is!)
Some of our favorite nights were spent in this little oasis:
The look on Jig’s face says it all.
We loved our evening walks and on our last, I convinced (a slightly hungover) Jake and (good boy) James to humor me and take a family photo. (Thanks dad for the photo, soon to be appearing in our holiday card if my matching sweaters and fake pine tree idea is vetoed.)
Classic James having to get in on the action. Til next summer!