The Moore Tales: Road Trip Day #2

We left Gordie's friend's house (David Knighten) in Wellington, CO on Friday morning around 10AM. It takes us longer to get going due to all our "stuff" we have to pack back up in the trucks. We drove all day through Colorado, New Mexico, and into Texas with our night stop in Amarillo, TX.

Our day of driving was WAY too long. Due to all our stops and our late start we were on the road for 12 hours - eeekkk! Stopping for gas is always an ordeal because we can only stop at truck stops due to our huge moving truck and car carrier so we are always cautious to make sure we are good on gas and don't go too far between stops so we don't end up in no man's land with no gas. Not only is that a major factor but when we stop it isn't a quick gas up and go since I have to get our truck started outside at the regular pump so my dad can get it filled up then I have to head inside and wait in line to give the diesel attendant my card to start the pump for Gordie. Typically, they keep your card until you're done so you have to wait back in line to sign and get your receipt. All that on top of pee breaks, diaper changes, bottle preps, or eating usually take up the rest of our time and what would normally be a 10 minute stop for a normal traveler takes us about 30-45 minutes. I'm not sure how many times we stopped on Friday going through Colorado but I know it was much more than the 2 times we stopped the day prior - probably more like 5-6 times. We didn't pull into Amarillo until 10PM. It didn't help that we lost an hour by crossing into the Central Time Zone when we crossed into Texas. We pulled into the La Quinta and got our stuff unloaded. Would you believe it if I told you that it was in the 60's in Amarillo when we arrived? It was actually very mild yesterday everywhere we were. It started in CO in the mid 50's to upper 60's but the wind was fierce. There was a high wind advisory which made us weary but Gordie said the wind wasn't too bad or making his driving of the Penske truck too difficult.

We hadn't eaten dinner and were worried what would be open so late that wasn't McDonalds or Taco Bell. Since we were in Texas, we found a Texas Roadhouse that was open until 11PM. Thankfully, it was Friday so things were open later than any regular weekday. We were those annoying people that no restaurant wants to see walk in the door 20 minutes prior to closing. However, we were STARVING! Eating real food was so much better than another fast food joint and our steaks were delicious!

Baker is becoming quite the night owl as he has napped some during the day in the car so he was wide awake at the restaurant and was flirting with all the girl waitresses. He did eat some macaroni and cheese which is still one of his favorites. I certainly hope his bedtime of 7:30/8PM returns when we get back to SC. These late nights have killed our scheduled routine we had before so it might be a chore to get back to where we were but it will be necessary! I will say that Baker is being such a trooper! He has only fussed a little here and there and mostly it is because of his teeth coming in. We usually just put some Orajel on his gums, pop in a paci, and turn on the XM Sirius "Spa" channel to soothe him. It is amazing how quickly he will quiet down from a full on cry when he hears that music! While on the road, we called to check in with my mom. She listened to Baker babble away and he even said Nana loud and clear right to her on the phone. It was great! Baker also mimicked Dijon when he made a whimpering noise over the phone. It was hilarious!! Baker also had a first while on our trek today. Since my dad has been with us for almost a month, we have been trying to get him to say "Poppy"; however, he has yet to say it. However, while driving through Colorado Baker was babbling "PaPa PaPa" so maybe my dad will be called PaPa instead of Poppy! It was too cute and definitely made my dad smile. After dinner, we got back to the hotel and crashed. Thankfully, we have a short Day #3 due to the SEC Championship game.