Road Trip Day #4

We left Oklahoma City around 930AM and headed for Memphis. Nothing neat to report about the state of Oklahoma. I didn't realize how much countryside and Indian nations made up that state. We would leave one Indian nation and enter another. We had a little over a 7 hour drive to make it to make it to our goal which was Memphis, TN. We made several stops along the way and Gordie continues to amaze me with his driving skills and maneuvering the Penske Truck with my towed car attached. We even passed by Checotoah, OK which is where Carrie Underwood is from. She has a big green highway sign devoted to informing everyone that's where she is from! Pretty neat. We trekked through Arkansas and that drive wasn't too bad going through Razorback country. We stopped at a place called Ozark, AR for gas and lunch. Our choices were slim so McDonalds it was. We figured we would eat inside to give Baker a break from the carseat and to let us stretch our legs for a bit. There were 2 elderly ladies sitting in a booth talking to Gordie and Baker when my Dad and I walked in. Apparently Gordie had trouble with the highchair and needed someone to hold him so he could put him in. One of the ladies offered to help right away and suprisingly Baker didn't cry or make his "oh no a stranger face". :) Little did we know that these ladies (one in her lower 80s) LOVES football and of course their homestate team and our SEC rival - the razorbacks. My Dad and Gordie had a good time talking to them and at this point in time we then realized that we were back in the South!

Hey Mama - I'll take one of those sweet teas you speak so highly of. :p (just kidding, he had his milk!)

Cheesing it up in McDonalds.


We had gone through Arkansas and didn't have much to write home about the landscape or views so here's a pretty sunset picture!

We continued to road warrior it through the rest of Arkansas and finally into Memphis. There weren't any good places to stop on the East side of Memphis and we try to get through the cities at night so we don't run into morning traffic the next day. So we ended up actually going past Memphis a bit and staying in Olive Branch, Mississippi. We broke our trends of staying at La Quintas since there wasn't one nearby and stayed at a Comfort Inn. It was a little more expensive and they charged us $10 for pets but we didn't want to go any further. Gordie amazed me again with his ability to turn the truck around taking both of them up over a curb so he could turn the truck around for an easier exit in the morning. We unloaded our stuff for the night which at this point we have a method to our madness and know just what needs to go in and just what order to take it all in. Baker had been doing fantastic the entire time with no blow outs, spit ups, or throw ups...well until we arrived at the hotel. I found him completely soaked and smelling horrible. I thought it was just a blow out diaper but when I was changing him his breath smelled horrible!! He's a baby and his breath never stinks! Well turns out earlier that day he seemed so thirsty so I gave him some water. I'm guessing he filled his belly on 4 oz of water and didn't feel so hot and it all came back up with the cheerios he had eaten afterward - YUCK!! His carseat was dirty, smelly, and definitely not something I wanted to deal with after driving and riding all day. Not to mention it was FREEZING outside and dark. But we had to get it clean before putting him back in the seat - it was that wet and dirty. We had to eat first and so we rigged a diaper changing pad underneath him so we could go somewhere to eat and we'd clean it when we got back. I saw a Chili's from the interstate so we ventured off to find it. After two turn arounds due to their crazy road system - we made it! My dinner of soup and salad was delicious!! I love their broccoli cheese or loaded baked potato soup. It was ideal on a cold night outside. The southern cold feels much colder than the Utah cold. I think it is because of all the moisture in the air here. Out West it is more a dry cold so it doesn't chill you to the bone quite like it does on the East coast. We got up for breakfast in the morning and checked out by 10AM. Baker and I always share a waffle in the morning and he is doing SO much better drinking out of a regular cup. We hit the road and Atlanta, GA is our destination for Day #5!