2024 MidWest Trip - Travel Day

I left bright and early on Monday morning, January 29, at 4 AM to begin my travels to Iowa to spend some time with my mom and to give my older sister a little break!

I so appreciate and am thankful for all the snacks that were given to me for my trip. I didn't have to purchase a single snack or drink the entire day of travel. (And I still have plenty left!)

Traveling through the mountains of Tennessee, I encountered a wintery mix of snow and rain. I came across a few DOT road crews treating the roads to keep driving conditions safe for travelers. All in all, the the weather and road conditions were not too bad. It was cloudy and overcast the vast majority of the day. The sun did peak out on a few occasions but didn't stay out too long!

I only made 4 "gas and go" stops the entire day! When I'm traveling by myself I usually will only stop when I need fuel and will, at the same time go to the bathroom, stretch my legs, and get something to eat (if needed).

A couple of my stops were at Buc-ees which are large (extremely large) convenience stores which boast of having the most and cleanest bathrooms on the road. Another reason to stop at Buc-ees is because they have (in my experience) the cheapest gas around. Also, when I stopped at the Bu-cees near Gatlinburg, I picked up one of their beef brisket tacos for breakfast! (I had plenty of snacks but not "real" food) If you've never visited a Bu-cees, you should do so - just for the experience!

My trip took me almost 1,100 miles in one day of 17 hours of travel time! I know, some of you are thinking, "What did you do to keep from going out of your mind? Especially since you only stopped a few times?!"

• I used the Bible.IS app to listen to Scripture. I also used that app to go over memory verses.

• I used the Echo Prayer app to pray. (Don't worry, I kept my eyes open!)

• I listened to a couple of Audio CD's that had been given to me by church members. (They were political in nature.) One was about the roots of Socialism (found in the French Revolution) and the other was about Abraham Lincoln and the 14th ammendment.

• Also, I listened to music although I was a little congested and so couldn't sing along like I normally would when traveling by myself!

The closer I got to Iowa, the more snow there was on the ground (although I've seen much worse). The roads were clear but you could see the results of the bad weather they've had over the past couple of weeks as there were still a number of cars in the ditches along the interstate!

Once I cross the Mississippi, I am entering the final stage of my trip. However, before it's over, I have a couple of more stops...

Before there were ever such things as Bu-cees, there was...

Iowa 80

The world's largest truck stop which is located in Walcott, IA on Interstate 80. You are "officially" in Iowa when you pass Iowa 80. Enjoy the pictures but check out their website to learn more about this "experience!"

Although I didn't take any pictures, my last stop before arriving at my mother's home, was to stop in Iowa City to do a little "Iowa Hawkeye" shopping. There are three stores, located at the Coral Ridge Mall in Iowa City, that have a huge selection of Iowa Hawkeye paraphernalia. You'll be happy to know that I only purchased 2 stickers (to go on my truck)! For me, that's pretty good!

I finally arrived at the Campbell Haus (named by my father) around 9:15 PM after a very full day of traveling!

Until next time!