Rosalyn and I are pleased to advise that we are now safely
ensconced in our new home in Henderson, Nevada, and we thought at least
a few folks
might find it interesting to read of our preparations for moving, followed
by our journey west. In that sense, I guess you could call it a trip report,
though it was a trip to Nevada for which we did not buy round-trip tickets.
At the end of the report you will find a link you can click on to access a PhotoPoint Internet album containing some related photos.
One of the smartest moves I made was to push up my retirement by a month so that I could have all of July to help prepare for the move while Rosalyn closed out her career of more than 26 years with her company. There was much work to be done, the bulk of which was to examine, sort and dispose of what seemed like tons of accumulated "stuff," to borrow a George Carlin phrase.
Our greatest apprehension had been resolved weeks earlier, when we found a buyer for our Massachusetts home and could then focus on getting ready to move. Another decision we made was to forego all the hassles of having a yard sale and concentrate instead on giving away most of our large tangibles to recipients we thought would benefit. This included everyone from relatives to neighbors, from the son of our cleaning woman to the local fire department. And in line with our ongoing support of agencies such as Shade Tree Shelter in Las Vegas, we were especially pleased to give many items of furniture and household goods to the Massachusetts Coalition For The Homeless; this last donation will also produce a tax benefit we think will be comparable to what we might have realized from going the yard-sale route.
In spite of our disposing of many possessions, the packing process was still long and tiring. We started by purchasing more than $400 worth of various-sized boxes and packing materials from a superb Web site called BuyBoxes.com, located at www.buyboxes.com. When you are planning a move, this vendor's products are outstanding.
By the time Bekins arrived on July 25 to pick up our goods, we had packed nearly 100 boxes of various sizes, while the large tangibles we had not given away awaited packing or wrapping by the movers. We seem to have lucked out with this Bekins crew, because the van was brand-new, our goods were going to stay on the same van, and the two driver/movers who loaded our shipment are bringing it all the way out to Henderson with no change of drivers.
The loading of our goods took well over six hours, and when the truck pulled away (actually, it had to back out of our street), we were left with a nearly empty house. "Nearly empty" is the operative term, because we still had some final sorting and packaging to do. Pack rat that I am, time had caught up with us.
After one more night sleeping at home on July 25 (our brass bed was given away the next day), we checked into a local motel for a three-night stay prior to our departure. While Rosalyn finished out her work week, I spent most of my time at the house, doing last-minute sorting and putting together five "care packages" to be sent to ourselves. On July 27 we closed the sale of our home and collected our equity check. Later that day we had our cleaning woman over for a final, thorough cleaning, and the next day we had our painter finish off some inside painting and also brought in a company to steam-clean all our carpeting.
People have asked us if it was especially difficult to say goodbye to family, neighbors, and close friends. While there was some melancholy involved in saying our farewells, the process was unexpectedly (for us) devoid of tears or great sadness. In trying to analyze why, I've reached the conclusion that modern technology is so effective at bridging the gap that long-distance separations just aren't as profound as they once were. Today we have inexpensive phone calls and Internet messaging to keep in touch, and it seems as if we have just gone around the corner to another block, albeit a long one.
We surprised ourselves to discover that the most wrenching part of the move was the hard decisions we had to make regarding what possessions having personal meaning to keep and what items to throw away. Many trinkets, documents and pieces of paper defining us fell by the wayside. Figuratively, it is like cutting off part of one's own body and tossing it aside. But in such cases we decided that these things have no value or interest to others. It was time to move on.
And move on we did. After considering our options, we decided to move ourselves by driving cross-country by the fastest route possible. We bought a new car for this purpose, and our Toyota Avalon was to perform flawlessly, and with great comfort, for the entire trip.
Leaving our motel just before 6 a.m. on Saturday, July 29, we drove a half hour to Rhode Island, where we picked up our 28-year-old nephew Lee, who was coming along to split the driving with me. For his trouble, Lee gets all expenses paid, a little taste of Las Vegas, and a plane ticket home on Southwest Airlines.
Our strategy was that I would share the driving with Lee, but it worked out that he enjoys driving and was at the wheel for about 80 percent of the trip. This was especially vital on the first day, as Roz and I had pulled an all-nighter before departure, wrapping up things at the old homestead.
Two sources proved very valuable in our trip planning. One was the venerable AAA system of maps, guidebooks and Triptiks. But just as useful was a Web site called FreeTrip. This site produced a highly detailed itinerary based on our own specifications, giving exact mileage, highway routings, and elapsed time with a high degree of accuracy. In addition, FreeTrip synchronizes its free itineraries with coordinates in a customized edition of Rand McNally's Road Atlas that sells for $17.95. With these tools to guide us, we felt quite secure as we embarked. Check out the FreeTrip service at www.freetrip.com.
Traveling down Interstate Route 95, we passed through Rhode Island and Connecticut, and we were soon crossing New York's George Washington Bridge into New Jersey. Our goal was to make the 2,750-mile journey in no more than four days. Though hindered late in the first day by heavy rain around Cleveland and our first planned overnight stop in Toledo, Ohio, we decided to push on past Toledo to stay at a Best Western motel in Wauseon, Ohio. This gave us first-day travel of about 775 miles.
We asked the desk clerk at the motel for a dinner suggestion,
and she directed us to a delightful restaurant in this town of less than
6,000. It is called John Weber's, and it features a prime rib and roasted
chicken buffet. We entered as strangers, and it was apparent that almost
everyone in the place, diners and employees alike, knew each other. In fact,
it seemed like we had walked into the middle of a church supper. Before
too long, we were kibitzing with John Weber himself, a big bear
of a man, and kidding around with the waitresses as if we were regulars.
Part of the jocularity was inadvertently started by Rosalyn, who revealed
her New England experience by tasting one of the side dishes and remarking
thusly: "These baked beans aren't very sweet, and there's meat mixed
in, too." Both John Weber and yours truly gently advised Roz that it
was chili, not baked beans, that she was eating.
A note on hotel reservations: Thanks to the information provided by the FreeTrip and AAA materials, we found it very useful to identify our motel choices and call for reservations from the car just several hours in advance. Having a cell phone on such trips is a must, and it was also enjoyable to make and receive calls from friends and relatives while in transit. We never felt out of touch.
Our second day of driving began with more rain, some quite
heavy, and we couldn't shake the precipitation until we had passed through
Indiana and
most of Illinois, but then it was clear sailing as we drove on I-80 and
the miles melted away. Some had suggested that much of America's heartland
is boring, with nothing but miles of cornfields to see. Au contraire: I
was entranced all the way by seeing the vastness of this country of ours
and the riches it produces. For me on this one-time trip, it was fascinating
all the way.
On the second day we went more than 200 miles beyond our planned overnight stop in Omaha, Nebraska, bedding down instead at a Best Western in North Platte. We had traveled about 950 miles this day, and it was clear we were laying the foundation for an easy day four.
On day three we cleared Nebraska, used I-76 as a connector, and took I-70 to experience the spectacular scenery of Colorado. After the relatively flat terrain of Iowa and Nebraska, the majesty of the Rockies heightened our sense of awe. It was particularly impressive to drive through the beautiful vistas of Vail, followed closely by the spectacular Glen Canyon.
Our original plan had been to spend night three in Grand Junction, CO, but we decided keep pushing it. So we drove into Utah and, 200 miles later and after a dinner stop in the melon-growing center of Green River, we reached I-15, that highway leading directly to Las Vegas. Our final night on the road would find us at a Best Western in St. George, Utah, only 120 miles and about two hours north of Las Vegas.
Though we were anxious to reach our new home in Henderson,
we wanted to take advantage of our proximity to Zion National Park. And
we were glad
we did, as Zion, only 45 minutes from St. George, is a sight not to be missed.
Many of you have combined a Las Vegas visit with a trip to Zion, and I urge
those who haven't to put it on your agenda.
Finally, at 2:30 p.m. on August 1, day four of our trip, we rolled into Sun City Anthem and arrived HOME. One thing that has changed is that we are now landscaped, so things are really taking hold here. As for the trip, It had been long but enjoyable. America is a vast wasteland when it comes to quality radio, so I'm glad we had about 75 CDs with us to help pass the time.
The movers will arrive in a day or two, and we are busy entertaining our nephew. Today we took him for a session of indoor skydiving at Flyaway, and in the evening we joined our friends the Riccios and the Downings at the Mirage's Samba Grill to celebrate Peggie and Dave Riccio's 30th anniversary.
Soon the moving-in process will be finished, and we can settle down to be just another couple who enjoy being referred to as "locals."
You are invited to use this link to view some related photos:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=657150&a=7493643
--Best wishes from David and Roz in Nevada.
