Road Trip Fall ‘25 … getting to our starting point … It Begins

35 hours. 35 HOURS!

We started as soon as she got off work. Out we went. Virginia to West Virginia. Where we saw the sunset over the country roads, WV, Blue Ridge Mountains …. you know the song.

Kentucky. The two “I” states (didn’t matter, it was dark). We did see the Arch … at 4AM! And for some reason, it made me want MacDonalds.

Sunrise came before we finished Missouri, so we saw Arrowhead, where the Eagles beat the Chiefs less than 36 hours later.

Kansas. More Kansas. And even more Kansas … it’s like they took ole’ Virginia original plan and go coast to coast, or at least the Mississippi.

Finally, we made Colorado in time for a deluge just east of Denver. A bit nerve racking, but Lisa was a pro. I didn’t wear out the passenger side floorboard … and those nail marks in the door handle don’t belong to me. (Right!)

Wyoming back roads at night. Dubois by midnight … and nothing open … at least Appomattox has gas station with lights on early morning hours.

Made Teton and our cabin by 1:30 am … did I already say 35 hours?! I feel so sorry for my wife.

…………….

One great point about this trip … the Colorado welcome center. This place did it right. I started to think as a guest … how they laid everything out correctly and did their job with awesomeness. Then I compared to how this experience should hopefully be what guest get at our church (and every church)

• Ample parking, marked, easy to get to doors, and extra for handicap and moms with little ones
• Easy to open doors (okay, maybe they could’ve had one there to open, but I am healthy and not an issue …
• Well lit, ample information on everything they are offering, kids area to let them know we care about them
• Clear and visible signage
• Clean lobby, clean bathrooms, ample bathrooms (my church did miss out on the ample issue here)
• Coffee, something to do (for them, a puzzle started and inviting, I even did a piece … but for church? Something, interactive screens? Push pin map for where they live? A place to hang out?
• And especially … the hostess … cheerful, excited to help, engaging but not pushy, inquisitive but not creepy

But we made it. And who ever said getting there is half the fun … I could give them a swirly right now.

One final pic – post deluge

And one last time – 35 hours!