Road Trippin' to CT. Chapter 1: Getting out of Utah

We got internet hooked up in our new apartment today, so it's time to share some of our experience with everyone.

First, a huge thank you to everyone who helped us move out (especially our good buddies, the Auds), those who helped us move in (Jason, you da' man!) and, most of all, to my parents who made the whole enterprise possible. Without their old van (which we have redubbed "Cosmo" in honor of BYU's mascot) and them behind the wheel of their new van (St. Lawrence), we would pretty much have nothing left.

Our first stop on the trip was an unscheduled one just a few miles up Provo Canyon. As we began reaching higher speeds, the mattress and box springs atop the vans were wobbling and shifting uncomfortably. While bungees are supposed to stretch, it was enough to worry us. Mom and Dad noticed first and called us to let us know they had pulled over. We stopped by Bridal Veil falls to give them a chance to take a look and snapped our first photos of the voyage.


We started on our way and realized that the mattress on our roof was having trouble, too. I fished out the 200 ft. length of twine we had purchased and wound it through the eyelets of the tarp, around the car's windows and vents and over the top of the mattress. Feeling slightly more secure, we continued driving - until we heard a loud SHUNK behind us - the sound of the twine snapping.

We pulled over again and contemplated ditching the mattress - it was a $500 investment, but we'd never get to Connecticut this way. Mom, ever the crafter, crocheted the twine into a triple-thick line which we wound over the top of the mattress. With that reinforcement, we were able to make it to Heber (a normally 20 minute drive which became a 2-hour journey) and a hardware store. Dad purchased a set of 8 ratcheting bands which we fastened around the mattress and box springs to lock them in place, which gave us peace of mind through the journey.

Okay, I admit it, I was still paranoid about it through the journey, but at least it provided some amusement. At one point, the side view of our mattress with its billowing tarp resembled, as my parents put it, "a low-slung Italian sports car." Mom and Dad, having a less flexible bundle, looked more like this through the rest of the trip:




Stay tuned for Chapter 2: Going to the Zoo