U- What?!?!? U-Haul

Dad and I loaded the U-Haul and hit the road around 3:30 PM on Sunday. We were both excited (delirious) and scared at the same time. If you haven't ever had the luxurious experience of driving/riding in a U-Haul, it is definitely interesting. And, a bumpy ride to say the least.

We made it to Katy, Texas the first night. Which was mighty expensive. Only Texas could get away with charging me $9.50 for using their interstate. What a rip off!!! lol Needless to say, I was not very happy about that. After sharing the most glorious pizza ever (Pizza Hut Super Supreme), Dad and I crashed.

We woke up bright and early the next morning feeling rested and refreshed and started again. Only 5 of the 30 hours complete at this time. Dad only managed to take out one flower bush while pulling out of the hotel. lol At this point, we were on a mission. We did not leave on time or make our first goal the night before, so we were playing catch up.

Dad named us "the Road Warriors!" lol We were so determined to make up some time, we stopped at a grocery store and said we weren't stopping for lunch or dinner. Only turkey/ham sandwiches for us. I don't think either of us remembered U-Hauls only get about 10 miles to the gallon, so we were stopping ever few hours for gas!

We stopped at about 9:30 PM for dinner in El Paso. (Yea, that turkey/ham sandwich plan didn't last long.) At this point, he and I changed our game plan. Not only were we trying to catch up with my roommate who was 8 hours ahead of us, but we also had to catch up with my mom and sister who had flown in late Monday evening. We decided we were going to do the unthinkable. Drive all the way from El Paso to Encino, California. Yes, ridiculous. And 18 hours of DRIVING.

I was so excited, I decided I was going to take the initial leg of the trip. Oh, I had no idea what was in store for me. I had the lovely experience of going through the Arizona check point, which is the biggest joke by the way. Basically asked me if I was U-Hauling mexicans. lol Didn't search me or anything! Crazy.

The funniest part of the whole trip was only a few hours away... LOL I got very comfortable around 2 o'clock in the morning. I had been driving for about 4 hours at this point and decided to prop my left foot up on the dash. Sounds weird, but was incredibly comfortable... Until my toes started to fall asleep. At this point, I attempted to take my foot down. In the process, I accidentally engaged the emergency brake. LOL The extremely loud, obnoxious alarm woke my Dad. We were both frantic at this point. Thank God no one was on the road, because the U-Haul and my car on the transit behind was flying from one side of the road to the other. Comical to say the least. Dad was ready to revoke my license.

There wasn't really much excitement from the Road Warriors after we made it to Arizona. We FINALLY made it to California!! And, in RECORD TIME. There was absolutely nothing between El Paso and Encino except desert. But, it was a beautiful ride. There is something incredible about the vastness of nothing. Truly amazing experience. And, Dad nor I was wanting to kill each other. Surprisingly.