2016 Minnesota Vacation - Day 1

Surprisingly, we actually got out of Houston a lot earlier than expected this morning at 11am. I was thinking that's perfect so we would miss afternoon rush hour in Dallas. That realization came to a screeching halt early on as we got stuck behind a huge accident on I-45 just south of Conroe. It involved an overturned 18-wheeler, a haz-mat spill, and the freeway shut down. That's an hour and a half I'll never get back.

Once we got through that mess, we stopped at Buc-ees in Madisonville for a break. Potty breaks for everyone, including the dog, sandwiches, drinks, chips, and of course, beef jerky for me, and we're back on the road. All the way to Dallas, and after Dallas to almost the Texas border, there was road construction everywhere, thereby causing more delays. Right on schedule, we hit Dallas rush hour promptly at 5:00pm. It was also 101 outside. It took a little over 71/2 hours to get out of Texas and into Oklahoma, and I was exhausted. I'm also suffering from a major head cold and not in the best mood. We were planning on staying in Oklahoma City tonight, but we stopped in Ardmore for gas and noticed the La Quinta across the street. Close enough! We're all checked in for the night, I'm finishing this entry, and we'll be on the hunt for dinner soon.

Oh, you'll be proud of us. We actually passed the Winstar Casino when we crossed the border. It was difficult, but we just kept staring forward and keep my foot on the gas! Our gambling budget is very limited this trip, so any gambling will be with Lawrence's parents in Minnesota. If we have any money left on the way home, we may stop in at Winstar.

Tomorrow we traverse Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and into Iowa where we will stay the night in Des Moines. We should arrive in New Ulm, Minnesota sometime mid-afternoon Friday. It will be good to see everyone up there, and we have a lot of catching up to do!