Leaving Las Vegas....Day 1

As I was driving out of Las Vegas...I was full of mixed emotions. This was the same road that I came into town 14 years ago. I came to Vegas with a husband, 2 young kids and entry level job skills. During the next 14 years I started working in the construction accounting world and worked my way up to the top. My kids grew up, Megan graduates in a few weeks and my marriage...well that was a roller coaster that ended up coming off the tracks and falling hard. But would I change any of it? Maybe a few things, but I believe that what happens to you makes you who you are. So...I left Las Vegas, alone...no husband, no kids with me and no job. But what I did leave with was a sense of excitement of the possibilities....of things to come, of places to see, people to meet and things to experience.

The early part of the day was spent in Utah....my most dreaded part of the drive.

All a bunch of rocks and nothingness. One sign said no services for 110 miles....they weren't kidding....nothing, nothing, nothing....as I entered Colorado, the terrain started to change.

I started to notice more colors...brighter colors and I started to feel like I was in the Wizard of Oz. You know how it starts in black and white and then turns to color.

The further I went, the more color I saw. I knew that things in Las Vegas were always a bland mix of browns, tans and sages. The only color being the neon signs.

I got to the Rockies in the late afternoon. As I drove through and saw all the snow still on the ground, I was happy I made the decision to drive my car across the country now instead of when I come back from Turkey. It will be winter then...I so didn't want to drive through there during winter! My plan was to stop for the night once I got right past Denver....

Well that didn't work....I had to keep driving....into the sunset....because I couldn't find a vacancy at a hotel! I kept stopping at the next few towns only to find no room at the inns! Finally...when I got into Nebraska, and into central time...midnight...I found a room. 1000 miles driven...and 700 to go tomorrow... 15 hours in the car. The 10 hour flight to Turkey will feel like a breeze compared to this day. Sleep came easy.....