We made the 1,726 mile drive in the beginning of June from our San Francisco apartment to our hometown of Wichita, Kansas. It was a stressful but necessary trip to get our car, motorcycle, and last of our belongings back to Kansas. We managed to still have fun along the way. We learned all about trucker “CB Slang” and listened to several musicals all of the way through as we often do on roadtrips. We are so grateful to all of those who helped us along the way. We are especially grateful that our guardian angels were watching over to safely guide us to Kansas.
Last BART ride from the Oakland Airport (following our Hawaii trip) to Daly City to stay the night with our friends before beginning our road trip back to Kansas.Karl the Fog bid us a chilly farewell. The Tires and Tribulations were just beginning as our car had a dead battery the morning we left.
California state law made it slow going for the first leg of our roadtrip.
Just an hour south of San Francisco, we pulled into a shop to test our battery. It was extremely outdated so Parker replaced it in the parking lot. Then we were off once more!
Flat tire on the trailer as we pulled into Bakersfield, California. Our spare was locked to the tailgate and we didn’t have a key. We made a quick trip to Harbor Freight to buy bolt cutters and were able to put on the spare.
Shout out to the friendly staff at Pep Boys who repaired the tire stem valve. We knew it was important to have all of our spare tires in working order as we continued into the desert.
Our original plan was to continue driving past Bakersfield, but we opted to give our car a rest and stay the night. A late dinner at a 24/7 diner was just what these travelers needed.
$8 brinner (breakfast for dinner) Chicken fried steak, hashbrowns, eggs, and a side of biscuits and gravy… The face of a happy husband.
4:00am wake up call the following morning. Our goal was to make it through the Mojave Desert before temperatures reached triple digits.
Finally out of California!
Snacks courtesy of Rachel’s former coworkers at Warner Design Associates
Quick stop in Seligman, Arizona along historic Route 66
“It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford…” in Winslow, Arizona
Another state down! Approaching the Petrified Forest National Park
We stopped for the night in Gallup, New Mexico. The only restaurant that was open near our hotel on a Sunday night that also served alcohol was Applebee’s. Frozen Margaritas for the win!
During a brief detour through Santa Fe, we walked around the plaza and stopped into the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.
As we continued through Oklahoma and approached the Kansas boarder, we started to see storm clouds gather ahead of us.
There was no cell service or radio signal as we approached the storm. We pulled into a farm outside of Elkhart, Kansas. The family we met immediately brought out their cell phones with radar tracking (as any good Kansas farmer would) and advised we wait out the storm about 30-45 minutes. We then continued on to stay the night with extremely hospitable friends in Satanta, Kansas.
The next morning, we met a friend for a sneak preview tour of Boot Hill Distillery in Dodge City, Kansas. It was very impressive to see all the hard work that went into restoring this historical building and bring something new to the people of Kansas.Our final stop was at Carriage Crossing in Yoder, Kansas. This restaurant and bakery is run by local Amish and Mennonite families. They serve delicious and simple mid-western food.
Final stop: Wichita, Kansas
We were greeted by Hugo Roth and a few days later our pod from SF was delivered.
The Roaming Roths 