This week, we driveway surf with friends on a cross-country road trip
from California to Indiana.
[intro music]
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We started our journey driveway surfing at a friend's house in Los Angeles.
Despite the rainy morning, we enjoyed his company and his level driveway.
Our first destination on our way back to Indiana
is going to be Fort Collins, Colorado to visit some friends.
Now, we've got almost 1,100 miles to go,
so we're gonna need to stop somewhere between
here, Los Angeles, and there.
So we're just gonna drive until we get tired and then find a place for the night.
We've always seen signs for this place but have never been inside, so we figured, why not?
Inside, ET beckoned us over to get a photo with it,
and then we explored some of the offerings on display from our space friends.
At least now, we know what they do with all those missing cows.
Despite their flying car,
the aliens seem to be jealous of our camper van,
so we kept an eye out for them on our way through the desert.
Shortly after crossing into Nevada,
we drove past this track where you can rent exotic cars.
It reminded me of the last time we stopped in Las Vegas,
and Kait bought me a few laps in a Ferrari for my birthday.
Continuing east on Interstate 15, we passed into Arizona.
However, our time in Arizona was short
because the 15 only cuts through a 30-mile corner of the state
before entering St. George, Utah.
The rain started again, but we were rewarded with this beautiful rainbow.
Turning east on I-70, we began climbing in elevation,
and were greeted by snowcapped mountains and a full moon,
which would continue to light our way to our first overnight stop of the trip.
It's been just around 12 hours of being on the road,
and Joe and I like to drive until we're tired,
especially when we're doing a long-haul drive like this.
We didn't make it as far as we had hoped,
so we still have a good amount of driving to do tomorrow.
But luckily, there are a lot of rest areas along Interstate 70,
so we are pulled over at one in Utah, and we're gonna spend the night here.
I think we're gonna have to put the heat on, though.
I have a feeling it's gonna get a little chilly this evening.
Well, we really don't have data at this spot because we are in the mountains,
but my watch is saying it's 41 degrees outside,
and we are at 7,074 feet in elevation.
♫ The heat is on. Woo! The heat is o-o-o-on ♫
Time for bed. See y'all in the morning.
So it's currently about 5:45 in the morning.
I've been up for about an hour.
I may have woken Kait up accidentally.
We figured, you know, at night, we drive until we're tired.
In the morning, we get back on the road when we wake up.
So, I'm gonna make coffee and get us back on the road.
I don't know if this one's gonna stay in bed or not. Are you?
I haven't decided. I'm so sleepy.
Well,
it got down to... let's see... it's 34 currently.
I've got to make some coffee.
It's a gorgeous sunrise this morning, so I guess we're ready to hit the road.
See, this is when you know your significant other loves you,
when they've preheated your heated seat for you.
Despite how tired we were, the gorgeous sunrise over the Utah landscape
made it all worthwhile, and was one we will never forget.
Kait drove us into Colorado, our fifth state, in this cross-country road trip.
As we were getting into the rockies,
we saw the famous Rocky Mountaineer train, which we plan to take someday.
So we've been most places around the lower 48, and I have to say,
this section of the 70 in Colorado, following the Colorado River,
has to be one of my favorites.
We're currently heading up towards the Eisenhower-Johnson Tunnel,
which is at 11,000 feet,
and then we dip down into Denver and make our way up to Fort Collins. So
it is a uphill drive from here, but one we really enjoy and look forward to.
The last time we were here, we were with Mom and Charley on our summer road trip,
- and I remember Charley trying to get into the river right here. - Oh yeah, she did.
Once again on this journey,
we were greeted with a gorgeous view as we climbed to the rockies.
It was a surreal experience to have been in the desert yesterday,
and today have entered a winter wonderland.
Once we got through the Johnson Tunnel at 11,000 feet in elevation,
we began to drop down into Denver.
We're just outside of Fort Collins, Colorado,
and to say Kait and I are worn out, would be an understatement.
I think getting up as early as we did was a bad call.
We should have slipped in a little bit longer. However,
we are at Planet Fitness. We're gonna grab a quick workout, a shower,
and rejuvenate ourselves before going to our friend's house in Fort Collins.
Now, the reason we're out here is our friend is having her 40th birthday,
and we are a surprise for her for her birthday party tomorrow, so
it's gonna be exciting. Hopefully, tonight, we get a good night's sleep,
and we can be our top selves for the party tomorrow.
Welcome to Fort Collins.
We are currently parked outside of our buddy's house,
and this morning, getting coffee ready as usual.
Then, we're gonna go inside and help them get ready for the party tonight.
Fully caffeinated, I helped my friends make a Cajun shrimp boil.
Kait made two pans of brownies,
and I grabbed some Conecuh to throw in the smoker with the tri-tips.
After a wonderful time in Fort Collins,
we made our way back to Denver to see some more friends.
The surprise party the other day was a lot of fun, and it was great to see our friends.
And we are making another stop to see some more friends.
The reason I am filming this on my own is because Kait got way too excited
to see their dog, Finch, who she absolutely loves.
It's one of her favorite dogs out there.
So, she ran inside the house to see Finch while I'm in here filming this.
So tonight, we'll relax with friends, play with Finch,
and then get on the road tomorrow morning.
Come here, buddy. Come here, Finch. Oh, good boy.
Good boy.
This is the last push into Indiana. It's probably gonna take us two days.
We've got 16 hours. 1,100 miles from Denver, Colorado to Southern Indiana.
I've got my coffee, so we are ready to hit the road.
Made it to Kansas. Almost home.
- So did you get a rice started for us? - I did. It's over there.
It should be a bumpy ride.
Kait sets the instant pot down there, but when the road is really bumpy,
the pressure kind of releases as we're going down the road. So, it gets interesting.
That way, that way.
- That was slightly confusing. - It was confusing.
And we're back on I-70.
It's lunchtime. It's around 3:30 PM.
We're gonna have a little food, I'll make some coffee,
and then it's my turn to drive, and it looks like we're driving right into a storm.
I'm always happy to let Joe take over when the
rain or any kind of weather rolls in.
Hey there. There we go.
- All right. You ready to hit the road? - I'm ready.
Okay. Kait was telling me I think we have 11 hours left.
- To get home. - Yes.
And we're gonna try to knock out as much as we can today.
As we chased the storm east along Interstate 70,
we encountered severe winds that made driving down the highway a white-knuckle affair.
Well, the drive so far into 70 from Denver has been a bit of a rough one.
We've been getting a lot of wind. Usually, when you're crossing the plain states,
they're too windy to begin with. But then we had the storm on top of it,
and we had a headwind all the way here.
And because of that, we only got about eight and a half to nine miles to the gallon.
So we're filling up a lot more than expected,
but it seems like the wind has calmed down. We just have some rain now.
So just gotta get back on the road and keep on chugging.
This is one of the reasons we prefer taking the southern route out to the West Coast,
because there's a lot less wind.
Usually, you don't run into storms like you do going through the plain states,
and it makes it much faster.
We've been losing a lot of time today, trying to get through the storm battle with the wind.
It makes driving a lot more difficult and really wears you down.
So with that being said,
do you have any recommendations on some of the best routes
to get cross-country that you like to take?
You know, earlier in the video, we were talking about coming across the,
what was it, the 70 through Utah and Colorado. It's absolutely gorgeous.
But then once you get past Denver, it gets kind of rough with all the winds. So,
let us know if you have any favorite routes that you take when you're driving cross-country.
Passing into Missouri, the wind subsided, and we saw clear skies in the distance.
What little rain was left made for a gorgeous sunset rainbow.
Once again, when we were tired, we pulled into a rest area for the night to get some sleep.
Well, Kait's gonna get us started for this final push back to Indiana.
Back to Hoosierland.
You ready for this?
- How was the rest area last night for you? - Very good.
Enjoying the humidity. I've missed it. It's good to be back.
Well, we've made it. Los Angeles to Southern Indiana.
To say it's nice to be home would be an understatement.
We love coming back to our home base, especially now that
it's kind of the end of spring and everything here has bloomed.
We can't wait to walk the property.
But that said, we have a lot more planned this year.
We have a Blue Ridge Parkway campout,
we have some other things in Indiana.
We are probably gonna check out some more state parks here.
And if you have any Indiana state parks that you've been to that you really love,
let us know. We've only been to O'Bannon so far.
Thank y'all so much for watching. If you enjoyed it,
please give a thumbs up, subscribe if you haven't already,
and check out our website, weretherussos.com, for more content.
Bye.
My second book, "Tales From The Open Road:
The Adventures and Misadventures of RV Living",
is now available for sale on Amazon.
Read all about the ups and downs of our first year and a half living on the road full-time.