English practice 57

On the Road Again

We drive across the country the way most people might go from home to work and . I guess you could call us nomads, except for the fact that our trips have become , mostly to Las Vegas, Nevada, back to New York, our home for the past 35 years.

My husband and I are retired high school teachers, which means that we have plenty of time . Three of our five children now live west of the Mississippi River. All of our grandchildren live in New York, and we have two large dogs. Therefore, vacationing in Las Vegas for more than three consecutive weeks is generally . And so, we find ourselves back on the road time and time again.

Las Vegas our sunshine sanctuary; we have become completely fed up with New York's cold and gloomy winters and are determined to spend as much time as possible in the West. Moreover, we have extended family in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and California, so vacationing in Las Vegas makes a lot of sense for us.

[1] we have two adopted dogs, both of which are shelter mutts, flying is not an want the dogs with us and we want to avoid paying boarding fees. [2] And so, here we are, for the second time this month, trekking home with our dogs in our extended-cab truck. [3] Hunter, a lab and spaniel mix, fills his limited space on the back bench seat, and Lizzie, our elderly pooch, on her special blanket on the floor. [4] They are quiet; they know the drill. [5] Every few hours they get to jump out of the truck and sniff out the newest stop. 11

Thus far, we the Hoover Dam, climbed the mountains of Flagstaff, Arizona, crossed the high deserts of New Mexico and the Texas panhandle, paid in Oklahoma, and looped around St. Louis, Missouri. After 26 hours on the road, we are a mere seven hours from home; this will be one of our fastest trips, thanks to prepacked turkey sandwiches, fewer stops for gas, good weather, and audio books.

The landscape in Missouri is surprisingly snow-free for the month of January, but the sky is becoming predictably thick with gray clouds. I'm mentally preparing myself for a sunless New York sky during our week at home. 14 But that's okay; it will encourage me to get right back on the road in seven days to head back to sunny Las Vegas.