We woke up to a beautiful day in Santa Rosa. The sun was out. It was the first time we had seen much sun in months, having just left Portland in the winter. The weather must have been close to 60. We ate a full breakfast while sitting at a table, instead of while driving, and did not leave until almost check-out time. I packed the cars without even wearing a jacket. The hotel was on top of a hill that felt more like a peak, giving me a 360 view while I was loading the cars.

When we started driving, our daughter was happy… we were all so refreshed. We liked the La Quinta so much we had the front desk make us reservations at another La Quinta in Shawnee, Oklahoma, for the that night. As we’re driving, about 3 hours into the day, Mackenzie says, “Do you have my purple coat?”.

Dan did the final room check, so I called him on the walkie talkie and asked. He said yes, we took everything. I assure her we have it but I just did not know exactly where in the car.

Another two hours go by. We are at a rest stop somewhere. I am waiting in the car for Dan to get back and check my phone. I have a message from the hotel, saying that we left two jackets. Sure enough, my daughter’s purple coat and my fleece. The hotel agreed to ship them to us, but this is hardly a helpful thing to tell a toddler, when she wants her coat.

I think it was an uneventful day beyond leaving more things behind, and some insanely strong winds. We went through Oklahoma City, which was bigger than I expected. Then pulled into the La Quinta in Shawnee about 6:30pm. Another 450 mile day, a short one to us by now. Another nice room with comfie beds, and a big indoor pool. The longest days were behind us.

Road trip rule #12: Don’t load the cars the first time in a Tetris like manner, if you don’t want to have to do it every time (because no one else will be able to solve the puzzle to fit it all).

Road trip rule #13: Both adults should always check the room.

Continue to Part 6 – To Fairfax County, Virginia