The mission had been delayed one day because of lack of preparation. Rain and cooler weather were in the forecast, so adjustments were made in supplies. After 4.5 hours of sleep, the plan went into effect at 4 a.m. The mission was to arrive in New York City in 4 days for a birthday surprise for Kyla’s 18th birthday on June 3. Insanity! Our crew consisted of 6 people. I was the captain and Kelsey was the co-captain. My co-captain missed the memo about bringing minimal supplies. She had two bags while everyone else had only one. Katrina was the Navigator, Jon was the Fuel Technician and Kyla was the Entertainer. The mission was almost aborted because Matthew, the Annoyer, would not sit in his assigned seat. At 5:45 a.m., we sent a message to our Supervisor to help provide safe passage. Then we departed from Apple Valley as the sun rose over the mountains. First of many restroom breaks began in Baker, then on to Silverton Casino in Las Vegas to observe the waterfall and fish tank. 2:16 p.m., we were in Beaver, Utah. The desert landscape of Utah transformed from peaked mountains to flat tops and then to jutted mountains from the surface of the earth that ranged in colors from a rusty red, to hues of brown, yellow and a hint of light green. At 7:05, we arrived in Grand Junction, CO. Kelsey and I gassed up the vehicle. We road with the windows down for a while. I think the hummus was responsible. Just after dusk, 8:30 p.m., we pulled into the parking lot at Glenwood Suites in Glenwood Springs, CO. Before going to the room, we were able to order pizza from Russo’s just minutes before it closed. Our suite accommodated everyone with a twin over full bunk bed and two queen beds. It was a full day that went mostly as planned. We were so exhausted that everyone fell asleep in their uniforms.
