Adventures of Johnny United: On The Way to Dakotas

Immediately after the retirement party, the new adventures of JU began with a trip to the Dakotas at the beginning of the Hour of Mercy. JU drove 10 hours from SacTown to Utah, while Miss Princessa chipped in with 2 and a half hours and Miss Mystic was sound asleep. They arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, at around 3 AM (lost one hour due to time change from Pacific to Mountain). Unfortunately, they arrived in the dark of the night and were not able to experience the beautiful view of Salt Lake. They rested at the Comfort Inn for the morning and continued with their journey to South Dakota, which was the next rest stop before the final destination: U-Mary in North Dakota, by 2 PM, 23 AUG 2014, the deadline for incoming Freshmen to check in to the dormitory or a fee would be accessed :-)

In June 2014, the Miracle Squad visited Mount Rushmore in South Dakota (recorded in a previous blog). On the day of their visit, visibility was low due to thick fog that they got to see the presidents' heads appeared for mere seconds. Thus, the three members wanted a revisit by stopping in South Dakota. It rained the entire day of their travel from Utah to South Dakota. They left Utah at 7:30 AM and arrived at Mount Rushmore at 8:30 PM (rest stops were made on the way). They arrived at the beginning of the nightly ceremony where the lights came on and the National Anthem and America, The Beautiful were sung. Then military men and women present were honored. Without the lights, another photo op would have been missed. Whew!

The three-some rested in nearby Rapids City for the night to arise early the next morning and departed for North Dakota. Another drive in the rain for the final leg of the trip. Miss Mystic was able to check in at 1:30 PM (another hour was lost going from Mountain to Central)! JU got to make acquaintances with parents from the previous trip. When the spirits are on the same page, time stood still; it was a very pleasant experience.

For the night, JU stayed in town (Bismarck) while the girls rested in their new gigs, both on campus. So, the drive from SacTown, CA, to Bismarck, ND, took 24 hours without the time change. JU managed to drive almost 22 hours of the total. If you know JU, you would have known that he doesn't drive for more than 2 hour at a time, maybe 3 hours top! What a miracle.

JU took a flight back to SacTown on Sunday, 24 AUG 2014.