Block 7 2025 Week 1 Traveling - Windmills and Mountains

Hey everyone!

My name is Tom, and this will be my first blog post during our Block 7 adventure! What I’m going to do with this first blog is give you guys a rundown of what our first week looked like and our drive up here from Auburn, AL.

We knew the snow was coming, and neither of us had ever driven in snowy conditions before, so we wanted to leave early enough to beat the snow. My friend John, who is on the rotation with me, and I left on New Year’s Day. We went through Memphis and planned our first stop in Oklahoma. We have a friend from our pharmacy class who lives there, and her family was kind enough to let us stay the night.

After that, we got back on the road and went all the way up to Denver, Colorado, (the hotel was in Cherry Creek) where we stayed in a hotel for the night. The hotel was about $130 for two beds—not bad at all for anyone else considering driving. That night we met one of John's friends at a burger place called The Cherry Cricket which we recommend to anyone stopping in Denver. After that, we made the final stretch to Wyoming, admiring the view all the way. Let me tell you, if there’s any reason to drive, it’s the sights you see along the way. For the most part, the scenery was gorgeous, and only a few spots were dull (looking at you, Kansas).

It’s a long trip, with about 26 hours of driving, so it’s not for the faint of heart, but I think it was a good decision because of the views, not having to rent a car, and having the space to pack a bunch of stuff without worrying about airport luggage limits. John and I had a cumulative 3,000 songs to pick from on our liked songs on Spotify, so the time passed by decently quickly.

If you’re coming during this time of the year, one thing to consider is having a vehicle with 4-wheel drive and/or purchasing chains. Our truck has 4WD, but we decided to get chains too, just to be safe. We picked up some chains in Denver, but wow, did we have a time trying to get them! So, make sure to plan accordingly, know your tire specs, and call ahead to places if you plan on getting them on the way.

Gas for the whole trip cost us around $250–300, which, divided by two people, isn’t too bad. We had heard it was best to fill up when your tank gets to about half because there are stretches where gas stations become few and far between (again, looking at you, Kansas). We also made stops to eat along the way and made sure to stop at the Wyoming Welcome sign since neither of us had ever been there before!

When we arrived, we found the house is a 3-bedroom, 1-bathroom space that can technically hold up to six people. John and I are by ourselves during this rotation, which is both sad and nice. We were excited to potentially meet new friends, but having our own rooms and storage is also a bonus. The beds are twin beds.

The house comes with linens, sheets, a bunch of pillows, and bedspreads. Each room has a closet, and there are several dressers throughout the house that you can move around. The house also has towels, a washer, dryer, oven, stove, microwave, toaster, a small air fryer, crockpots, and dishes/utensils. There is no dishwasher. (Do not be like John and buy a water filter—there are plenty here.) Outside, there’s a small grill, a firepit, and a very nice view of the mountains in the yard.

The house has internet, a TV (no cable), a DVD player, speakers, and a vacuum (it’s a shop vac). There’s also a bookshelf with information about what to do in the area. The place really has just about everything you could need. So far, the heater works very well, if you’re skeptical about coming during the winter.

Overall, the trip up was a success! It wasn’t too bad at all. We went grocery shopping the day after we got here and got settled in. John will talk more about what we actually did this first week and what’s around the area in his blog post. For now, see y’all next time!