They will get turned around someplace and face having to cross the Rockies in Oct. I hope they brought some warm clothes.
That was a stupid route to plan on anyway.
It would be like me hiking to St. Louis via Dallas.
And I remain greatly mystified as to why they were compelled to leave Joplin in the first place.
They were already there, their stuff was there, and despite the discombobulation caused by the tornado, it's proving only a temporary discombobulation, not a permanent one.
Life in Seattle can't possibly promise any more than life in Joplin.