Road Trippin'

It's about time I put up another post already! So I was home for a whirlwind week and now I'm transversing the country with Jessica having an amazingly good time. Don't want to rub it in and say you wish you were here, but the reality is, you probably wish you were. We are currently in Libertyville, IL and in the six days since we left the only meal we actually paid for were sub sandwiches in Fort Collins...SCORE! Shall we recap with priceless gems from each state? Ok, here we go!!...

California- alright, let's be honest, not much happened between Shingle Springs and Reno, but that's a good thing since my track record of trips through Tahoe with Jessica is less than stellar. (think snow and closed roads)

Nevada- talk about a proper send off, the DAD hooked us up with dinner on Monday, hot breakfast on Tuesday and lunches big enough to last for DAYS. The state's scenery was lacking, but Battle Mountain was awesome. What We Learned: If you are a town worth any consequence in Nevada, your name had better be on the side of a mountain.

Utah- land of Mormons and dragon slayers, mountains and amazing arches. Watch out for the manholes and the missionaries...kidding...kind of.....um, Arches Natl park was super cool and gets our endorsement. We should also note, it was the first place we had to actually pay for something other than gas.

Colorado- beyond description...Colorado was very good to us :) In Grand Junction we met mom's super fun friends Merce and Bert, ate a gourmet dinner on the side of a cliff, played with dogs, and had pretty much the best granola ever (which we can now make ourselves!). From there we headed to Fort Collins, through pretty much the most gorgeous scenery ever (the first that really competed with our beloved CA). In Fort Collins we had lunch with a friend from Portland and hit up New Belgium Brewery for some free sampling and a true taste of the college vibe.

Wyoming- The cheapest gas we'll probably see the entire trip at $2.58/gal. And we learned that Sonic really does exist. Yup, that's about it

Nebraska-If you love museums and quantity means more to you than quality, this is the state for you. One at EVERY exit. One contained a miniature version of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Best part, some couple spent 12 years carving those figurines. Wow. Unfortunately, I didn't get to ride any REAL buffalo, only fake ones. Hands down best steak I've ever had. Lots of wonderful tall Sealocks we were happy to meet!

Iowa- Kinda a jumble with Nebraska since like the illegal immigrants we did a lot of border hopping. Not a lot here, though we did play some rousing games of interstate bingo....bonus if find a Corvette (we never did). and OHMYGOSH! we got FREE ice cream at a gas station just for asking for it (props to my good buddy Jessica)

Illinois-Well, we only just got here, but I think we've already spend more money on stupid tolls than on anything else we've yet to purchase....and there's not even bridges after them! Oh well, guess we can't complain since our trip has pretty much been charmed the whole way through. We're now at my great uncle and aunt's house (both great in the my grandma's brother sense and in the great people sense), which is sort of castle-like :) Tomorrow we spend the day in Chicago before continuing on our journey.

Other random facts: Polaroids enhance any road trip. My front bumper is a bug graveyard. Jessica is the squeegy (sp?) master. Tubewiches are the best, but you will get weird looks if you make them in the car (peanut butter tube, jelly tube, bread, nuf said). Cats love lasers. Dutch ovens make great dessert. I'm not tall as you think I am. Just ask Greg. Driving through Nebraska is as boring as they say it is. You can combine a gas station with anything you want: pizza place, donut shop, restaurant, dry cleaners, etc...

I think about it. We've taken some great pics which we'll sure to share in the future. Hasta pasta!