Well, I took the wheel this morning before dawn and we are still in business so that’s a good sign!!
So many lessons. We woke before the sun and my nervous giggles let loose hoots and hollers and Kristin Wiig’s SNL Target Lady voice as I navigated turns and tried not to slam into anything with these giant Little Rascal Alfalfa ear mirrors that stick out so far. First turn I needed to make: road closure. Next turn, super tight. First highway: under construction. It felt like I was in a video game with cones and obstacles and bumpy roads and narrow lanes and gigantic big rigs on steroids barreling by you and all the things. All I know is: find yourself a co-pilot who affirms you, makes you laugh, and reminds you that the construction will end. Same in life as it’s been for us on the road. Sometimes there are things that come at you cockeyed and crazy and out of left field. Sometimes things go exactly to plan. Either way, it ends. Like when we followed signs for the RVs and trucks at a rest stop in Ohio only to learn that it was diesel and DEF only (ps, still, what is DEF?)…but then after making that choice, we no longer had access to the gas station for cars… but we seriously needed gas…but then on our second loop as we flopped around like fledgling chicks looking desperately for food, we found one gas lane that offered the gas we needed….except the hose was only on the right….and our tank is on the left, so we had to loop around *again* to go in backwards (against the flow of traffic)…. And interestingly, also, next to a truck that had multiple caged turkeys and a raccoon tail hanging from the rear view mirror. Also, like, when I was driving through a narrow toll plaza and gently doinked (grazed?) the passenger mirror on the side (eek! No damage thankfully!!) Or like when all of a sudden we started having issues with our EZPass requiring us to call for help twice. Or like when we were working to find our deep dish pizza and navigating Chicago (beautiful Lake Michigan on the right, lovely Chi-town on the left) and narrow lanes that turn into potholey narrow lanes hugging beautiful parks that rolled into suburban Evanston, and there were road closures and signs for senior citizens lol (what??) and every road Waze is telling you to turn down is impossible because of constructions and obviously pull-through giant parking lots are not a thing…you just happen to luck out and find street parking (in an RV lol!!)
You’re up, you’re down, you’re incessantly talking (or incessantly listening, in my case lol – even without caffeine he has a million ideas and comments and concepts to discuss)… and it’s just working. For now, anyway!!
Highlights:
Stunning endless corn fields and farms in Ohio and Indiana.
An accidental Midwestern college tour for the kids. Notre Dame, University of Chicago, Loyola University, and Northwestern.
Beautiful blue Lake Michigan.
Perfect temperature weather for July, 60s/70s, sunny, mild.
Outdoor dining at Lou Malnati’s to get delicious deep dish pizza. Goals!! (Thank you, Kevin Callaghan!!)
And excitement in the air as we continue to approach Mequon, WI for us to visit with Pat’s brother Timmy, his wife, Kara, and their three boys!!!!! With this pandemic, we haven’t gotten to see them since Christmas 2019 😢. 19 months is too long to go!!! We are all so so so pumped to get to see them, and for 3/4 or our kids, it will be the first time they will have gotten to see their new home since they moved their in the fall of 2018. Time. Is. Wild.
We drove through 4 states today (Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin).
We moved from I-80 north to I-90 and are currently headed due north on 94.
We have now seen the license plates from 40 states and 3 Canadian provinces.
Life is good!!
Care to share your thoughts?