National Parks and Monuments Galore! South Dakota Rules!
I left Hope’s early Monday morning when she left for work. I was anxious to get to South Dakota and check out the Badlands and Black Hills. I stopped to take a picture of the Sioux Falls in Sioux Falls and I also inadvertently took in an art exhibit featuring all nude studies - I thought it was a store selling local art, but it was a gallery, and I was the only person in there, so of course I had to act like I was really interested in the nudes and all of that. It was kind of uncomfortable, but some were really good, I guess. Again, sometimes I'm not the best art judge (see my Minneapolis entry. I stayed the night in Chamberlain, SD, a tiny town on the Missouri River where Lewis and Clark set up camp for a while over 200 years ago. I had buffalo for dinner at Al’s Oasis, a big, tacky restaurant that seems to be the only food for miles, so anyone and everyone goes there for dinner. I tried to get an early start the next day, but I slept in a little. I missed the free breakfast at the hotel, but I managed to get them to score me some milk and cereal.
Then, it was on to the Badlands, in the southwest corner of the state. On the way there, I drove throught lots and lots of endless grassland. Every once in a while I'd see a really old house just abandoned. They were usually pretty windblown and falling down, but they were so pretty in a way. If I weren't going super fast on the highway, I could have stopped to photograph more of them (I did manage to catch a few) but they were one of my favorite things. I don't really know why. I just thought it was funny that these houses were just left there. I mean, they are probably on someone's property and at some point, the people just built a better house. But they're cool. Some were clearly once quite grand and lovely, but now they're just home to wildlife. I like that they have been left standing and not torn down.
I was kind of bummed because the weather was not great. Greyish-blue clouds hovered in the distance, and having already experienced a wide variety of weather in North Dakota, I knew I was not in store for a clear blue sky. I drove for what felt like forever across wide, flat plains, and I thought for sure I would never find these so-called Badlands, because everything just looked the same as ever. All of a sudden, though, out my window, I saw the butte drop off dramatically, revealing amazing cliffs striped in pink, red, grey, and white. I realized these plains I’d been driving across weren’t as low as I had thought. They were merely the very flat tops of huge buttes, and the badlands are where the flatness ended. Every turn in the road revealed more dramatic rock formations, and soon I officially entered Badlands National Park. Of course, I stopped immediately at the first overlook, along with every other tourist in the park. I snapped photos everywhere, but I’m afraid the camera just couldn’t quite catch the true awe-inspiring beauty of the park. Also, it really looks like another planet. It's just so unique. The canyons seemed endless, and the going was treacherous. You had to be careful how closely you stood to the edge of each cliff because they were so slippery you could fall without a moment’s warning. Lots of nervous moms and dads corralled their curious children to prevent them from slipping off the edge. No one needed to worry about me, though, because I was way too chicken to tempt fate. At the next overlook I came to, the parking lot was located at the edge of a bunch of tall rocks, but if you climbed up to peer through the gapes in between the rocks, you could see way out into a vast open space filled alternately with deep ravines and tall spires of rock. Now, the word rock for these formations is kind of misleading. It was more like clay that looked like rock. If you touched it, it broke off easily and covered your hands with a chalky, dry powder. It had started to sprinkle a bit, and the sky was a pale grey. The moisture made walking on the clay extremely difficult. It caked to the bottom of my shoes, and it was really difficult to remove. I was slipping and sliding all over the place, and so was everyone else. A few brave (or crazy) souls managed to scramble up the clay spires and perch themselves on top for what I’m sure was an amazing view, but there was no way I was going up there. I didn’t stick around to see how they managed to get down; I did notice a set of near frantic parents trying to convince their teenager to figure out a safe way down, and he was kind of resistant to their urges for safety. I was nervous for him, too, so I slipped and slid on out of there before I became a witness to disaster. A bit later down the road, I tried to hike up a steep cliff side, a short but steep trail. I made it about a third of the way up, and then I decided that it was too wet and dangerous to do. Going up was easier than coming down. There is nowhere to grip your hands so that you don’t just slide right down. I didn’t feel like sliding down on my butt (many others had to resort to this option to get down safely), and so I turned back. My shoes were worse than ever with clay, and I was so sad that I couldn’t quite get all of it off. I had to give up the fight against the clay at some point, though, so now the floor mat of the Mini that I meticulously vacuumed a few weeks ago is covered in dried clay that is slowly turning into fine powder. Oh well, I’ll just vacuum again when I get home!
After the Badlands, I popped up to Wall, South Dakota, for a bite to eat at the famous Wall Drug. It’s about as tacky as you can get, but it’s an experience. This town, Wall, really wouldn’t be much without Wall Drug. There were literally hundreds of tourists there, maybe thousands. There are like 30 or 40 different shops that make up “Wall Drug” and only one of them is an actual drug store. Back in the late 1800s, they advertised “free ice water” at Wall Drug, and it became such a popular stop for westward travelers that it has morphed into the ultimate road trip break. They still have free ice water, and I filled my water bottle there, but the water wasn’t that good. I also had more buffalo there, this time a delicious buffalo burger that was as juicy and delicious as a hamburger, but with much more flavor, and way less fat and cholesterol.
Up next was the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore. This terrain is very different from the badlands. There were lots of rocks this time, jutting high into the sky and surrounded by trees. It was easy to find Mt. Rushmore because there were about 8,000 signs. It felt like everyone was headed there, and I finally rounded a bed in the road and was met with the four presidents staring out into the South Dakota wilderness from the face of a huge rock. It was actually much more breathtaking than I had anticipated, and I immediately pulled into a little spot on the side of the road that was crowded with RVs and motorcycles and lots of people with cameras. I thought this was my only chance to see the mountain, so I took a bunch of photos and had a lady in an RV take one with the Mini and me in it. I was kind of sad that I wasn’t viewing the mountain straight on as I had seen it in photos. I was kind of off to the side. But, as I drove away from the pull-off and came around the next bend, I saw that there is a whole visitors’ complex for Mt. Rushmore. However, it costs 8 bucks to park, and frankly, you can get some great shots from the road, so I skipped the parking lot. On the other side of the mountain, you can take photos of Washington’s profile, and that’s free. Technically, you could stop on the road in front of the mountain and take a photo, but there are barriers and lots of “no parking, stopping, or standing at any time” signs to deter you. They really want your eight bucks.
I continued on to Crazy Horse, the American Indian response to Mt. Rushmore. I mean, yeah, Washington, Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, and Lincoln are the founding fathers to many Americans, but to many other Americans (like the ones who were here first!), Crazy Horse is their ultimate founding father. He was a staunchly proud Indian. He even refused to live on a reservation believing that it was too condescending. The Crazy Horse memorial is not federally funded – in fact, the foundation has refused federal funding of over 10 million dollars twice. When it is finished, which will be a long, long, LOOOOOOOOOOOONG time from now, it will make Mt. Rushmore look like a few dents in some rocks. Crazy Horse will be riding on his horse and pointing out at his lands saying “My lands are where my dead are buried.” Yup, no flies on Crazy Horse! He doesn’t beat around the bush! The Crazy Horse memorial foundation says, “When completed the Crazy Horse mountain carving will be 641 feet long by 563 feet high. Crazy Horse's completed head is 87 feet 6 inches high. The horse's head, currently the focus of work on the mountain, is 219 feet or 22 stories high.” So far, only the face is finished completely, and because money and weather are pretty inconsistent and hard to predict, no one knows when it will be finished. It’s pretty incredible, the set-up they have at the memorial, and they’ve clearly managed to raise a ton of money. It’s worth seeing and finishing, so if you’re ever in South Daktoa, be sure to check it out along with Mt. Rushmore.
I wound my way through a lot of the Black Hills along the Peter Norbeck byway, but it was getting late, and I had plans to meet up with my friend Kate in Wyoming at Devils Tower for a night of “kamping” at the KOA. She’s been on the road for much longer than I have, and it just so happened that our paths were crossing at Devils Tower! So, I didn’t get to see all I wanted to in South Dakota, but I thought about returning the next day, as I did not have to be in Boulder until Thursday. The drive to Devils Tower took longer than I thought, and I arrived at night. It was kind of scary driving through unknown territory so late at night. There was hardly any light at all, and hardly a soul lives in that part of Wyoming. Ranches and grassland stretch for miles and miles, and there is a lot of wildlife to watch out for as you drive. I saw a ton of deer, but I thankfully did not hit any! When I arrived at the KOA, I found Kate bundled up in a blanket watching Close Encounters of the Third Kind. They show it every night at the KOA because it was filmed at Devils Tower. I could see the tower in profile against the night sky, and I was excited to see it in the light. After a day of rain, the clouds had retreated, but they left behind crisp, cool air, and it was a chilly 40 degrees that night! Thankfully, Kate had rented a “Kamping Kabin” (seriously, are these people trying to kill this English teacher????) and she had a spare sleeping bag and pillow, so I was toasty all night! More later on climbing the tower – Yep, I climbed it, all the way (up to the base – hee hee hee)!
Photos are of Crazy Horse with the model of how it will look once finished in the foreground, the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore (the free view), the Badlands, and Mini arriving in Wyoming.
Hope Springs Eternal in North Dakota!
After a whole entire year, I finally got to see my very wonderful friend Hope! She has been living in Grand Forks, North Daktoa, for a year and a half with her boyfriend -- oops, I mean FIANCE -- Nate, who is stationed at the Air Force Base there. Even though I could say that Grand Forks is not the most exciting place on earth, I had a great time there, and the time flew by! I arrived Friday evening, and Hope made me dinner. It was just like good old times in DC! On Saturday, we drove up to the Canadian border to the International Peace Garden. On the way, we stopped in Rugby, ND, which is the Geographical Center of North America. The International Peace Garden was created to commemmorate the world's largest undefended border and it celebrates the centuries of peace between Canada and the United States. The garden is really nice, with lots of flowers and fountains. Its focal point is a set of towers. The towers are similar, and they face each other. Since the garden lies across the border between Canada and the USA, one tower is in each country. So, Hope and I walked to Canada several times throughout our visit. We visited the Peace Chapel, which looks really 70s in its architecture (because that's when it was built), but it's nice. I loved all the quotes about peace carved into the limestone throughout the chapel. It all felt very timely, and I couldn't help but wish that all the world's leaders, decision makers, and power holders could have a quick little meeting in this chapel to remind themselves that we're all just people, and not much else really matters other than that. As we left the park, we passed a wedding that was about to start, and another wedding party that was waiting in the wings. It is a truly gorgeous place to be married, but I thought it was kind of funny, too. I mean, who stands in Canada, the bride or the groom? I wondered, too, if there were all kinds of legal issues associated with it. I mean, what if you're a gay couple? I guess you couldn't marry at the fountain in the middle of the park. You'd have to both stand in Canada. I don't think gay marriage is legal in North Dakota. Anyway, we decided to drive up into Manitoba a bit, so that we could say we'd gone there. The immigration officer at the border was kind of strange. She was trying to be all tough, but she had such a weird accent, that it was kind of hard to keep from laughing. She said, "What's in the baygs?" Meaning, "What's in the bags?" I told her clothes. She asked where we were going, and I couldn't pronounce the name of the town correctly (Boissevain). I said it like it was French, and she said, "Boyzeevayne." And she asked me twice if I had alcohol or firearms. Wow, I must have looked like Yosemite Sam or something, but she let me through after I assured her I was clean. So, we drove up to Boyzeevayne, which is famous for its murals, but it basically looked just like North Dakota, so we turned around and headed home. It was going to be nearly a 4 hour drive back, so we needed to get going. On the way back, we stopped at the huge turtle sculpture made entirely of tire rims (of course we thought of Jud!). Mom, I guess that's what we should have done with all of Dad's bits and pieces that he had saved! A big sculpture of something having to do with Milford! The tire rim sculpture was a turtle because we were in the Turtle Mountains, which are the smallest mountains ever. They're more like little humps. Anyway, we'd heard all about this sculpture, so we had to see it. Back in Grand Forks, we were tired, but we went out to dinner at the Blue Moose, which was in Minnesota, just across the river from Grand Forks. We decided to walk there after being in the car all day, so in one day, I walked to Canada and Minnesota. Cool.
On Sunday, we were kind of lazy, and I did laundry and got to hang it outside. It was a gorgeous day, but pretty hot, so the laundry dried well and smelled so fresh! I love clotheslines! We went shopping a bit, too. We both got new shoes, and I got some souvenirs in Minnesota. At night, we tried to buy buffalo meat to grill for dinner, but the farm was closed. So, we had good old cow beef instead, and it was delicious! We bought it at Target - their Target is a SUPER TARGET, and it has a fab grocery store attached. Very nice. If we had one in DC, I'd probably never leave it. Hee hee.
After dinner, we took Hope's beautiful and sweet dog Ness out for a walk. Of course, the gorgeous sunny day was being pushed out by some rather threatening clouds, but the storms clouds are weird there. Because you can see so far, you can see storms that are really far away, but they might never come near you. This one did, however, and big fat drops of rain started to fall as we set out with Ness, but we didn't mind. When we turned around as the rain fell harder, though, we could tell the storm wasn't going to pass us by. Sure enough, the tornado siren began to wail. Of course, no one acted like anything was a big deal - girls were riding their bikes, people were hanging out on lawns and on porches. We put a little spring in our step to get home faster, but the siren ended before we even got home. We chatted with Hope's neighbor David for a bit, and he said that we were about to get some hail and lots of rain, but no tornado. He suggested I move the Mini, so I put her under a tree, in case of hail. As soon as we got inside, the rain and a little hail came, but it didn't last long. When the rain stopped, there was a gorgeous sunset happening, and Hope and I jumped in the Mini to chase the sunset to get a photo. See the one attached - it's the best one! It was fun, and the rain really cooled things off. It was a great way to end my trip to Grand Forks.
Today I headed off to South Dakota in search of hills. I know they're here somewhere...
"Art" in Minneapolis
So, all I need is a covered wagon, and I'd be just like Lewis, Clark, and Sacajawea (or as they call her here, Sakakawea). And, since I am a descendent of Clark, it is quite fitting that I made it to North Dakota for the anniversary of their famous exploration of the west. This is the territory where they met Sacajawea, and it is definitely memorable countryside. I'm sure the poeple of the Dakota territories were more memorable than the land, and that must be why L&C spent so much time here. It is flat. Really, really flat. Like, imagine something flat, like a doormat, and then stretch it out as far as the eye can see, put some cows and wheat fields on it, and make it flatter. That's North Dakota. Of course, I probably would not have put ND on my itinerary if one of my very best buddies Hope didn't call it home right now, but I'm really glad I went. I pushed out of Minneapolis in the mid-afternoon after spending lots of time at the impressive yet bewildering Walker Center for Art. It's a modern art museum and sculpture garden, and it definitely stretched my definitions of art, that's for sure. Some of the art was obviously brilliant, like the silhouettes of slaves and other African American images that were so starkly realized on a white wall that it almost knocked you over the head with its message about the horrors of slavery. I liked how there were no faces, just silhouetts, but you could still really sense the emotion of the images. It was by a young artist named Kara Walker, and it was humbling. It gives me chills to think of how it must have been for slaves and how it could have happened at all. Anyway, that piece was done specifically for the museum, and it was definitely amazing.
Not so amazing, yet I somehow couldn't tear my eyes from it, was a video installation from the 1990s. It was two screens, side by side, and each had the same girl on it. The girl was filmed in two different locations at two different times, but the background was white, so you couldn't really tell they were different spots. Also, she had the same hairdo and outfit on for both. I assume she is not American, mainly because of how she was dressed, and also because the videos were filmed in Holland and England. Now, she never talks, so I have no idea who she is or where she is from, but she just looked European to me. She had camouflage pants, but they weren't real army ones or anything. They were grey and black and white, and she had a grey shirt, and then a sweatshirt tied around her waist. Her hair was long, but it was pulled back in a braid. The werid part was that it was shaved all along the sides and the back, so she only really had hair on the top of her head. She kind of looked like a boy. Anyway, all she does is dance to techno music. The dancing is not in sync, but I think she is listening to the same song in both videos. The music is pumped through speakers in the room where you are supposed to watch (for 26 minutes!) from big beanbag chairs on the floor. I think the music is played separately from the video, and her dancing is so odd. She kind of jerks her body back and forth and then she punches at the air. I don't know how to describe it, and I wanted to laugh at her, but everyone else was so serious about it. Either they got it, and I didn't, or the art happens among those viewing the video, and it's not the video itself. I don't know. I thought it was hilarious, but only in a pathetic way. I only watched it for about 10 minutes or so, and even though I didn't really get it, I had to literally instruct myself to move along to the next piece. It was compelling for some reason.
Some other things in the museum just seemed random, like galvanized tubs full of fake fruit and resin hanging from the ceiling, or a white octagon pasted to a white wall so you can barely see it. I guess I can see their artistic value, but I don't know; modern art kind of makes my head hurt. I like art that is beautiful, even if it isn't very "good." I'll take Chicago's art museums, or the National Gallery anyday over the Walker any day, but I was glad I went. I loved the sculpture garden, the centerpiece of which is a big spoon with a cherry on it. Hope likes that one, too, and she is the one who told me to check it out. So, in one day, I saw a spoon, and then I headed to Grand
Forks, so that is kind of fitting. After I headed out of Minneapolis, I decided I'd like to go back there someday and spend more time. It is a really neat city. But, it was on to Grand Forks, and that deserves a post all it's own!
Chicago - I'm so sad I couldn't stay that I've got the b.l.u.e.s.
Chicago was great, and I truly can't wait to go back. Sure, a lot of that has to do with the fact that I was hosted so fantasically by my friend Mya, but it is a really beautiful city. I arrived in the afternoon, and I was glad to gain an extra hour of time by crossing the date line in Indiana. I know that some of my ancestors came from Indiana, but so far it was the most boring state to drive through. So flat......and I was really struck by the abject poverty you can see from the highway as I came through Gary, Indiana. It just reminded me that the midwest is a lot more than cornfields. Anyway, I was glad for Chicago, even though I was welcomed by one heck of a thunderstorm. I strolled around the Art Institute of Chicago, and was blown away by the Impressionist paintings. I have to go there with my mom. I know she'd want to set up her paints right in the museum. After that, I met Mya outside. She had taken the train in from Rockford, and we walked around Millennium park. There is a crazy fountain there that is really hard to describe. You just have to see it. There are two towers made of glass bricks that enclose two large screens. The screens display a rotating movie that was made by filming close ups of the faces of local Chicagoans. At various times they wink or blink at you, and it's a little freaky at first until you realize it's a movie and not a painting or photo. Then, they form a little O with their mouth and the fountain spits a hefty stream of water out on anyone standing in the fountain. There were lots of kids frolicking - it was super hot and humid, and I thought it was just hilarious. I want one of those fountains in DC! Then we went up the Sears Tower, which was more high than I was prepared for. I did all right, though, but Mya kept making me nervous as she leaned way far over the railing to look for more landmarks to point out. Yeah, the building's observatory is totally enclosed by glass, and there was absolutely no chance of her falling, but I still got a little shaky in the knees. I was kind of dizzy at first, but I quickly adjusted. Mya and I actually lost track of time up there, and we had to scurry to make it to our boat cruise on the river. As we bolted out of our cab and across the bridge, I saw the boat start to pull away, and we stood there, panting, sweaty, and crestfallen. Then we realized it was the wrong boat (ha!). But when we found the right boat, we had missed that one, too. We took a rist and bought tickets to the next one, a two hour sunset cruise on the river and lake. We killed the time by walking up to Garrett's Popcorn, where we purchased a delicious dinner of the sweetest, stickiest, most delicious caramel corn I've ever had. We ate it on the deck of the boat as it floated out to Lake Michigan. There, we watched the sunset, saw Oprah's apartment building, and saw fireworks. It was awesome, and we ended up being really glad we did it. Then we went into Lincoln Park to a jazz club called B.L.U.E.S. where they had a fantastic band playing. The line-up was a rotating group of killer drummers, bassists, guitarists, and singers. One particular drummer had a rather loyal fan in this short, drunk white kid who kept doing the running man and banging his head. The waitress, Mya, and I (and the rest of the bar for that matter) had quite a laugh watching him rock out to the music. To his credit, the music was pretty righteous. Mya and I liked this one guitarist, Dan, so Mya called him over and we chatted with him for a bit. Mya got his number (he's cute - call him!) after he said that he didn't really pick up chicks even though he was an adorable guitar player (liar). The hour was late, though, and we still had to drive all the way out to Rockford, the second largest city in Illinois. Mya put me up in a comfy bed with new sheets, and I slept so well that I missed out on most of the morning's massive thunder and rainstorm. We greeted the morning with a chat with her delightful dad and then went out for Swedish pancakes. There's a big Scandinavian community in Rockford, and they sure can cook! We busted our guts we ate so much, and I really didn't eat much for the rest of the day after that meal. Mya showed me around her neighborhood, which was a Civil War training camp, so it has some pretty remarkable homes. Then, I reluctantly said my goodbyes and headed for Wisconsin. I easily had the most lovely day of driving so far. Wisconsin had lovely rolling hills, trees, and occasional rock formations that jut up into the horizon with a jarring grace. I passed several huge resorts whose main features were indoor water parks where "the weather is is always 88 and sunny!" Not sure I would like that kind of vacation, but they seemed to be packed with people, so someone is dropping a lot of cash on it. I settled in Minneapolis for the evening, and my original plan was to stay at the youth hostel. I ended up opting for an inexpensive hotel downtown where the action is, and I found a great little internet cafe where I am writing this right now! If you're here, check it out - Espresso Caffe on Hennepin and 13th St. So today it's off to the Walker Art Center and Sculpture Garden, and then I head to North Dakota for a few days with Hope! Check ya later...
Cleveland - Paradise in Ohio?
So, Cleveland...who knew it was so striking? I didn't spend too much time in the actual city of Cleveland, but it's impressive from the road. The harbor on Lake Erie is darn nice, too. That's where the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is. I have to say, I was a little disappointed by this place. Now, to be fair, I got there an hour before they closed, but seriously, their hours are soooooooo NOT rock and roll. Closing at 5:30? I mean, isn't that when rock stars wake up? Anyway, they told me I wouldn't be able to get in because they said it takes at least 3 hours to tour, and it costs 20 bucks (again, not very rock and roll). They said I couldn't finish my tour the next day on the same ticket, which I think is a big rip-off, so I just toured the free stuff and the gift shop. The gift shop was kind of lame. I thought the best souvenir was a set of earplugs, if that's saying anything. The free exhibits were interesting enough, but nothing you can't see for free at a Hard Rock Cafe. They had a rather strange exhibit of jewelry and art inspired by specific rock songs. I had never heard of most of the songs, and a lot of the stuff was pretty disturbing. It didn't really serve as a great marketing tool for cleaning up rock's image, but maybe that wasn't what it was supposed to do. Anyway, I bounced out of there and headed back east for a few miles to Willoughby, Ohio, where my aunt Rhonda's parents Elaine and Terry live. That's where I found paradise in Ohio. They have a great little house right on Lake Erie. The sunset was amazing, and so was sunrise the next morning. They also took me into the town of Willoughby, which is about as picturesque as any small town in the USA should be. Their son, TJ, has done a fabulous job with his brewery and restaurant that he started, and they treated me to dinner there. Then, Rhonda's mom Elaine set me up in the new bedroom she did for her grandkids (who will visit soon!) and I slept like a baby. I woke up with the sun and the sound of the lake lapping on the shore. Between the warm breeze and abundant flowers, I thought I was in Florida. They also have this magnificent birdhouse where purple martins come up from Brazil every year to breed. The same birds come to the same house every time...can you imagine? Nature is so incredible. Anyway, it was lovely. After freshly made homemade scones and bacon and eggs, Elaine sent me off to Chicago with a few goodies to eat. It was excellent! I want to return to Cleveland, at least to see Elaine and Terry and TJ again, but also to see if the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame can redeem itself to me. OK, on to Chicago......
Rochester - It's not a coincidence that Dad was born here...
Ok, so day one was pretty uneventful…I drove from New Hampshire to Rochester, which is a drive I’ve done about a million times. I did make one detour that I've never done, and that was to stop in Rome, New York, for dinner with my cousin Ashley. We went to the lovely Friendly's restaurant, which was having some air conditioning problems, but we had a nice meal. We ate with Ashley's friend Evan, who was super nice. She is doing an internship in Rome at the old Griffiss Air Force Base. It is probably the least lovely place in New York. She is living in a dismal old barrack, but at least it is air conditioned. She has met some nice people, too, which is good. Ashley always knows how to make the best of any situation, and I can see that she is enjoying herself even if it is not exactly beautiful there. She spends most of the day indoors anyway, learning how to be the smartest person in the world. I know she'll be loving the sun and sand of Cape Cod, soon, though! She's also training for a marathon, so she's getting outside to run in the evenings. It was a good stop to make because after I stopped, I really noticed something wrong with the Mini. The car had been shaking a bit, but after sitting for an hour in Friendly's and then driving Ashley back to her dorm, I noticed it even more. I was kind of miffed because I just got her serviced at the dealership in Boston last week. Anyway, I’m sitting in Sears Auto Center at Marketplace Mall in Rochester right now, while they get me a new tire because I had a broken belt! The service guys here were kind of confused by the tires that are currently on the car because they are not the usual tires for a Mini. Of course, I had to explain why my current tires were on there…Dad had “customized” the Mini by putting on his own tires, larger ones that would make the car sportier. That’s probably why every bump on the road makes itself known to the people riding in the Mini. I knew my dad would have wanted to join me on this road trip somehow, and it looks like he’s sending me a little sign not to forget him while I’m driving (like I would forget…)! It's fitting that I had the work done in his hometown. So today (once I get out of Sears) it’s on to Cleveland, where I’ll hit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and then stay with my Aunt Rhonda’s parents on the lake! Catch you later…
Oh, one more thing about Rochester. They have the BEST RADIO STATION EVER! It is called WBER, and their motto is "The only station that matters," which sounds really funny when the djs say it with their Rochester accent. They say, "the only station that meeaatters." I love it! You can listen online at http://wber.monroe.edu/site/html/index.php. I highly recommend a song I heard on their station, Galvanize by the Chemical Brothers - a great road trip song! Very high energy. Ok now I'm really out-
The Trip Starts Monday
On Monday, July 18, I will leave for my road trip to Colorado. Inspired by my cousin Melissa and her Egypt Blog, I have decided to keep a blog of my trip, too. My destination is Boulder, Colorado, for my friends Flavio and Jessica's wedding. Along the way there and on the way home, I will make stops in Rochester, Cleveland, Chicago, Minneapolis, Grand Forks, Rapid City, Sundance, Boulder, Denver, Omaha, Des Moines, Urbana, Detroit, and Toronto. Those are just the planned stops, and I hope to have many unplanned ones, too (I hope for good reasons!). So, check in here for updates, anectotes, and photos from the road!
