ROAD TRIP 2008!

That's right, now I get a chance to chronicle my cross-country trek that took my from the Western deserts of Utah to the Eastern forests of Central New York. After returning from my whirlwind visit to D.C., I packed up my possessions and loaded down my beloved 91 Honda Accord named Lucy to take a venture into the wilds of interstate travel. Accompanied by a lifelong friend Adrienne, I barely had elbow room around my sleeping back wedged between the seats, all of 3 inches of space visible from the rear-view mirror, and all that after leaving behind lots of precious possessions like my printer, my bedrest, and even my bed pillows.

We stopped the night in Cheyenne after accompanying the freight trucks in the slow lane as we plodded up the mountain passes, watched the gigantic windmill gathering wind energy, and braved the lonely 1-80 interstate across the Wyoming desert. We got in late into Cheyenne but found a decent hotel right off the freeway and crashed for the night.

With one leg of the journey down, we turned south on a slight detour that would take us straight for Wichita, Kansas and the second night to be spent alongside Kenneth and Bryn where they have been stationed for the past couple of years as Kenneth finishes up his residency. It was interesting to see the changing scenery as the mountain peaks of the Rockies receded away into the distance with open flatlands filled with the copper-brown tint of wheat and the rising red and silver outlines of barns were all the eye could see. I'd never been through the Great Plains though Kenneth and Bryn have told me about its charm. They will soon be heading for Iowa and a permament position as Kenneth works as an anaesthesiologist (I have NO idea how to spell that, but you get the idea.) Congrats bro!!

Unfortunately, despite the good weather and the quote-unquote picturesque landscape of pancake countryside, the second day was dampened by a friendly police-man forking over a speeding ticket. There's just no mercy these days! I could have understood it in congested freeways but in the nothingness of Nowheresville, Kansas, I couldn't believe that I could get a ticket as the ONLY car on the road! Such is life I guess. We did a good visit in with Kenneth, Bryn, and the three little munchkins running around the house. Little Evan was only 4 months old the last time I saw him, now at almost 2 years, he's spry as ever and quickly building his vocabulary (including a mighty valient effort to say Aunt Kristine that came out more of a (RRiiitty). Autumn, now 6, is witty and spunky, full of questions, including "why do you and my mom look so much alike?" We have talked a lot about how I look a lot more like my sister-in-law than my brother--no explanation that I know of. Little Isaac was a lot of fun too and while I had a hard time understanding all that he said, he was just as playful and genuine as ever. I miss seeing the little guys and I wish we had had more time to visit....We chatted over some Southern Barbecue the next day before heading out for our next stop: St. Louis.

We visited Adrienne's brother in St. Louis as he has been installing security systems in the area for a summer job, though was packing up and heading out for Michigan the next day. We headed down to the Gateway Arch, fighting the congested streets of the riverside bars and night life of a St. Louis Saturday night.

Playing around at the park built at the arch, Adrienne skipped across the giant spotlights and I got eaten by the mosquitos...good times. We grabbed dinner at a Steak n Shake diner before heading back to the apartment, chatting with her brother's roommates and Mapquesting the closest chapel to go to church in the morning. I didn't hit the sack until past 3 that night and I don't know how much later Adrienne stayed up, but we were both beat in the morning.

We went to a local ward, small and generally uninviting as not one soul came to greet us, but that's OK. We jumped back on the freeway and headed out to Columbus OH. That was definitely the most taxing day and the long hours behind the wheel started to take their toll. Passing through Indianapolis onward towards Columbus, the vegetation started to turn into more dense oak and aspen forests, and the sharp rolling hills of Missouri turned into bigger but more gradually sloping rises. The skies looked threatening and the winds were strong, but we made it all the way to Columbus without a drop of rain. Once inside the Econolodge and waiting for a pizza delivery, the rain started to pour. It was such a blessing that no storms had hit us thus far and even Bryn had said that the night before we arrived in Wichita they had had a tornado warning.

Our last day on the road, we stuck around Columbus for a little while to check out some land Adrienne's dad had bought and then stopped over to see the Columbus OH temple--a small temple but beautiful and accompanied by a simple and elegant stream running between the temple and the stake center.

We marched onward through the tip of Pennsylvania in to our final destination state--New York. And, as if to welcome me into my new home, the second we crossed over into New York State, I had a guy tailgating me. Shocked that he would be on my tail as I went 75 down a road marked with a 55 mph sign, I moved over only to have 3 more do the same thing to me in the right hand lane! At one point, I was sandwiched behind a sedan with a semi truck on the right and a tailgater motioning in the rear-view for me to get over though I had no idea at what point he imagined I would have the capacity to do so. Once I had a break and was ready to let him go by, I didn't have a chance to because he speeded around me, waving out the drivers' side with a sardonic grin on his face as he went by. And, after all the drama, he ended up slowing down, content to cruise at 70 right in front of me, but I'm sure feeling accomplished at having beaten me on the road. Incredible. I have yet to understand the NY road mentality, and I'll update you if I get anywhere with that.

So, after a long and tiring journey through the heart of the USA, we pulled into Syracuse NY just after 7 o'clock local Eastern Standard Time. I made a mistake of staying in the right hand lane which became an obligatory exit and so was forced to head into downtown rather than take the exit I needed to get to my new apartment...a mistake that took me through some rather questionable neighborhoods and gave me my first glimpse at the run-down urban center of Syracuse. I had no idea where I was, couldn't find any of the main roads that my limited map had to show me, but was determined not to stop and ask for directions short of finding a better neighborhood in which to do so. By a few small miracles, I actually found my way back onto the freeway and by another miracle, hadn't passed the exit I needed and so was able to make it to my new apartment and the waiting entrance key in the hand of a very helpful former tenant.

I didn't have much to offer, but we grabbed some grub at a nearby "Mexican" restaurant. I had to question the authenticity as a guy that looked Irish took our orders which he delivered to 3 African-Americans working in the kitchen. I'm finding that the Latin population is sparse at best in these parts and I don't know how long it will be before I can get any real Latin American food... We settled down on the hardwood floor atop some make-shift beds with the blankets I had brought, forced to accept just a few hours of sleep before taking Adrienne to the airport and sending her back to Utah to face her final and another hot summer in Logan.

Believe it or not, all of this plus a gigantic suitcase and other boxes plus my clothes that were on hangers already in the closet ALL fit into the backseat and trunk of my Lucy. NOT BAD uh??

Here are some crazy views from the road, including:

livestock, a shiny oil tanker that we could see ourselves in, a house, and some cool cars.

In the end, after all the stress and worries and stress and stress of moving and getting adjusted back to the States, I think the move was an incredible success. THANK YOU Adrienne for being a patient, kind, and dedicated friend and a great copilot in making this trip possible!! Also to mom and dad for helping me get things packed in...even in helping filter after what I THOUGHT would fit didn't end up fitting. I'm now meeting new people, getting acquainted with the Syracuse area and am sure to have plenty to comment on in future blogs about this new reality of mine. All in all everything points to great things ahead.