Give or take a day

Much to report for day 4. I've spent the last few minutes trying to figure out how to post photos in an aesthetically pleasing way but it's proving to be too difficult for this weary traveler. So that will have to wait until tomorrow. But just some highlights:

We have already brought "sexy back" a number of times thanks to Julia Johannsen's musical contributions to our drive (A little JT goes a long way). Thanks to Julia we were also introduced to DJ Alibi, Koop, and a few others. Thank you, Julia!!! We haven't gotten to them all yet, but we're looking forward to all the CDs!

On the topic of my broadening my musical horizons, Alison's contributions have not gone unnoticed. Erasure and New Order have been gracing my 6-CD changer with their presence and have been responsible for getting us through some pretty flat states. Speaking of which, Ohio stretched further than either of us thought would be the case. That doesn't bode well for South Dakota, but eventually we crossed into Indiana and the central time zone (in Michigan City) and then somehow missed the sign welcoming us into Illinois. But we certainly didn't miss Chicago. We stopped for about an hour since Alison had never been. We parked near Millennium Park, had a photo op at the Cloud Gate (or "the bean" as I like to call it), and happened upon the Chicago Jazz Festival. After a failed attempt at locating a Chipotle Mexican Grill in town, we got back in the car and booked it to Madison. Megan Schultz and Justin Miranda (friends and co-workers from PIH) have warmly welcomed us into their home. Their friend, Ryan, joined us for dinner at The Weary Traveler (a fitting choice), where we also met up with Bryn Mawr alumna, Nicki Zelenski and Wash U alum, Dave Strasfeld.

While dining on arguably THE BEST burger I have ever had, Megan mentioned that if we wanted to stay an extra day then we could go with them tomorrow to Noah's Ark, the country's largest water park. Seeing as how Alison had been talking about water parks ever since we left Boston, I suggested to Megan that she ask Alison about what we should do. I have never seen such joy on someone's face. How could we NOT agree to stay? It literally brought Alison to tears. And so we're going to be adding one more day to our trip.

And so with that, I will sign off and get some rest before our big day in the sun. But first, a few travel tips. Sugar snap peas are a superior road trip snack to baby carrots, and the Massachusetts Fast Lane pass works in Indiana and Illinois (though be warned that Ohio has no such automated toll system). Also, the NPR map is a lifesaver, though we missed some key programming since we seemed to travel west too fast to keep up with the stations (in other words, the station would get too much static before we could hear the rest of the program and the next station isn't playing the same show).

More than we deserve

Day 3 started later than planned. Fortunately we only had about 5 hours of driving planned. After being treated to some delicious vegan waffles by Drea and Brian and before leaving town, we made another stop at Wegmans to stock up on snacks. Alison was in heaven with the olive bar. $50 later we headed out of Rochester and hopped back on I-90 W.

Around Buffalo, Alison asked, "How close are we to Niagara Falls?" I wasn't sure so I had her pull out the map. It didn't look too far, so we impulsively pulled off 90 and headed north on 291. 12 miles later, we were in the town of Niagara Falls. No mist to be seen, but no lack of heart shaped jacuzzis either. We followed the signs to the American Falls and were there soon enough. Parking was another issue. We circled around for a little while until spotting a 5 minute parking spot in front of the House of India (advertising a wide selection of international food including chicken wings and hot dogs) and hoped for the best. We ran through the crowds, bolted through the visitor's center, snapped a few shots in front of the falls, and ran back to the car. No ticket! And Alison could check off a natural wonder of the world from her list of things to see. It added some time to our trip, but it was worth it, and the bonus was a beautiful drive along Lake Erie as we crossed into Pennsylvania.

Another first for Alison came about when we crossed into Ohio. Soon enough we were passing through the cute town of Hudson and into Stow, where my friend Brian Robson and his girlfriend, Krystel, greeted us with open arms. Brian and I met 2 years ago in Kelly, Wyoming during our WEMT training, and this was the first time we'd seen each other since our send-off party in Jackson at the Antler Lodge. The four of us went out for sushi and now we're enjoying each other's company with or full bellies. It's Alison's turn to say a few words...

I loved the daylights out of Rochester. I loved Niagara Falls, though I couldn't help mention to Annie that they always find ways to make natural wonders unnaturally annoying with attractions like wax museums and "Will pay cash for gold!" kiosks. Annie's friends Brian and Krystel have treated us like royalty. I am looking forward to the little pink houses we will no doubt be seeing very soon. John Cougar Mellencamp really knew what he was talking about. Annie told me blogging would be fun. Another first for me. A note to Masa -- totemoaishitemasu.
I can't believe I forgot my Ratt CD.

Who says you can't go back?

We spent the day in Rochester, NY today. By the time I woke up, my dad had already taken my car down the street to be inspected (the inspection was 8 months overdue, but even though the City of Philadelphia was happy to ticket me a few months back, they would not be so kind as to issue me a state inspection to hold me over until I got my car back to the great State of New York). I picked it up and dropped Alison off over at Drea Klunder's house. Drea, a classmate of ours from Bryn Mawr, recently purchased a beautiful home here in Rochester and we got the grand tour from her lovely fiancee, Brian. I followed that up with a stop at AAA. Here's a pitch for AAA: if you have it, use it. If you don't have it, get it. Until today I had used my membership, albeit frequently, only for flat tires and roadside assistance. But today, the very helpful woman behind the desk equipped me with the largest triptik I have ever seen in my life, 6 regional and state maps, and 4 Tour Books that cover each region that we'll be driving through. On top of that, I was able to nab a couple of books on the parks we'll be visiting. I walked out without paying a cent.

And what would a trip to Rochester be without a stop at Wegmans in Pittsford?! After popping into B&N to pick up Junot Diaz's book (now available in paperback!) and a couple of Driveway Moments CD's, I parked over at the mega Weg. I've heard a couple of people refer to this as the "Flagship Store," but growing up it was known as no such thing. It's just Wegmans. I picked up some subs and delivered lunch to the Katz/Chiarenza household. Driving around Brighton I'm glad to see some things never change though am always amazed at what things have been able to hang on. The House Poon (though I always thought this Chinese restaurant was The House OF Poon) and R's Market get the bronze and silver. But I think the gold medal of Brightonian mainstays goes to the Towpath Motel. Don & Bob's couldn't make it here, but the Towpath will never leave: as shady as ever and always has a vacancy.

Heidi Katz and I intended to play Scrabble but instead chatted for hours and watched in amazement as Gov. Sarah Palin introduced herself and her entire family to the country. Let me be clear that it was not the same amazement I felt last night watching Obama. But Alison and I agreed that we will keep politics out of the blog. So I'll just leave it at that...

So comes to a close Day 2. My dad and I took a walk around the reservoir since it was too wet out to play tennis. Lucky for him. I think he willed it to rain so I couldn't win again. Next time, Joe Joe!

On to Ohio...

Not too far from home to home

Today was the first day of the eleven day trek across the country. Alison arrived by bus yesterday into South Station in Boston and I brought her out to Lincoln to relax while I finished packing. Sidetracked by Bill's speech last night, I was scrambling to pack the car this morning while she slept in. Placing the last pieces of the backseat puzzle in around 10:30, we were able to hit the road an hour later and made good time to Rochester.

Alison and I had the first of what will be many hours to catch up and find our groove in comfortable silences. We also had the company of Ira Glass in an educational episode of 'This American Life' which taught us, among other things, that insurance adjusters place a higher value on someone's life who enjoys the outdoors and is involved in their community than someone who just sits and watches TV all day. Good to know. Also, don't die in Utah. Good thing we're not driving through Utah.

About 30 miles outside of Rochester we passed the most beautiful field of sunflowers!! I have never seen anything quite like it and would have happily driven off the road to get a closer look. But at high speeds on I-90, that seemed unwise. Couldn't get my camera out fast enough, but head west on 90. I think it was around exit 39 in New York State. So beautiful!

We arrived in Rochester around 5:45, unloaded some things, and then met up with fellow Bryn Mawr postbacs who have just started their first year at UR Med. A happy reunion with margaritas and mexican food followed by a jumbo screen viewing of Obama's acceptance speech (Thanks, Doran!) marked a very auspicious beginning to our journey.

So this is the beginning. Stay tuned for what I hope will be daily updates.

Day 2 will be spent here in Rochester, getting the car inspected, maps from AAA, and stocking up on snacks from Wegmans. Saturday we'll head on out to the Cleveland area...

travelin' on,

Annie