Advertisement
Published: April 1st 2007
Edit Blog Post
Well, well, well, I finally made it back to good ol' Indiana. And while I'm still experiencing nasty reverse culture shock, I thought I would hold on to my travel blog for one more entry and entertain the loyal few with my adventures driving across country (Marcheta this is for you!).
Back in the States & lovely Laguna Beach, I spent two days soaking up the California sunshine (well, that's a total lie...I rather hid from everyone, but my wonderful girlfriends...no need to deal with the "quality" men in California anymore 😉. It was wonderful seeing the friends & of course, spending lots of quality time at The Saloon...I cannot even begin to say how much I am going to miss everyone at the bar--you made the place home for me. I promise I'll be back, so don't forget about me! Anyway, after a few attempts at packing & unpacking, shipping & throwing things away, I finally made room in my car for one Aunt Beth & one Kitty Imani. And thank you Gerry the Genius for your amazing abillity to bungee large, heavy suitcases to the tops of cars...what would I do without you? Off I went, car
loaded down & full of expensive gas...it was going to be a LONG trip. Apparently the sleeping pills I gave my I-ate-lots-of-food-while-you-were-gone cat did not work and I spent the next 7 hours stopping and starting and trying to keep the cat from hyperventilating. Eventually we hit Vegas and I was excited--big hopes of winning my trip money back...right, right. Got Aunt Beth at the airport right on time and headed off to see my other cousin, Amanda, and her little girl Ava. We parted the burbs after an hour feeling sorry for the poor pathetic cat I left behind in the car, no I won't do that with my children, and crashed for the night. Beth convinced me to stay the next day and gamble our lives away. We hit up Paris, Luxor, Flamingo, Casears, you name it and Beth pulled the slots. I tried to be supportive, but with a limited budget of FORTY DOLLARS it was a bit tough. I had hoped for hours and hours of Black Jack, but the 10 dollar minimum at the tables was a little rich for my blood. The electronic Black Jack, on the other hand, TWENTY-FIVE CENTS! Muy Perfecto! I
was a big winner for the day with 5 dollars. Almost covering my trip...almost. We did attend a show by the Blue Man Group (not the Thunder Down Under--very disappointed in Beth's decision-making abilities! 😉. I highly recommend the Blue Men to everyone! The show was absolutely amazing. Quite the sensation overload, audio, visual, for the nerdy at heart even sciency, DNA double helix twirling in the background, visual perception, cones & rods, neurons, dendrites, the list goes on and on. Two hours later I realized I had hardly moved from my seat. WOW!
The next day, this time with Imani pre-doped, we headed off toward Colorado. Thru Utah we road. I had forgotten what amazingly beautiful country southern Utah is...reds, oranges, brillantly colored rocks abound. Mist rising off the pavement as we drove thru the low-lying clouds--if you get a chance go to the national parks there...beautiful. And so much open road that it brought me back to all those conversations I had while abroad. Many asked why Americans never leave their country. I guess one of the reasons is this...so much to see and what you have before you is so amazingly beautiful and vast that leaving
almost seems absurd. Don't get me wrong, I'll be traveling again soon, but wow, I love the West.
Next up was Colorado and snow. Just as it was getting dark & just as we summited the Rockies near Vail, the snow came. The last hour, needless to say, was not exactly pleasant. Nothing like white-out conditions to break you back into driving. Thank you Beth for being an excellent shot-gun. The next morning we awoke in Dillon, the mountains glistened with fresh snow and I definitely felt like I was home again. I haven't lived in Colorado for 6 years, but there is something about the state that always seems to welcome me back. Maybe it'll be my next home...who knows. Back on the road by noon, I made a little sidetrip to the Tommy Knocker Brewery in Idaho Springs. For those of you that have never tasted Tommy Knocker Maple Nut Brown you have NOT LIVED! By far my favorite beer & I hadn't had one in 6 years. Suddenly the road trip was well worth its while. I would have stuffed my car full of cases had there been room, but as is I ended up with
two six-packs tucked very nicely down by my feet. I'm sure the officers of the law would have loved that!
Speeding through Colorado we hit Kansas (the one and only state I would like to blow up), 48 hours later we finally reached our destination of Junction City--okay, maybe not, but the state goes on and on and on and on and on and on...you get the idea. Beth and I kept repeating there's no place like home, there's no place like home...I wish I had more to say about the state, but I don't except for the fact that if you want to see the largest living prairie dog or a five-legged cow, you should seriously considering a family vacation. In Junction City we stopped at Diane Morgan's for breakfast and a chat about SE Asia (Diane lived in Korea for a few years). We compared pictures of Vietnam and she showed us her souvenirs...much cooler than mine, but like she said, these would not have fit in your backpack. Oh well! Next time, next time...after I marry I rich man, we'll fly there in our private jet and bring back lots of goodies.
And now the
last leg of the trip, Kansas to Missouri to Illinois to Indiana. Quick does anyone know the capital of Missouri? Illinois? It's Jefferson City & Springfield in case you wondered...that's how boring this leg of the trip was. Doped cat, rain and the St. Louis Arch, one big meal on Grandma and Grandpa and about 12 hours later we hit 2110 East 400 South, Bringhurst, IN. Yes, my home. Mom & dad were up to greet us and then ran off to bed. Can't blame them...it was LATE. So now, I'm in Indiana, where I was born and raised. It's springtime, peaceful, quiet, just what I need to decompress from traveling and moving and whatever else I'd like to complain about 😉 We've got a few baby horses, a rather large German Shepard and lots of kitties too in case anyone wants to come and visit...super cute! I just printed out my pictures today...499 prints later. I'll upload them to the internet soon, slide show to follow and complete lecture series out next year with Cliff Notes. Other than that...I'll be trying to figure out my life...AGAIN.
I gotta say though...it's good to be home. 😉
Much Love,
Lindsey
Advertisement
Tot: 0.096s; Tpl: 0.024s; cc: 10; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0469s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Adam
non-member comment
That was...
..such a great entry Lindsey. I'm very happy to hear your adventuring is still continuing, and I'm very jealous. Colorado sounds lovely, and the thought of you trying to calm down a hyperventilating cat is priceless!