reflecting on the past 2000 miles.

they say you never know what you’ve got till it’s gone. my, how true a statement. i have been without my desktop for the majority of the afternoon and am realizing how much i really take technology for granted. furthermore, i am really, really thankful for my laptop at the moment.

enough of my computer woes for now (as i have nothing else to report but another percent complete in the virus scan).

it’s hard to believe that the great “ultimo road trip 2008″ has come to a close. my final thoughts on our destinations are as follows…

metropolis, il: if you have any love for superman (or odd roadside attractions for that matter) this place should be visited once. downtown metropolis is very small, but if you’re already there, it’s worth the $3 to see all the superman memorabilia. also, a decent lunch can be found at rubes diner a few blocks over. nothing to drive out of your way for, but still pretty good.

st. louis, mo: this was my third trip to st. louis and i’d probably go back (i still have yet to see the anheuser-busch clydesdales, after all). seeing the arch up close never ceases to be anything less than amazing.

madison, wi: having not spent any time “downtown” (it appears we stayed in one of the newer outskirt parts) i can’t say much for the city vibe. i can, however, speak very highly of brennan’s market and the state’s cheese production on the whole. dear god, that alone is worth the trip. also worth noting: brennan’s wine cellar. i purchased some of their homemade cranberry wine and it was deliciously sweet. even better with mulling spices!

minneapolis, mn: i have never been in such an unpretentious, clean downtown area. august is definitely the season to visit. pubs and coffee shops on every corner have outside patio seating and it seems the city comes together to enjoy conversation over food and drink in the open air. there is no set style here, it seems. one could fit into the crowd with chacos and cargo shorts or stilettos and a miniskirt. i kind of love that. i’d definitely go back in a heartbeat.

terre haute, in: nothing against indianans, but if i can help it, i will probably never go to terre haute again. unless i’m driving through, in which case the garden inn hilton there is lovely. we stayed right down the street from indiana state university in the art corridor, but i really saw nothing to appeal to college kids. i would actually love to hear what the ISU students do for entertainment.

all in all, lots of miles, laughter, corn, and celebration. time well spent, indeed.

EDIT: my computer is now up & running again! hooray for kaspersky virus scans!

day five…

so, so proud of my mom. seeing her receive her hood tonite was a very proud moment. tomorrow afternoon, she’ll walk across the same stage once again – this time in full regalia – to receive her ph.d.

doctor.

weird, but awesome.

a day five recap on day four…

it’s a quarter after 8 and i don’t really have to be up for two more hours. coffee and blogging about day four since i was too tired to do it last night seemed like a good use of my free time.

breakfast yesterday was two blocks away at the news room. i imagine they do quite a bit of business for dinner and happy hour, but it was dead for the most part in the morning. which i didn’t mind, honestly. we got a cozy table by the window and people watched while having delicious coffee and well made eggs and toast.

on the same street, vendors were setting up booths for the weekly farmers market. every thursday during the summer, local growers share their wares in downtown minneapolis. they sell everything from exotic fruits and vegetables to breads, cheeses and gorgeous flowers. while we were there we bought fresh blueberries, strawberries, red & green grapes, some of the most delicious cherries i’ve ever tasted and a small pouch of fresh catnip to take home to my kitties. all for under $10. i wish i lived downtown… i would buy flowers every week. huge bouquets for $5!

afterwards we braved the mall of america (seriously… i took a picture of the mall directory and only managed to fit *part* of it in the picture). for being so huge, i was surprised at how uncrowded it felt… that was my biggest worry. after doing as much purchasing damage as we could, we got back into town and took a carriage ride around the park.

normally i cringe at doing hokey tourist things, but i was actually really glad i went. the ride took us to a neighborhood called loring park, which i wouldn’t have otherwise discovered. loring park has the oldest park in the city and is much more residential than downtown (still only a 5-10 minute walk though, really). in the center of the park, they have a beautiful memorial garden that is cared for by volunteers. every plant inside the garden is dedicated to a lost loved one.

by the time we got back to downtown, we were ready for dinner and having had to strike my idea of nye’s polonaise, it was time to come up with plan b. brit’s pub it is! all three of us had traditional pub classics with pints of strongbow – dad ordered the guinness pot roast, i had the shepherd’s pie, and mom ordered a sampler which came with scotch eggs: hard boiled eggs, rolled in sausage and deep fried… weird, right? but surprisingly good!

plans for today are mostly laying low after brunch at key’s cafe. mom’s hooding ceremony is this afternoon and splavish reception following tonite! none of us can believe the day is actually here.

day three…

the final leg of our trip started out really overcast and chilly, making me wish i’d packed a sweater. after a brief detour in tomah, wisconsin (at humbird cheese, of course… two words: CHEESE HATS) we were on our way to minnesota. finally, around 2:30 we pulled into minneapolis. so far, it reminds me a lot of nashville with the small-town/big-city feel… only a lot cleaner. i really like it!

my mom met up with us a few hours later and we set out for a six block walk to dinner at delicious bellanotte: bruschetta, balsamic baby greens salad with feta, rosemary and bellanotte pizza (grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and basil). afterwards, we walked around, scouted out plans for tomorrow and grabbed coffee at caribou. the weather was absolutely perfect and it seemed like the whole city was sitting outside enjoying it.

tomorrow morning… breakfast at the news room, the thursday morning farmer’s market, and a (hopefully quick) trip to the mall of america.

day two…

today was spent driving, driving, driving so my photo-taking was very limited. if these central states aren’t the source of the country’s corn supply… i don’t know where is. i’ve never seen so many crops in my life.

we finally pulled into madison, wi around 7pm and decided to walk around and explore. we ran across this little market called brennan’s market. (very trader joe’s-esque, in my opinion.) there was a sealed room in the back and we were knocked back with cold air when we walked in. inside was every kind of cheese imaginable. instead of finding a restaurant for dinner, we decided to purchase some sesame crackers (my favorite), summer sausage (dad’s favorite) and a container of original brennan cheese – chardonnay cheddar. (easier said than done of course… they had way too many to choose from.)

now, with a cup of hazelnut coffee, i’m settling in for the night. a 4.5 hour trip to our final destination ahead of us tomorrow – minneapolis!

a new day…

embarking on day two with coffee in st. louis. just pod coffee in the room, for now… i have a feeling i’ll be stopping at starbucks before we get on the road again.

today, the plan is to take I-55 and I-39 straight up through illinois and into wisconsin… the cheese state!

fromagination is also on the agenda for today… and maybe a cheese factory if i can find one. though, i’ve found that most places that process cheese are at least 30 minutes outside of the city. if there’s a will, there’s a way!

…on the road again…

day one…

dad and i set out on our trip around 10am this morning. it’s now 10pm and i’m beat. since pictures are worth 1000 words… i think i’ll let these do the talking tonite.

overall, i think i did a pretty good job of breaking up the trip, but tomorrow is probably the longest leg to drive: st. louis, missouri to madison, wisconsin… 5 hrs and 47 mins. …and that’s my cue for sleep!

on the road again…

When I graduated from college and moved into my first “real” apartment, I decided to make a list: 100 things to do before 40. (Perhaps 100 was a bit ambitious, because when I ran across the list today I realized I had only made it to 37 so far.)

Number 2 on the list is ‘take a road trip.’ This is something I’ve always wanted to do, for one reason or another. It’s not the actual driving I get excited about, but seeing new places, discovering different parts of this world…

On Monday morning, I will check this one off my list and spend a full week on the open road.

I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move. –Robert Louis Stevenson