After six days and 3112 miles, we arrived early this evening at my family friend's Flagstaff, AZ home. We are planning to wake up well before sunrise, as we have become accustomed to doing the past few days, in order to see the Grand Canyon at it's viewing best...
Our journey started last Friday with a fully loaded 12' Penske rental truck. All of my belongings stuffed in the back, and all the music and my bonsai riding up front. Hoping to get out of D.C. before Memorial Day traffic, we leave the house by 7:15. Within 20 miles of leaving 1250 Columbia Rd. NW I received a $143 speeding ticket. I was going with traffic, but I was also in a large yellow moving truck. Thank you Virginia state trooper. You are the best. With the inevitable traffic violation out of the way, we're off. The first day was a straight shot to Chicago. Through massive rainstorms in Ohio and Indiana where we were driving 40mph with our emergeny blinkers on, we finally see the Sears Tower around 6:00pm. Around 8 we make it to our accomodations for the night in Elmhurst, IL. If you don't know Kaitlin Fahey, you should. You should also go out in the city of Elmhurst at midnight with Kate and her best friend Zoya. It's a guaranteed good time, especially if you start the night with 2 shots of tequila and especially if you keep saying to your friends, "These vodka sodas taste like water. They don't have any vodka in them...do they?" Recipe for fun. A special shout out to Jan, my Polish brutha from the other NW (Chi-town): Thanks for making it out to visit in the morning. We had a blast!
Up in Milwaukee, WI the next day was a reunion with my friend and teammate, Davin. Let me just say that Papa Fischer, Davin's father, makes a damn good paella (both veggie and meat-eater). However, remind me never to eat at Kopp's custard stand next time I'm up in Wisconsin as both Brian and I could feel the cream flowing through our arteries constricting as we were eating those...desserts? Saturday evening we went to the quintessential Milwaukee bar, and I learned how to play darts (cricket); my new favorite game. We closed Wolski's Tavern. Punto.
Sunday evening/Monday: Lawrence, KS
Memories flood into my head as I pull off I-70 onto the West Lawrence exit. Brian is forced to listen as I ramble on about the parks and recreation facility where I spent my summers playing basketball, the church parking lot where I learned to drive, and the street corner where my best friend jacked his car. The local grocery store where my friends worked summer jobs, my junior high... All this within 10 minutes of pulling into the city. Our host is Randy Baum, who I've known since the 6th grade and with whom I've traveled extensively in China. That night more cricket is played at a local college bar where I see other kids I went to junior high with. A trip for both them and me. The next day we go to Randy's grandma, Rosie's house. Have you ever had baked honey apples served on top of pork chops? Apparently they go really well together. And, of course, you can't forget the thick, dripping-made gravy to top it all off. All the while lightning lasting almost a full second per strike is sounding off all around. I love Kansas thunderstorms. In the evening we go to buy a road atlas, as we've been relying strictly on maps.google for the duration of the trip. Since the remainder of the trip will be spent in the national parks out west, spending $5.50 on a huge Rand McNally at the local Wal-Mart Supercenter seemed well worth it.
Monday/Tuesday/Wed
As it is getting late in AZ and we have yet another day of national parks ahead of us, I am cutting this email short. A farse, since it's already rather long-winded. Expect another one coming up about camping and hiking in majestic Rocky Mountain National Park, the vast and desolate southwest, and the miracle of erosion that is Arches National Park, not to mention the Grand Canyon.
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