The end of the line- Chicago, IL to Dorset, VT in one long day

hard to see but we are blowing past Jenna's birthplace of Rome, NY (though often confused with other Rome I'm sure) at about 11PM last night.
The highlights from Pennsylvania...
Highlights from Ohio...
Birthplace of Michael Jackson
Beautiful Gary, IN


A poor photo of the Chicago skyline. At this point in the drive (about 20 minutes in) Jenna was insisting that she was blind and the surgery was a dismal failure despite the fact the next day she tested 20/20. Of course after a nap in the car she saw fine again, despite the bloodshot eyes.
These two in a rare moment of peace and good behaviour. Probably because I'm holding a treat.

In a Herculean effort, Jenna and I pushed all the way from Chicago yesterday morning to my place in Dorset, VT late last night. 891 miles in total yesterday and almost none of them warrant a single sentence in writing. We did traverse six states yesterday and pay an exorbitant amount of tolls. Though we didn't keep a precise tally we think the tolls were in excess of $60. And to make matters worse, I hated the fact that the speed limits continued to lower as we ventured Eas of Chicago. First 70, then 65, then 60, and finally 55mph. I miss the days of the West already with their posted 80mph (and I think we even saw an 85mph for a stretch in Western Texas).

Best of all, and I'm sure most surprising to followers of this site is the fact that we weren't pulled over once. In fact, I think I only had one close call the entire trip. Next time I'll drive faster.

Parts of this drive we didn't see law enforcement for hundreds of miles (namely South Dakota- as evidence by my 86+ mph average for nearly 300 miles, including gas stops). I found myself wondering how I would attempt a cannonball run in an appropriately equipped vehicle. That being said I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the truck, apart from its ugly gas consumption. Not only was it very comfortable and able to carry massive amounts of gear, it was nice to be able to literally drive off-road (which we did a few times) when we wanted and then jump back on the interstate and cruise at 80-90mph with no concerns about the vehicle's capabilities.

Yesterday: 891 miles, 12.9mpg, 69.5mph
Total: 4868 miles, 13.2 mpg, 68.4 mph

We used a total of 366 gallons of gas which cost us just a touch over $1000.

In our license plate quest, we failed to see 8 states: Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Louisiana, North Carolina, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Also no DC plates. We did see, however, a number of Canadian provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia (surprisingly only saw that finally yesterday in Pennsylvania), Ontario, and Quebec. Only a few missing but I'm not sure snowmobiles can make it this far south.

It was a great trip and though we spent 71 hours together in the car Jenna and I did not kill each other, or the dog. I would love to drive parts of this trip again and spend more time in specific parks (namely Zion, Yellowstone/Teton and possibly add Mesa Verde) but as a whole I think we managed to see quite a bit of the country in a short period of time and I think I speak for both of us in saying we feel very fortunate to have had this opportunity. Most people can't or won't do a trip like this for myriad reasons and while I find that unfortunate, I would say the best part of the whole experience was the lack of crowds. And had we the time we would have ventured off the driven path and seen so much more. Next time....

Thanks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed the trip a fraction as much as we have.

Days 13, 14, 15 and 16: Winnetka, IL

Couple photos my dad took this weekend up at the Botanical Gardens. There is wildlife in Chicago...

A very tired Sonny and Kaya
Grinding away the remaining gears in my father's Morgan

Pre-game at the Madhouse. Two of the original six on a Friday night.
A skunk and two canines
Jenna in a sweet hairnet getting the Lasik surgery done
Jenna's eyeball will never be the same.
A not-sober Pat and I post-game in front of the Bluesmobile at the UC.



Though this was meant to be a 'rest' stop with the hope of recharging our batteries, Jenna and I are more tired now than we were when we got here. Mostly because Jenna decided to have Lasik eye surgery done (I think she felt guiltly of missing some of the wildlife and for missing some of the signs we needed for the drive- the cause of most of the angst on the trip). We had to get up early several days in a row- first for eye exam/pre-op, then the surgery itself, and finally post-op.

Good news is she now sees 20/20 (she was 20/60 and 20/40 in both eyes before). Bad news is she finally sees how ugly I am.

I also had appointments galore in the city- renewing my Dutch passport, dentist (lost the veneer on my front tooth again) for example but did manage time to visit some friends and go see a Blackhawks game at the United Center for the first time since high school. Of course I hadn't had much reason to see them since they've been horrendous for the past 15 years. We weren't disappointed- the Hawks prevailed 3-2 over the hapless Leafs. For even the casual fan the singing of the National Anthem at the Madhouse on Madison is an experience not to be missed.

We enjoyed some spectacular weather for our stay here in Chicago. Saturday was close to 70 degrees- perfect for some drives in my dad's vintage Morgan(s). These toys are more dear to him than his three children. We took his 1969 +8 (originally owned by Mick Jagger) out for a few spins at the local forest preserve and got a few nice photos. Unfortunately it is completely original, including a horrific gearbox. Not the easiest car to drive.

Kaya also had a blast as she got to spend four days wrestling with my parent's golden retriever, Sonny. As I write this I think they've finally run out of energy as they are both out cold beside me.

The weather today has changed- about 20 degrees cooler than yesterday and rain is in the forecast for our drive tomorrow.

Day 12: Winnetka, IL

We finally made it to Mac's parents house and what a good feeling it was to share our adventure, sleep in a comfortable bed and be pampered like we were home from college. 

As for the oversized load- we both feel like we have put on some pounds but who can say no to local beer, trying new food and making sure we didn't miss out on the local grub. 

Our favorite place by far was The Blue Lion in Jackson, WY and runner up was Strip Steak in Vegas. Mac loved the breakfast at the Comfort Inn which included a waffle maker to make your own belgium waffles for FREE! Eddie McStiff's in Moab was the worst meal by far and there were others as well. We only had McDonald's once - ok maybe we stopped for fries another time but it never let us down. My snacks helped a lot and we both really enjoyed Trader Joe's buffalo jerky and Mix 1 protein shakes as an alternative to lunch often as possible.  

Our first night at the Macintosh's was filled with laughs, a delicious dinner, lots of cheese and wine (of course) and a visit from Sully & Kelly. We stayed up late and chatted the night away. Kaya is in heaven with Sonny - he is only 4x her size but like a big teddy bear for her to play with each day. 

Day 11: SD to Minnesota

Our park journey has come to an end with the Badlands. We headed to see some friends in Minneapolis and enjoyed warm weather and a nice walk to start off our trip east. The Westra's welcomed us with warm hugs and a wonderful walk around White Bear Lake at their beautiful home. Kaya decided the backyard felt more like a football field. When she heard the neighbors dogs barking she decided to go check it out and squeeze through the fence to join them and couldn't decide if she wanted to stay in or not but it was too late because she was stuck! Mac had to capture her...

Mike and Katie met us for dinner in St. Paul at a lovely Italian restaurant where we drank, ate and caught up until the real part of the night began. We then proceeded to drink about 30 beers and stay up until 4:30am chatting like school girls about everything and anything. Can't wait until our ski trip this winter so we can do it all over again. 

Day 10: Badlands/Rapid City, SD- Sioux Falls, SD

Tatanka!

Caught one of them rolling on his back...



This coyote wasn't too bothered by our presence and looked well-fed compared to the ones I'm used to in Santa Fe




Prairie dogs were everywhere. Running in these fields would have been a guaranteed busted ankle for human or horse

Looks like drippy sand castles





I've been coughing all afternoon

'You looking at me?'



Nice sunset along I90




Modern-day Sioux fighters in action

This photo was taken at 8:30 last night-- these two are party animals indeed

After another delicious Comfort Inn breakfast of waffles and an orange we headed out to check out the Badlands. After a 30 mile 'detour' on Sioux BIA land we drove up Sheep Mountain road in the south section of the park. A nice eight mile dirt trail took us to a plateau with great views of the park and best of all, nary another person in sight. Jenna took the mountain bike and I ran with Kaya for a few miles along the dirt trail to wear her out before the drive. The rock formations were fantastic- particularly a section that looked like giant sand castles- the ones you would created by dripping sand slowly. Amazing stuff.

After checking out that part of the park we drove the isolated highway 40 miles to the more popular section to do the 'scenic' loop and find us some buffalo.

The Badlands remind me of the Grand Canyon in the fantastic contours they create and even to an extent with the colorations of the rock strata, but obviously on a different scale. That being said in a way its even more fantastic as you can approach these impossible towers and walk amongst them to really experience it whereas the Grand Canyon is so vast and effectively intangible that it's hard to comprehend, even when on the rim or hiking in its interior.

About 20 miles into the scenic loop I spotted a few buffalo ranging down in the badlands and stopped the car for some photos. Unimpressed with my vantage point I clambered down into the badlands (probably foolish and possibly illegal) for a better perspective. I managed to walk within about 50 yards of two of them but I knew they were watching my every move and, unsure as to their comfort level with humans, I did not dare to get any closer.

Clambering back up proved to be an adventure but then again so has most of this trip. I discovered that despite its appearances the 'badlands' seems to consist mostly of a hard exterior but almost a mud-like substance under the crust.

We saw literally thousands of prairie dogs and even a coyote that seemed comfortable at a 150 yard range. A few bighorn were also spotted roadside including a couple rams that couldn't care less about us.

Unfortunately today proved to be the day Kaya realized why we keep slowing the car down for photos: big animals. She started going ballistic every time we slowed down to point something out. Best of all was when we refuelled the car outside the park before hopping on the interstate. There was a life-size statue of a buffalo in the parking lot and when she spotted it she went bananas. I encouraged her to get closer but she was having none of it. Only when I picked her up and put her on it did she realize it wasn't real but it did nothing to calm her down from then on every time we saw a deer (of which we saw hundreds), prairie dogs (Jenna started covering Kaya's eyes), or bison.

Once on the interstate the drive proved to be pretty uneventful and we made Sioux Falls in record time (and accordingly terrible gas consumption). Had a nice dinner at Minerva's in downtown. Jenna continues to marvel at the prices at the restaurants we are going to in Middle America- this place had ample sides for $1 per.

We managed to find another Comfort Inn her in Sioux Falls- and this one actually allows pets so we don't have to find increasingly devious ways of smuggling in Kaya. Last night we put peanut butter in the bottom of one of Jenna's empty bags while I literally ran her through the hallway and past the security camera to the room.

Tomorrow we deviate from our Eastward course as we roll through Minnesota and visit a few friends of ours for the evening. In fact the next few days will be spent in leisure (not that any of this has been anything but) in MN and in my hometown outside of Chicago.

Day 10:
Badlands: 186 miles, 42.5mph, 12.6mpg
Badlands - Sioux Falls: 281 miles, 86.4 mph, 10.3mpg (not the most aerodynamic vehicle)
Total: 3154 miles, 67.5mph, 13.4mpg