Well hello Ms. Mississippi!

oH 190. We're coming down the road! Almost back in beantown? Not yet.

I'll post again later, to relay our L&L adventures since leaving California, but wanted to share something very important with you all. Tonight's supper surprise: www.galacticpizza.com <-- A magnificent Minneapolis masterpiece. We've ordered 'The Original' and 'The Paul Bunyan'. To be continued...

Just a Few Miles from Central Time...

Check one Dakota into existence. We're going to bed in Rapid City, South Dakota. We're in a Dakota. That's the wildest and most mystical thing that's happened so far, I think. Worth a few sentences on the good ol' blog.

Hang tight for our Mount Rushmore pictures, coming soon!

Gimme Some West Coast Lovin'

            I think I remember time. Does it determine the hours and the days, whether they’re passing or stalling?

            Let me tell you something about time: It doesn’t exist on the road. Has it been over six weeks already? No, really, has it? We’re already in Montana, the place we thought would be the most desolate, snow-slammed nowhere on the USA map, heading east on I-90. EAST!  That’s homeward bound. And excuse me, but isn’t I-90 the Mass Pike? Just like I-80, which only theoretically ever existed for me west of Ohio, the Mass Pike always stopped at Albany. But here we are, in Missoula, Montana, trucking along I-90 East toward the small states. And while we’ve still got 2,500 miles to go, it feels like we’re closing in on home.

            Not only do the weeks and the miles fly by, but so do the hours. Accomplishing pretty much anything has been next to impossible. How to type words into a computer when there are Cascade Mountains or Pacific cliffs or unknown lakes to look at? How to write postcards when in Spokane, Washington looking at a friend from college whose face has been missing from my life for four years?

            Despite the intense lack of down time and productivity, I’ve been having pretty much the best time of my life. Everywhere we go, a whirlwind of fun just funnels up from the ground and sucks us in. And somewhere in that twister, a whole bunch of really great food is always swirling around. Here’s a sampler of some of my favorites:

Fish tacos (San Diego, CA): Crispy fried fish on the inside, a side of ceviche on the outside…who can argue with that? Especially when the seafood gets wheelbarrowed over to the joint on ice, fresh from the boat! Couple this with some full-submersion swimming in the 58 degree Pacific Ocean (no wet suit) and one of the best standup comedy shows I’ve ever seen (for FREE!), and you’ve got my two days of summertime paradise in February. Just add in a cheeseburger and a milkshake from In ‘N Out if you think you can handle the bliss.

A hamburger with mac and cheese on top, and a bite of Andy’s bacon cheeseburger sandwiched between two glazed donuts (Santa Cruz, CA): Both a whole lot better than they sound, and I don’t think that’s because we’d already been wine and beer tasting for 2 hours. Although…the wine and beer tasting was certainly sensational. We sampled wine made from grapes grown in the Santa Cruz mountains, just after experiencing The Mystery Spot, where a 17 degree lean into thin air is just as simple as standing straight up! (No, really, our 17 degree leans had nothing to do with the alcohol. I swear.)

Double dinner of sausage and crispy tacos (San Francisco, CA): Not the best taco I’ve had on this trip (not by a long shot), but the circumstances make it worth a mention. After a wild boar apple sausage with spicy chili on top (now THAT was a superstar meal), I headed out with my companions, Jen Esq. and Jill. We met up with a few former Peace Corps Volunteers and old college friends and San Francisco’s so-called Boston College bar, where several of us found ourselves a bit hungry again. Jen pointed to dingy sign across the street, a square of wood and chipped paint matted to the side of a brick building. “Tacos!” she read. So we went. This was no taco joint. It was a posh, bumpin’ dance club with buckets of Dos Equis and $2 Taco Tuesdays. So we ate, and we danced, and we screamed above the bass in the secret taco bar off Polk Street.

Jalapeno and Cheese Fritos (somewhere on I-5): Thank you, Jill, for buying these. Or no thank you. But I ate almost the whole bag anyway.

Vegan multigrain bread and wine, wine, wine! (Bainbridge Island, Washington): Obviously, the vegan multigrain bread was just a snack between wine tastings. But it was pretty solid for being eggless and dairy-free. And, at Seattle’s famous Pike’s Place Market (before we boarded the ferry to the wine tastings), I also sampled chocolate pasta (true story) and the acclaimed pepper jelly (which can cause tummy pain if it’s the first thing you eat in the morning, I learned). I talked myself out of buying either of them, though. Which, of course, I now find regrettable.

There are many more stellar meals and moments I could mention, but it would take far too long! After all, we've been on the road for six weeks. And for two weeks, we've had a true taste of the West Coast. Believe me when I say that the West Coast is beautifully delicious.  And sunny, to boot!

And now, for some buffalo burgers in Missoula. Oh, the hips and thighs!

L&L Cross the Country!

Helloooooo out there! Just checking in to say WHAZZUP from NoCal! I'm sitting over here at Kate's in Alameda, jammin' out to Cat Stevens holding her laptop hostage for the moment. (Kate is an RPCV gal pal from the TZed who endearingly refers to me as 'The Daughter I Never Wanted'. Kristen, Kate's 'Prodigal Daughter', visited San Fransisco in December. C'mon now, can't a girl get a break?)

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Dear Blog-a-ma-bobbers, Greetings!

Currently in my 11th week of cruis'n across this great ol' country of ours I'm bodaciously over budget, yet bubbling over with new magnificent memories. A grand trade indeed, I declare! Not wanting to keep you from your workday, I'll ramble off some of my favorite moments of the past few days since surviving TammyNats first booboo on the open road from Boulder...

Wyoming: When do I move in?!

• Arriving at Bev's in Jackson to a plate of pasta topped with elk?! :)
• Waking up to a view outside the window that belongs outside my dream home...
• Watching Laura ski for the first time! Plowing her way down the slopes at Jackson Hole
• Cruising with Bev down the 4,100ft runs in the shadows of Grand Teton
• Walking around downtown Jackson, wishing I was wearing long-johns under my jeans?!
• Sitting side-saddle at a cowboy bar... for reals
• Driving through the elk refuge, and by driving I mean shotgun napping...
• Enjoying grilled cheese and tomato soup and movies, already wishing for another day in winter-white Wyoming

Utah: Ahh!

• Discovering Crown Burger's special sauce
• Hitting the pillows at Hilton thanks to Baba Mueller :)
• Relishing the quiet moments in Zion Nat'l Park
• Adventuring out on Greyhound, bound for a Superbowl in San Diego!!!

Arizona & Nevada...

nice napping through you! I'll be back another day, promise :)

California: A Coastal Cruise to Remember...

• Smiling as Ethan snapped my first (of this trip) Cali beach picture
• Being schooled on the art of table shuffle board in Pacific Beach (or as the locals say, PB)
• Cruising 'round SD, finding the perfect fish taco with Matt
• Reuniting with a preschool pal, keeping warm under the heat lamps at Fashion Valley Mall?! :)
• Laughing our tooshies off at a surprisingly stellar comedy show with Kelly Marie in Normal Heights
• Surviving a best-night-out with Ethan, killing wii zombies, making friends :)
• Absorbing the warm SoCal rays at La Jolla, smelling the sea lions
• Hiking the Hills and holding up the Hollywood sign with Laura
• Finding Michael Landon's star on the Walk of Fame for Mom :)
• Catching up with college gal pal, Courtney, the better half of the displaced Jones duo, to the tune of Thai Elvis in LA
• Staring wide-eyed at the indescribable views of Highway 1... (this will stay on my To-Do-In-Leiha's-Life-List forever)
• Moving into PetSmart, watching Cynthia's pup, Maggie, learn how to sit/stay/lay... ruff!
• Meeting a kickball team captain whilst crashing a party in Campbell, signing Cynthia up for her kickball career debut!
• Playing soccer on a Sunday morning under the shining NoCal sun...
• Scouring the farmer's market, shopping for veggies and such in Mountain View
• Watching Jacob blow up an air-matress with lungs of steel
• Discovering the expansiveness of Bay Area transportation with Kit and her bellybutton
• Watching as 7RPCVs converge for a Valentine dinner to remember (Jill's here!!!)
• Talking about life, family and friends in Mangio Village with Adrienne, the only other RPCV to know it as home
• Watching Ellen's 90s standup and babysitting with Rashad... fo shizzle.
• Walking the East Bay, perusing book stores, doing errands, sipping cafe coco and having wonderfully normal moments with Kate in Alameda

When I set out on this couch crawling adventure in December, my only goal/hope for this grand undertaking was to reconnect with old/new friends by spending their everyday moments together, catching up on life as it's been lived since yesterday. So far, I'm humbled by how magnificent the past 11weeks have been! Laura and I have 4-5 more weeks on this open road together and I couldn't be more excited to see what's in store for tomorrow. (FYI: We've managed to persuade another RPCV pal, Jill, to cruise the road with us through Seattle! Three cheers for displacing friends on Ze Great L&L Cross Country Couch Crawl & Car Cruise!)

To-Do:

• Finish uploading pics from cell phone before cell phone is lost/destroyed!
• Wine tasting with Laura & Jill?! and/or meet Jacob in Durbin at 5pm
• Salsa dance with Cynthia in Los Gatos
• Catch up with Laura & Jill in San Jose
• Drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and through a Redwood, en route to Oregon!
• Bound for Seattle on Friday...

PS- Kate just placed a "roasted seaweed snack" beside me on the table... Oh, California. Bon appetite!

You're Lucky...

“You’re lucky it’s only 17 below out here. Just on the other side of the mountain it’s negative 36.” That’s what our friendly Wyoming State Trooper said when he came to check up on us and our melted tire. And now, as we sit in the car waiting for the AAA tow truck, we count ourselves lucky to have half a tank of gas (enough to keep the car running), food (leftover pizza from last night), and seat warmers. And a working radio (a small miracle after my can of ginger ale exploded and froze all over the electronics last night).

To keep our spirits up, here are some awesome things we’ve seen since entering Wyoming about two hours ago.

Thank goodness we came across a gun shop within 45 minutes of entering the state. I considering buying a rifle, just in case we fell into a ditch and had to hunt wildlife for survival. Or just to fit in. Whichever.

Because who doesn't need to pick up a saddle and feed when shopping for a necklace?

Signs for the highway we’re on, which is I-80 West. This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal to most of you, but Route 80 passes by about ten minutes from where my parents live…I get on 80 East to go to New York City, 80 West to go to my friend Nicole’s house, and that’s about it. Theoretically, I know 80 continues into Pennsylvania and even Ohio, but only mystically did I think Route 80 continued all the way to the west coast. Until today, when I was forced to face the fact that Route 80 exists West of Ohio, the Mississippi, and even west of the Dakotas (holy crap! I exist west of the Dakotas!).

Later, in an unrelated incident (we weren't even on I-80 anymore), we saw:

80 miles where? To what? We have no idea.

We also saw billboards advertising a Dinosaur Dig and The Museum of the Mountain Man. Fo Reelz.

So, at last, thank you Bob the extraordinary man who stopped for us to help us change our tire (and his family who waited patiently while he did so), and both state troopers who ended up stopping - the one who  actually helped, and the one who provided moral support. You were all very nice.
 

And thank you, Wyoming, for providing enough entertainment (I'm sure I saw things that I'm forgetting to write here) to keep us occupied on your roads.