Hello, all. So.. we lived through bison herds, bear threats, and some of the most unstable ground on earth. We spent time with family, enjoyed many natural wonders, and drove more in 2 weeks than we wish to in the next year. Now we're back in Columbus, and we're STILL GOING TO GET MARRIED! Yeah.. first test passed. We can stand being together in a car for 2 straight weeks. Yay, us. But before a wrap up of our goals and whether we achieved them, an account of our last 2 days.
We woke up at the Connor home on Sunday morning after a very long night's sleep (well, I, Kate, slept a long time - David stayed up all night drinking and reminiscing with Megan). We watched tv with Daphne and Fiona, and Mommy and Daddy made us eggs, bacon, and potatoes. Delish. We got on the road a bit after noon and headed for Milwaukee. Our friends Cynthia and Phil recently relocated there, so we got to see their apartment which is right downtown with its own community garden and cafe close by. David lived with Cynthia for 3 years, so this was also an important opportunity to reconnect with her cat that he helped raise, Apollo. He pretty much forgot us because his brain is small, but we enjoyed seeing him all the same. Our visit was too short lived, but Milwaukee looks like a great town and we know we'll need to go back soon, to try more beer if for no other reason. We headed down to Chicago where we were going to stay the night with our friends Joe and Crystal. We were expecting to be greeted by their super cool new puppy, Penny, but instead we were greeted by Penny and.... MCGIRR! David's bestie Brandon McGirr was a surprise guest - we had no idea he'd be in Chicago that night. We also invited David's sister Eileen and her man Barry over, and we all drank beer and ate pizza - good stuff. After a good night's sleep, David's first in weeks (oh, beer), we set off on the very last leg of our trip. We made a pit stop in South Bend, Indiana to a) pick up the 2010 Notre Dame shirt and more importantly, b) catch up with the Tull grandparentals. It was the day after their 57th anniversary - good timing on our part. We had another surprise visitor, David's aunt Mary, who gave me a very nice belated shower gift (getting married is great!).
We then hit the road for the last time on our trip, heading back for Columbus. It took $12.80 in tolls to take the tunrpike, but frankly, it was worth it just to avoid the pungent delights of Indianapolis. Plus by going that way, we were greeted with two more lasting memories. One was seeing a whole side of the highway shut down in Toledo while what appeared to be half the city's police force escorted an ambulance and a dozen black SUV's down the freeway. David assumed that someone hugely significant had maybe been shot or something, but it turns out that's just how Joe Biden, who was visiting Toledo that day, rolls. So we drove by his motorcade. Fun stuff. Our second memory came within a scant 4 MILES of the Stopa house in Worthington. As many of you know, we pass the time on road trips by keeping track of state license plates. For as long as we've been together, we have come close to seeing all fifty states, but never this close. Thanks to Yellowstone and Glacier, we had reached a new level of plate-spotting. Yellowstone gave us Hawaii, and Glacier gave us the District of Columbia! Plus Alaska was all over the place out there. We had seen EVERY state in the union except one- the bane of our existence, the tiny what's-it state, RHODE ISLAND, had yet to be spotted. As we neared the end of our trip, we slowly, silently resigned ourselves to relative defeat. After all, 49 out of 50 and The District to boot was a new record and not too shabby. Suddenly, however, as Route 23 turned into High Street and we entered the township of Worthington, OH, a certain state license plate appeared before us like an archangel! Yes, the Ocean State was the final surprise guest of our trip, and we had finally, at long last, seen every state in the union (and the DC) represented in license plate form on one of our road trips. We have decided this is an indisputable omen that we will be together forever, always in pursuit of a more perfect union. Just like the United States of America....? Yeah.
SO! We're all done.. time to check in on those goals we set at the top of the trip. Let's see who accomplished more:
KATE:
1) I SAW A MOOSE!
2) I was NOT gored by a bison and did not witness anyone else be gored by a bison.. although we came close enough on both counts that I DID learn why that flyer is created. So I guess 1/2 point on that one.
3) Successful avoidance of bears - the good spotting we were out of the car, but far enough away that it was ok.
4) I totally misjudged this one. The goal was not to "watch" David eat the canned salmon or bet him he couldn't eat it, but to FORCE him to eat it, which I forgot to do. So I lose. But I also win, because I didn't have to watch him eat canned salmon.
DAVID:
1) Bears = seen! Both grizzly and brown coated black bears spotted (good spotting, David). Black coated black bears, you dropped the ball. I expect wonders next time. Be advised.
2) I forgot about the "Look at the S-Car go!" joke that my grandpa has told in the past (get it? es cargot?) but there were a number of Hap gems on this trip that more than make up for it's absence. But still, Fail on my part.
3) Well, I've never seen a bison false charge a car before while being herded down a road. I've never seen wild turkeys out west before, and they were all over the place. I've never seen deer feast on apples in Aunt Mary's backyard. And the prairie dogs in the Badlands were a first as well. So a BIG win on seeing new wildlife/wildlife behavior.
4) Used the knife to cut pieces of kindling from a cardboard box. Could I have torn the pieces off by hand? Maybe. Did I use the knife anyway? I did. Game, David.
So, David won by a half point, but we all won in the end! Although we had issues with photos and videos on this blog, we have now posted all photos and videos on Kate's Facebook page. If you don't have Facebook, try using this link (although it may be protected, in which case you'll need to find a pal with Facebook!).
Photos: http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=2053314&id=27100243
Videos: http://www.facebook.com/#!/video/?of=27100243
So here are, two days after we actually finished the road trip, finally signing off, because it was that hard to let go of how awesome it was to see so much of this great country, and so many of our wonderful friends and family. Thanks for reading, and if you ever get a chance to go on an awesome road trip all over creation with someone you love, for God's sake do it! Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.
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