Day Five - Lincoln to Cheyenne

The beauty of the location where the Motel 6 was situated in Lincoln, was that it was across the street from a restaurant called Perkins.  The Perkins Family Restaurant is a great place that serves a variety of great food, almost like CB in nature, but they came to fame because of their baked goods.  I am not sure of the whole story but people flock to their locations throughout the Midwest for their decadent deserts.  They have some amazing pies.  While we were staying in Lincoln, Jeff made a call to a friend and former roommate who lives in Omaha to met up.  Jeff had a few boxes of stuff that he was giving his friend and since we were close he really wanted to meet up.  We decided to head over to Perkins for dinner.  For the past few days I have been enjoying a rather hearty diet of food so I was really craving a light pasta dish.  Other than the occasional Olive Garden we didn't really come across anything interesting on our journey.  I wasn't sure how good the pasta dishes would be at a place like Perkins but to my surprise they had a few dishes among many other dishes.  I opted for a pasta dish that had asparagus, diced tomatoes, grilled shrimp, all in a light cream souse served over curly pasta.  I don't know the name of the pasta but it was curly in nature.  I was skeptical on two fronts, first because how good would a pasta dish be from this place and how generous would they be with the shrimp.  As it turned out it was excellent and I was very surprised but also very happy.

We woke up fairly early because we knew we had a good seven hour drive ahead of us as we made our way from the eastern side of Nebraska clear across the whole state and into Wyoming, where Cheyenne is only fifty miles or so from the NE border.  We decided to once again hit up the Perkins and try out their breakfast.  It was good, nothing too crazy special, but it was good and worth the price.  We were on the road by 9:00 and began our way across NE.  After we cleared Lincoln and the surrounding suburbs the land really opened up and it was pretty cool to see all of that open land, albeit filled with corn.  When we were driving in Iowa I was surprised at just how hilly the terrain was across the state, it wasn't what I had in my mind, but NE was different.  I80 west is, for the most part, straight and flat which fit in with what I had imagined it would look like.  There were far fewer clusters of trees, which littered the cornfields of Ohio and Iowa.  There was very little livestock though, which is curious but not surprising when you think about it for a minute.

Looking out from a gas station in NE

Looking up the street from the gas station in NE, notice two things, more corn and not another soul on the road

The scenery didn't start to change until we passed through the I80/I76 split.  I76 heads on a more southern route into Denver, while I80 continues to stay north of Colorado and through into Wyoming.  By staying on I80 we were heading into the Nebraska panhandle.  We began to climb in elevation gradually and we noticed that the cornfields were becoming fewer and further between.  It wasn't what I had expected but it was nice to see the change, even if it were a subtle change.  We continued to climb and climb so that by the time we were nearing the border we really could see out over the land and into the distance.  We have yet to see any wildlife of note but I am hoping that as we head into WY and then Utah that may change.  We entered the Cowboy State around three and were in the greater Cheyenne area about forty-five minutes later.  The scenery changed dramatically as the fields slipped away and it began to look more brown, more grass.  We were seeing more horses and cattle after crossing from NE.  It was nice to see that change.  As we descended into Cheyenne from the hills that surround the capital city, the highway took us right into the city which allowed us to see a bit of the town.  The Motel 6 where we are staying is north of the center so we won't be able to really see the downtown but we got to drive through a bit of it on the way from the highway to the motel.  This one was located around a bunch of auto dealerships and nothing else around.  There was a railroad track that ran right behind the motel and was very busy...all night.  

A look at the sunset outside my room

After relaxing for a bit and refreshing we decided that since we were in the Midwest/Mountain area we should go out for steaks.  We asked the lady at the front desk what our options were, hoping that she might recommend a local restaurant that was popular, but instead she gave us two option, Outback and Texas Roadhouse.  I am a fan of Texas Roadhouse, so we decided to go there.  TR is a very popular restaurant throughout the Midwest and they even have a few in MA, like the one in Everett on 99.  they are known for their cuts of beef that they hand cut in the back each day, and their rolls with a cinnamon butter.  The rolls and butter is a very delicious combo but one can fill up to quickly and have no room for dinner.  We were also lucky because as we walked into the restaurant I looked at the TV and saw that the Sox game was on which was a bonus.  The food was good and we decided to head back to the motel.  On the way Jeff spotted a bar that advertised "karaoke Wednesday night 9-1."  Jeff and Jess are big karaoke fans, especially given the fact that Jeff is or has been the front man for many bands and has the personality and desire for attention.  He made note of the location of the bar and we figured we would hit it up later since it was only 6:30 by the time we got back to the rooms.  

When we walked into the bar I was a little apprehensive at first because we encountered a few guys, maybe a little younger than me, that were well on their way to being "over-served" and trying to play pool.  They were eying us up and I was hoping that they weren't looking to mess with us.  Now I am not a small person by any means, but I like to believe that most people would think twice before approaching me, if they didn't know me.  Fortunately we they left and we headed over to the other room where the karaoke machine was set up.  Jeff and Jess jumped for the book and began to seek out their first songs.  I took a seat at the bar and watched as people began to trickle in.  It was an interesting crowd to see, they had their own unique style.  I will leave it at that.  While they may be in a backwoods area, they were very outgoing and friendly.  By the end of the night Jeff had sung three or four songs and everyone in the bar knew us as "the people from Boston going to California."  It was a good time and I had fun hanging out with some of the locals.  I got a good feel for what life is like in Cheyenne.  

We will see what happens tomorrow as we cross Wyoming into Utah where we will stay in Salt Lake City.  I'm hoping that this will be a good leg of the trip.

Day Four - Hammond to Lincoln

I awoke this morning to what sounded like church bells. The setting for the alarm on my phone is "bells" but notice it doesn't specify whether they are indeed ringing bells of the church variety. I digress, I have noticed over the course of my stays at Motel 6 is that there is one definite fact, there are no clocks in the rooms. I have yet to see one with an alarm clock so I am resigned to use the alarm on my phone, yet it just might be better than a traditional alarm clock. We had to get up early this morning so that we could hit the road earlier then we have needed to so far because of the sheer number of miles we needed to cover today. We left the motel a little after 7:30 and made our way back to the center of town and search out a place for a quick coffee and bite to eat for the road. I was shocked at what we found.

Do you see what I see? Yes it is indeed a Dunkin Donuts in Indiana. This is the first that I have seen west of New York. To be fair there are a few in Ohio but we never passed one. We were all rejoicing as we pulled in because it was nice to have something that tasted familiar after four days on the road. Much to my surprise they are know selling DD K-Cups, and I have a new single brew for my dorm. I will have to try them and see if they are any good. We left DD and headed west towards Illinois.

After getting clear of the sprawling suburbs of Chicago, the sky began to turn dark and we all looked area bother knowing full well what was in store. After a few miles it is as dark as night and the rain began to hits us in sheets. The rain and wind picked up. The lightning stretched out from the sky and the thunder rolled loudly, shaking the very air that surrounded us. For a good stretch all I could see was right in front of me and the lines seemed to disappear. My wipers couldn't keep up, even on the highest setting. This continued on for some thirty to forty minutes and then it began to clear. The road became dry and the disappeared, but only for a short respite. Maybe an hour later the skies once again descended around us and unleashed their fury,. However this time around we were driving through open fields and the was whipping around us. A few times the trailer would get pushed and rocked as we tried to make it through in one piece. Again this lasted for about thirty minutes and we were approaching the Iowa border. The weather calmed down as we approached the mighty Mississippi River. We crossed in Davenport and shortly after the crossing the skies cleared out and the sun shined down upon us.

This is where we get to Iowa. Driving through Iowa is exactly the way everyone I have heard describe the their experiences. There is indeed nothing but corn. However in my mind I pictured just flat land and being surrounded by corn but the highway we were on was constant hills. We were constantly going up and then down, up and then down, it was getting a little annoying. If I had not been pulling a trailer my cruise control would have handled it easily, but since my car is fully loaded and also pulling a fully loaded trailer forced my engine to work a little harder. I am fully confident in my car's ability to handle this trip but it meant I had to be more involved and not push it. This rolling scenery of corn and an occasional cattle farm continued for more than three hundred miles. It was an uneventful drive but in a way we couldn't ask for anything better. We crossed the Platte River into Omaha, Nebraska around 4:30 which was about 7 plus hours of driving. After we crossed the bridge the first exit in NE was marked 454. Think about this, the exits are numbered by mile not in sequential order and we are traveling the whole state of NE on I80, so that means we have 464 miles tomorrow just in NE alone! Yikes, that will be fun. Lincoln was only forty five miles west of Omaha so at least we knocked out a bit of it today rather than tomorrow. We now have 399 miles to Wyoming. Time for dinner, going to Perkins, never been there before. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

 Jeff and Jess in Steak N' Shake

There was a group of 8 Iowa State Troopers gathered for lunch,  if they were here who was patrolling the highways???

What's that off in the distance???  More corn???  Sweet!

Day Three - North Canton to Hammond, IN (outside Chicago)

Last night happened exactly how I expected, and how I had feared.  I return back to a line from Ben Harper's song Another Lonely Day, "I can resist anything but a temptation from you."  Our meeting last night has confirmed my belief that the gulf that has grown between us is now too large to cross.  This very well may be the last time I see her again.  The intention was there, but there was never any action and even now constant conflict between the desire of making this work and the action needed to do so.  Sometimes inaction is worse than after committing to something and failing because at least we tried.  Fear of the unknown can be so debilitating, but amidst all of this emotional turbulence there is clarity and that is found in the opportunity that awaits in California.  We are now heading west of everything and everyone I know, leaving it all behind so to speak or a clean slate if you will.  Perhaps last night I finally let go of the last bit of baggage needed to be fully focused and engaged in the life of the community at seminary.  I don't see myself ever passing through here again...and stopping.

Today started with an attempt to look for a Waffle House, I will explain my love affair with Waffle House later today, but other circumstances prevent the successful completion of our mission to dine at WH this morning. I do fear that we passed them all and are therefore a bit of luck. So we decided that it would be best to eat at CB again because they were kind enough to allow us to park the truck and trailer there that night. The Motel 6 where we were staying had no parking for trailers so we had to park next door. As it turned out it was another excellent breakfast and we were on the road again making our way from Ohio to a town thirty miles south of Chicago, Hammond Indiana.

The trip from OH to IN was only going to take five hours so we were fortunate again to have an easy drive ahead of us with no real time constrictions. For the most part the drive went very well as we crossed Ohio through the northern half of the state almost near the Michigan border. Our travels through Indiana were also rather uneventful with one exception, we traveled through South Bend, the home of the Universoty of Notre Dame. While I have never really been. Fighting Irish fan, there is no doubt about the aura that they possess on the football field. Their hallowed grounds have borne witness to many amazing games and some fine athletes. I have always been a fan of Fieldgoal/Touchdown Jesus. On one of the buildings on campus has a ginormous mural of Christ with hos arms raised towards the sky and this mural can be seen in the stadium behind one of the goalposts in the endgame. It looks as he was refereeing the game. Perhaps this was done intentionally to serve as the inspiration to the players on the field. Either way it is a sight I would like to see in person one day.

We arrived to our motel a little earlier than I had originally planned because I failed to take into consideration the time change that occurred when we traveled from the Eastern to Central time zones. We traveled around a bit to see what was a available for dinner, and we decided on Popeye's. It wasn't bad for fast food fried chicken, with a Cajun flair, but I don't know if I would go back anytime soon. We went back to our rooms, hung out for a bit and called it a night. We will see what the next leg of the trip will bring us tomorrow.

Day Two - Generosity

There was one interaction that occurred today that grabbed my attention.  It happened innocently enough and certainly unexpected but an interaction at a gas station just west of Cleveland has got me thinking.  We were cruising from PA into Ohio and we were getting close to the western suburbs of Cleveland.  I looked down at the gas gauge and we were getting low.  So I pulled off at the next exit and pulled into the BP, hoping that there was going to be an easy way in and out because of the trailer.  Just as I got out of the car a man dressed in a Miami Dolphins jersey and matching shorts approached me.  Now he stuck out like a sore thumb and immediately drew your attention, especially given the bright colors of his clothing and at first I thought to myself where is this going to go?

He came up to Jeff, Jess and I and asked for two bucks, no it was a dollar fifty to be exact, so that he could purchase oil for his car.  Apparently he and his "family" were traveling from Cleveland to Ashtibula, a town near the PA border, and something blew in his car and he was leaking oil.  He then went to a shop and they charged him $300 to fix it, mind you they "fixed it" by inserting a bolt into a connection where a bolt does not belong, and was now on his way and out of gas and oil.  At first glance and upon hearing his story you can't help but feel for the guy.  He also threw in a "it's my kid's birthday" into the story, so naturally we wanted to help.  I gave him two bucks for the oil which was a start, and then Jeff offered to buy him twenty bucks worth of gas.  He gladly accepted both and was gone before we were done in the restroom and paying for our gas.  As we were walking back to the car I asked Jeff, "how much of that story did you believe?"

I asked that only because I have run into a few of these interactions before.  Now don't get me wrong I am glad to extend a helping hand to anyone, as long as it is within my means, and we did indeed help him, but it still begs the question, was his story true and were his intentions right?  Jeff thought about my question for a minute and then responded, and this is not a direct quote but you will get it, "of course we help and I have found that if you give the person what they need and not the money."  He was right.  Had the guy wanted money for other reasons he would not have graciously accepted our help, and instead would not be happy with us.

This got me thinking about how, if we become ordained, where is the line if there is one at all?  Where is the line that is drawn in the sand that delineates our obligation to help others, when we know that somehting does not add up?  I am, by nature, a person that would seek out all means to help someone in need, so how do we prevent ourselves from being used by those who seek to exploit the kindness of others?  If I were wearing a collar, how do I say no to someone who approaches you asking for help?  I know that there are people that thrive on taking from others, I am not blind to our culture, but would I be wrong to pass that man by and pretend ignorance?  I truly believe that it would be wrong because ignorance, and in this case feigned ignorance, is never good and absolves no one.  Perhaps I must be resigned to the fact that I will be taken advantage of in certain situations.  Perhaps I must be aware that the good I seek in everyone will not be met with good intentions.

If the interaction that happened today occurred again, I would without a doubt help him in any way I could.  Call me a sucker, but I would rather get burned by someone then fail to act when it was truly needed.

Day Two - Buffalo to North Canton

This morning we all woke up with a hankering for more cracker Barrel, becuase their breakfasts are just as generously awesome as their dinner fare.  For our trip today we were traveling from Buffalo to the Akron/Canton area in the northwest corner of the great state of Ohio.  I have been a little anxious about coming back here, not so much because Ohio is a bad place, though I do dump on it every once and awhile, but because of what transpired here during my year and half stay.  There is way too much to say here and this is not the appropriate forum either so that will have to remain unknown, but do know this, my time here definitely had a major impact on who I am now and the path I took to get here.  I do come back in a much better place and under happier circumstances, i.e. on my way to seminary, so I know that all that truly remains here are the memories of which newer, happier ones can always be made.

Since the ride from Buffalo to here is not very long we were under no pressure to leave this morning.  In fact I didn't actually get out of bed until about 9:00 which was nice to not be rushed in the early morning.  I find that rushing around early in the morning leads to me messing up, like forgetting something.  So we packed up the car, checked out, and made our way back to CB for a glorious breakfast.  Check this out:

Seriously, check that out.  It is epic!!!  What you must also keep in mind is that out of the left of the picture is my bowl of grits, a staple to any true southern breakfast.  The coup de gras at the end is the biscuits and gravy, as seen on the right.  Absolutely epic!!!  After we had filled up yet again at CB we headed west on I90 were on our way.

Just as we had reached the other side of Buffalo the skies grew dark and I could see lightning off into the distance.  It had become so dark if you didn't know the time you might of thought it was late evening.  The ominous stillness in the trees around us as we traveled down the road, left me with a sense of foreboding about what was awaiting us up the road.  And then like that it hit us.  Sheets of rain and clouds of mist being kicked up by the cars in front of us.  I slowed the car down because you could only see about 5 feet, if that, in front you.  It continued like this from Buffalo all the way to the Pennsylvania border.  I could only imagine that had this been the dead of winter we would have been hammered with a ton of snow.  Fortunately we are driving in the middle of summer so no snow for us.  By the time we crossed the border the clouds began to dissipate and the rain slowed down to a drizzle and then like that, it was sunny and clear.  being so close to the Great Lakes definitely allows for interesting weather.

Pennsylvania was a mere 45 miles and we soon found ourselves in Ohio.  We rode around Cleveland and heading south towards Akron/Canton.  We got in about 3:30, which I had timed out almost perfectly, and now I am just chilling to see what may happen.  I am supposed to be meeting up with someone, with her in fact and I am a bit nervous as to how that will go if it goes at all.  I haven't seen her in a very long time and frankly she wants to see me more than I want to see her but I don't think I could live with myself if I don't at least make the opportunity available, since I am passing right through, but it is up to her if she shows or not.  Time will tell...

Day One - Boston to Buffalo

Well the time has finally come and we are off an running.  I was hoping that I would be able to submit my post yesterday but the Motel 6 that we stayed at in Buffalo didn't have free wifi, so this meant that I could not do anything on the internet last night.  The night before we left, Friday, I was fortunate to spend some time with my friends and a few former coworkers.  We just hung out on the deck at my house, we had a few drinks, and we grilled up some killer steak tips.  Props to Alec for picking the sauce because they were delicious.  All in all it was a fitting way to spend my last night in Waltham.

Originally, I had thought that we would get an early start to the day, you know leave around 7 or 8 that morning, however we ended up having a bit of a later start pulling out of Waltham closer to 9:30.  That really didn't impact our travel plans that much because we had to get to Buffalo that night and it is a good seven hour ride out there.  At first I was a bit cautious when we pulled onto the Pike with that trailer attached to the end of the truck because I have very little experience with a trailer.  The only other time I had a trailer on my car was when I was towing a camper up to the races in Loudon.  Driving was no problem but once we got to the track and I had to back up the camper into the site it was a complete disaster.  It became so bad that I got out of the truck and a guy working security for the race got in and put the camper in its spot.  But, this time around, byt the time we hit Worcester I was at ease traveling with the trailer on the back.

The ride was rather uneventful.  Jeff and Jess had spent Friday night cleaning up their respective apartments and gathering anything else that needed to come with us, so they were exhausted.  It was pretty evident when they pulled up to my house Saturday morning just how tired they were from lack of sleep over the past few days so it went without saying that I was going to start off the trip.  They pretty much slept the whole way out to Buffalo, with some conversations occurring in between naps.  I have never been fond of sleeping in cars, I never get comfortable, but they both had no problem and it was a relatively quiet ride.

We stopped for gas and lunch somewhere in upstate NY as we made our way across the entire state of New York.  I had forgotten just how much the prices are jacked up at these rest stops along the Thruway because I paid almost five bucks for a crappy hamburger and a piece of cheese on a mashed up bun.  What a rip off, but when you are on a toll road in the middle of nowhere there are little options.  We ate, fueled up and were out in about thirty minutes, which I thought was pretty good.  We arrived in Buffalo around 5:30 and in our rooms laid out on the beds.  Jeff and Jess needed a little mroe rest before dinner so i just hung out in my room watching the new Robin Hood, with Russell Crowe, and it was mildly entertaining but I was also surfing the net from my phone to look at potential places to dine for our evening meal.  I was thoroughly excited at the fact that there was a Cracker Barrel a few parking lots away.

For those of you unfamiliar with Cracker Barrel, it is a chain restaurant/country store.  They primarily serve southern style comfort food and have a "country store" in the front full of odds and ends that you wouldn't find at any other typical convenience store.  They are famous for their rocking chairs that litter the front porch of each restaurant for patrons to sit in while they wait for their table to be ready.  The chairs can also be yours for a mere $129.99.  I like them but I don't think that I will be getting them anytime soon, though it might be cool to have one at seminary, Christmas gift anyone???  I'm just playing.  We did end up going to the CB that night and I had the classic southern dish, country fried steak with mashed taters, corn, and biscuits.  Now that my friends is a dinner.  Needless to say we were all stuffed and happy and it was time to retire for the evening.  While I was not up all night last night it was necessary for me to hit the rack early and get some much needed rest.

Community...(3 days and counting)

We have the trailer!!!  Isn't it pretty sitting off of the back of my truck like that?  This is what we will pack full of all of our possessions.  This is what I will tow across the country to start this new chapter.  It is amazing to think that I am now this close to leaving Waltham and be on the way to Berkeley.  I am really looking forward to the actual trip.  I really do enjoy driving and even more so when I am heading to new locales.  I am also looking forward to having this time to spend with Jeff and Jess.  All the time on the road will hopefully serve as the perfect opportunity to really get to know each other.  Hopefully when we pull into Berkeley ten days from now we won't be completely sick of each other.

I have been thinking a lot about community and all the people who are behind on me on this adventure.  I was going to write more about that tonight but I am tired, so I will continue this idea tomorrow.  

Almost there...