3.04.03 Day Nine

The 5 a.m. wake-up call comes all too soon, straight up, on the dot. We had wanted to sleep in, go late, something like 10. It was to be our one luxury before heading home.
Instead we are out and on the road by 5:30, hightailing it home. It is still dark and traffic is light. The waysides are full of parked semis, men sleeping in the cab-overs.
Coffee laced with cream touches my lips. It is strong. I probably should have bought an English muffin or toast to absorb the acid.
By the time the sun rises in our faces we are already in Illinois on Rte 40 cutting through the center of the state. I remember once coming back from Texas and being amazed that this big stretch of road had no rest areas. It still doesn't.
The familiar replaces the unfamiliar. We are closing in on Chicago and still not one flake. It's very early…1:30!
Turning down my street I can spy my little house through the stately oaks. All is well. I am home.
Dee carried my bags in. I love being home. For as sweet as traveling is, even more sweet is being home surrounded by my cool stuff, by the feeling of belonging, savoring this life that I have carved out for myself.
The news blurts out the truth: 8" of snow fell on I-80 east of Des Moines. Spin outs all over. The police stated that if you were in an accident and your car was still drivable that you should exchange insurance info and just go home. They will write it up later. All of the Midwest was a traffic nightmare.
We were wise and lucky.
I drowsed off to sleep to awaken to a beautiful fresh blanket of snow.
Welcome home.

Word for the Day: Sleepy-eyed
End Destination: Chicagoland
Total Miles: 363

3.03.03 Day Eight


Nebraska arch, grand island, hot tub, c-span biological weapons, ends with "driving around on this country's Interstates scares me more than going around working with biological warfare." Forecast 6 to 10 " snow

Word for the Day: Blue Skies
End Destination: Adair, IA
Total Miles: 578

3.02.03 Day Seven

Ring ring ring…the room phone is buzzing. In my hazy sleep I am thinking it is the wake-up call. Dee will get it. Five minutes later….ring ring ring. QUIET! I am trying to sleep. Wake-up calls are fed into an auto-dialer, you don't need to say hello, you can just pick it up and it will stop, if you don't it calls again five minutes later, forever. My cell goes off. OMG! STOP! Finally Dee picks up the third try…Wait! Wait! I can hear someone shouting. It is Thom. Oops forgot.
Here. He hands the phone to me.
Thom is jumping out of his rhinoceros skin. He is all electric. Stay with me. I have a big bed all ready for you. It can be pulled apart to make two twins. Fresh sheets. I just cleaned my place. C'mon say yes. There are places I want to take you. Say yes.
Yes.
Okay! I'll come there and you can follow me home.
K. We'll call when ready.
Pow! That's Thom. Haha!
Dee and I crawl out of bed, shower and get dressed Rocky-Mountain style. Just as I go to call Thom my phone rings. It is CeCe. She says everything is okay. Then she adds, you are in the paper today. She reads the entire article to me. I am hopping!

…just a minute. I am struggling to write this. With the possibility of war just hours away I feel like celebrating my trip is a bit myopic. Since I returned I have been glued to CNN. I want to hear the soldiers, the people of Iraq, and even the president. It is important that I stay informed. So I will come back to this another brighter time. A blistering ray of hope does exist. Elizabeth Smart is alive and well. It is a miracle we can all hang onto when senseless death may be happening at our hands.
Later…


Notes:
Silver grill…trout and eggs..heuvos rancheros
Town pump
Colors in Thom's mountain
Mr. Thom teaches
Silver Bar
Rio…recipe for queso del mar
Green chili soup
Bar with maps and concrete floor
Old town window crash






Word for the Day: Margaritaville
End Destination: Fort Collins, CO
Total Miles: 0

I'm doing it as fast as I can...sorry for the typos. Bear with me :) It was 67 here today!!!!!!!!!!!! Summer. I had to be outside:)