Thanks to Dallas’ thorough planning, each aspect of our trip has been carefully budgeted, including our journey to the boat via my ride, Bert, named after my grandfather from whom I inherited it. Bert is a 1990 Plymouth Acclaim, a car that was rarely coveted in L.A. (there was one elderly woman…) but that served me very well in the fast lane of the infamous 405 freeway. Bert also has a V6, so we trusted him to not only get us across the country but also to pull a home-made utility trailer purchased on good old craiglist.org (a lot cheaper than UHAUL!). The trailer was enclosed by a tarp of sorts, but since it had some small holes in it, we took extra precautions and wrapped our boxes up in pleasantly green plastic wrap to protect our stuff from the rain that was sure to befall us on our trip from coast to coast.  After every nook of the car and trailer had been completely stuffed, the hitch barely cleared the ground. Friends and coworkers gave us concerned looks and expressed doubt about our chances of making it out of the state, but we were determined to make it work, so we climbed into the small cavities of space that remained in the car and were off!
Almost ready to go

Almost ready to go

Although it was the end of September, it was still over 90o in the desert as we crossed California and Nevada. And of course it was mountainous. This proved to be a nasty combo for Bert, who began to get really hot really fast. Our solution was to spend much of this leg of the journey with the heater on full blast so as to pull hot air off of the engine. And of course we could only manage about 45-50 mph on the major inclines, that is, when we weren’t pulled over to allow the engine to cool off. Initially, this elicited slap-happy, sleep-deprived laughter. But about 10 minutes after the first stop to let Bert cool off I was asking Dallas if we should turn around and find a flatter route to Florida. 

We pressed on, fueled in part by the gorgeous landscape in Arizona and Utah and by Bert’s ability to handle even the steepest inclines as long as he received a healthy dose of overheating cures at the right times. A mere 17 hours later, we arrived at our first destination in lovely Gypsum, Colorado. Sarah, one of my best friends and college roommates, lives here with her adorable sons and affable husband Ryan, who owns a coffee shop called the Red Canyon Café.  Sarah assured us that there were just three major mountain passes from there to Denver, and with a few hours sleep under our belt, some good conversation (Sarah likened our hooptie’s excursion to a Steinbeck novel rather than to the Beverly Hillbillies-how kind), and some excellent drinks and sandwiches from the café, we were back on the road.

Crossing into Utah

Crossing into Utah

Sarah with sons Alec & Owen

Sarah with sons Alec & Owen

The trip to from Colorado to Kansas starts out very beautifully, particularly with the Aspen trees beginning to change color.  Once past Denver, however, it is notoriously flat and desolate. Nevertheless, we arrived in Lawrence, Kansas, the home of our alma mater (Rock Chalk Jayhawk!), in time for last call with our mutual best friend, Julia. While staying up late trying to allay her fears about what might ensue on our trip, we successfully convinced her and her awesome boyfriend, Tim (a man who truly does Wisconsin proud), to meet us in the Bahamas in February. (It’s in writing now, Jules…gonna hold you to it J) The next day was gorgeous, and we took advantage of the temperate autumn weather by playing nine holes of golf. Dallas must already be getting the feel for retirement, as he played his best round ever with three pars. As for me, I was happy if I could get through a hole with fewer than the maximum number of swings!

Autumn in Aspen

Autumn in Aspen

Playing gold with Jules & Tim

Playing golf with Jules & Tim

From Lawrence, we ventured thirty miles to Lenexa, Kansas to where I call Home. (I always said it was just the right distance from college…close, but not so close as to be getting unexpected visitors, right Mom?)  Although it lacks some of the features that we have grown to love about California such as the beach and perpetual sunshine, Lenexa (and the Midwest in general) is a fantastic place to be raised due to the abundance of extremely nice folks who live there.

My parents, for example, rank up there as some of the kindest you could meet. They are also very goal-oriented and thus inspire a strong Protestant work ethic. It was great to spend some time with them at this point in their lives, as they are adjusting to being newly retired and developing new, more personal goals for themselves. I have to brag that my father is soon to be opening his own art studio, providing an example for us that with a heck of lot of planning and motivation, one can venture out on one’s own to pursue one’s dreams…

Relaxing with Mom and Dad

Relaxing with Mom and Dad