Hi everyone :) We did not get stuck in a tornado--safely making it through was my big goal for Minnesota.
On the way to Madison, we had so many hours to do, and we did so much sightseeing in South Dakota that we got in to the hotel really late, so yesterday and today all we did is drive, drive, drive. No sights. That seems like it was OK and there didn't appear to be anything significant to tempt us. Except there are 'singing sand dunes' in Indiana? That sounded kind of cool.
And, for any of you who've ever lived in or driven in Indiana, oh my goodness, it's so ugly and depressing near Gary that all we wanted was to get the heck out of Dodge. Think Newark, New Jersey, and that's about right. Incidentally, that picture above IS of Gary, Indiana, even though we didn't snap it.
Not only was it super depressing geographically, it was kind of hilarious how restrictive ordinary things were and how serious the rules were! For example, if you were caught driving more than the speed limit in the work zone (which seemed to be continuous thoughout the state), it could result in 8 years in prison and a $1000 fine. I'm not kidding.
If you propped open the door at the hotel (to, say, load your luggage) you could be banned from Microtel (for life), I'm not exaggerating, or if you smoked on the non-smoking floor, you, and your entire party, including possibly people staying in other rooms, could be evicted. Both of those transgressions were backed up by local law enforcment, and the hotel said they would not hesitate to call. GEEZ!
So--this part of the trip has been B-O-R-I-N-G. (and weird) With a capital B!
Tomorrow is our LAST DAY of driving before our new life starts. I can't express how SAD I am and how much I LOVED the Pacific Northwest and the West in general. And how JEALOUS I am of my Seattle & Salt Lake City McCarthy family members. IT'S TOTALLY NOT FAIR.
NOT TO MENTION HOW TRULY WONDERFUL all of our friends and family are in the Northwest. I will miss each and everyone of you every day.
The geography is already changing. The drama of the west is fading. I am already sad :( In fact, tomorrow we drive through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I lived from age 5 - 21. TALK ABOUT DEPRESSING. Pittsburgh is a lot like Detroit. Down and out economically. However, it does have one bright spot---and that is my cousin DEBBY KYES and her family. SHE IS ABSOLUTELY wonderful and I love her dearly and it will be a lot easier to visit with her going forward.
My hope is that all the wonderful family we have in DC and Virginia outweighs the sadness I feel having to move against my wishes :( Let's just hope we like it and the area we live in is pretty.
In baby news, I'm starting to be so swollen and out of breath and uncomfortable that all I want is to be horizontal as much as possible. Not to mention that the baby is digging his feet or elbows into my ribs all the time. OUCH! I didn't realize my belly would be hard and boney. I thought it would be squishy. So--it's way more weird than I expected.
The doggies are really enjoying our trip and the time with us. They have been so good in the car and the hotel rooms---except for tonight. When we came back from dinner, we discovered our puppy had hurled all of her body weight through the nylon mesh of her soft crate and devoured the hotel travel directory. Good thing we got home when we did. Thankfully, it wasn't the furniture or our luggage :)
That's all for now :) LOVE YOU and miss you and talk to you soon. Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.
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