A Million and One Things

I realized I really hadn't mentioned much about my road trip when I wrote in my last post that I told the lady who sold me my sweatshirt all about it. So, I guess it's your turn to hear the short version!

You can already find this story online with the same pictures (probably more of them, actually, but I have the link to the Facebook album here, so enjoy) but...I'm going to write all about it anyway.

Saturday, May 31st. I attended my brother's high school graduation in the afternoon in Sarasota. Meanwhile, Ody waits patiently in the parking lot of Robarts Arena, fully stocked with all my material possessions. After my brother's graduation (congrats!) Ody and I trek to Applebee's for dinner out with the family and an emotional goodbye-I'm-leaving-for-Denver-now-who-ever-thunk-it.

And I'm off to Tampa to pick up my partner in crime at the airport! It is already apparent that, while I obviously don't own that much stuff, it's heavy. Ody's 4-cylinders were chugging along on the flat Florida landscape. The Skyway almost did him in. Maybe the mountains are not such a good idea. But I read stories about people in Japan driving these little xD's everywhere on the mountains. Ody perseveres. (He's a fighter)

I get to Tampa and meet Jeremy like clockwork, as he had just made it to arrivals and I literally did a drive-by pickup. Switching over from my "SRQ to TPA" playlist to my "TPA to GVL" playlist, we were ready to rock!

Tentative plans to hang out with some of my friends from undergrad work out perfectly and I have the chance to share Maude's with Jeremy. Bonus points for having Fiorela as our waitress. It felt like it'd been so long since I had been back in Gainesville! We stay out later than was planned but it was totally worth it. Hotel. Sleep.

Sunday, June 1st. And we're up before the sun! Jeremy took this shot as we drove westbound on I-10, with the sun chasing us in the side mirrors (note that the rearview mirror was worthless this entire trip):
We continue into Georgia and stop at a local diner there. (One goal of the trip was to eat completely at local places, but this hope later became dashed as some diners in Little Rock just don't like to be open when you need breakfast!) Alabama was pretty uneventful, too, as far as I can remember. Oh, we were lost for an insignificant amount of time. However, in case you're wondering, Mississippi has the best rest stop known to mankind with beautiful grass and hot coffee:
For the evening, Jeremy had arranged for us to stay at his friend's (Adam's) place in Memphis. We went out for BBQ and walked Memphis, where we ended up catching a band. The band was asking for people to come on up and say where they were from so Jeremy and I walked up and had him announce that we were from Colorado! A lady later walked up and told us she was from Colorado Springs. Awesome.

Memphis at sunset.

Monday, June 2nd. One long day of driving down, one long day to go. We start our day by getting lost in Memphis, when all we really needed to do was head over the HUGE BRIDGE spanning the Mississippi River, but who knew? Somewhat scary early-morning direction issues aside, crossing the Mississippi from Memphis, TN to West Memphis, AR was a beautiful way to start the day. Side note: rest stops in Arkansas are not as nice as rest stops in Mississippi. Our first break of the day will come soon in Little Rock, where we will meet Jeremy's friend, Dan, for breakfast. Since the diner that was found online turned out not to be open for breakfast...ever...Jeremy and I meet Dan at iHop out of convenience, thus breaking out pact to eat only at local, non-chain restaurants. It didn't matter, Dan was a hoot and we were full! Time to brave the Arkansas-Oklahoma-Kansas stretch. Did you just yawn? Actually it wasn't that bad.

Besides, when you want to mix it up just drive through Tulsa, the city that has the worst highway signs EVER, resulting in the third and last time Jeremy and I found ourselves lost. I challenge you to try to get out of Tulsa alive.

If getting lost in Tulsa isn't exciting enough to break up the Arkansas-Oklahoma-Kansas boredom, drive a fully packed Scion xD down a country road in Kansas. On cruise control. Most preferably down a hill. In Ford County.

Anyway, Jeremy and I made it to Dodge City! Yeeha/yahoo! Dinner. Sleep.

Monday, June 3rd. We awake in DODGE CITY!

The Boot Hill Bed & Breakfast. Run by the sweetest couple (and they have massive international travel experience with more in the works!), occupied by a diverse population of transient residents, and in possession of one of the best, most filling breakfasts ever.Bonus points if you can find Jeremy in the above picture.

OK, you can't tell me that you dislike that hat on him. ;)Headstone located in a recreation of Boot Hill Cemetery.A Dodge City one-room schoolhouse.

Shoot out!

Still full from breakfast, we ate sandwiches and then went to the Longbranch Saloon for Sarsaparilla, a cream soda meets root beer type drink. At this point, my stomach was probably saying "Lady, do you remember what you had for breakfast? I'll tell you: coffee, orange juice, fresh fruit, homemade eggs, homemade herbed potatoes, four different types of homemade pastries. OK, you didn't finish your bacon, but it doesn't make this right!"
I was done eating for the rest of my life after that drink.

The Santa Fe Trail Tracks. Historical Marker #23242435423 that we passed. But the coolest. And you can see Ody in the background!

Besides more uneventfulness, and another breaking of the pact at a Sonic in Pueblo, CO, our journey took us through Colorado Springs where Jeremy and I decided to take in a minor league baseball game (and nachos, oh, more food) with his friends Tim and Jo. We also went to Tim and Jo's and ate ice cream (oh, even more food) and watched some good comedy.

Minor League Baseball in Colorado Springs.

And then we continued on to Denver, picked up Drake (Jeremy's Subaru) picked up my keys (which was pointless since I left them in Golden when I needed them most) and continued on to Golden to catch some shut-eye before moving day, culminating in the end of the road trip.

That's about all I'm going to write for now, and a rather good summary, but the thing about road trips is that you really just had to be there. :)

-Tami