Road Trip - end of Day 4 & most of Day 5

HOW IS IT ALREADY DAY 5?!  Aaaaaah!!!!

Right now I feel like I'm in the movie, "Field of Dreams" because all around me there are...fields. And cows. And silos. And corn. We're chuggin through Minnesota on our way to South Dakota because seeing some presidential heads carved into a mountainside is very VERY neccessary.

Last night, we stayed at Merrick State Park in Wisconsin for $29 bucks. 

It was a little expensive, but we were right on the Mississippi (or Mrs. Sippy, whom Ed married and loved with all of his heart) and the site came with electric, dumping station and showers.  Oh, and LOADS of mosquitos. 

It was actually the first night we hung out inside the RV after dinner because we didn't want to die from blood loss. I may have used the opportunity to trade identities with Jack Johnson. Nobody will ever know. The resemblence is striking.

This morning, we woke up, showered in mosquito-infested nests/showers, poured some cereal, pulled the ol' RV up to the dump site, did our thing there and got going. Wooooo!  Goodbye Wisconsin!  Sadly, we did not have any cheese.

Our big stop of the day was the Mall of America in Bloomington Minnesota, or as I like to call it: Teen Pregnancy USA.  I've never seen so many pregnant teenagers in my life!  I feel like Minnesota would truly benefit from some more entertainment or after school programming. More field trips? Something.

Anywho! The Mall of America was the perfect place to get a little pampered. Jac and I went for overpriced pedicures (in NYC, you can get a mani and pedi for under 20 bucks...here it was 45) and then I got a trim, mainly to have my hair washed in non-lake water. Woohoo! Mission accomplished! We also grabbed massive burritos and beer at a Mexican restaurant AND went on a rollercoaster!!!! Video to come.

We made a brief stop in Bird Island, Minnesota just now and a woman told us that "up the road in Olivia, there is the biggest corn cob in Minnesota" so we obviously stopped and had a small photo shoot. Sneak peek:

Things I'm learning whilst on the road:

- every state has hillbillies
- nobody outside of NYC/NJ wears a helmet on motorcycles
- to city folk, a thunderstorm brewing in the middle of an outstretched Wisconsin/Minnesotan corn field perfectly resembles the beginning of the movie, Twister. Panic ensued.
- high school football is a really big deal to certain places.
- gas prices fluxuate between 3.49 and 3.79.
- cigarrette prices fluxuate (NYC = 14.50, Minnessota = 4.00)
-liquor prices stay relatively the same.
-low-fat chips and low-fat cream cheese...what is that? ...do not exist.  It's a full fat kinda trip.
-AND this is always a bit jarring to see up ahead: 

I'll end on a quote from our Bird Island cashier friend, "You're from New Jersey? What the hell are you doing here?!"

That's all for now!
L

Road Trip - Days 3 and 4

RV life is extremely strange. 

Everything I need is right here with me.  I feel like a hoarder homeless person pushing my whole life around in a shopping cart, except that I have practically nothing (please beware: nothing includes a laptop, cell phone, and bathroom...mwahaha) and I'm not looking to add to it.  It's amazing how little is necessary in everyday life.  And it's amazing how having less does not ultimately equate to less fun. I mean, how could waking up in Ohio, grabbing lunch in Indiana, grilling before bed in Illinois and grabbing lunch the following day in Wisconsin be boring?  

HOW?!
I am starting to feel that a trip like this should be a pre-requisite to living in America.  It may be unrealistic, but a girl can dream.  Plus, I'm so relaxed right now for the first time in years, that I pretty much think anything is possible. Next up, ROAD TRIP TO THE MOON!!!! 

maybe?
I can only post pictures from my phone, so the quality isn't great and I'm missing tons of amazing stuff, but let's get up to speed. The night of my last blog entry, we had a cookout with turkey burgers and beans beneath the rollercoasters at Cedar Point, Ohio:

Then, we woke up and headed toward Chicago.  But first, lunch under an apple tree in Indiana:

Once in Illinois, we did what any American would do.  We went to Walmart!  We've been compiling a list of must haves and this stop was much needed. Sidenote: Illinois...it is WINDY.

Last night we ended up in the MOST amazing spot, Marseilles Illinois.  This town was unreal.  The average resident age was 68 and the Main Street was lined with stores and restaurants named after their person, i.e. Mimi's Resale Shop, A&J's Restaurant, Pam's Donuts, Mr. Hendrick's Tax service, Mr. Wong's Chinese Food (for a touch of culture).  The place was cool. We were officially charmed.

The night was spent on the water at Illini State Park. 

It was beautiful...AND I saw a raccoon.  Doubly amazing.

This morning, it was time to hit the road again.  First stop: A&J's Restaurant in town! 

A slightly grumpy, frumpy, older woman served us and although it was the quaintest darn thing I've ever witnessed, the food was...blegh. I actually read the ingredients on my syrup container and could not find one thing that resembled the word "Maple".  Seriously, it wasn't even trying to be maple syrup.  Silence fell over the group as our meal ended and our stomachs twisted and grumbled.  We made a break for it.  Gooodbye Illinios!

Right now we are headed to Minnesota by way of Wisconsin, so that's where we washed the bug juice off of our windshielf and stopped for lunch. 

Right now I think the plan is to drive as far as possible and hit up the Mall of America tomorrow morning. We actually took a brief detour just now to experience the La Crosse Bluff.  Gorgeous views:

Au revoir!

found a wisconsin license plate with my pre-marriage initials

xoxo
L

Road Trip Days 1 & 2

It's official!

I'm blogging LIVE from our fabulous RV...as it terrentially downpours outside of our little windows. It's so nice to be safe and comfy inside of our mini home on wheels! 

Right now, we're parked in our space (with electricity...unlike last night) at the Cedar Point Ohio campground, just outside of the amusement park.

There are literally rollercoasters in our "yard".  Rollercoasters that we used to kickstart Day 2, mind you.  Talk about the right way to wake up.  Immediate stress release (and bad hair)!

So far, this trip has been unlike anything I could have ever imagined. Yes, (backseat) driving this thing requires a learning curve, but it is really the most amazing way to travel.  It's just us and the open road!

The crew minus the hubs.

Reading in traffic

Banana/Corn Muffins made by my sister and Mom. YUM!

Looking a bit skeptical

Yesterday, we left at 10:30am and got going.  We drove out of New Jersey and  into PA.  The plan was to make it to Ohio in one day.  We wanted to get PA under our belt so that we could enjoy so many other places further out west later on.

After a few hours, we decided to hit up a rest stop.  We parked, played frisbee, partook in a brief - but much needed - jumping jack session and  used the bathroom (even though we're carting one with us).  From there, we got back on track until a vehicle fire caused MASSIVE traffic that put us about an hour and a half behind schedule.  Our original plan of arriving to Ohio by 6, quickly turned into 8:30pm. 

Ohio!!!!

Open road sunset

Pulling into our first site ever was HECTIC.  SOOOOO many eyes were on us (our RV may look a bit touristy) and the spot we were meant to park in was cramped.  However, the hubs' driving expertise paired with Jac's superb directing ability made for a successful, non-accidental parking job.  And so we settled in...for about 3 minutes.  That's when the owner of the park told us we could go somewhere more private, with less people around (I think we were cramping their style). It was amazing.  We parked, made dinner and relaxed with our cooler of beer outside.

Then, this morning it was off to the park...which is where we are now!!

Guilty...of greasy hair.

Lookin crazy, drinking coffee.

Time to shower...FINALLY!

xoxo
L

The time has come...

It is less than one week until we embark on our cross country RV extravaganza!!!!!!!

And even though the house is a mess...I'm excited.  Like, really REALLY excited. You understand.

On Saturday, we train it to Kenvil, NJ and from there...THE WORLD (well, the northern most part of America)!

I'll be sure to keep you posted.

BEST LEARNED TIP SO FAR:it is possible to buy nearly everything needed from The Christmas Tree Shoppe for under 10 dollars. Pop out tailgating chairs included.

xoxo

L

A producer without an editor is...

sad.

Actually, my editor just arrived. PHEW. Thank goodness for blogs that help bide the time. 

xoxo

L

PS. please take note of the lonesome KISS pic dangling in the corner of this less than gorgeous edit room.

Pretty Pretty

Orange has always held a special place in my brain as the ugliest color in the rainbow.  Something about it just feels off to me.  Which is weird, because it's a color seen in nature constantly.  Soooo...it really shouldn't seem unnatural.

In the past, I used to think that orange shirts made their wearer resemble a pumpkin and even though pumpkins are great, they remind me of halloween...which is also great, but then reminds me of costumes...and blacked out teeth...on a kid chewing a piece of straw and wearing a wig. ANYWAY, I'm better now.  Orange isn't terrible. It's actually pretty cute.

Good Commute vs. Bad Commute

Today, I have experienced 2 insanely opposite commutes.

The first:

I sat next to a young mom and her child on the train.  For most of the ride, the little boy (about 3ish) sat on her lap and pointed out the window saying, "look at the choo choo train, that's a choo choo train, we're on a choo choo train," until it switched to "look at the wawderr, that's wawderr, look at the wawderr," UNTIL it then switched to the lightest little singing voice ever...UNTIL he feel asleep while his mom hugged him.  Honestly, I didn't know whether to cry or fall asleep in a little cocoon of happiness myself.  It was adorable.

The second:

I'm standing on the 6 train as we approach Times Square, 42nd street.  Two girls, nicely dressed, (does that matter? possibly) start pushing eachother as they exit the train.  They are sisters or something similar.  I assume this because I don't think I'd touch anyone other than my sister (10 years ago) in this way.  These girls are laughing and playing around, but taking it too far as the girl exiting first falls into the woman in front of her and apologizes.  Yet, they don't stop.  They keep pushing/hitting eachother as they shuffle off the train.  It isn't really that crazy.  Normally, they would just walk off and all would be forgotten.  Except that today a suited, gel-haired, business guy in his mid-twenties decides to get involved by throwing his hand flat against the back of the girl before him and proceeds to PUSH HER OFF OF THE TRAIN! Might I add...HARD.  It wasn't some light shove. No. He really went for it.

First thing that flashed through my mind: they must know eachother. 
Second thing: A non-homeless/crazy man shoved a woman?! Did anyone else see that?!

As the girl falls forward into the people in front of her, she turns around and screams, "Who do you think you're pushing?!" 

AND THEN, they start fighting!!!! A GUY AND A GIRL! He pushed her again (as if she was some obnoxious gnat in his way) and she totally whaled him.  The train pulled away and I literally couldn't believe what I had witnessed.  I've never seen a guy touch a girl in an aggressive manner before. It was like seeing a dog wearing rollerblades, but disturbing! What a completely unstereotypical commute. 

Yuck for not respecting personal space and yay for baby voices singing about water and choo choo trains!

xoxo
Laura