The drive down to Pennsylvania to visit Hannah’s friends Adam and Christina was also a beautiful one. We stopped along the way to get a better look and were surprised to discover tons of (Kristin, cover your eyes) ladybugs!! It was incredible! I’ve never seen so many in my life. We started to wonder if perhaps that’s what had been pelting our windshield as we drove.
We arrived at A&C’s in the afternoon, and were greeted by Christina and her almost-one-year-old daughter, Remy. And Remy is adorable. She’s so happy, especially when her Aunt Diana is around. It’s hilarious.
I wasn’t feeling very good the first couple days, so I spent quite a bit of time alone that night and the next day. That second day Christina, Remy, Diana, Hannah and I went to a trail in the Delaware Water Gap National Rec Area. Apparently the land was bought by the government for this big development, but they ran out of money so they sold it back to farmers for about $1 per acre for the next several years. Now they are working on a trail that will go all the way through it, but there are still fields of corn set against a backdrop of tree-covered mountains on one side and the Delaware River on the other. It was fantastic. Diana and Hannah ran while Christina, Remy and I walked. On the way back to the house they pointed out a Thai restaurant and Hannah and I couldn’t believe we had finally found a Thai place outside of Bellingham. And it ended up tasting pretty good, too.
That night a bunch of people were supposed to come over, which I was a little nervous about since I didn’t know any of them. I was afraid that I would just end up sitting silently by myself while they all reminisced about shared memories. But it actually ended up being a lot of fun. Adam and Christina’s friends Jeff and AJ were there, along with Diana. And the special guests of the night were Meghan, Lauren and Louise. Meghan used to work at the same day camp as Hannah, Christina and Adam, and she had no idea Hannah would be there while she was visiting. So that was a fun surprise. Lauren is Meghan’s good friend, and Louise is Lauren’s sister. Except I don’t know if her name was actually Louise. I don’t think it was, but I don’t remember her real name. :S Oops. Anyways, most of the night was spent eating and talking and playing with Remy. We also watched some of a Phillies’ baseball game because Lauren loves them but AJ feels the opposite for them. We also tried to play 65, but it didn’t really catch on.
The next morning did not start well. Once again our alarms failed us, so we got a late start heading to NYC. But eventually we made it to where our fairy was supposed to leave from, only to find out that it only travels in the morning until 10 a.m. (it was around 11:30) and wouldn’t start up again until 3 p.m. So we set off to find a different fairy, not having any idea where to go except near water. We drove aimlessly around New Jersey and eventually found another ferry, but it wasn’t running either. By this point we were both very hungry and therefore kinda stressed, so there was a lot of tension in the car. We ended up trying to ask a woman walking her dog for help, but she didn’t speak English. Instead we interrupted a cop’s phone call and he was kind enough to point us in the right direction. However, when we got to the transit station he told us about, we had a lot of trouble finding parking. That led to even more tension. We finally gave in and decided to pay for parking in a lot. Quite possibly the sketchiest-seeming lot ever. There were a few Hispanic guys, all pretty young, attending the lot, and they kept talking to each other in Spanish so we couldn’t tell what they were saying. The system there was to hand over your keys so that they can move your car and let others out when people leave mid-day. I had never heard of anything like this, but decided to be trusting and give it a shot. So we paid, said “goodbye” to Pete (for possibly the last time), and headed to the PATH train that would take us to Manhattan.
Hannah and I cleared the air while we were on the train, and agreed to get food as soon as we could.
We arrived next to the site of the WTC construction and looked around there for a bit. Next we walked to Chinatown and Little Italy, got some pizza (and “Don’t Stop Believing” came on while we were in the pizza place) and gelato, then hopped on a Subway train that took us up to Times Square. That place is amazing. Everything is SO BIG. I really wish we could have seen it at night, but we didn’t have the chance this time around. While we strolled along Broadway, a guy asked us if we were interested in going to this taping of a comedy show that night. Me, being the skeptic I am, was curious to find out details and what the catch was. It turned out to be stand up comedy from some SNL cast members and was being taped for Comedy Central. We already had plans that night, though, so we declined, only to overhear later that you had to buy at least two drinks while there. Pshaw.
We walked up to Central Park and were blown away by this huge park and vast amount of greenery that happened to be in the center of a large, bustling city. And bustling around the entrance were hot dog vendors, so we indulged in a couple of sausage dogs. While we were up that way, we also found the Plaza Hotel (as seen in Home Alone) which Hannah was very excited about. By the time we exited the park, my feet hurt really bad. I guess I didn’t wear the best walking shoes, and we walked a bunch. Hannah’s feet were hurting too, so we decided to go to the Museum of Natural History and then find some dinner.
The Museum had some cool stuff in it, but it wasn’t quite as exciting as we thought it would be. Maybe if we hadn’t been as tired, or if we were kids, it would have been more interesting. Funny story, though: Before entering the museum there’s a sign listing items that are prohibited inside. On that list is mace. I had our bear mace in my bag (in case anyone happened to try to attack us). We decided to go in anyways and just ask if perhaps they could hold it for us while we walked around. I was a little nervous though. A guy started checking Hannah’s bag while a woman started going through mine, but I let her know. They both looked at me like I was nuts. The guy asked, “Why in the world do you have bear mace?” We laughed and told them about our trip, and how we figured it would be handy if we came across a bear or a bad person. The woman signaled for me to just put it back in my bag and not worry about it, and the guy advised us to just stay away from bears because mace wouldn’t do much good. They were really nice and funny.
After the museum we boarded another train back down to where we were going to see Donald Miller talk that night. We found a little pub to eat at (my burger wasn’t very good) then headed to the church. The talks by Susan Isaacs and Donald Miller were both great. DM was very inspiring as he discussed what makes for a good story and challenged us to live out things that scare us. I hope I am able to do so. That night ended up being a really good one for Hannah, since she ended up being able to go backstage to meet DM afterwards, and she was the winner of autographed copies of all the books being sold that night. She also met a lady named Vicky who was very impressed by this trip we were taking. Vicky was super nice and friendly and offered to help us in any way she could. Funny story from here: At the end everyone got in line to get signatures and chat with Susan and DM. Vicky somehow ended up at the front of this line, and thus Hannah and I were at the front since we were talking to her. Susan got to the table before DM did, so I ended up talking to her a little. I have a friend who will be (hear that, Kenny? WILL BE) moving to NYC sometime soonish, and since Susan, like my friend, was into stand up comedy and writing, I decided to ask her for any advice she could give. Eventually it was brought up that I was from Bellingham, and she said she had a friend who lived there. I asked who, she said Dave W. and I was shocked that she and I had a mutual friend. Such a small world, who would've thought.
We headed back to the subway and let a few trains pass by us before we finally asked a couple of girls if the ones going by would take us to the right place. They were really helpful and let us know which trains were safe and what we should avoid. They ended up boarding the same train as us, and pointed us in the right direction when we got to our stop, too. While on the train we also talked to two other girls who had been shopping at Whole Foods, one of Hannah’s fav stores. So it turned out to be true that New Yorkers are actually incredibly kind when you talk to them, they just tend to live in their own bubbles until you pop in. When we got onto the PATH train back to Jersey, we chatted with a man who lived in Hoboken, NJ (where the station was) and worked in NY. We found out he had friends coming to visit that weekend, so we gave him our leftover vouchers for transit rides. I don’t remember his name either. I’ll name him Gene. Gene from New Jersey. Yup.
At first when we walked back to the parking lot, we didn’t see Pete. Then we spotted him hidden behind a newsstand. And then it turned out that the key was in the ignition AND the front window was rolled down all the way. Hm... But everything was still there, so our trust paid off. We drove by the water to see a night view of the city lights, then headed back to PA, hoping to find the White Castle we had seen a sign for that morning, but no luck there. I slept very well that night.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Oh, and for more pics, go here.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
½ Tank #22 & 23
The drive from the Canadian border to the cabin in New York was beautiful. The colors of the trees are just amazing. The yellows, greens, oranges and bright reds mix together to form incredible collages. It’s strange to think that this scenery is caused by the leaves dying and that the trees will soon be bare. It was a pretty quiet ride, too, since most of the time I was driving Hannah was asleep, and most of the time Hannah drove, I slept.
When I awoke from my nap, all the colors looked really dull. I wondered later if it was because we were now on a main freeway because when we got onto backroads again the vividness reemerged.
We ended up taking the scenic route to the cabin. Although, considering the area, I think any route would be scenic.
The cabin was incredible. It was right on the lake and was simple and comfortable. The only thing wrong with it was that the furnace wasn’t working. And it was cold. Very, very cold. It was actually colder inside the cabin than it was outside. We decided to drive to a “town” where we would hopefully have cell reception and find a grocery store. We called the owners of the cabin and found out that the furnace was probably out of oil and couldn’t be repaired until the next morning. We also found a little store and bought some fixings for a spaghetti dinner and cookies (to hopefully generate a little heat from the oven).
We returned to the cabin and bundled up in several layers before huddling by the stove while dinner cooked. Eventually we forced ourselves to sit at the table to eat and play cards for a few hours. We of course also decided to speculate about the chances of a thief or murderer or zombie sneaking into the cabin. So by the time it was late enough for us to go to bed, Hannah was thoroughly freaked out. Our scared factor along with how cold we were led to the decision to share a bed that night, even though there are two rooms in the cabin. The whole setup was rather humorous: we combined all of the blankets we could find (I believe we had 9, all pretty thick), we were each wearing about three layers, and we had bear mace, a knife and a heavy Maglite flashlight next to the bed. We were set. We put on the only movie Hannah had on her computer (P.S., I Love You, much to my dismay) to distract us from any sounds the cabin might make to scare us. I have a hard time sleeping through movies, especially if I haven’t seen them before, and even if I don’t really want to see them, but Hannah didn’t have that problem. She was out in no time. I got through about half of the movie before the picture froze and the sound continued. That really drove me nuts, but I wasn’t about to get out of the cozy bed, so I rolled over to try and sleep and passed out within a few minutes.
The next morning we both woke up to a light knock on the door. I wasn’t even sure it had been a knock, but when I saw Hannah seemed to have heard it too, I jumped out of bed in hopes it was the oil man to fix the furnace. It turned out to be Bob, the caretaker of the cabin. However, I had just woken up and was still very out of it, so I may have offended Bob by trying to be cautious. He was nice about it, though, and did get our heat working. Having warmth made the cabin much more comfortable.
We enjoyed a delish breakfast made by Hannah, then took turns showering. Eventually we finally packed into the car and headed for Saratoga Springs to hopefully find internet so we could plan out the next couple weeks. I’m not sure if you know this, but there are a lot of little states on the East Coast, so it’s tricky to make sure we hit all of them.
Starbucks was right on the corner where we parked, but there weren’t any tables with outlets nearby, so we hoofed it down the block and stumbled upon a Borders with free Wi-Fi. Woohoo! I think we spent a good four or five hours there emailing and calling people.
By the time we got back to the cabin we were starving, so Hannah heated up some left over spaghetti and I made a quick box of Mac & Cheese and we both added hot dogs to our bowls (classy, eh?). We played cards again while we ate, with Hannah rocking me at 65, then we each went to our own rooms and had “quiet” times. I listened to music and read another chapter from Blue Like Jazz, but then was too tired to keep reading so I just decided to sleep. Not long after Hannah came to my door asking if I had heard that noise. I hadn’t, so I asked, “What noise?” She was obviously still edgy about being in the cabin at night. When she left, she didn’t close my door all the way, so when the heat kicked on, my door opened, which bugged me, so I rolled over and closed it all the way. When I rolled back over, I realized that that had probably been loud, and would possibly startle Hannah. I was right. She was back in a flash and asked me if I had opened the door. I told her what had happened, we giggled, and then she shut the door all the way and went back to her room...for good that time.
Both of our alarms failed to go off the next morning, so we left a little later than we had planned.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
When I awoke from my nap, all the colors looked really dull. I wondered later if it was because we were now on a main freeway because when we got onto backroads again the vividness reemerged.
We ended up taking the scenic route to the cabin. Although, considering the area, I think any route would be scenic.
The cabin was incredible. It was right on the lake and was simple and comfortable. The only thing wrong with it was that the furnace wasn’t working. And it was cold. Very, very cold. It was actually colder inside the cabin than it was outside. We decided to drive to a “town” where we would hopefully have cell reception and find a grocery store. We called the owners of the cabin and found out that the furnace was probably out of oil and couldn’t be repaired until the next morning. We also found a little store and bought some fixings for a spaghetti dinner and cookies (to hopefully generate a little heat from the oven).
We returned to the cabin and bundled up in several layers before huddling by the stove while dinner cooked. Eventually we forced ourselves to sit at the table to eat and play cards for a few hours. We of course also decided to speculate about the chances of a thief or murderer or zombie sneaking into the cabin. So by the time it was late enough for us to go to bed, Hannah was thoroughly freaked out. Our scared factor along with how cold we were led to the decision to share a bed that night, even though there are two rooms in the cabin. The whole setup was rather humorous: we combined all of the blankets we could find (I believe we had 9, all pretty thick), we were each wearing about three layers, and we had bear mace, a knife and a heavy Maglite flashlight next to the bed. We were set. We put on the only movie Hannah had on her computer (P.S., I Love You, much to my dismay) to distract us from any sounds the cabin might make to scare us. I have a hard time sleeping through movies, especially if I haven’t seen them before, and even if I don’t really want to see them, but Hannah didn’t have that problem. She was out in no time. I got through about half of the movie before the picture froze and the sound continued. That really drove me nuts, but I wasn’t about to get out of the cozy bed, so I rolled over to try and sleep and passed out within a few minutes.
The next morning we both woke up to a light knock on the door. I wasn’t even sure it had been a knock, but when I saw Hannah seemed to have heard it too, I jumped out of bed in hopes it was the oil man to fix the furnace. It turned out to be Bob, the caretaker of the cabin. However, I had just woken up and was still very out of it, so I may have offended Bob by trying to be cautious. He was nice about it, though, and did get our heat working. Having warmth made the cabin much more comfortable.
We enjoyed a delish breakfast made by Hannah, then took turns showering. Eventually we finally packed into the car and headed for Saratoga Springs to hopefully find internet so we could plan out the next couple weeks. I’m not sure if you know this, but there are a lot of little states on the East Coast, so it’s tricky to make sure we hit all of them.
Starbucks was right on the corner where we parked, but there weren’t any tables with outlets nearby, so we hoofed it down the block and stumbled upon a Borders with free Wi-Fi. Woohoo! I think we spent a good four or five hours there emailing and calling people.
By the time we got back to the cabin we were starving, so Hannah heated up some left over spaghetti and I made a quick box of Mac & Cheese and we both added hot dogs to our bowls (classy, eh?). We played cards again while we ate, with Hannah rocking me at 65, then we each went to our own rooms and had “quiet” times. I listened to music and read another chapter from Blue Like Jazz, but then was too tired to keep reading so I just decided to sleep. Not long after Hannah came to my door asking if I had heard that noise. I hadn’t, so I asked, “What noise?” She was obviously still edgy about being in the cabin at night. When she left, she didn’t close my door all the way, so when the heat kicked on, my door opened, which bugged me, so I rolled over and closed it all the way. When I rolled back over, I realized that that had probably been loud, and would possibly startle Hannah. I was right. She was back in a flash and asked me if I had opened the door. I told her what had happened, we giggled, and then she shut the door all the way and went back to her room...for good that time.
Both of our alarms failed to go off the next morning, so we left a little later than we had planned.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
½ Tank #21
We slept in a bit at the hotel, hoping that we wouldn’t have a long drive that day. That hope was realized when I called Irene, our very random contact in Hamilton, ON (CANADA!), and she said we could absolutely stay with her that night. After missing our free continental breakfast by 15 minutes (even though there was still food left), Hannah and I begrudgingly hit the road, power bars in hand.
The crossing into Canada went very smoothly despite our worries of getting searched because of all the stuff we have in the back of our car. A few minutes later we were wandering around Niagara Falls. I know that it’s just water and shouldn’t be a big deal, but I thought it was beautiful. I can’t make anything close to that amazing, so I was impressed. We were there on a kind of sunny day, too, so we got to see a rainbow over the falls. What I also really enjoyed about be there was the people. There was such diversity there and I loved it. An Asian woman is actually who pointed out one of the rainbows to me. :)
Hannah and I eventually made our way north and were amazed that we could see Toronto from the highway we were on a least an hour and a half away from the city. We were noticing some of the different license plates around us and Hannah wondered if we were the only Washington plate in the area. I figured there was a good chance we were, considering how far from home we were. Maybe 10 minutes later what should happen by us? Yup, a car with Washington plates. Ha. We tried to get them to notice us and care that we were from the same place, but that didn’t seem to work out.
When we arrived in Hamilton we were both very hungry, so we stopped at a restaurant called Montana’s. Ironic, I know. It was all decked out with animal heads (real or fake I’m not sure) and other random goods from the “Wild West.” After eating we set off to Irene’s a few blocks away and found it pretty easily.
Irene was such a nice lady, and very giving, especially considering her circumstances. She had just moved into her new house a few weeks before and was still trying to fix it up and get it organized. She had also gone through a divorce fairly recently as well, but seemed to be doing well. We met her shy son very briefly, and her daughter not at all.
Our first sight-seeing stop with Irene was a mall that we spent only enough time in for Hannah to fall in love with a vest that she didn’t end up getting, something she now regrets a bit. Next we went to Value Village and looked around at all kinds of stuff, but the only purchase was made by Irene and was a non-squeaking wheel for her hamster. After that we went to a place called “the Devil’s Punchbowl.” It’s a big cliff that’s circular and drops straight down for a long ways. Irene informed us that a lot of people have committed suicide there. Despite that sad fact, it was an incredibly beautiful area. There was a huge cross by part of the cliff that apparently lights up at night.
Following the punchbowl we just headed back home and tried to decide what to eat for dinner. Once we were sure no Thai restaurants existed in Hamilton, we settled on Chinese from Mandarin. It was the best thing I’ve ever had. Seriously. Hannah and I are determined that we won’t ever eat Chinese again because it could never be as good. If you ever find yourself in Ontario, try to find one of their restaurants -- you won’t regret it.
The next morning we actually awoke and left (more or less) on time. We made it back into the States with any problems, even though we didn’t get the hot Irish guard.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
The crossing into Canada went very smoothly despite our worries of getting searched because of all the stuff we have in the back of our car. A few minutes later we were wandering around Niagara Falls. I know that it’s just water and shouldn’t be a big deal, but I thought it was beautiful. I can’t make anything close to that amazing, so I was impressed. We were there on a kind of sunny day, too, so we got to see a rainbow over the falls. What I also really enjoyed about be there was the people. There was such diversity there and I loved it. An Asian woman is actually who pointed out one of the rainbows to me. :)
Hannah and I eventually made our way north and were amazed that we could see Toronto from the highway we were on a least an hour and a half away from the city. We were noticing some of the different license plates around us and Hannah wondered if we were the only Washington plate in the area. I figured there was a good chance we were, considering how far from home we were. Maybe 10 minutes later what should happen by us? Yup, a car with Washington plates. Ha. We tried to get them to notice us and care that we were from the same place, but that didn’t seem to work out.
When we arrived in Hamilton we were both very hungry, so we stopped at a restaurant called Montana’s. Ironic, I know. It was all decked out with animal heads (real or fake I’m not sure) and other random goods from the “Wild West.” After eating we set off to Irene’s a few blocks away and found it pretty easily.
Irene was such a nice lady, and very giving, especially considering her circumstances. She had just moved into her new house a few weeks before and was still trying to fix it up and get it organized. She had also gone through a divorce fairly recently as well, but seemed to be doing well. We met her shy son very briefly, and her daughter not at all.
Our first sight-seeing stop with Irene was a mall that we spent only enough time in for Hannah to fall in love with a vest that she didn’t end up getting, something she now regrets a bit. Next we went to Value Village and looked around at all kinds of stuff, but the only purchase was made by Irene and was a non-squeaking wheel for her hamster. After that we went to a place called “the Devil’s Punchbowl.” It’s a big cliff that’s circular and drops straight down for a long ways. Irene informed us that a lot of people have committed suicide there. Despite that sad fact, it was an incredibly beautiful area. There was a huge cross by part of the cliff that apparently lights up at night.
Following the punchbowl we just headed back home and tried to decide what to eat for dinner. Once we were sure no Thai restaurants existed in Hamilton, we settled on Chinese from Mandarin. It was the best thing I’ve ever had. Seriously. Hannah and I are determined that we won’t ever eat Chinese again because it could never be as good. If you ever find yourself in Ontario, try to find one of their restaurants -- you won’t regret it.
The next morning we actually awoke and left (more or less) on time. We made it back into the States with any problems, even though we didn’t get the hot Irish guard.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Friday, October 16, 2009
½ #19-20
We didn’t really have any exciting stops this time around, but the day was full of surprises. The first came at a rest stop in Ohio where we learned that Hannah’s friends who live in Pittsburgh don’t actually live in Pittsburgh. They live on completely the other side of Pennsylvania. So we scrambled to contact anyone we could about staying in Pittsburgh or Buffalo, NY. We even tried contacting someone at the Church of LDS. Eventually, though, we ended up at a hotel in Niagara Falls, NY with a discount through Hannah’s cousin. Phew. We had some trouble finding the place, but in the end we got there and had pizza to boot. Not a bad setup.
Funny story of the day: Hannah was on the phone with a girl at Pizza Hut while I was laying on one of the beds telling her what I wanted on my half of the pizza. I farted louder than I had intended (hopefully you know me well enough to know that that’s not unusual for me...or maybe you’re learning something new about me) and Hannah started laughing. That of course caused me to start laughing as well, so we were both cracking up while Hannah was on the phone. I had to leave the room so that she could compose herself enough to finish the order. The Pizza Hut girl probably thought we were crazy.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for this one. Don’t forget to check out new pictures here.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Funny story of the day: Hannah was on the phone with a girl at Pizza Hut while I was laying on one of the beds telling her what I wanted on my half of the pizza. I farted louder than I had intended (hopefully you know me well enough to know that that’s not unusual for me...or maybe you’re learning something new about me) and Hannah started laughing. That of course caused me to start laughing as well, so we were both cracking up while Hannah was on the phone. I had to leave the room so that she could compose herself enough to finish the order. The Pizza Hut girl probably thought we were crazy.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for this one. Don’t forget to check out new pictures here.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Thursday, October 15, 2009
½ Tank #17 & 18
Wednesday was yet another long day of driving. We were in 5 different states in that one day. Yup. Pretty cool. Fennimore, Wisconsin was our first stop for gas, and a little later we stopped again for breakfast at McDonald’s. We got to see the Mississippi River towards the beginning of the journey, and before leaving WI we of course found a cheese store. I couldn’t believe how good all the cheeses we sampled were. I never actually thought there would be a difference in taste, but there was. Mm-mmm.
After crossing into Illinois (Il-nwa), I slept for awhile, and was a little disappointed when Hannah woke me up as we approached Chicago. At the time I would have preferred to sleep, but once I adjusted to being awake I was glad to see the big buildings from afar. We of course wanted to visit the Sears Tower (or whatever it’s called now) but couldn’t find it on the map so we just tried picking out which building looked tallest. Because it’s called the Willis Tower now, we drove past the right place even though it did look the largest. We drove to the other end of town where we found a parking attendant who gave us directions to where we had just been. Eventually, though, we parked, paid our fees for the trip up the tower, and marveled at the view from so high up. I think my ears popped 5 times on the way up in the elevator. Stepping out into the see-through boxes that stick out of one side of the building was really trippy too. It’s kind of exhilarating to know that the only thing between you and 103-stories-away ground is a piece of glass.
Post tower we walked over to Giordano’s, as everyone recommended, and got their famous pizza. Then we returned to the car and navigated our way to the pier, which we decided to not walk around just because we didn’t feel like paying so much for parking.
Driving in Chicago proved to be challenging in itself. The mentality I found to work best was “Just go.” Nobody drove too fast, but everyone was darting in and out and eventually I did too just because that was the only way to get anywhere. As we were trying to merge onto the freeway to get us out of Chicago, a lady turned to look at us because she wanted in our lane. I was already prepared to let her in front of me, but when she first looked over she this irritated look on her face. But that look melted into gratitude when she realized what I was doing. I liked that. It made me want to live in Chicago and be nice to people.
Traffic in Indiana wasn’t quite as crazy, but it was a bit backed up due to construction. When it came time for me to exit the freeway, I tried to double-check directions with Hannah, but discovered that she was out like a light. I found my way to a gas station where Hannah awoke and inconspicuously placed an Evo sticker on a sign.
We made it to Byron Center, Michigan around 9 p.m. (8 p.m. if we hadn’t lost an hour on the way) and met Tara and Glen, the parents of one of Hannah’s old roommates. They were very welcoming (just like everyone else) and chatted with us a bit before we headed downstairs to the room we stayed in. Let me just tell you how well I slept that night: I fell asleep while Hannah was still on her computer, and I don’t think I woke up once. I think it’s because we weren’t sharing a bed that night, so I wasn’t worried about waking Hannah up like I usually am. It was wonderful.
On Thursday we knew that we wanted to get some sort of physical activity accomplished, so we planned on going on a nice little bike ride on a nice little trail. Except for 15 miles. Each way. That’s right, I, unathletic me, rode 30 miles on a bike in one day. And now I am in pain. Lot’s of it. The ride to Grand Rapids sucked. Not just because of the length of the trip, but also because I was really struggling with myself and with God. I couldn’t fight the thoughts that I am a burden and a failure at everything I do. I just realize every so often that there is nothing I am really good at. I am mediocre at everything. Yet I still try to do new things. But the problem with that is that compared to everyone else, I just look pathetic. And sometimes that really gets me down. And it especially makes it hard for me to know what to do with my life, because I don’t have any obvious talents or skills.
When we did finally make it to Grand Rapids, we saw a couple pieces of artwork at a bridge then found a coffee shop to sit in for a bit while sipping hot chocolate. I think the coffee shop was actually really good for me, too. A girl, Jordan, who was standing in line in front of Hannah and I struck up a conversation with us. She looked to be about the same age as us, and we learned that she was in her last year of culinary school and was working on deciding whether to accept a job offer in Colorado or San Francisco. We also told her a little about the trip and some of what we’ve seen so far. The guys working in the shop were also very kind, although I didn’t really talk to them. It was just really helpful to my soul to be looked at like I’m not scum. Like they’re actually glad to be interacting with me instead of seeming like they’re doing me a favor by even standing near me. It was nice.
The ride back was MUCH better, despite increased pain. I think that was mostly because I told Hannah not to wait for me like she had been doing, so I didn’t feel like I was slowing her down. I was able to ride at a nice leisurely pace and was able to enjoy all the beautiful colors on the trees around me. I even got to see a chipmunk and greeted the few people I passed.
I don’t remember ever being this sore. And it has subsided from actual pain to mere soreness. A warm (and delicious) dinner made by Tara and a hot shower, plus some relaxing in front of the TV, certainly helped. Tara also shared some of her and Glen’s biking mishaps, so we all had something to laugh about.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Oh and p.s. -- I don't know if anyone who isn't on Facebook has tried to look at my photos, but if you aren't able to see them and would like to, let me know and I'll start putting them up somewhere else. Okay, thanks.
After crossing into Illinois (Il-nwa), I slept for awhile, and was a little disappointed when Hannah woke me up as we approached Chicago. At the time I would have preferred to sleep, but once I adjusted to being awake I was glad to see the big buildings from afar. We of course wanted to visit the Sears Tower (or whatever it’s called now) but couldn’t find it on the map so we just tried picking out which building looked tallest. Because it’s called the Willis Tower now, we drove past the right place even though it did look the largest. We drove to the other end of town where we found a parking attendant who gave us directions to where we had just been. Eventually, though, we parked, paid our fees for the trip up the tower, and marveled at the view from so high up. I think my ears popped 5 times on the way up in the elevator. Stepping out into the see-through boxes that stick out of one side of the building was really trippy too. It’s kind of exhilarating to know that the only thing between you and 103-stories-away ground is a piece of glass.
Post tower we walked over to Giordano’s, as everyone recommended, and got their famous pizza. Then we returned to the car and navigated our way to the pier, which we decided to not walk around just because we didn’t feel like paying so much for parking.
Driving in Chicago proved to be challenging in itself. The mentality I found to work best was “Just go.” Nobody drove too fast, but everyone was darting in and out and eventually I did too just because that was the only way to get anywhere. As we were trying to merge onto the freeway to get us out of Chicago, a lady turned to look at us because she wanted in our lane. I was already prepared to let her in front of me, but when she first looked over she this irritated look on her face. But that look melted into gratitude when she realized what I was doing. I liked that. It made me want to live in Chicago and be nice to people.
Traffic in Indiana wasn’t quite as crazy, but it was a bit backed up due to construction. When it came time for me to exit the freeway, I tried to double-check directions with Hannah, but discovered that she was out like a light. I found my way to a gas station where Hannah awoke and inconspicuously placed an Evo sticker on a sign.
We made it to Byron Center, Michigan around 9 p.m. (8 p.m. if we hadn’t lost an hour on the way) and met Tara and Glen, the parents of one of Hannah’s old roommates. They were very welcoming (just like everyone else) and chatted with us a bit before we headed downstairs to the room we stayed in. Let me just tell you how well I slept that night: I fell asleep while Hannah was still on her computer, and I don’t think I woke up once. I think it’s because we weren’t sharing a bed that night, so I wasn’t worried about waking Hannah up like I usually am. It was wonderful.
On Thursday we knew that we wanted to get some sort of physical activity accomplished, so we planned on going on a nice little bike ride on a nice little trail. Except for 15 miles. Each way. That’s right, I, unathletic me, rode 30 miles on a bike in one day. And now I am in pain. Lot’s of it. The ride to Grand Rapids sucked. Not just because of the length of the trip, but also because I was really struggling with myself and with God. I couldn’t fight the thoughts that I am a burden and a failure at everything I do. I just realize every so often that there is nothing I am really good at. I am mediocre at everything. Yet I still try to do new things. But the problem with that is that compared to everyone else, I just look pathetic. And sometimes that really gets me down. And it especially makes it hard for me to know what to do with my life, because I don’t have any obvious talents or skills.
When we did finally make it to Grand Rapids, we saw a couple pieces of artwork at a bridge then found a coffee shop to sit in for a bit while sipping hot chocolate. I think the coffee shop was actually really good for me, too. A girl, Jordan, who was standing in line in front of Hannah and I struck up a conversation with us. She looked to be about the same age as us, and we learned that she was in her last year of culinary school and was working on deciding whether to accept a job offer in Colorado or San Francisco. We also told her a little about the trip and some of what we’ve seen so far. The guys working in the shop were also very kind, although I didn’t really talk to them. It was just really helpful to my soul to be looked at like I’m not scum. Like they’re actually glad to be interacting with me instead of seeming like they’re doing me a favor by even standing near me. It was nice.
The ride back was MUCH better, despite increased pain. I think that was mostly because I told Hannah not to wait for me like she had been doing, so I didn’t feel like I was slowing her down. I was able to ride at a nice leisurely pace and was able to enjoy all the beautiful colors on the trees around me. I even got to see a chipmunk and greeted the few people I passed.
I don’t remember ever being this sore. And it has subsided from actual pain to mere soreness. A warm (and delicious) dinner made by Tara and a hot shower, plus some relaxing in front of the TV, certainly helped. Tara also shared some of her and Glen’s biking mishaps, so we all had something to laugh about.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
Oh and p.s. -- I don't know if anyone who isn't on Facebook has tried to look at my photos, but if you aren't able to see them and would like to, let me know and I'll start putting them up somewhere else. Okay, thanks.
½ Tank #15 & 16
Applebee’s was a nice treat for Hannah and I when we stopped for dinner in Mason City, IA. I even discovered that I like zucchini. Don’t get me wrong, people have been feeding us well. Very well. We were kind of hoping to lose weight on the trip because we wouldn’t have enough food, but so far I think the opposite has been true. Which I’m okay with. I really like food.
It was dark on the last stretch of our drive to Spillville, IA, and the roads took us past many creepy looking cornfields, so we had fun calling each other “Candy Cane” in scary voices. That’s a reference to a horror movie that I haven’t even seen all the way through, in case you’re wondering how random we actually are.
When we first arrived at Hannah’s great aunt’s house, I felt like I wasn’t going to enjoy this stop very much. I was worried that Shelby was just going to focus on getting to know Hannah and that I would be third wheel the whole time.
I was very wrong. Shelby was a blast!! Let me tell you a bit about her: she’s 71 years young, wears pink lipstick, has her nails painted pink, has an accent that I can’t really describe, she’s goofy and friendly, she swears “like a sailor,” just like Hannah was warned, and she will tease you but can take what she dishes out. Shelby also told us that she had been married for the first time when she was 18, and that both of her husbands had been drinkers and the more recent husband had actually come close to killing her one night prior to killing himself. She ended up in the hospital for many days. She used to live in D.C. in a condo where her mom lived a few floors above her, but when her mother died she didn’t feel like she needed to stay there any longer. Her brother (I think his name is John, but I’m not sure) told her that she ought to move out to Iowa, and that’s where she’s been the past 5 or so years.
My first hint that Shelby would be fun was when she called Hannah’s aunt Julie the night we arrived and told her that we had decided to turn around because of snow. The next day started with us going to visit Shelby’s brother’s auto shop to meet his daughter, Lynn, and her son, Jake, (and to catch our first glimpse of Ryan...I’ll tell you more about that in a bit). We also met Colleen, the brother’s first wife, and while we were chatting his first wife showed up, so Colleen, Shelby, Hannah and I snuck out a side door to avoid seeing her.
Next we headed off to a breakfast place for yummy food. Shelby told us a story about how she had been driving once and had to go to the bathroom really bad. She finally came across a place with a restroom, but discovered it was closed. She was so mad that she just peed on the front of the building.
After eating we went to the nursing home where her brother is currently living due to his having broken both of his arms and both of his legs. He was driving not too long ago at night and run full on into a passing train he didn’t know was there. He was also a fun, sarcastic guy.
Our next stop was to see an ice cave and waterfall in one of the nearby towns. Even though it was the middle of the day and we didn’t even go in, the cave freaked Hannah and I out, and at the same time of course captured our attention. So we made plans to go back the next morning with some flashlights and our bear mace. We also got to see a really pretty waterfall that I would not have expected to find in Iowa.
At some point (possibly while we were at the store with Shelby buying us tons of food) it came out that Hannah had thought Ryan (from the auto shop) was cute. So Shelby decided to take us BACK to the shop so she could introduce us to Ryan. Hannah was super embarrassed but we went anyways and he ended up being really nice. We half invited him to dinner with us, but no conclusion was reached. When we rejoined Shelby and Lynn, the first thing Lynn said was, “Isn’t he hot??” haha. The whole rest of the day it became a funny joke between Shelby, Hannah and myself. At one point Shelby even said that she was worried about Hannah because of her “love affair with Ryan.” She’s such a kick.
On our way back to Shelby’s house from the auto shop we stopped at the Bily Clocks Museum. That was actually really cool. These Bily Brothers never went farther than 35 miles away from there Spillville farm and had only a fifth grade education, yet they carved these incredibly intricate clocks having to do with many different people and places. They got their inspiration from books and postcards people sent them. President Ford even offered them $1 million for one of their clocks, but they refused to sell any. Even the city isn’t allowed to sell any of them now.
After having pizza with Jake, the three of us girls went to play cards with Shelby’s friend Alice. We played a game called “65” and I can’t even explain how great it was. The night was such a wonderfully different experience for me. Two 23-year-olds giggling and playing cards with two 70-something-year-olds. And yet it was just the same as any other girls’ night. We had chips, popcorn and candy, chatted about life, families and friends, and then talked smack when we were losing. I’m not sure it can get much better than that, but I’ll keep going to find out. :)
We awoke to frost on the ground Tuesday morning and were a little worried about the cave having ice in it. Knowing my klutzy tendencies, Hannah asked me to please not fall off a cliff while we were exploring. I said I’d try. Me being me, I packed two waters, two Clif bars, and our bear mace to go with our flashlights. Hannah made fun of me but I told her that when we were trapped in the cave waiting to be rescued she’d apologize. Of course, that never happened. After all our anticipation and hyped up fear, the cave combing was very anticlimactic due to the tunnel a little ways back being blocked by a large boulder and a “Keep Out” sign. But it was fun to tease each other on the way there about the evil earth-dwelling deformed people. If you like scary movies and you haven’t seen “The Descent,” you should.
Climbing around the outside of the cave proved to be entertaining enough to make the drive worth-while. Then hopped back on the road and headed up to Minneapolis, MN. One of the first cities we drove through in Minnesota was Harmony, a small Amish town, although we didn’t see a horse and buggy until our return trip when it was dark.
Our first, and ultimately only, stop in Minneapolis was the Mall of America. Neither Hannah nor I particularly care for malls in general, but we thought it would be a nice touristy thing to do. And I’ll be honest, it was a little incredible. There really is an amusement park INSIDE the mall. We definitely got our exercise for the day, too, since we walked around every level. I don’t know how many miles that is, but my feet were sore by the end of the day. Stopping in almost every shoe store we came across may have contributed to that too. Hannah did eventually find the most awesome boots ever, though, so at least we accomplished something. I also managed to find a sweatshirt for only $10, which made me happy.
Around 7:30 p.m. we arrived back at Shelby’s and she put together a simple little meal that was very filling. We also played another game of 65 with just the three of us.
Leaving the next morning was really difficult. We could tell Shelby didn’t want us to go, and we didn’t completely want to go either. She watched us pack up the car, gave us hugs, told us she loved us, and sent us off with a little goodbye note before we disembarked to Wisconsin. Yet another great stop. Thanks, Shelby.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
It was dark on the last stretch of our drive to Spillville, IA, and the roads took us past many creepy looking cornfields, so we had fun calling each other “Candy Cane” in scary voices. That’s a reference to a horror movie that I haven’t even seen all the way through, in case you’re wondering how random we actually are.
When we first arrived at Hannah’s great aunt’s house, I felt like I wasn’t going to enjoy this stop very much. I was worried that Shelby was just going to focus on getting to know Hannah and that I would be third wheel the whole time.
I was very wrong. Shelby was a blast!! Let me tell you a bit about her: she’s 71 years young, wears pink lipstick, has her nails painted pink, has an accent that I can’t really describe, she’s goofy and friendly, she swears “like a sailor,” just like Hannah was warned, and she will tease you but can take what she dishes out. Shelby also told us that she had been married for the first time when she was 18, and that both of her husbands had been drinkers and the more recent husband had actually come close to killing her one night prior to killing himself. She ended up in the hospital for many days. She used to live in D.C. in a condo where her mom lived a few floors above her, but when her mother died she didn’t feel like she needed to stay there any longer. Her brother (I think his name is John, but I’m not sure) told her that she ought to move out to Iowa, and that’s where she’s been the past 5 or so years.
My first hint that Shelby would be fun was when she called Hannah’s aunt Julie the night we arrived and told her that we had decided to turn around because of snow. The next day started with us going to visit Shelby’s brother’s auto shop to meet his daughter, Lynn, and her son, Jake, (and to catch our first glimpse of Ryan...I’ll tell you more about that in a bit). We also met Colleen, the brother’s first wife, and while we were chatting his first wife showed up, so Colleen, Shelby, Hannah and I snuck out a side door to avoid seeing her.
Next we headed off to a breakfast place for yummy food. Shelby told us a story about how she had been driving once and had to go to the bathroom really bad. She finally came across a place with a restroom, but discovered it was closed. She was so mad that she just peed on the front of the building.
After eating we went to the nursing home where her brother is currently living due to his having broken both of his arms and both of his legs. He was driving not too long ago at night and run full on into a passing train he didn’t know was there. He was also a fun, sarcastic guy.
Our next stop was to see an ice cave and waterfall in one of the nearby towns. Even though it was the middle of the day and we didn’t even go in, the cave freaked Hannah and I out, and at the same time of course captured our attention. So we made plans to go back the next morning with some flashlights and our bear mace. We also got to see a really pretty waterfall that I would not have expected to find in Iowa.
At some point (possibly while we were at the store with Shelby buying us tons of food) it came out that Hannah had thought Ryan (from the auto shop) was cute. So Shelby decided to take us BACK to the shop so she could introduce us to Ryan. Hannah was super embarrassed but we went anyways and he ended up being really nice. We half invited him to dinner with us, but no conclusion was reached. When we rejoined Shelby and Lynn, the first thing Lynn said was, “Isn’t he hot??” haha. The whole rest of the day it became a funny joke between Shelby, Hannah and myself. At one point Shelby even said that she was worried about Hannah because of her “love affair with Ryan.” She’s such a kick.
On our way back to Shelby’s house from the auto shop we stopped at the Bily Clocks Museum. That was actually really cool. These Bily Brothers never went farther than 35 miles away from there Spillville farm and had only a fifth grade education, yet they carved these incredibly intricate clocks having to do with many different people and places. They got their inspiration from books and postcards people sent them. President Ford even offered them $1 million for one of their clocks, but they refused to sell any. Even the city isn’t allowed to sell any of them now.
After having pizza with Jake, the three of us girls went to play cards with Shelby’s friend Alice. We played a game called “65” and I can’t even explain how great it was. The night was such a wonderfully different experience for me. Two 23-year-olds giggling and playing cards with two 70-something-year-olds. And yet it was just the same as any other girls’ night. We had chips, popcorn and candy, chatted about life, families and friends, and then talked smack when we were losing. I’m not sure it can get much better than that, but I’ll keep going to find out. :)
We awoke to frost on the ground Tuesday morning and were a little worried about the cave having ice in it. Knowing my klutzy tendencies, Hannah asked me to please not fall off a cliff while we were exploring. I said I’d try. Me being me, I packed two waters, two Clif bars, and our bear mace to go with our flashlights. Hannah made fun of me but I told her that when we were trapped in the cave waiting to be rescued she’d apologize. Of course, that never happened. After all our anticipation and hyped up fear, the cave combing was very anticlimactic due to the tunnel a little ways back being blocked by a large boulder and a “Keep Out” sign. But it was fun to tease each other on the way there about the evil earth-dwelling deformed people. If you like scary movies and you haven’t seen “The Descent,” you should.
Climbing around the outside of the cave proved to be entertaining enough to make the drive worth-while. Then hopped back on the road and headed up to Minneapolis, MN. One of the first cities we drove through in Minnesota was Harmony, a small Amish town, although we didn’t see a horse and buggy until our return trip when it was dark.
Our first, and ultimately only, stop in Minneapolis was the Mall of America. Neither Hannah nor I particularly care for malls in general, but we thought it would be a nice touristy thing to do. And I’ll be honest, it was a little incredible. There really is an amusement park INSIDE the mall. We definitely got our exercise for the day, too, since we walked around every level. I don’t know how many miles that is, but my feet were sore by the end of the day. Stopping in almost every shoe store we came across may have contributed to that too. Hannah did eventually find the most awesome boots ever, though, so at least we accomplished something. I also managed to find a sweatshirt for only $10, which made me happy.
Around 7:30 p.m. we arrived back at Shelby’s and she put together a simple little meal that was very filling. We also played another game of 65 with just the three of us.
Leaving the next morning was really difficult. We could tell Shelby didn’t want us to go, and we didn’t completely want to go either. She watched us pack up the car, gave us hugs, told us she loved us, and sent us off with a little goodbye note before we disembarked to Wisconsin. Yet another great stop. Thanks, Shelby.
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
½ Tank #14
First off, sorry for the out of ordered posts...I'm just trying to organize a little better. It's obviously not going all that well. :)
We stopped in Kansas City, KS for gas despite being told that the Missouri side was much nicer. And from what we saw, that’s probably true. I had to pee really bad by the time we found a gas station, so while Hannah was filling the tank I ran inside to the bathroom. What I found made me sad. The bathroom had no lock on it. There was no toilet paper. There were no paper towels. I don’t think there was any soap either. And there were a few tough-looking guys working out in the store behind bullet-proof glass. But I REALLY had to go. So I stood and stared at what I had to work with for a couple minutes. And I just couldn’t do it. So I went back out to the car, told Hannah of my experience, and we set off to find better accommodations. We eventually came across another gas station that looked a bit safer, only to discover that there were no public restrooms. Luckily a guy inside the store let us know that around back there was a Laundromat with a bathroom. So we checked it out and WHOOHOO we found a bathroom. Both Hannah and I were amazed at how sheltered we felt while we were in that area. We were literally the only white people around, and we know that that doesn’t mean we were in danger necessarily, but living in Bellingham for the past five or so years certainly doesn’t expose you to much diversity, so we felt very out of place. I’m actually looking forward to more experiences like that (safe ones, of course) and hopefully even living somewhere with diversity.
Once we got back on the road I decided to nap for a bit because I was exhausted. Hannah apparently didn’t want me to, though, because she kept talking to me even after I was snuggled into my seatbelt. And then stupid Clint Eastwood and stupid Meryl Streep had to go and make stupid “Bridges of Madison County,” so we just had to stop and delay my nap even longer. Oh wait, let me explain. As I was falling asleep, Hannah gets all excited and asks me if Iowa is where the movie was set. I say I hated that movie and I don’t know. There are several signs though, so Hannah decides to exit the freeway so that she can see some bridges. It only takes a couple minutes to find one of the main ones, and I am shocked to see a few other cars there, along with a couple people trying to make a profit off all the gawkers. Hannah loved that she got a picture of the bridge, though, and loved despising Clint Eastwood for a bit. Seriously, he makes the worst movies. Ever. Okay, I’m done. Eventually we made it through Des Moines and I fell asleep for I don’t even know how long. And I woke up not feeling rested. Probably because I was sleeping in a car. :)
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
We stopped in Kansas City, KS for gas despite being told that the Missouri side was much nicer. And from what we saw, that’s probably true. I had to pee really bad by the time we found a gas station, so while Hannah was filling the tank I ran inside to the bathroom. What I found made me sad. The bathroom had no lock on it. There was no toilet paper. There were no paper towels. I don’t think there was any soap either. And there were a few tough-looking guys working out in the store behind bullet-proof glass. But I REALLY had to go. So I stood and stared at what I had to work with for a couple minutes. And I just couldn’t do it. So I went back out to the car, told Hannah of my experience, and we set off to find better accommodations. We eventually came across another gas station that looked a bit safer, only to discover that there were no public restrooms. Luckily a guy inside the store let us know that around back there was a Laundromat with a bathroom. So we checked it out and WHOOHOO we found a bathroom. Both Hannah and I were amazed at how sheltered we felt while we were in that area. We were literally the only white people around, and we know that that doesn’t mean we were in danger necessarily, but living in Bellingham for the past five or so years certainly doesn’t expose you to much diversity, so we felt very out of place. I’m actually looking forward to more experiences like that (safe ones, of course) and hopefully even living somewhere with diversity.
Once we got back on the road I decided to nap for a bit because I was exhausted. Hannah apparently didn’t want me to, though, because she kept talking to me even after I was snuggled into my seatbelt. And then stupid Clint Eastwood and stupid Meryl Streep had to go and make stupid “Bridges of Madison County,” so we just had to stop and delay my nap even longer. Oh wait, let me explain. As I was falling asleep, Hannah gets all excited and asks me if Iowa is where the movie was set. I say I hated that movie and I don’t know. There are several signs though, so Hannah decides to exit the freeway so that she can see some bridges. It only takes a couple minutes to find one of the main ones, and I am shocked to see a few other cars there, along with a couple people trying to make a profit off all the gawkers. Hannah loved that she got a picture of the bridge, though, and loved despising Clint Eastwood for a bit. Seriously, he makes the worst movies. Ever. Okay, I’m done. Eventually we made it through Des Moines and I fell asleep for I don’t even know how long. And I woke up not feeling rested. Probably because I was sleeping in a car. :)
God bless, over and out.
~Marissa
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