The empty apartment in Chicago. Sad to leave, but it was time to move on to bigger and better things (namely a bigger apt in PDX, and a real job.....wow, 29 yrs old and I am finally joining the workforce!).
I always knew my random summer jobs in college would come in handy. I spent a summer loading boxes in trucks for Fedex.....they taught me how to tie in loads so they don't shift during shipment. It was kinda like a giant 3-D puzzle. And, to my credit, NOTHING was broken during the 2300 mile trek (even despite some off-roading in the fully loaded truck.....oh, you have to keep reading to get to that part).
Here's our beast of a truck (26') + trailer (and Chris, Em's brother, who volunteered to make the cross country journey with me in her abscence). I figured if the truck breaks down, we can take the car. If the car breaks down, we can take the bikes (see pic - on top of the car). If the bikes break down, then I guess it will be a long walk.
Ummmm.....not exactly sure what this was. I guess it passes for a museum in Nebraska. Seriously, I am gonna look funny at anyone I meet in the future who tells me they are either from Nebraska, are going to Nebraska, or would like to go to Nebraska. I seriously hate that state and you'll soon see why.....
Here is my view for approximately 12 hours. Gotta love Nebraska.
....and here's a side view of Nebraska......FOR 12 HOURS!!!!
Halfway through the trip, we ran out of gas money so I traded the Acura TSX for this car (pic above) + a house (pic below). The car just needs a little work, but I figured it would be a good beater to drive to work. The house is a real fixer-upper, but a great start given the current economic status of our country.
Chris shows off our new homestead.
Actually these pics are from a ghost town located in....anyone? anyone? ....oooohh, you are not correct when you said Nebraska....but close.....the correct answer we were looking for is Wyoming. Sorry, no points this time. This is something you can find on Google when you are bored in a truck for 2 days driving across the country on I-80.
The west is big on trains......and apparently tanks too. This train literally had hundreds of these little tanks. Thought it might be a good idea to fortify our new establishment to ward off any attacks from terrorists, tourists, or angry locals.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After a few weeks trying to maitain the homestead, we were threatened by starvation, lack of firewood, and little Timmy had come down with a bad case of small pox. We decided to try our luck further west. So we packed up our limited belongings and continued our journey.
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So we continued along the Oregon trail......
....and then our trusty mule died of starvation, so I was left to pull the wagon myself. Not fun....especially in Reefs!-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We continued on into Wyoming.
Chicago has the cow sculptures. Cheyenne, WY has giant boot sculptures. Not really sure what this is all about. I jokingly told Chris that it would be cool if they had working (spinning) spurs.....and sure enough, a swift kick with my foot sent these daisywheels into action. Saddleup partner!
The Union Station in Cheyenne, WY is a majestic two-tone stone building that was very reminescent of the Union Station in STL where Em and I wed just a little over a year ago.
More random stuff in WY:
OK, this is not one of the pyramids, but we are definitely in BFE. Somewhere near Laramie, WY, someone decided it would be a good idea to build a monument (Ames monument) to the railroads. Since then, the railroading town has dried up, and all that is left is this monument out in the middle of nowhere. I think it is around 60' tall. Chris found this when looking on the satellite view of Google maps. It stands out in the satellite pics b/c it is surrounded by miles of dirt. We ended up driving on dirt roads for a few miles just to get to it. Luckily, we had a GPS. As we drove further off-road, I was getting a little paranoid about a vehicle breakdown/flat tire. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that Penske would not be happy if I told them their truck broke down while off-roading (while pulling a trailer). I guess I still have a little Ohio blood in me.
Here's a pic of the Ames monument as the sun is setting.
***Gotta give a quick shoutout to Charles and Heidi for letting us crash at their pad in Laramie. I slept much better on their couch than I did the previous night curled up in the cab of the rental truck.***
After miles and miles and miles of boring scenery (or lack thereof) we finally arrived in the Columbia River Valley in Oregon. The vast openness of the west gives way to the beautiful valleys of the Pacific NW. As we rounded a corner, this was the view of the river. It was the exact feeling that I had at the Museum of Science and Industry (MSI) in Chicago while visiting the U-boat exhibit. OK, stay with me here; I'll explain. At MSI, they have the original U-boat that was captured during WWII. The exhibit is sorta dismal and like any other museum exhibit: placards and random info. But then you round a corner (sorry to spoil it if you haven't been there yet) and you are face-to-face with the actual U-boat. It is juxtaposed longways such that you truely capture the magnitude of this amazing feat of engineering. Well, I had that same feeling of awe as we rounded a corner and came upon the valley. It was as if everything came to life and it was a sort of oasis. The beauty of the river was surreal and I found myself in stupor. .....or maybe it was the feeling you get when you drive a truck for 20 hours in one day and drink about 6 RedBulls."Sometimes the journey can be just as rewarding as the destination."*
*(This quote does not apply.)
....and then Em flew out to meet us (had to put in a dig since she got out of, er, I mean missed out on, this adventure).
much love,
-Brad
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