Dana and myself drove across the country this past week. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights!

• Michigan: Woke up early early (3am) and started driving. Driving in the dark in Michigan is a lot like driving in Michigan every other time of day; dark and bleak with a lot of clouds blocking out the sun. Not too much out of the ordinary there. The excitement of starting our cross country trip kept us awake and alert well across the border.
• Indiana: Crossed over into Gary and cheered because we were out of Michigan and started on our adventure! Not too much going on in Indiana; just a lot of industrial buildings and shenanigans.
• Illinois: As we wound around Chicago and beat a majority of the rush-hour traffic we started to see the morning sun breaking through the clouds. We pulled over to a rest stop and checked the bags, happy to find that we were already a few hours into our trek. Everything kept getting brighter and more optimistic as we drove towards the great plains.
• Iowa: Everything seemed to be going fine. We were ahead of schedule and had a full tank of gas after leaving the Chicago area. Out of nowhere a huge cloud washed over our car and enveloped the road. We had never seen such a huge cloud of fog, and it covered the roadway limiting our visibility to a few feet ahead of us. Travel was slow, Dana fell asleep due to boredom, but eventually the clouds parted and we found ourselves heading into Omaha, Nebraska: our first stop on our trip to California.
• Nebraska: There’s not much to be said about Nebraska. Lots of corn and open spaces. And sadness. Vast sadness at having to waste time in Nebraska. All things considered, Nebraska is definitely the poster-child of the “Fly-over States”. I would pay extra federal income taxes just to build a magnificent bridge over the entire state.
• Colorado: The minute we got into Colorado we felt better. After a brief stop at the welcome center we made our way to Denver, where we would spend Thanksgiving with Dana’s sister before crossing over the mountains for the coast. Denver was wonderful and the mountains proved to be a beautiful distraction from the open endlessness of Nebraska and Iowa. We cooked an amazing Thanksgiving feast, travelled to Breckenridge, and wondered about the creepy conspiracy theories surrounding Denver Airport. With the mountains around us, it became clear we were entering a different world. We could only look out the window, look back at each other, and smile.
• Utah: The moment we entered Utah it was clear we were alone in an open and deserted place. Utah is a lonely world. We might have well been on Mars. About halfway through the state we came upon Black Dragon Canyon; an amazing area with some of the oldest sedimentary rock layers in existence (about 250 million year old rock canyons!) and a Native American women selling handmade charms. With waining daylight we continued onwards through the mountains towards our hotel.
• Arizona: A brief but panoramic stint through Arizona awed us with the beauty of canyon country. One day we will definitely return to Arizona to see the beauty of the Grand Canyon, the Meteor Crater, and more.
• Nevada: Las Vegas. Casinos. Lots of traffic. Lots of traffic.
• California: When we finally made it to the California border it had been a long and hot day. To our left was the Devil’s Playground; a flat and broiling desert stretching to the mountains beyond. We were trapped in traffic, but glad to have made our way across the country. What had started in the cold darkness of Michigan had finally ended at our destination in beautiful sunny California. Despite the fight through constant Holiday weekend traffic we had arrived in the promised land. Palm trees. Sunshine. Success!