Day 1 of the Adventure!

Well, we are off on our cross country trip. We had RATHER a late start. Too many projects to finish up before leaving, including a cowboy shoot on Saturday, horrors if that were missed -- as any shooter would tell you. Once we got Molly to the A1-bed and Biscuit, her excitement could not be contained. She could hear them, smell them, and knew that something stupendous was awaiting her! She did not even give me a backward glance, when the kennel worker called her over, leashed her and walked her back to dog paradise!

Back home we went, and started gathering the necessary items for a 10 day trip. Coffee machine, KNITTING, computer and a few other sundry items. By the time we were done, the new Honda Element looked pretty full. Hmmm are we going to be able to fit all the antiques we bought in Oregon last year amongst these travel essentials??? I guess that's the adventure part.

Locked up the house, shut all the windows, and off we went, exactly ONE block to the Stone Oven, and trudged wearily into the building for a much needed lunch and some air conditioning -- 90 is pretty hot in Cleveland Heights. We drove to about Toledo, and Lou needed a nap (probably the chicken salad sandwich). So I drove for a while.

I have a theory about Indiana -- since it is long and skinny and very flat, it is just a huge wind tunnel -- no matter when I have driven through it, there have been gale force winds, blowing your head around and knocking the car in the side. I can't even understand HOW the leaves manage to stay on the trees. They must get hazard pay in that state. "We're the few, the tough, The Indiana leaves, Earned -- never given". So much for the Hoosier state (what ever a hoosier is).

There are a LOT of trucks on the road. You really appreciate that without them, the roads would be empty, lonely desolate places. They are almost alive, mud flaps are like hair blowing in the breeze, wire and coils undulating, and occasionally a little piggy snout pushing through an opening in the side.

Somehow we avoided all the craziness that is Chicago, by cutting to 80. Just a little traffic, hardly any by Chicago standards, and no toll booths (whew). Before we knew it we were in central Illinois and feeling like dinner. Ottowa is home to Woody's Steak House. Not a very dignified name, tucked away on a side street, and vinyl shakes on the outside of the building belied a really FABULOUS place to eat! Our waiter was a tall, thin, drink of water, with longish white hair. He was a scream, funny flirty, and had good advice, and kept the water, coffee and bread comin. I splurged with Filet Mignon, spinach salad and oh yeah, creme' broulee.

Back on the road, and for the next few hours we kept chasing the sunset, I swear you could still see blue sky peaking out far on the western horizon. There were dark clouds that look like mountain formations, clouds that had web like fingers curling down just in front of you, white puffy clouds that looked like castle turrets, and just under them sun, right above the distant green fields, clear sky. At one point the sky looked like a great fire was blazing 100 miles away. This is just a taste of the vastness of the great plains. You can watch weather coming at you for hours, and hours, before it actually reaches you. It finally occurred to me that I had a camera and I could get a few shots of what I was seeing!