Well here we are again. It's always such a pleasure.
I think every blog entry should start with a Portal reference. Or atleast a Valve game reference of some kind. Don't you just want to keep reading? The nerdom is taking you...
This is the story of a 23 year old guy who had an epic adventure of moving. It's a three part blog entry, and goes into some major detail. This is my one and only disclaimer.
So, about two weeks ago life was pretty normal. I had gotten used to living in a nice 3 bedroom townhouse/apartment/condo thing with two other lovely people, heading to the beach in Carlsbad, California atleast once a week, and soaking in that great So Cal weather. And as my job tends to do, the more comfortable I am the more they seem to take me not just outside my comfort zone, but generally upside down and around 2000 miles away from it. This most recent episode included a 2400 mile road trip (which was more fun than you could imagine), a full day and night in New York City, and a red eye flight to London with no real idea on how to get to my final destination - Brighton, which resides in Sussex within the United Kingdom.
There is a lot to write about, so please bear with me. I promise huge insights into my life are to come.
Let's start back at the beginning. What seems like a year ago, September 1st. The day I moved out of my place in California and left what I only know now was the greatest Mexican food I'll probably ever eat. I was lucky enough to have a co-driver with me as the Kia Soul started its 2nd march across the country. Her name is Natalie Hunter, and I think she's pretty amazing. To many people 35 hours in a car doesn't sound like very much fun, but with her I had more fun than I could have ever imagined, and made some great memories along the way. The first of which was Las Vegas. Driving to the Midwest from California is a bit of an odd journey, unlike driving East from Wisconsin where there are rest stops and hotels every 10 miles, there are large expanses of land that are practically uninhabited in states such as Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and if I didn't know better, Nebraska. Because of this, you need to plan your trip accordingly.
Day one only featured a 5 hour drive to Vegas because after Vegas there isn't another town with a hotel for hours and hours, plus the Vegas hotels are way nicer and way cheaper. We stayed at the Flamingo, and while that place may be a bit older than other strip hotels, the price was definitely right and we had a great time even if it was for only one night. The pool at the hotel was great (and had great features like a waterslide and one group of people with a blow up doll) and we were able to get a picture with the famous Welcome to Vegas sign. Sadly it was only one night, but we had some serious driving to do the next day, as Denver, CO was the next stop on the trip and was approx. 14 hours away.
If you've never driven between Dever and Vegas, I'll let you in on a secret. It's absolutely beautiful, and probably one of the best drives anyone can get on the interstate, but its also the most desolate. There are two expanses of highway in Utah that have warning signs because there isn't a gas station for so long (both 121 miles and 65 miles respectively). And driving through the mountains of Colorado at night can be a bit unnerving, but amazing (we'll get to that later). What amazed me the most about the landscape was the large portions of Utah without any people. The landscape was full of colors on one side of the spectrum, full of vibrant reds, yellows, and oranges. The rock formations would look so odd and wild as they have been shaped by the wind for thousands of years. The entire day's journey was really just story after story of driving up and down beautiful eroding mountains. Had a few stops to enjoy the nature around us as well, including a small river gorge in Arizona (we were in the state for all of 20 miles, but it was gorgeous), a few overlooks in Utah, and one incredible stop in Colorado.
When we really started getting into the Colorado Rockies the sun was well on its way down the horizon, which was disappointing as the mountains there are beyond beautiful. The dark did have its advantages though. Right before you descend into Denver on I-70 one must first pass through a large tunnel that takes your car right through a mountain. There is an exit on the east side on the tunnel that has a state road which takes you to the top. After just five or ten minutes driving up this road we were atleast another 1000 feet high, and away from any real light pollution; even the moon was trapped behind the side of the mountain. As we got out of the car I thought to myself that I've had some pretty good stargazing before, and while the middle of nowhere Wisconsin does offer a nice view of the heavens, nothing prepared me for the sight I had at the top of that mountain. As I got out of the car I was greeted by a cold breeze and the sent of pine trees. It had been a long time since I had the real smell of nature, (Southern California is a glorified desert) and the smell was absolutely welcome. As I looked up I realized that I didn't need a flashlight to see anything, the stars took care of that just fine. The Milky Way was so bright and beautiful that my breath was taken away. I had been used to not finding the Big Dipper because light pollution was so horrible, but that night my biggest issue was finding it among so many bright stars. After about five minutes of gazing, I saw what had to of been the most amazing shooting star. It was so bright that its tail was yellow as it burned in the atmosphere. It streaked across the night sky - one side to the next - and made me so happy that despite a later drive into the city, that we got to have that experience. I'll say this: I've never seen the sky look like that before, I hope I get to see it again just like that someday.
Around 20 minutes and a couple shooting stars later we were both shivering, but smiling. The drive was another 45 minutes into Denver where we acted as if we'd both had too much to drink: Eating Taco Bell and passing out shortly there after. For sitting on your ass the whole time, driving really takes it out of you. The next day we were set to drive from Denver to Omaha, Nebraska. Personally, I thought that drive would be a breeze as the last time I drove to California my first day included a drive from Milwaukee to Denver, about six hours longer. I have no idea how I did that, because Nebraska's landscape is simply mind-numbing. Stopped in Kearney on the way before descending into Natalie's aunt's house in Omaha. I met quite a bit of family and had a really good night. They were all huge cornhusker fans, so I made sure to give them a wonderful Big Ten welcome with plenty of smack talk about how the Badgers will take them down later this year. Hopefully that pans out.
As the night came to a close we drove to what Natalie called "The Cove", which is where her Aunt and Uncle have a house on a lake. It was absolutely beautiful, and theres nothing better than waking up in the morning and taking a walk out to the dock and breathing in the morning air. Another piece of nature that just doesn't exist in New York or California. Back in the car, it was just six hours up to the Twin Cities, where I'd stay a day with Natalie's family before making the trek back to Milwaukee. At this point, I was about ready to be out of the car, but an old friend, speech, saved the day as I was able to help brainstorm for Natalie's inform. I miss writing speeches. (Karen/KJ, if you're reading this, I'd love for you to send some speeches my way to coach)
Once into Minnesota we were able to meet Natalie's parents at a really cool Italian restaurant which featured a live band and people ballroom dancing. I can't remember the name, but it had a really cool atmosphere and even better food. My pasta was amazing. Played (and won) some cribbage, and went to sleep once again.
Made a huge mistake and checked my work email in the morning to find that there was a hell of a lot of work that needed to be done on my Visa (not the credit card) to the UK that was due to be finished by Friday. I needed a new UK approved photo, a biometrics test (what?) and a couple of long applications filled out ASAP. Needless to say, there was only so much I was able to do from Natalie's house and some of it had to wait until the next day. Still: major annoyance.
After saying some goodbyes to family I was back in the car with my eyes set on Eau Claire, Wisconsin. For the first time in 4 days I was driving alone, (but I still had Natalie's aunt's snacks in my car, so I felt good) but I was able to stop and chat with Karen Morris really quick, which was better than fabulous. As per usual with Karen Morris, what was meant to be a 15 minute stop to see her new house and such turned into an hour and 15 minutes of catching up. She's a great person, and Jack has grown up so much! The night included lots of hugs, laughs, and burrachos. I slept on the floor of my old house (Oh my god what the hell happened to that place) and luckily didn't contract any new diseases by morning. I had to wake up real early to get to Milwaukee ASAP to try and convince the Department of Homeland security to allow me a biometrics test despite the fact that my actual appointment was 4 days later in Waukegan (earliest time available). That was bound to be a challenge.
At this point it was Tuesday. I've still got to get a UK visa, have a night in New York, and somehow make it to Brighton before Sunday afternoon. More to come later.
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