And I will drive 4000 miles

We left Charlotte 16 days ago, and today we crossed the 4000 mile marker. It seems insane. 4000 miles already? In just 16 days? I’m writing this from the expansive, sprawling grasslands of Wyoming on our way to Jackson, the Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone. This is the beginning of the meat of this trip. The next 6-7 weeks will be spent in the Rocky’s and west.They say it takes 21 days of doing something to form a habit. After 16, I’m starting to see why. A week ago this all felt haphazardly put together. I couldn’t find items buried in the trunk. We were constantly rearranging, and we crammed and shoved lose items into nooks of the car. I felt like we were on an episode of hoarders using every possible inch to store things that we probably don’t even need. But now, a week later, we’re starting to figure it out. Camping stuff in the skybox, clothes in the trunk, electronics and cooler (for easy access) in the car’s interior. We’re finding a little bit of a rhythm.In the last 7 days we made a second attempt at swim lessons for Mac at the O’Connell residence in New York’s Finger Lake region. We got about 15 seconds of actual swim time and about 60 minutes of frustrating persuasion on the bank of the lake. And I’m pretty sure he only went in because he thought Tom was drowning. Once Mac realized that Tom was not in fact drowning, he turned around for the shore. Small victories, though. Small victories.

My parents made us an amazing home cooked meal in Pittsburgh, right after we filmed my Mom doing her Ice Bucket Challenge in some sort of luxury poncho. My dad spent the dinner hour feeding Mac filet mignon under the table, and even offered to wrap up the leftover steak to send with us the next day….to feed to the dog of course. Clean laundry, a clean(ish) car, and a packed cooler left us feeling refreshed for a long drive to Chicago.

Annie and Steve cooked us some of the best cheeseburgers in recent memory in their awesome apartment in Chicago. We also shared a ceremonial shot of Jeppson’s Malort with Steve. This is apparently a traditional Chicago liqueur that is 2 parts nail polish and 1 part grapefruit rind with a 15 minute aftertaste that overstays its welcome.

The next day we shared a great conversation with our new friend, Dr. Michael Thompson over lunch at Marilyn’s diner near Northwestern University. We discussed our reasons for taking this trip, Michael’s path form Minister to Coach to Professor of Emotional Intelligence. Our discussion tailed to life philosophy, happiness, and even theories on the afterlife.

We passed through Iowa and spent a night in the Scott household where we had Happy Joe’s famous Taco Pizza, and we experienced what should be the record holder for, ‘Bathroom with the Most School Spirit’. The Scott’s have somewhere around 300 pieces of Iowa flair packed into their first floor bathroom. Go Hawks! Western Iowa was the most remote place we’d ever been, until we got to eastern Nebraska (Western South Dakota later took over that title. Then promptly lost it to central Wyoming).

We spent two nights at chateau Connolly on the bank of the Missouri river which separates Nebraska and South Dakota. We were well fed once again. Steaks, polish brats, hamburgers, and catfish from the Missouri were on the menu during our two night stay. We also were lucky enough to enjoy an old college favorite, Keystone Ice, this time in limited edition camouflage printed cans. Ready to go for hunting season. The Connolly’s quickly felt like my 6th different set of parents since we started this trip. They made sure we were comfortable and sent us away with care packages that are currently helping us on this ride through Wyoming.

In case you haven’t noticed, there has been a strong food theme up to this point. I’m grateful to be so well fed by our hosts thus far, but I’ve eaten more steaks, burgers, and lasagna in the past two weeks than in the previous 6 months combined. I think my body is actually going through vegetable withdraw.

Side note: If you’re in the Midwest at a restaurant, salads can be defined as shredded lettuce beneath a pound of sliced meat and cheese. If you’re lucky, this may include a tomato or slice of cucumber.