Passing the Continental Divide in the wonderfully unpopulated state of Wyoming, Erin and I decided something...driving east across the country is not very much fun at all. The story of this drive east actually started a few years ago.
Our first drive across the country started when we packed up my 1993 Dodge Intrepid in August of 2004 and drove out of Michigan and into the sunset, with nothing but adventure and excitement ahead of us. There was a thrilling uncertainty of what we were doing...driving west, both of us fresh out of college, life was ours to grab by the horns. Erin was moving west to volunteer for a year in inner city Oakland, and I was...well...I didn't know exactly what I was going to do, but it was going to be in California, that was for sure. The drive west proved to be nothing less than adventurous. We camped under the stars in the Badlands of South Dakota, broke down on the side of a mountain near Buffalo, Wyoming, battled bears in Yellowstone National Park and finally arrived in California, dirty, tired, but still smiling and eager for more.
Our second trip across this great land began in September of 2005. Our "honeymoon" (I use that term loosely--Erin still insists that I owe her a week on a beach somewhere with free drinks and a tropical atmosphere.) consisted of our moving across the country again; even though there was more certainty to what we would be doing, it was still an adventure. We were going west to Oakland to move into our first apartment together as a married couple. Our first stop in Wisconsin at an inn with a huge, 13-foot-statue of a bull standing guard outside proved that this was not the Caribbean honeymoon Erin had imagined. Our adventure west just kept getting better as Rocky Mountain National Park took our breath away, Utah's majesty overwhelmed our senses and Lake Tahoe topped off our whole trip.
As fun as those trips west were, this trip in February of 2006 does not feel like an adventure in any sense of the word. So far we've stayed at a string of Best Western's in towns that elicited hardly a yawn from either of us. Moving west had a certain mystique that continued to envelop us with each mile we drove. Then, we felt like 19th century pioneers, battling our way across the vast plains and over massive canyons until we reached the end of the country and our goal of California. Now, all that awaits us is Michigan. Michigan is certain to us. We love it and the people there dearly, but it is not the same pioneering spirit luring us on. The canyons are not so spectacular. The plains are vast (or maybe better put, boring). Our car is packed so tight we can't move. We lose an hour with every time zone we conquer, and in order to see any sunsets, we have to look in our rearview mirror. In order to stay sane (and in order to stay on talking terms with each other), we stopped at Erin's Aunt's house near Colorado Springs for a welcome, wonderful rest of this despicable trip eastward. We know that once we arrive in Michigan, our friends and family will be well worth the travel, and that more spectacular adventures await us just around the corner. However, this drive has proven to be difficult thus far, and we are only half-way there. We continue to plug on and will hopefully conquer Nebraska on Saturday.
Score so far:
Drive East 7
Erin and Scott 1