Day 2 and some of 3

Today we hit a bird or he hit us. :(
And today is our last day in the states. We will be in Canada shortly. Who knows how many posts we can make. We will probably post more after we get settled. There are a lot of photos. And probably more stories.

Yesterday, Eric got a call from the bone marrow people. They want his blood to see if they want his bone. Uhhh. It's hard to think on an unknown deadline.

Oh we did get to the boring store. We got stickers. Eric got a pin and I got a bomb timer. (much better then an onion timer.)

So much nothing. We hope to get to Regina, sk today. And to find Canadian money. I'm hoping more find then trade in. Er, buy. There is nothing here so I'll type w bit longer. Oh there is a bridge. To and from where?

Alright, I'm signing off. Post next time we find wi-fi.

Memorable Lines

Mel in Western New York:
"I think we're in cow land."

While passing a Dam in New York:
"Well, Dam!" (This was the first bad pun Mel mentioned earlier.)

Me, while passing by an 'Attractions' sign in Ohio:
"Why is it all liquor stores?"

"Hello, Michigan, you can go." Me to a Michigan driver as he refused to shift after I gave him space to enter the lane.

As we passed through open Ohio farms and plains:
Mel: "I think I realized have a fear of open spaces."
Eric: "It's like a giant table."

Day 1: Eastern New York to Central Indiana

We got a slightly later start than I anticipated but by 11 am we were on our way. Passing by Albany, I didn't really feel like we had started the big trip yet. Allow me to say first that New York is a big state. I always knew this but I hadn't quite anticipated the size until we passed all the way through. Admittedly, not a lot to report for the very first leg of the trip. Just outside of Buffalo, we filled up for the first time. We were getting less mileage than I anticipated. Still, we trudged onward to PA.



Around Eire, we hit our first snag--road work and rush-hour traffic forced into a single lane. We sat around, boxed in by trucks for at least twenty minutes before finally getting some kind of momentum. On the plus side, it allowed us to slow down enough to get a good look at an old Pennsylvania Air Guard plane:


Ohio spelled much better luck, by the time I filled up again we were getting much better mileage, I had gotten into the swing of driving and we finally managed to stop for dinner. Allow me to say one thing about car GPS systems though: they demand you obey. While on I-90/80 in Western Ohio it kept tying to get me to swing up into Michigan, the problem being that it made more sense to go through Northern Indiana instead. For at least fifty miles whenever it would recalculate it would instruct me to hook north and even make a complete U-turn back several miles just to follow its directions. Ultimately I didn't "obey the machine." I hope that when the mechanical revolution comes I won't be tortured too painfully for insubordination.



Ultimately, we ended in Indiana, a little more than 100 miles east of Chicago. Mel and I are planning on stopping there for a little bit. We're going to check out the "Boring Store," the storefront for 826 Chicago. Mel and I are wearing our 826 Boston attire for the occasion. Afterward we'll continue onward: Wisconsin, Minesota, North Dakota and then Canada at last. We anticipate we won't be in Canada until tomorrow, but still, quite the drive awaits us.

on the road, playing star again...

Well not again . We are in central ny now. Passing by cow poo. Nothing much to say now. I've been looking at hills through binoculars. Moms are worried about the trip I'm worried about money when we get up there. I don't know what Eric is worried about except that 18 wheeler that passed us on the right and didn't slow down for the construction worker who dashed acrossed the highway.

He's made his first bad pun of the trip.

Trip Kit

these are all the maps and books we are taking. I just wanted to share. We aren't taking the bananas-- they are all ready gone anyway.

The Preparation

Melinda and I arrived in New York yesterday afternoon after making the quick drive from western New Hampshire and Southern Vermont. Now that we're here it's just a matter of packing, taking a quick look over the car and heading out.

Our current departure date is July 7th. Over the next few days I'll probably be posting some information about where we'll be traveling.

The Road Ahead

As we get ready to make the drive out, I thought I'd share the route we'll be taking. I've included a map of the overall trip. It might not match our exact route but it gives you a sense of the general areas we'll be in. The A-B trip is the pre-trip trip so to speak. We'll be traveling from Mel's parents' house in Merrimack, NH over to my mother's house in East Nassau, NY. From there we spend a few days making the last few arrangements, maintenance to my car and bit of packing before we head out on the main adventure.

We haven't set specific markers the road ahead but we're anticipating the overall journey should take about a week. If I summon enough caffeine induced moxie to drive longer shifts, it may end up being quicker. The possibility of burning out or hitting some kind of technical snag could also throw us off by a day or two. Still, I'll make sure (and Mel will enforce) that I pace myself well enough.

Will we make it in a week? Beat the clock? Get held up? Who knows. Just check back here often and watch as the ride begins.