Yellowstone Road Trip...Day 1

Demon child, Grizzly, cracked the whip today.  I'm sure he would love that image.

We left my house today at 9:00 a.m. and checked into a motel at 9:00 p.m.

Today was a Zen experience for me and the Mitsubishi.  We become as one. 


Let me rephrase that.  After 8 hours, I didn't know where my fanny started and the car ended. 

He did allow us to stop occasionally so I could shake the blood clots out of my legs.  Interesting side story about the hubby.  He did have a blood clot in his leg recently.  He got sympathy.  I swear to you.  But I was privileged to give him two shots a day in his stomach. 

I'm not smiling, hubby.  Really.  (teeny, weeny snicker did erupt here)  Be good to  your spouse cause ya never know, now do you?

So....here are the highlights of the day.

We stopped at a McDonald's in Danville, Illinois.  I accused Grizzly of a boring food choice, but there is comfort in the expected and cheap.  As we strolled in, we saw pictures of some of Danville's famous residents.

Dick and Jerry Van Dyke are the only two I remember.  Probably because I was distracted by the clientele.  If the Van Dyke boys had ever set foot in the place, they would have run screaming out of the state.  Maybe that's what happened.  That McDonald's may have been responsible for them moving on to their television fame.

Alright, McDonald's wasn't even in existence when they were boys, but WE ran screaming out of there.  We did grab our food first. 

There were huge women in short shorts.  The kid who took my money had to keep wiping his eye as it was running or infected or something.  I expected the Simpsons and some of their nuclear waste creatures to be sitting at a table.

No food poisoning symptoms...yet.

We saw all of the normal Midwest scenery along the highway. 

Don't you just scratch your head at those man made mini lakes planted right next to the road surrounded by little campers and RV's?  "We just love to get the kids out in nature, so we take them camping every weekend."  Let's hope that little Austen and Madison aren't allergic to diesel truck fumes or that they don't run out in front of one. 

There's a chain of truck stops called Kum and Go.  What were they thinking?

Then there are the Burma Shave type signs advertising "Guns Save Life."  That was big in Illinois, I believe.  They have a website, but I'm afraid to go there.

In Iowa, when I was starting to hallucinate a little, we came upon this.

Those are windmills.

The last time I saw those I was in southern California.

I know this isn't California because there isn't enough traffic on the road.  And then there's the grain silos and cow statutes in front yards.

You realize I am risking my life to take pictures while I'm driving.  I'd do anything for you.  Just remember if you need shots in your stomach, I have had some experience.

Most of the day, my view consisted of this.

That's the back of Grizzly's car.

I swear he tried to lose me in Des Moines.

He'll deny it.  But I know.






Two touching moments to wrap up the day.

This is hubby.
 
Two minutes later, he ran inside to set his DVR to record golf.












The other touching moment was when my friend, Teresa, the "nut lady" at the Flea Market said good-bye.  I only call her the "nut lady" because she and her squeeze, Jack, sell those wonderful sugared nuts. 

She told me to hold out my hand so that she could give me my going away present.  Her hands were empty, but her heart wasn't.  She told me she was giving me ruby slippers so that if I wanted to come home, all I had to do was click my heels together. 

It's been a long day and there will be more of the same tomorrow.

Stay tuned for day 2.