Here When I Can Be (posted by Tomcat)

I’ve only been able to join for about half of this 50 States Trip. Flying back and forth throughout the adventure. “Forth” being wherever Curlytop and the 3 kids happen to be that week. “Back” being home…aka work. Someone’s got to actually pay for this 50 States thing.

Prior to the beginning of the trip, I’d been to 44 of the 50 states. I’d made a goal to get to all 50 by the time I hit 40 years old. And the clock is ticking on that, so this idea of this road trip is certainly convenient.

Flying into Minneapolis a couple of weeks ago for the MN, WI, MI, IN, IL leg was excellent. Chicago was cemented as one of my favorite cities anywhere and I’m anxious to get back and see more.

Something that road-trippers in the US often remark on is how diverse the land is in America. I’d moved almost a dozen times by the time I was 20, so I’ve always felt like I had a pretty good sense of the great distance of this place and the variety of what one can see by traveling across that great distance. I'd not thought about that for a really long time. So, it’s so excellent to be reminded of that as part of this adventure, and for the kids to begin that awareness now. One of the goals of this trip is to continue to build these kids into travelers; help them become people who have seen interesting things and are filled with an eagerness to see more. They’ve each traveled a fair bit already for their respective ages. But it’s really fun to be see them start what I hope will be a lifelong journey and love of travel.

The Mighty Mississip

Oh no! Just like Oregon, we crossed a bridge into Iowa and the welcome sign was up on the truss – what to do?

I’ll tell you what we did. We turned right around and crossed the Mississippi (for the 6th time!) to get our missing Welcome to Illinois picture!

Remember the nasty Midwest storms a while back? Check out the sign for evidence of high winds. Peanut couldn’t stop laughing, “Welcome to Illinooooo”. I also got really cool dirt. The dirt in this area is the color of bit-o-honeys and the rocks are the same. But they’re like geodes in that they break apart easily and house beautiful treasure -- crack the rock and you can see the calcite inside. (People used to think it was diamonds!)

We met our 3rd policeman, too. He’d seen me hiking back up the rocky hill with my Illinois dirt and he stopped to check on our business. When we told him what we were doing, he just chuckled, read our car and said to have a nice trip!

This time we couldn’t find our way back over the bridge into Iowa and that’s when we met Bob. He let us follow him and now we have a new Road Trip phrase: “Drain clogged? Call Bob!” Can’t find the Mississippi when it’s right in front of you? Call Bob!

Seven times across the Mighty Mississippi and counting…

Fans on the Freeway!

Are we famous yet? Not exactly (based on the limited number of comments we get), but we have inspired people along the way. Definitely. We get a thumbs-up at least 3 times a day and people always stop to tell us about their own travels and dreams, especially in gas stations. Stuff like this, "Hey! I've seen 36 but need to see more!" We absolutely love it.

Today was the BEST, however. We left Chicago and drove back up into beautiful Wisconsin to meet Sis and her husband at the Jelly Belly Factory (more on this later). Afterwards, Sis took us to the kitchy Mars Cheese Castle, a nearly perfect road trip stop in my opinion. We sampled and bought so many kinds of cheeses, and then sat down for a summer sausage sandwich and toasty cheese soup for dinner.

Well, when we left, there was a pretty teenage girl taking a picture of our blog address on the back of our car. Would you believe she'd heard about us from her friend? I said, "Who's your friend?" She said, "Well, she saw you back in traffic, outside Chicago." I felt like doing a back-flip! Do other people see us on the freeway and call their friends? Hysterical!

Also, the girl's mom's a 7th grade teacher and has completed many a road trip herself. They seemed like such a great family and we're meeting these kinds of people all over the place. More people need to unplug and hit the road!

Thank you so much Cheesehead Mom for taking a group shot of us!

Chicago Art

Thanks Katy, for reminding me to get Garrett popcorn! We only had to wait 10 minutes for the store to open and walked out with a bag each, plus one for my Sis up in Wisconsin!

Grandma got a lightning fast tour of our favorite Chicago art this morning. Looking at the black and white sculpture she said, "I just don't see why that's art." I said, "Well, they can't very well put a Renaissance painting out here on the sidewalk and this is fun to look at." She agreed, "Yes, it's fun and I like looking at it." My reply? "Well, then that's art! You don't actually have to know what it is; you just have to enjoy it."

I asked the kids what fascinated them most in Chicago -- not necessarily their favorite or most fun part -- but what was really cool to them.

Peanut was amazed by the Fire Escapes. It was a whole new concept to her that people would have to escape down a ladder that wasn't attached to the ground, keeping the bad people from climbing up the ladder!

Little Man was overcome by the "spinnings" and wanted to go around and around in every one we passed. I tried to limit him to 3 spins, but he'd usually sneak more in. Winters aren't part of their normal world either and he'd never seen a revolving door before!

Doodle liked all the fancy people in their fancy clothes. We saw several brides, but mostly we saw people dressed for work. She's used to me, and you can guess how I dress for my job every day!

Chicago Architecture

Our last outing with Tomcat and Niece was an Architecture Boat Tour down the Chicago River. This was something Tomcat had really been looking forward to and I hope he enjoyed it. We sure had a gorgeous day and our guide was a good one. The kids were bored out of their minds, but they were so lethargic from heat and humidity they weren't being obnoxious.

When they left for the airport, swimsuits were donned and the kids and I walked about 5 blocks to the Crown Fountain. This is the most imaginative fountain for playing in that I've ever seen. They got the "mommy's alone now, and I need your help with walking beside me, and sticking together" lecture and they were superstars. I even gave Peanut a buck for helping me out so much with Doodle. I've never done this before, but I explained to her that this was kind of like babysitting and I sincerely appreciated it.

We got a couple of souvenirs, had some ice-cream, played in the water and then hopped on the very last Double Decker bus tour. My mistake. Dinner time. It was a 2 hour ride and after 45 minutes of Little Man's announcements, "I'm so hungry I'm gonna DIIIIIIIIIIE" or "I'm gonna blow UP, I'm so hungry", we finally got off and found a restaurant. Actually, they liked this tour and learned a lot. The guide was a huge African American man who sang a Chicago version of Wheels on the Bus when he saw the kids climb on, and had them in hysterics several times.

Back at the hotel, they had a much needed bath; Doodle still has sand in her hair from Lake Superior! Just as they were folding, cutting and taping some cootie catchers and paper airplanes as gifts for Grandma, in she walked! She was grinning from ear to ear, tickled silly to be in Chicago for the first time. Salvation.

Deserted in Gotham City

Today was the a Rider Switcheroo day for us. Tomcat and Niece were due to catch their airport shuttles at 3pm, each heading home in their respective directions. Teacher was due to arrive around 3pm. Hadn't I planned this nicely?

We bought Teacher a plane ticket months ago in exchange for riding with me for 12 days of this trip. It worked out great because her family is in Dubuque, IA, so she had a free trip to see them as well as the opportunity to see some sites she'd always wanted to see (Hannibal, MO and Rapid City, SD). The kids felt really special to have one of their teachers riding with us, and we were all especially looking forward to "a real Iowa cook-out" that her dad was putting on for us tomorrow night.

Then, my phone rang early this morning. Teacher sheepishly announced she'd missed her flight. She was supposedly at the train station trying to book a ticket, since there weren't any other flights out to Chicago today. What??? I mean, there are flights to Chicago all day long! I said I needed 5 minutes to clear my head and I'd call her back. Smoke started shooting out of my ears.

Calling her back, I told her she was off the hook, and listened to her tell me how sick she was. She thought she'd be better by this morning, but but but but. I immediately heard my 9th grade biology teacher/coach telling us, "Excuses are like assholes. Everyone's got one and they all stink." I did my best to hold it together, but the kids didn't understand, and that was ripping me up inside.

Clearly, she didn't want to come. Tomcat and I agreed on that. Panic started to set in as I was suddenly very nervous about being alone with these kiddos. I need to mentally prepare for such things! Remember the 3 trips to E.R. in the Southwest? Suddenly, 12 days of driving alone seemed very overwhelming. Tomcat said to call Grandma and here's what I heard on the other line, "Sure, I can pack quick. I was just heading to the Farmer's Market with Green but I'll call a taxi instead." We bought her a ticket that left in 2 hours. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Grandma!

A note about Teacher. I know she wasn't plotting to throw a wrench in our grand adventure. She's been under tremendous stress lately; she quit our school at the end of the year and has since moved to another city to start a new job. It's all been overwhelming for her, and I get that. She hasn't been taking care of herself which is why she's been sick. But, knowing this, I've given her many opportunities to back out. I absolutely would have understood, but she said, "No! I'm so excited. My parents are looking forward to this more than my sister's wedding this summer!" I even talked to her last night about her doctor's appointment and she still said she was coming. So here's what irks me:

1. She let down my kids and she was their teacher.
2. She put me in a big bind at the last minute, right when Tomcat and Niece were leaving. I felt deserted and ready to break down for the first time on this trip. We could have solved this months, weeks or even days ago.
3. We wasted money on an unused plane ticket!

Peanut just wouldn't stop talking about it, trying to make sense of how this could happen and why exactly it was irresponsible, etc. I finally said, "Look, this is a big drag for mommy, so let's stop talking about it. Let's focus instead on how Grandma is a hero for saving the day today!"

I tried to shake it and enjoy the last couple of hours in Chicago with Tomcat and Niece. I guess I looked okay from the outside because at one point Niece said, "Wow, I can't believe how contained you are, and that you're handling this so well." Then I told her one of my favorite Buddhist parables.

Illinois – State #18

Argh. We weren’t properly welcomed! Can you believe the Welcome to Illinois sign is nowhere to be found? I’ll have to figure something out.

An afternoon in one of my favorite cities is priceless. Top it off that we're staying in a very swank hotel. This is certainly not the norm! Whoever said this place was a kid-friendly hotel was out of their mind!

Can you say pizza? We met the nicest couple at dinner (from Champagne, IL) and they patiently listened to all the details of our trip. Peanut and Little Man just get on a roll with perfect strangers! Their enthusiasm is infectious.

Can you say Art? Architecture? I taught the kids that nearly everywhere you turn in Chicago, there’s a cool building poking out from behind saying peek-a-boo. So they started looking around and recognizing all the incredible buildings this city has to offer. Now, there's the Millenium Park, too!

Illinois License Plate